Report Cards

Subscribers' travel e-mails and postcards

REPORT ON GERMANY…

In Dresden, the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, or Historic Green Vault (Residenzschloss, Dresden, Germany; phone +49 [0] 351/49 14 2000), is a treasure chest! Each room is a spectacle in itself, with gilding, mirrors, tables and small shelves, and each had a different type of treasure.

My husband and I saw an ivory-and-tortoise-shell room, a bronzes room and an ostrich-eggs-and-silver room. A jewel room had “garnitures,” complete sets of...

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REPORT ON SWITZERLAND…

My wife and I had an outstanding meal in Wengen at the Bernerhof Hotel (CH-3823 Wengen; phone +41 33 855 2721) on Sept. 5, 2011.

Liver dumpling soup, with venison cutlet for her and wild boar steak for me plus wine, sparkling water and ice cream, all for $109. The cuisine far surpassed the other restaurants we patronized during eight days in Switzerland. The Bernerhof features game from late August to mid October.

— Peter Calingaert,...

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REPORT ON MALTA…

During a visit to Valletta, Malta, July 25-28, 2011, my son and I stayed at the Castille Hotel (Castille Square, c/w St. Paul’s St., Valletta; phone +356 2122 0173), which offered comfortable rooms and a staff who went out of their way to make our visit a pleasure.

At €90 ($129) per night, our room on the second floor (there is an elevator, but the marble staircase was fun to climb) was large, with high ceilings and an updated bathroom. A...

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REPORT ON CROATIA…

My wife, Eileen, and I and another couple traveled independently in Croatia, May 27-June 7, 2011. Two hotels stood out on this trip.

• The fabulous Hotel Luxe (K. Zvonimira 6, 2100 SPLIT, Croatia; phone +385 021 314 444), a beautifully refurbished boutique hotel within a block of the walled city and marketplace. The location was fantastic and the staff was friendly and helpful. We paid $200 for two, including gourmet buffet breakfasts.

...

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COMPARING AIRLINES...

Having booked a Star Alliance flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt many months ahead, my wife, Joan, and I were excited when it was announced in early May 2011 that Lufthansa was inaugurating service on this route with the new Airbus 380. Here is some feedback on our flights.

The upper cabin has eight first-class seats and 98 business-class seats (where we were seated); 420 economy-class seats are on the lower deck. The business-class cabin is huge, and...

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REPORT ON BRITISH AIR…

I’m just back from Southern Africa, which, in each direction, involved two flights of nearly 11 hours’ flying time each — Dallas to London and London to Johannesburg on April 29-30, with the return in 22-plus hours on May 16.

After the flights were booked, about 45 days out, my travel agent recommended that, for an extra $700 round trip, I upgrade to World Traveler Plus, British Airways’ premium-economy class, on the four...

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Report ON NEW ZEALAND

Just before the recent earthquake, my wife and I took a trip to New Zealand, Feb. 7-21, 2011. The arrangements were made by Brendan Vacations (Chatsworth, CA; 800/421-8446 or 818/428-6000).

Excluding airfare from Los Angeles, the total cost of the trip was $2,500 per person, which included first-class hotels, with breakfast; all transportation, and admission to various tours and events.

We prefer independent travel, but, although I have driven in...

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