43 - Sunday, May 6, 1990

~ North Shore News

A tale of two holidays

TWO VANCOUVER couples

went on vacation. One went

to Hawaii and checked into a hotel charging $325 U.S. a
night. The other couple went to Paris and paid $19 U.S. a
night. Who had the better experience? Read on.

The place in Hawaii was the
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, located
on the Big Island. This is a lux-
urious resort with one of the best
golf courses in the Pacific (Golf
Digest ranks it No. 1 in Hawaii)
plus an excellent beach.

More than 1,000 works of art,
including a 7th century Indian
buddha, were scattered around the
property by original developer
Laurence Rockeller. The hotel is
now Japanese owned.

The rooms are big and beautiful
and the large lanais have ocean

views that go on forever. Perfect,
you might think, for two people to
get away from the madding crowd.
Usually, but not always. Not
when there’s a company event al
the Mauna Kea.
In the case of the Vancouver

travel talk

David Wishart

couple they had to put up with the
employees of a U.S. software firm
who travelled as a group and
created the sort of distraction, if
not disturbance, that occurs when
a block of people intrudes in the
space of couples and families.

The group brought canned

music to the beach and played
volleyball and flew kites, they all
wore the same T-shirts and went
Ta-ra.

When asked if they were having
a good time, one said ‘‘not par-
ticularly,’ but the boss expected
them to look grateful. As the Van-
couver vacationer said, they were
not really on holiday. More likely
they were on parade.

Final straw for the Vancouver
vacationer was being told one
evening that he could not book a
table at one of the two restaurants
because the group was using it.

Whereupon he went to see the
manager and said his experience
was not worth top dollar. Without
any fuss the manager gave him 25
per cent off his bill.

The place in Paris for $19 U.S.
is the Hotel de Ranelagh, centrally
located, smail with a winding
staircase, but big on charm and
character.

in the other hand, the couple
had to share a toilet, a shower was
$2.75 extra, and nobody went out
of their way to speak English.

But breakfast was just $4, a
bargain compared with the experi-
ence of another Vancouver family
at the Queen Elizabeth Hote! in
Paris who were charged $30 each

Coach line goes to Washington airports

From page 42

Barbara also told me that she
often routes her clients through ei-
ther Los Angeles or San Francisco
to Maui as they can save money on
inter-island fares. As you know,
inter-island fares in Hawaii have
soared in price. You can pay as
much as $180 for a return fare
from Honolulu to Maui.

Barbara tells me that a compe-_

tent travel agent should be able to
get that price reduced con-

_WEDNESDAY *

oer) eee pay ne

siderably, so don’t accept any
$180" figure without griping.

week

Here is another service you
should be aware of should you be
travelling out of either Bellingham
or Sea-Tac airports. Quick Coach
Lines Ltd. offers four daily runs to
both airports as well as a stop in
downtown Seattle (the Sheraton at
6th and Pike).

Buses depart from the Cruise

Rescuers battle. blizzard

to search for lost skiers

Ship Terminal, Sandman Inn,
Delta Airport Inn and the Tudor
Inn — the first two are ideal for
North Shore travellers.

Departures are at 7 and 10 a.m.,
noon znd 5 p.m. (this is the sched-
ule commending mid-May).
Round-trip costs are: Bellingham,
oie Seattle, $49; and Sea-Tac,

60.

PY
| of Fuse
oSHOLIDAYS
2383 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, B.C.

Mother’s Day ¥
@ SPECIAL gy”

Give Mom the present
of her dreams:

A CRUISE
HOLIDAY!

rs)
Let mom visit a number
of destinations, snooze &
shop, dream away a day,
dance away the night,
gaze off at sunrise or
relax until sunset.
Let her spend 7 days in
luxurious surroundings,
fine foods. gracious,
attentive service and
enjoyable entertainment
& activities

7 DAYS FROM
$545 USD
on May 19-26
based on double occupancy
including air

Call now,
space is limited

926-7245

for continental breakfast.

The Vancouver travellers found
the Ranelagh in the Let's Go
France guidebook. Price last year
was 130 francs double, which at
today’s exchange rate (4.5 to $1
Can) is about $28 Can. The ad-
dress is 56 Rue de l’'Assomption,
and it’s in the 16th arrondisse-

ment.
In Versailles the couple found a
hotel by themselves, called Le

Cheval Rouge, at 18 Rue Andre
Chenier, which charged 160 francs
with breakfast for 23 francs.
There, in an ofd building with
walls three feet thick and a public
market nearby, they felt they were
getting to experience France.

NORTH
SHORE

transfers,
handling

VENTURE TRAVEL

ARE YOU TIRED OF HAWAII?
WORRIED ABOUT MEXICO?

LOOKING FOR A NEW, UNSPOILED AND
WORRY-FREE VACATION SPOT?

IT’S BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS!

7 nights from CAD $790 rr.08.

PRICE INCLUDES—

Return air from Seattle
7 Nights accommodation at
the British Colonial
Beach Resort on the beach in Nassau
$100 Bar Credit, airport transfers.

996-197
- ROSE WAY. TRA

‘Super Special
Scandinavia
Cruise

On the new superb
RENAISSANCE

100 passenger ALL SUITE
Luxury Yacht Ship

june 13, 13 days, Copenhagen, Oslo
Kristiansand, Bergen, Flam, Gudvagen,
Shetlands, Orkney Islands, Edinburgh.
Includes 2 nights each in Copenhagen
& Edinburgh in deluxe hotels, with
sightseeing, baggage

Their advice to others is to shop
at markets for bread, cheese and
cooked meats.

They did well on $100 a day for
five weeks this way. Said the wife:
“You can go into a restaurant and
easily spend $65 on a_ meal."’

Too true, and while they were
not travelling in peak season the
summer can be impossible, the res-
taurants crowded with Ameri-
cans, Germans and Japanese
spending wads of money on the ra-
tionale that it’s a unique experi-
ence.

One of my most memorable
meals was bread, cheese and a bot-
te of wine in the garden of Ver-
sailles. | think the lot cost $5.

& FREE AIR

for a special price of $3995 con.
This Can't Last - Phone Now

926-4344

106-100 Park Royal South,

West Vancouver
(ground floor of office tower)