B&B-hotel in Oaxaca; tour company in Israel

REPORT ON MEXICO…

My wife, Jane, and I stayed at Casa de la Tía Tere Bed & Breakfast Hotel (Calle Murguía 612, Col. Centro C.P. 6800, Oaxaca, México; phone 01 [951] 501 1845, fax 501 1888), paying a total of $531 for eight nights.

Only about six blocks from the square, the hotel is within walking distance of most important churches and museums. There were three restaurants within four blocks. The wonderful Botanical Gardens, with worthwhile tours in Spanish and English, were about seven blocks away.

The hotel is beautifully laid out around a patio. This is one of the few mid-range hotels in Oaxaca with a pool, and the back door of our room opened onto it. In March (2012), it was just warm enough to swim, and this was a delightful place to just relax.

Our room was charming, clean and comfortable, with a king-sized bed and a walk-in shower with plenty of hot water. We had a small TV. There was no air-conditioning, but it wasn’t necessary, as temps dropped to about 50°F at night.

Other amenities included free unlimited Internet use, hot water and tea all day and night and use of the hotel kitchen’s refrigerator.

The breakfast was good, with cereal, toast and lots of fruit plus eggs made however we liked. All of the guests spoke with each other and with Rocio and Rosa at every breakfast. After a while, we forgot we were in a hotel and not at home. We had to leave early on the last day, and they prepared ham sandwiches and fruit for us to take on the plane.

The best thing was the staff, especially Rocio and Rosa but also the evening desk manager Lidia.

I had been in touch with Rocio about bringing suitcases of clothing, toys and school supplies to the Catholic church to be distributed to the poor. She went out of her way to contact the priest and have us attend Mass on Monday night to make our donation. I will never forget the experience. The priest blessed and hugged us on the altar, had us speak to the congregation and even blessed our suitcases.

Oaxaca is a great city, and La Casa de la Tía Tere was a perfect place to thoroughly enjoy everything.

Kevin O’Brien, Tybee Island, GA

REPORT ON ISRAEL…

My wife and I were very lucky to find out about the tour company 206 Tours, Inc. (333 Marcus Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788; 800/206-8687, ext. 115), which runs Catholic and Christian pilgrimages and spiritual journeys. (The name derives from there being 206 bones in the human body.)

Our trip to Israel, Feb. 21-March 1, 2012, cost $3,622 per person, including airfare Ft. Myers/Newark and Newark/Tel Aviv; complete travel insurance; 4- and 5-star hotels, and three great meals per day (with wine at dinner).

You need to be in good walking condition for this tour. We visited Cana, Caesarea, Galilee, the Jordan River, Mt. Tabor, the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Via Dolorosa, Bethany, Jericho, the Mount of Temptation, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Tiberias and Bethlehem. Our priest said Mass at each location.

The tour leader, George Sa’id, and his driver were the best people we have ever had on a tour. George also does private tours.

206 Tours would be super for a church group wanting a tour in the Holy Land.

George M. Faber, Ft. Myers, FL