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February 2013 issue | Appears on page 24

‘Waterways of the Czars’

By Wanda Bahde

The Dormition Cathedral in the Trinity Lavra of St. St. Sergius

My husband, Ray, and I wanted to see if river cruising fit our travel style. We chose the St. Peterburg-Moscow cruise-tour “Waterways of the Czars” from Viking River Cruises (800/304-9616) primarily because it included Yaroslavl and offered an optional tour to Sergiev Posad, both Golden Ring cities in Russia. For the two of us, the cost of our trip, June 23-July 6, 2012, was $14,681, including air from Orlando.

Our experience was good but very different from the small-group tours we’...

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 27

Lodge near Johannesburg

By Rod Smith

When my wife, Karen, and I headed from Washington, DC, to Walvis Bay, Namibia, in June ’12, we required a place to stay in Johannesburg after our flight of 17-plus hours and before our flight the next morning. Outlook Lodge (1 Ambleside Ave., Lakefield, Benoni, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa; phone +27 [0] 11 894 5406, fax +27 [86] 247 3664) was perfect.

Owner Francois arranged, via e-mail, for a driver to meet us at O.R. Tambo International and take us back the next morning....

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 27

Accommodations in Venice

By Marjorie M. Rhoads

After a 3-week tour (No. “CE-2”) of Central Europe in May ‘12 with Adventures Abroad (Blaine, WA; 800/665-3998), which was wonderful, my husband, Bob, and I flew from Prague to Venice on Air One ($100 for both tickets) for a 5-day stay.

We took a vaporetto into the city, getting off at the San Zaccaria stop. It was about a 3-block walk to our hotel, Locanda “Al Leon” (Campo Santi Filippoe e Giacome, 4270, 30122 Venice, Italy; phone +39 041 2770393, fax 5210348).

We were about...

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 28

A studio in Paris

By Jack Dini

Early 1990s stained-glass cupola dome in Galeries Lafayette department store

My wife, Anne, and I spent a week in Paris in April ’12 prior to taking a superb trip with Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768) to the battlefields of Normandy. We rented a studio apartment ($1,395 for the week) from Marie Lefebvre (Newport Beach, CA; 949/433-5110, mariebalboa@cox.net), a frequent advertiser in ITN.

This delightful, ground-floor studio is located on rue Cambacérès in Paris’ eighth arrondissement, and we felt very safe there. The Ministry of the Interior building is...

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 29

Weekend in Barcelona

By Arlene Lichtenstein

Arlene Lichtenstein tempting the Gaudí lizard in Parc Güell — Barcelona.

My daughter, Debra, and I spent a lovely weekend in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 19-22, 2012, staying at the 5-star, 18-room, boutique Hotel DO: Plaça Reial (Plaça Reial 1, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; phone +34 934 813 666, fax 933 020 970), located a very short walk from La Rambla. She found it on the Internet, and the cost for three nights was €700 (near $923), including VAT.

Although the hotel was beautiful, the room comfortable, the service impeccable, the included...

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 29

Brussels hotel

By Donald Kinser

My wife and I stayed in Brussels at the Floris Arlequin Grand’Place (Rue de la Fourche 17-19, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium; phone 00 32 [0] 2 514 16 15, fax 514 22 02), May 7-9, 2012, having booked online. The price was €397 (near $523) for three nights, which included breakfast.

Taking the advice of an ITN subscriber (Dec. ’11, pg, 52), we requested a room with a view; ours was of the Grand Place. Our room was about what you’d expect for that price on the Continent, and the staff was...

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 30

Rewa Eco Lodge, Guyana

My wife, Karen, and I took a bird-watching and nature trip to Guyana through Nature Travel Specialists (Dauphin Island, AL; 251/861-2524) and Wilderness Explorers (Georgetown, Guyana). We left Miami on Sept. 6, 2012, and returned Sept. 18, visiting four locations in Guyana.

The best lodge, in our opinion, was Rewa Eco Lodge, located at the confluence of the Rewa and Rupununi rivers. It is operated by the local community of Amerindians, and the guiding and viewing were excellent....

February 2013 issue | Appears on page 30

Jaldapara in India

By Jane B. Holt

Rhino in Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Photo: Holt

My husband, Clyde, and I took a 35-day trip to India in March-April 2012 with arrangements made by Swagatam Tours (New Delhi, India; phone 91 11 25444000, fax 25444010).

We arrived at the Jaldapara Tourist Lodge-Maldarihat (phone/fax 91 3563 262230 or 91 3563 262606), one of the lodges where visitors to the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal stay. Swagatam had made our lodging arrangements, but the rack rate we saw was INR2,500 (near $45). Our wooden cottage with A/C was...