Travelers' Intercom

December 2011 issue

‘Disappointed’ on Cunard’s Queen Eilzabeth

I cruised on the Queen Elizabeth, Dec. 15, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, embarking in Southampton, England, and visiting Madeira, then crossing the Atlantic to Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica and Tortola before recrossing the ocean to Ponta Delgada, Azores, and Southampton. Excluding airfare, the cost for my inside, single cabin was $8,010.

My category 7 cabin, No. 4163, was located very close to the bow. It was extremely noisy and, for me, uncomfortable, even in the least seas. In my cabin, there was no way to keep the bathroom door secured open. The result was that it would swing...

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July 2009 issue

Beaune for Burgundy

Beaune, a 4-hour drive north from Avignon, is one of our favorite places in France. My wife, JoAnn, and I have been there three times and will go again if we have the opportunity. Beaune doesn’t change much. It’s a charming city and the focal point of Burgundy’s wine industry.

There are many places for wine tasting in and around Beaune, with quite a few open seven days a week. On our last visit we stopped at Patriarche Pere & Fils (5-7 re du Collège; phone 03 80 24 53 79), which has thousands of bottles in underground caves, in the center of Beaune. We tasted 15 wines, some...

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June 2011 issue

For HK, consider Sha Tin (suburb)

First-time visitors to Hong Kong usually stay on Hong Kong Island or just across the harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui, on the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, and that’s as it should be. But for repeat visitors on a budget or those planning a long stay, Sha Tin, just 20 minutes by train from Kowloon, might be a location to consider. My wife, Maria, and I stayed there in January 2011 to be near friends who live in Tai Po, the next suburb over.

Sha Tin is, by Chinese standards, a small suburb, and it has a number of fine hotels. We opted for the five-star Regal Riverside Hotel (phone 852 2649...

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February 2009 issue

Ticino/Venice sampler

My wife, Margaret, and I spent a week in the Ticino region of Switzerland and another week in Venice, both stays organized by Untours (Media, PA; 888/868-6871). Untours provides apartment accommodations, transfers and on-site hosts who give advice and an orientation.

Our Untours trip, in September ’07, cost $2,445 each. Business-class air from Houston to Zürich and return via Venice cost $2,855 each. In Switzerland, a Swiss Rail pass was included in the price of our Untour. This was valid for trains, buses and lake boats (except Lake Maggiore, which is mostly in Italy).

Our...

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October 2011 issue

Made Ethiopia easier

“There’s no denying it: traveling in Ethiopia is not easy.” So says my Lonely Planet “Guide to Ethiopia and Eritrea” in the chapter “Getting Started.”

And the trip I took — “Ethiopia, the Historic Northern Route & Timket Festival,” Jan. 13-26, 2011, from Spiekermann Travel (Eastpointe, MI; 800/645-3233), at a cost of $5,090, including single supplement; air from Tampa, Florida, and out of Washington Dulles; air taxes and surcharges; all meals, and gratuities to guides, drivers and hotel staff — was one of the more...

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August 2009 issue

Hiking on Madeira

During a trip to Portugal, Nov. 5-14, 2008 (July ’09, pg. 15), my husband, Kip, and I visited Madeira for some hiking and sightseeing.

Your TAP Portugal boarding pass will give you a free ride into Funchal on the express bus. Ask the driver to drop you off at the nearest bus stop to your accommodation. If it’s not near the bus route, you can take a taxi from the center of Funchal; otherwise, expect to pay about €25 ($32) for a taxi.

We were at first dismayed by the traffic and the sprawling development in and around Funchal plus the throngs of tourists, but our small hotel,...

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January 2009 issue

Medicare protection exception

In the October ’08 Discerning Traveler column, Dr. Wagenaar wrote, “Medicare provides no protection outside the US…” I’ve read this elsewhere, but there are two exceptions.

In the government’s guidebook “Medicare and You — 2008,”* on page 25 it says, “Travel… limited to medical services provided in Canada when you travel the most direct route through Canada between Alaska and another state.” It also says, “Medicare also covers hospital, ambulance and doctor services if you are in the US but the nearest hospital that can treat you isn’t in the US…”

We are particularly aware of...

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March 2009 issue

Street crime in Santiago

A friend and I really enjoyed ourselves during an 8-day stay in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20-28, 2008. The country is very nice, traveling through the wineries was educational, and Valparaíso and Viña del Mar were really spectacular. But be aware that Santiago suffers from a serious petty theft problem.

We went to the Bellavista neighborhood in Santiago several times to visit the famous Pablo Neruda home and museum as well as the fantastic restaurants there. After paying our bills at the restaurants, we were told each time by our waiters to allow them to call us a taxi and not to...

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