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C14 - Sunday, December 5, 1982 - North Shore News

ONE OF the greatest
features of travelling
anywhere in the “off

season” is that you
needn't be hog-tied to a

schedule of reser-
vations.
Nothing can be as

frustrating for a_ traveller
than to pay in advance for a
room and then, for one
reason or another, be unable
to use it. Or, conversely,
leave a place you are en-
joying sooner than you wish
because.of a reservation in
the next town.

A reservation is essential
for the first stop after a long
flight. After-many hours in
the air you'll be in no mdéod
to hump your baggage all
arching e
room at the inn. During the
week, hotels near major

airports are often jammed —

with business travellers
awaiting early flights and
without a reservation you
may be out of luck.

I get edgy when I am
booked on a charter flight.
For this reason I always
reserve a room at the airport
or nearby so that nothing
will keep me from appearing
at the proper time. In a way,
it does spoil the last day of
your vacation but if you do
nothing but worry about
missing your flight, what’s
the difference? .

How do you find good
hotels or other = ac-
commodation when you
arrive in a foreign city? One
way is to bring a list, culled
from guidebooks, from
home. Be sure to include the
telephone number so that
you can phone ahead from
the airport or station to
make sure there’s room. A
couple of numbers for each
city should see you through.

The second method is to
“énlist the help of thé” desk
clerk at your first hotel - but
only if you are satisfied with
the accommodation.

Hotel people are generally
aware of parallel operations
in neighboring cities. I found
my favorite hotel in Venice
by chatting with the manager
of my favorite hotel in
Genoa.

If you are planning a visit
to Venice try the Hotel
Cavalleto tel: 700-955. It
took me three tries before I
found the Cavalicto and two
stays at poor hotels (If
anyone suggests cither the
Hotel Scandanavia or the
Hotel Gastaldon, ignore
them).

Another method of finding _
accommodation is by visiting

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OFF SEASON ADVANTAGES

the local ‘tourist office. . The traveller has no way

Enquire at the airport or
Station - there may be an
office there.

For example, in the Rome
railway station there is a
large booth in the middle of

~

by Barbara
McCreadie

the station which has a huge
staff and multi telephones.
Tell them the type of room
and price you want to pay,
they phone and you pay for
your first night right there.
They'll also tell you
exactly how to get there so

you won't get skinned by a .

crooked cab driver.

The trouble with using a
tourist office is that they are
too impartial. Two hotels
may advertise the identical
facilities at the same price.

of knowing that Hotel A is

vastly superior to hotel B
and he can be damn sure the
tourist bureau isn’t going to
tell him. ;

If you are in the market
for bed and breakfast ac-
commodation, some
countries such as England
have a system of booking
from one place to the next
for which you pay a small
fee. Excellent value.

Another advantage of
travelling without reser-
vations is that it’s often
cheaper, For example, we
booked the Hotel President
in Sorrento using the Nice
(France) office of the Italina
tourist bureau (C.1.T.). We
paid for five days in advance
and hustled off to Sorrento.
What a lovely spot! In
time that we decided to stay
a few more days. To our
utter fury, we discovered
that the cost was less than
half what we'd paid in ad-
vance.

Be sure you know what
you're buying when you
book a hotel. Many have
several rate plans, including

one, two or three meals
while you may choose to
have all your meals
elsewhere.

Sorry, no refunds for
unused services! Most
European hotels’ serve

breakfast and you pay for it
regardless. It’s stupid to eat
elsewhere. ;

As you all know, I despise
the system of tipping. But, if
you want good service from
the maids in a European
hotel tip them often, but
only if you're staying more

Travel tidbits

As late as 1939 there were
no speed limits on British

areas, a fact that caused

some embarrassment when a’

British auto club came to
America for a_ well-publi-
cized motor tour. On their
very first day, the visitors ran
afoul of New Jersey

fits any garment bag.

tra large

pockets for your

gift!

Organizer

Folds into any suitcase or

Your personal valet comes
complete with 4 handy zip-
pered pockets in front for
your clean clothing and 2 ex-
zippered rear
sotled
things. Conveniently stores
such items as underwear,
shirts, ties, scarves, socks,
hostery, etc Just right for
the neat traveller! A perfect

$9 R75

Dont torget to ask any travel agen for
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Gulliver's We have over 500 hard-to-tind &
unique travel accessories in stock!

patrolmen who pulled them

over for cruising at speeds of
80 and 90 mph.

Swiss postage stamps are
marked “helvetia,” the Latin
name of Switzerland, to
avoid having to print them in
all four languages spoken in
the country.

922-9650

wy we

than one night. In one
Italian hotel that I visit
regularly, I give the head
housekeeper ten bucks right
at the start and we not only
have fresh sheets every night
but more bath towels, extra
t.p. and tissues, ice water in
a jug and even free
“babysitting” in that she's
often invited my kids to

rounds.

Old hotels have many
wonderful store rooms and
grottos that. the average
guest never sees.

T love old hotels but I: must
pass on a warning. Many of
them are firetraps and it is a
wise guest who requests a
room facing the main street

. On one of the lower floors. It

accompany her on ---her —may be noisier than @ boiler

factory at night but at least
the fire trucks have access if
need be.

Rooms facing inner
courtyards and alleyways are
inaccessible. Be aware, too,
that fire escapes may not be
marked and check them out
before going to bed.

A final caution - don’t use
the bidets unless you've

scrubbed them yourself!

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