Aug 7, 2008
New, second editions of Pauline Frommer's Guides are now in the bookstores, as this new budget series reaches 14 titles in
If you'd like to get an idea of how a good travel guidebook should be written, take a look at Pauline Frommer's write-up of a famous discount clothing store in Manhattan, in the new edition of her Pauline Frommer's New York. At this single "most overrated store in the city", she writes, " . . . the fabrics are the cheapest polyesters, the colors gaudy, the fit off, and even the labels themselves look different . . . I've seen otherwise sane, well-dressed women with their arms stacked full of clothes that shouldn't be worn outside the center circle at Ringling Brothers . . . "
The Pauline Frommer's Guides are the new budget series of the Frommer line, a string of guidebooks covering all the major destinations from a cost-conscious standpoint. In a city where the average hotel room rate now tops $300 a night, her New York guidebook contains gems of economy that can make all the difference on your own next trip. She finds B&Bs, little inns, private Manhattan apartments whose owners rent them to transient visitors, hotels just ten minutes away in Brooklyn, that charge as little as $115 to $125 for a double. And she describes each one with the detail that can only come from direct eyeball observation: "the linens on the beds are soft; there are extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms; the furniture looks brand new and matches; and each room has a remote control, not only for the TV but also for the air conditioning . . . "
Pauline Frommer's London and Pauline Frommer's New York were named "Best Guidebooks of the Year" (2006 and 2007) by the North American Travel Journalists Association. I have no doubt that Pauline Frommer's Las Vegas (for which she slept a night apiece in no fewer than 40 hotels) and Pauline Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando and Pauline Frommer's Hawaii, will be up for similar awards in the days to come. There are also Pauline Frommer's Guides to Italy, Paris, Costa Rica, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. in the bookstores, and four more volumes on other destinations about to be issued in the next several months.
You'll have to pardon me for this recommendation of a guidebook series written in the grand old tradition, by walking the streets for weeks on end, by peering into the actual operations of travel facilities, by describing what you see with either honest enthusiasm or plain dismay, she has created important tools for travel. If you want to "spend less, see more" (the series slogan) on your upcoming trips, I'd suggest you look for a Pauline Frommer's Guide in the travel section of any bookstore.
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The Pauline Frommer's Guides are the new budget series of the Frommer line, a string of guidebooks covering all the major destinations from a cost-conscious standpoint. In a city where the average hotel room rate now tops $300 a night, her New York guidebook contains gems of economy that can make all the difference on your own next trip. She finds B&Bs, little inns, private Manhattan apartments whose owners rent them to transient visitors, hotels just ten minutes away in Brooklyn, that charge as little as $115 to $125 for a double. And she describes each one with the detail that can only come from direct eyeball observation: "the linens on the beds are soft; there are extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathrooms; the furniture looks brand new and matches; and each room has a remote control, not only for the TV but also for the air conditioning . . . "
Pauline Frommer's London and Pauline Frommer's New York were named "Best Guidebooks of the Year" (2006 and 2007) by the North American Travel Journalists Association. I have no doubt that Pauline Frommer's Las Vegas (for which she slept a night apiece in no fewer than 40 hotels) and Pauline Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando and Pauline Frommer's Hawaii, will be up for similar awards in the days to come. There are also Pauline Frommer's Guides to Italy, Paris, Costa Rica, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. in the bookstores, and four more volumes on other destinations about to be issued in the next several months.
You'll have to pardon me for this recommendation of a guidebook series written in the grand old tradition, by walking the streets for weeks on end, by peering into the actual operations of travel facilities, by describing what you see with either honest enthusiasm or plain dismay, she has created important tools for travel. If you want to "spend less, see more" (the series slogan) on your upcoming trips, I'd suggest you look for a Pauline Frommer's Guide in the travel section of any bookstore.
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Labels: budget travel, costa rica, disney, guidebooks, hawaii, italy, las vegas, london, new york city, orlando, paris, washington dc
Apr 28, 2008
Can you safely book a future Alitalia flight to Italy? I tend to think so
Though I greatly regretted the recent election of Sylvio Berlusconi as premier of Italy (he's not my type of democratic leader, to put it mildly), his return to power has allowed me to give a confident answer to a great many questions from readers about the future validity of their tickets aboard Alitalia. Berlusconi will take any step necessary to keep Alitalia within Italian hands, or at least to transfer its obligations to a new Italian airline financed by Berlusconi's acquaintances. If you have earlier purchased a ticket on Alitalia for a future flight, you can now assume that this ticket will be honored by someone flying to Italy.
Already, Berlusconi has blandly defied the European Union by arranging a state loan of €300 million to the troubled Italian carrier, thus assuring its ability to fly for at least the next three months. He did this despite a strong edict against such a loan by the European authorities, who believe (in Adam Smith-fashion) that an insolvent airline should cease operations rather than be funded in this manner. And it is now quite certain that Italy will retain control of its flag carrier, rather than permit it to be acquired by the airline of another nation (as Air France tried to do).
So to all you worriers out there: calm your nerves and buy Pauline Frommer's Italy -- you'll soon be using it on an actual trip.
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Already, Berlusconi has blandly defied the European Union by arranging a state loan of €300 million to the troubled Italian carrier, thus assuring its ability to fly for at least the next three months. He did this despite a strong edict against such a loan by the European authorities, who believe (in Adam Smith-fashion) that an insolvent airline should cease operations rather than be funded in this manner. And it is now quite certain that Italy will retain control of its flag carrier, rather than permit it to be acquired by the airline of another nation (as Air France tried to do).
So to all you worriers out there: calm your nerves and buy Pauline Frommer's Italy -- you'll soon be using it on an actual trip.
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Mar 25, 2008
If you've got a month for a summer vacation, and $5,000 to spend, you can enjoy a luxurious, 28-day Grand Cruise of the Mediterranean and Aegean
Some of our readers may remember the late, lamented Renaissance Cruises, whose last days on earth were in the year 2000. These were rather elegant smaller ships carrying only 700 passengers, whose anti-travel agent policies caused them to be widely scorned by retail professionals and thus driven into bankruptcy.
Well, two of Renaissance's vessels were bought by Royal Caribbean Cruises and made into Azamara Cruises, following the same basic policies but without the anti-travel agent animus. The ships have also been totally refurbished, and ply their 700 passengers with white-gloved butler service, 300-count Egyptian cotton sheets, fresh flowers and baskets of fruit on the coffee tables of each stateroom, and other assorted luxuries. Yet, amazingly enough, their prices are rather moderate, though higher -- obviously -- than a Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruiseship would charge.
The best of the values offered by Azamara are so-called "Grand Cruises" of 26- and 28-days' duration. Several such voyages are scheduled for this summer leaving Mediterranean ports like Rome or Athens and sailing to all the classic locations over a one-month period. Yet many of the cabins on these lengthy voyages are available for under $5,000 from such discounters as VacationsToGo.com (www.vacationstogo.com). The plus-or-minus $5,000 that is charged for most trips works out to about $178 per person per day, which is a breathtaking low rate for ships and cruises of this quality.
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Well, two of Renaissance's vessels were bought by Royal Caribbean Cruises and made into Azamara Cruises, following the same basic policies but without the anti-travel agent animus. The ships have also been totally refurbished, and ply their 700 passengers with white-gloved butler service, 300-count Egyptian cotton sheets, fresh flowers and baskets of fruit on the coffee tables of each stateroom, and other assorted luxuries. Yet, amazingly enough, their prices are rather moderate, though higher -- obviously -- than a Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruiseship would charge.
The best of the values offered by Azamara are so-called "Grand Cruises" of 26- and 28-days' duration. Several such voyages are scheduled for this summer leaving Mediterranean ports like Rome or Athens and sailing to all the classic locations over a one-month period. Yet many of the cabins on these lengthy voyages are available for under $5,000 from such discounters as VacationsToGo.com (www.vacationstogo.com). The plus-or-minus $5,000 that is charged for most trips works out to about $178 per person per day, which is a breathtaking low rate for ships and cruises of this quality.
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Jan 2, 2008
A travel secret: it's Umbria (and especially the town of Gubbio), not Tuscany, where you'll more easily capture the culture of Italy
The big and famous tourist towns of Italy's Tuscany have unbeatable attractions and undeniable allure. But their very popularity makes it often difficult to have a unique experience or truly sample the culture. It's in the smaller, less-trafficked towns of nearby Umbria, where tourists are more of a welcome novelty, that the visitor can more easily find ways to engage the local culture.
Take the example of ancient Gubbio, set at the edge of the Abruzzi Mountains high in Northern Umbria. Like other towns in Central Italy, it offers a mix of fine wines, hearty Italian food, ancient Etruscan remains and Roman ruins, and a medieval atmosphere, yet it draws a mere fraction of the crowds that often plague its neighbors. The few intrepid travelers who make the trip here can not only enjoy an Italian hill town charm without the tour bus crowds (and at the slightly reduced prices that come with staying off the tourist track), but also gain invaluable cultural insight via a whole host of activities.
While most tourists merely admire Italy's hand-painted ceramics and lush Renaissance frescoes, or enjoy pasta dishes decorated with precious shaved truffles, the city of Gubbio offers visitors the chance to sample these aspects of Italian life and culture via a series of inexpensive, single-day classes held in conjunction with the private agency known as "In Umbria da Nord Est" (tel. 011-39-075-922-0066; www.inumbria.net/eng_fr_servizi.htm),
Among the courses: the making of the ceramics for which Gubbio is famous (€12-€25), fresco painting (€15), mosaic crafting (€20), cooking (€8 for breads, €55 for more complex courses), and even truffle hunting (€10). Gubbio's mountainous locale also makes it a mini-Mecca for certain outdoor sports, and this initiative offers sampler days of mountain biking (€13), horseback riding (€15), canyoning (€35), and hang-gliding (€65).
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Take the example of ancient Gubbio, set at the edge of the Abruzzi Mountains high in Northern Umbria. Like other towns in Central Italy, it offers a mix of fine wines, hearty Italian food, ancient Etruscan remains and Roman ruins, and a medieval atmosphere, yet it draws a mere fraction of the crowds that often plague its neighbors. The few intrepid travelers who make the trip here can not only enjoy an Italian hill town charm without the tour bus crowds (and at the slightly reduced prices that come with staying off the tourist track), but also gain invaluable cultural insight via a whole host of activities.
While most tourists merely admire Italy's hand-painted ceramics and lush Renaissance frescoes, or enjoy pasta dishes decorated with precious shaved truffles, the city of Gubbio offers visitors the chance to sample these aspects of Italian life and culture via a series of inexpensive, single-day classes held in conjunction with the private agency known as "In Umbria da Nord Est" (tel. 011-39-075-922-0066; www.inumbria.net/eng_fr_servizi.htm),
Among the courses: the making of the ceramics for which Gubbio is famous (€12-€25), fresco painting (€15), mosaic crafting (€20), cooking (€8 for breads, €55 for more complex courses), and even truffle hunting (€10). Gubbio's mountainous locale also makes it a mini-Mecca for certain outdoor sports, and this initiative offers sampler days of mountain biking (€13), horseback riding (€15), canyoning (€35), and hang-gliding (€65).
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Labels: italy, tuscany, umbria
Oct 24, 2007
A tour of Italy's three greatest cities for $999, including round-trip airfare, is truly a remarkable deal
A friend who travels to Italy several times a year was recently lamenting that he was thinking of canceling a planned two-week trip because he simply didn't have the $2,500 he knew it would cost him.
That's why I'm happy to share the recent deeply discounted price of $999 for a six-night escorted motorcoach tour of Italy's highlights, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Assisi, and including round-trip airfare to Italy, presently offered by Gate 1 Travel (tel. 800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com).
I'm not normally a fan of escorted motorcoach tours, and Italy is a country where you can easily travel independently. But if you have never been and are looking for an inexpensive way to get a quick taste of its major destinations, this guided tour may suit your needs.
The price of $999 (expect taxes and fees to add about $90) covers roundtrip air travel from New York to Venice and back from Rome to New York. But departures from other cities are available; for example, add $92 for Boston, $123 for Chicago, $210 for Miami, or $238 for L.A.
In addition to round-trip airfare, the price also covers two nights each in Venice (in a hotel on the Grand Canal), Florence (overlooking the Arno River a few blocks from the historic center), and Rome (in a hotel on Via Cavour, a short stroll from the Forum and Colosseum), breakfast daily, and bus transfers from city to city. Traveling by motorcoach has the added benefit that it can include pauses at Pisa to see (but not climb) the Leaning Tower and its surrounding sights, and at Assisi to tour the Basilica di San Francesco. Two things this low price does not cover are airport transfers or the optional sightseeing tours (except in Pisa and Assisi).
There are, of course, catches. The price is available only on a handful of winter departures early next year: Jan 12 and 19, and Feb 9, 16, and 23. You must also act fast and book by Oct. 31. Also note that you have to use the coupon code TZVFR200 when calling or performing an online booking to bring the list price of $1,999 down to $999.
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That's why I'm happy to share the recent deeply discounted price of $999 for a six-night escorted motorcoach tour of Italy's highlights, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Assisi, and including round-trip airfare to Italy, presently offered by Gate 1 Travel (tel. 800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com).
I'm not normally a fan of escorted motorcoach tours, and Italy is a country where you can easily travel independently. But if you have never been and are looking for an inexpensive way to get a quick taste of its major destinations, this guided tour may suit your needs.
The price of $999 (expect taxes and fees to add about $90) covers roundtrip air travel from New York to Venice and back from Rome to New York. But departures from other cities are available; for example, add $92 for Boston, $123 for Chicago, $210 for Miami, or $238 for L.A.
In addition to round-trip airfare, the price also covers two nights each in Venice (in a hotel on the Grand Canal), Florence (overlooking the Arno River a few blocks from the historic center), and Rome (in a hotel on Via Cavour, a short stroll from the Forum and Colosseum), breakfast daily, and bus transfers from city to city. Traveling by motorcoach has the added benefit that it can include pauses at Pisa to see (but not climb) the Leaning Tower and its surrounding sights, and at Assisi to tour the Basilica di San Francesco. Two things this low price does not cover are airport transfers or the optional sightseeing tours (except in Pisa and Assisi).
There are, of course, catches. The price is available only on a handful of winter departures early next year: Jan 12 and 19, and Feb 9, 16, and 23. You must also act fast and book by Oct. 31. Also note that you have to use the coupon code TZVFR200 when calling or performing an online booking to bring the list price of $1,999 down to $999.
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Oct 22, 2007
October 28 is (currently) the last date for booking the bargain of the decade, a round-trip price of $319 between New York and Rome, Italy
In a post of several days ago, I revealed an offer from Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com), the trans-Atlantic Italian carrier, of a price of $319 for a round-trip trans-Atlantic crossing between New York and Rome, Italy, on Friday and Sunday flights between October 22, 2007 and March 14, 2008. Because the rate includes the now-customary fuel surcharge, it is undoubtedly the lowest price for a trans-Atlantic crossing in travel today, and offers a remarkable travel opportunity. The south of Italy enjoys mild weather for most of the fall and winter, and Rome itself is a delight to tour in those months of low tourism and un-crowded attractions.
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Oct 15, 2007
Would you believe a round-trip fare this winter between New York and Rome of $319 per person?
Last April, yours truly was the exclusive source of an amazing airfare of $299 per person between New York and Rome, Italy. We enjoyed that exclusive scoop because the source of the fare, the trans-Atlantic Italian carrier known as Eurofly, decided to announce the boon on my Sunday radio program, knowing that such a limited announcement would be sufficient to sell out the 1,000-some-odd seats they were willing to sell at that sacrificial price.
Well, Eurofly has done it again. For Friday and Sunday flights in either direction, taking place from October 22, 2007, through March 14, 2008, between New York's JFK and Rome, Italy, they will make available to the first few-thousand people who book, a price of $319, including fuel surcharge -- only $20 more than they charged last spring. And once again, we (meaning this blog and my Sunday noon to two radio program on WOR710.com) will be the only journalistic source of the news. The last date to book is October 28.
$319, round-trip between New York and Rome.
You snare that price at www.euroflyusa.com, or by phoning Eurofly at tel. 800/459-0581, and obviously you're advised to act quick, as a $319 opportunity (INCLUDING fuel surcharge) will sell out fast. And after you book, run equally fast to a bookstore and buy a copy of Pauline Frommer's Italy to guide your hotel and restaurant choices in the Eternal City.
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Well, Eurofly has done it again. For Friday and Sunday flights in either direction, taking place from October 22, 2007, through March 14, 2008, between New York's JFK and Rome, Italy, they will make available to the first few-thousand people who book, a price of $319, including fuel surcharge -- only $20 more than they charged last spring. And once again, we (meaning this blog and my Sunday noon to two radio program on WOR710.com) will be the only journalistic source of the news. The last date to book is October 28.
$319, round-trip between New York and Rome.
You snare that price at www.euroflyusa.com, or by phoning Eurofly at tel. 800/459-0581, and obviously you're advised to act quick, as a $319 opportunity (INCLUDING fuel surcharge) will sell out fast. And after you book, run equally fast to a bookstore and buy a copy of Pauline Frommer's Italy to guide your hotel and restaurant choices in the Eternal City.
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Sep 10, 2007
That spectacular $399 round-trip airfare between New York and Rome, Italy, will now be sold until September 30
Relenting on the previous September 15 cut-off for obtaining their fall/winter round-trip airfare to Rome of only $399, Eurofly airlines will now continue selling that fare (for flights taking off from November 1 until December 16, and from January 6 to March 15) all the way until September 30. And in a communication from their marketing representative, I've been told that there remain a decent number of seats for sale at that unusual price. $399 is quite remarkable for a round-trip to Rome, and if you've ever had the yen to spend an un-crowded winter interlude in that evocative city (site of the first third of the best-selling "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, my own recent bedtime reading), you'll want to jump to snare one of those low-cost bargains. Go to www.euroflyusa.com.
In addition to selling a $399 round-trip flight in winter (to be booked by September 30), Eurofly is also providing a $599 air-and-land package in winter to Rome -- and this time without a deadline for booking. At a price much lower than anyone else is charging (based, obviously, on the promotional needs of this new trans-Atlantic airline), Eurofly will not only fly you there (on its twice-weekly flights to Rome), but also put you up for four nights at a standard Rome hotel, at any time between October 28 and March 30 (excluding only the Christmas period). For the air-and-land package (as opposed to the airfare), you're asked to phone Club ABC, the tour operator handling these arrangements for Eurofly, at tel. 800/459-0619.
I recently flew on Eurofly from Palermo to New York, and it was a perfectly comfortable and uneventful flight.
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In addition to selling a $399 round-trip flight in winter (to be booked by September 30), Eurofly is also providing a $599 air-and-land package in winter to Rome -- and this time without a deadline for booking. At a price much lower than anyone else is charging (based, obviously, on the promotional needs of this new trans-Atlantic airline), Eurofly will not only fly you there (on its twice-weekly flights to Rome), but also put you up for four nights at a standard Rome hotel, at any time between October 28 and March 30 (excluding only the Christmas period). For the air-and-land package (as opposed to the airfare), you're asked to phone Club ABC, the tour operator handling these arrangements for Eurofly, at tel. 800/459-0619.
I recently flew on Eurofly from Palermo to New York, and it was a perfectly comfortable and uneventful flight.
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Aug 20, 2007
That $399 off-season, round-trip airfare between New York's JFK and Rome, on Eurofly, is looking better all that time
For a brief moment, I thought that a price-war to Rome had broken out, when I learned about Italian-specialist Tourcrafters' price of $749 for a fall/winter, air-and-land package going to both Rome (3 nights) and Florence (3 nights), including round-trip air fare. When I then called Tourcrafters to pin down the details, I was less enthused. Tourcrafters' $749 price (widely discussed among travel professionals) does not include a $160 fuel surcharge, bringing the package to $900. And the lead price is good only for departures out of Boston, with New York requiring a $70 add-on, and with add-ons from other cities as well. The entire promotion seems one designed to assist Alitalia's flights from Boston, and even then the price is not especially attractive.
In the meantime, the $399 round-trip airfare between New York and Rome, which Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com) has announced for the fall/winter months starting November, does include the fuel surcharge, and the only extra payment is for about $81 in taxes. It's an airfare so attractive, laying the basis for such an economical vacation in Italy, that it will sell fast (about 1000 seats have been set aside thus far at the $399 price). It must also be bought on the Internet prior to September 15. I'd advise you to move on it right away, and you'll enjoy one of the great travel bargains from November through mid-March.
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In the meantime, the $399 round-trip airfare between New York and Rome, which Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com) has announced for the fall/winter months starting November, does include the fuel surcharge, and the only extra payment is for about $81 in taxes. It's an airfare so attractive, laying the basis for such an economical vacation in Italy, that it will sell fast (about 1000 seats have been set aside thus far at the $399 price). It must also be bought on the Internet prior to September 15. I'd advise you to move on it right away, and you'll enjoy one of the great travel bargains from November through mid-March.
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Jul 27, 2007
We've got the scoop! A remarkable $399 round-trip airfare to Italy this fall
Earlier this year, the new trans-Atlantic carrier called Eurofly announced a short-duration, springtime fare of $299 round-trip between New York's JFK and either Rome, Naples, Palermo, or Bologna. The seats at that price literally sold out overnight -- the most explosive reaction to an airfare sale that I, for one, have ever witnessed.
I learned this morning about a new Eurofly promotion just announced, costing $100 more than that earlier blockbuster, for flights from November 1 to December 16 and from January 6, 2008 to March 15, 2008. While a fall/winter trip to Italy isn't quite as appealing as one in late April and early May (the time of the earlier sale), it's still a remarkable travel opportunity. Go fast to www.euroflyusa.com, and you'll see the $399 price offered for round-trip flights between New York and Rome. You'll also see an offer of $399 and $459 to Bologna, Naples and Palermo, but available only from November 1 to November 18.
The fact that Eurofly will now operate year around to Rome is quite a development. Keep in mind that Eurofly is no upstart but more than ten years old, which once flew charters for Alitalia and then branched out on its own as an independent trans-Atlantic carrier between New York and Italy. Two months ago, I flew Eurofly from Palermo to New York, and everything about the flight was pleasant and calm.
By the way: $399 INCLUDES a $160 fuel surcharge, but not U.S./foreign taxes/fees of up to $81 per person; and apparently needs to be booked on Eurofly's website.
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I learned this morning about a new Eurofly promotion just announced, costing $100 more than that earlier blockbuster, for flights from November 1 to December 16 and from January 6, 2008 to March 15, 2008. While a fall/winter trip to Italy isn't quite as appealing as one in late April and early May (the time of the earlier sale), it's still a remarkable travel opportunity. Go fast to www.euroflyusa.com, and you'll see the $399 price offered for round-trip flights between New York and Rome. You'll also see an offer of $399 and $459 to Bologna, Naples and Palermo, but available only from November 1 to November 18.
The fact that Eurofly will now operate year around to Rome is quite a development. Keep in mind that Eurofly is no upstart but more than ten years old, which once flew charters for Alitalia and then branched out on its own as an independent trans-Atlantic carrier between New York and Italy. Two months ago, I flew Eurofly from Palermo to New York, and everything about the flight was pleasant and calm.
By the way: $399 INCLUDES a $160 fuel surcharge, but not U.S./foreign taxes/fees of up to $81 per person; and apparently needs to be booked on Eurofly's website.
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Jul 18, 2007
Travelers to Italy should be aware of the Florence International Theater Company
Important historic cities aren't noted for their nightlife. And the multitudes of young travelers descending on such places as Florence, Italy, usually congregate in bars at night for want of anywhere else to go. The result is public drunkeness, litter, noise that keeps whole neighborhoods awake, and an increasing demand by residents of Florence, Rome, Prague, and the like, to crack down on the boorish behavior of young tourists.Which is why it's important to alert your Italy-bound friends or relatives about the Florence International Theater Company that presents provocative new plays, in English, on most of the nights in high season. At www.florencetheatre.com/en, you'll see a listing of productions planned for the remainder of 2007 (Harold Pinter's Betrayal, Sam Shepherd's True West, Yasmina Reza's Art, Memories of the [Florence] Flood, Sewers of L/vov, Agnes of God) and much other useful information for enjoying both a rewarding and entertaining evening during a stay in the heavily-visited Florence.
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Jul 11, 2007
This fall, visit several Italian cities, but pack and unpack only once
This fall, from mid-September until mid-November, a new Italian airline called Eurofly will be offering a new and different way to tour Italy, and though its program may not appeal to the most active of tourists, it will respond to the frequent complaint of middle-aged and elderly travelers that most motorcoach tours to multiple cities are too strenuous and fatiguing.
Eurofly is a former subsidiary of Alitalia which won its independence two years ago and began flying non-stop between New York and such Italian cities as Palermo (Sicily), Naples and Bologna, among others. By offering such convenient service, to cities that had never before enjoyed non-stop trans-Atlantic flights, it has scored quite a success.
This autumn, Eurofly launches its first tour programs to such cities as Palermo, Naples and Bologna, promising to take its tour passengers by motorcoach to large parts of Sicily from Palermo, to long stretches of the Amalfi Coast from Naples, and to the greater part of Tuscany from Bologna -- but without forcing its passengers to move from hotel to hotel. Rather, it will place its tour passengers into one hotel in each of Palermo, Naples and Bologna, where they will stay for an entire week. But on most days, they will be picked up at that hotel, and taken on successive full-day tours of either Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, or Tuscany, returning every afternoon (late) to the hotel from which they began. In effect, the one resort hotel will be a "base" for circular, daylong tours leaving and return to that hotel (where every night they'll take a leisurely dinner at the hotel).
The cost, for a one-week stay including accommodations and two meals a day, at least five full-day escorted motorcoach tours, and round-trip airfare between New York and Italy, will be as little as $1,599 per person -- which strikes me as quite a value.
These air-and-land packages to Italy are more fully described on the Eurofly website, which is www.euroflyusa.com. Or else you can phone for further details to their tour operator affiliate at tel. 800/227/5858. Some tours are a bit more complex than I've described them to be; but all in all, I think you'll find that they are a very attractive vacation opportunity for your middle-aged or older relatives or friends who enjoy the comfort of an escorted motorcoach tour but dislike having to pack and unpack each day as they rush from one hotel to another on a multi-city tour.
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Eurofly is a former subsidiary of Alitalia which won its independence two years ago and began flying non-stop between New York and such Italian cities as Palermo (Sicily), Naples and Bologna, among others. By offering such convenient service, to cities that had never before enjoyed non-stop trans-Atlantic flights, it has scored quite a success.
This autumn, Eurofly launches its first tour programs to such cities as Palermo, Naples and Bologna, promising to take its tour passengers by motorcoach to large parts of Sicily from Palermo, to long stretches of the Amalfi Coast from Naples, and to the greater part of Tuscany from Bologna -- but without forcing its passengers to move from hotel to hotel. Rather, it will place its tour passengers into one hotel in each of Palermo, Naples and Bologna, where they will stay for an entire week. But on most days, they will be picked up at that hotel, and taken on successive full-day tours of either Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, or Tuscany, returning every afternoon (late) to the hotel from which they began. In effect, the one resort hotel will be a "base" for circular, daylong tours leaving and return to that hotel (where every night they'll take a leisurely dinner at the hotel).
The cost, for a one-week stay including accommodations and two meals a day, at least five full-day escorted motorcoach tours, and round-trip airfare between New York and Italy, will be as little as $1,599 per person -- which strikes me as quite a value.
These air-and-land packages to Italy are more fully described on the Eurofly website, which is www.euroflyusa.com. Or else you can phone for further details to their tour operator affiliate at tel. 800/227/5858. Some tours are a bit more complex than I've described them to be; but all in all, I think you'll find that they are a very attractive vacation opportunity for your middle-aged or older relatives or friends who enjoy the comfort of an escorted motorcoach tour but dislike having to pack and unpack each day as they rush from one hotel to another on a multi-city tour.
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Jun 19, 2007
The christening of the 3,000-passenger MSC Orchestra cruiseship
From an afternoon press conference with Sophia Loren, godmother of the new flagship of Italy's cruise industry, I rushed back to my cabin to change into a blue suit and accompany my wife (in her best cocktail dress) down to the pier alongside the ship for the actual christening ceremonies in a temporary amphitheatre seating several thousands of people. That ritual, two weeks ago, began in late afternoon and lasted for three hours into darkness.
We had front row seats for an event that was televised throughout Italy by multiple networks. Their camera crews were flanked by dozens of additional paparazzi aiming their flashbulbs at the beautiful people of Rome, who very solemnly made their entrances, the women in stunning dresses and the men in sleek Armani suits holding their heads high. They marched in knowing that the entire Italian nation was watching at home, and Roberta leaned over and whispered that she felt as if she were in a Fellini movie.
The christening ceremony was of national significance because it involved one of the major companies of the Italian economy. MSC, the Mediterranean Shipping Corporation, is not that well known in the United States, but it is a household word throughout Europe where it's the single largest maritime firm, with over 200 container ships, and it is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest cruiseslines, with all sorts of 3,000- and 4,000-passenger vessels under construction.
The program began with speeches, then with introductions of European soccer stars, and then the entire symphony orchestra of Rome walked onto the vast outdoor stage accompanied by three of the largest choruses of Rome, and the famous Italian composer Ennio Morricone stepped to the podium to conduct a one-hour concert of his own compositions while the entire crowd sat hushed and respectful.
It was only after the concert that Sophia Loren made her second entrance of the day. This time, she emerged from a hundred yards away in a stunning evening gown, marching along to ecstatic applause, and then she cut the ribbon that made a bottle of champagne smash against the hull, while the owner of MSC Cruises solemnly announced that "In nomine Deo," in the name of God, they were launching this ship. The orchestra produced an ear-splitting crescendo, a long line of ship's officers dressed in white uniforms marched onto the stage, fireworks went off, Sophia broke out into an ecstatic smile, the audience went crazy, and it was quite a thing to see.
And after that spectacle, a drained and jet-lagged Roberta and I were guests of MSC Cruises at a gala midnight dinner aboard the ship -- I'm sounding like a gossip columnist -- seated alongside the president of MSC Cruises. And finally at 3am, after several hours of la dolce vita, we snatched about four hours of sleep in our cabin, departed from the ship, took a bus back to the airport of Rome, and flew for an hour to Palermo, Sicily.
And there we drove by rental car on a ten day "circumnavigation" of Sicily, from Palermo to Erice, to Agrigento, to Siracusa, and Taormina -- about which you'll be hearing more in subsequent posts.
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We had front row seats for an event that was televised throughout Italy by multiple networks. Their camera crews were flanked by dozens of additional paparazzi aiming their flashbulbs at the beautiful people of Rome, who very solemnly made their entrances, the women in stunning dresses and the men in sleek Armani suits holding their heads high. They marched in knowing that the entire Italian nation was watching at home, and Roberta leaned over and whispered that she felt as if she were in a Fellini movie.
The christening ceremony was of national significance because it involved one of the major companies of the Italian economy. MSC, the Mediterranean Shipping Corporation, is not that well known in the United States, but it is a household word throughout Europe where it's the single largest maritime firm, with over 200 container ships, and it is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest cruiseslines, with all sorts of 3,000- and 4,000-passenger vessels under construction.
The program began with speeches, then with introductions of European soccer stars, and then the entire symphony orchestra of Rome walked onto the vast outdoor stage accompanied by three of the largest choruses of Rome, and the famous Italian composer Ennio Morricone stepped to the podium to conduct a one-hour concert of his own compositions while the entire crowd sat hushed and respectful.
It was only after the concert that Sophia Loren made her second entrance of the day. This time, she emerged from a hundred yards away in a stunning evening gown, marching along to ecstatic applause, and then she cut the ribbon that made a bottle of champagne smash against the hull, while the owner of MSC Cruises solemnly announced that "In nomine Deo," in the name of God, they were launching this ship. The orchestra produced an ear-splitting crescendo, a long line of ship's officers dressed in white uniforms marched onto the stage, fireworks went off, Sophia broke out into an ecstatic smile, the audience went crazy, and it was quite a thing to see.
And after that spectacle, a drained and jet-lagged Roberta and I were guests of MSC Cruises at a gala midnight dinner aboard the ship -- I'm sounding like a gossip columnist -- seated alongside the president of MSC Cruises. And finally at 3am, after several hours of la dolce vita, we snatched about four hours of sleep in our cabin, departed from the ship, took a bus back to the airport of Rome, and flew for an hour to Palermo, Sicily.
And there we drove by rental car on a ten day "circumnavigation" of Sicily, from Palermo to Erice, to Agrigento, to Siracusa, and Taormina -- about which you'll be hearing more in subsequent posts.
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Labels: cruise, italy, sophia loren
An afternoon with Sophia Loren
How's that for a travel headline? Two weeks ago, attracted by the identity of the ship's "godmother," I accepted a junket to attend the christening of a new 3,000-passenger liner in Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, Italy. Rushing to Kennedy Airport from my Sunday afternoon radio program, I boarded an overnight flight to Rome, grabbed a bus to the Italian coast on arrival, boarded the giant vessel, took a fast shower, and staggered to a front seat at a 4pm press conference, where I sat four feet away from a national treasure of the Italian nation. The sacrifices I make for Frommers.com!
Sophia Loren makes an extraordinary impression. She is much taller than I would have thought, an imposing public celebrity totally at ease in the most hectic setting imaginable. In addition to about 30 journalists from all over the world, she was surrounded (and yet seemed totally non-plussed) by at least 30 frantic paparazzi taking flash bulb shots without a second's let-up, throughout the entire hour-long conference.
Two or three other persons and I were the only travel writers there, the remainder being celebrity journalists and movie magazine types who asked the most inane questions you can possibly imagine, like: "Ms. Loren, will you ever do a film in Buenos Aires?" (This question from an Argentine journalist.) To which she would answer in fluent English: "I have a high regard for the film industry of Argentina." "Ms. Loren: Do you ever plan to make a film in Oslo?" (This, of course, from an Oslo newspaperman.) Answer: "I have the highest regard for the film industry of Norway." And then, from a journalist of Mexico City putting his question in super-fast Spanish, does she ever plan to make a Mexican film? And she, with no need for a translation, answered in Italian this time about how much she admired Mexico, and yes she would love to do a film there.
In the course of the press conference, this celebrated actress with the body of a twenty-year-old pointed out that she was 72 years of age, and that she had made over 100 films, starting with one when she was 15. And when someone asked whether there was a current love in her life, she answered that it was the first of her grandchildren, a little girl one year of age, with more on the way.
I plan to remain in the travel field, resisting any further temptation to write about the movies.
Write and read comments about this post.
Sophia Loren makes an extraordinary impression. She is much taller than I would have thought, an imposing public celebrity totally at ease in the most hectic setting imaginable. In addition to about 30 journalists from all over the world, she was surrounded (and yet seemed totally non-plussed) by at least 30 frantic paparazzi taking flash bulb shots without a second's let-up, throughout the entire hour-long conference.
Two or three other persons and I were the only travel writers there, the remainder being celebrity journalists and movie magazine types who asked the most inane questions you can possibly imagine, like: "Ms. Loren, will you ever do a film in Buenos Aires?" (This question from an Argentine journalist.) To which she would answer in fluent English: "I have a high regard for the film industry of Argentina." "Ms. Loren: Do you ever plan to make a film in Oslo?" (This, of course, from an Oslo newspaperman.) Answer: "I have the highest regard for the film industry of Norway." And then, from a journalist of Mexico City putting his question in super-fast Spanish, does she ever plan to make a Mexican film? And she, with no need for a translation, answered in Italian this time about how much she admired Mexico, and yes she would love to do a film there.
In the course of the press conference, this celebrated actress with the body of a twenty-year-old pointed out that she was 72 years of age, and that she had made over 100 films, starting with one when she was 15. And when someone asked whether there was a current love in her life, she answered that it was the first of her grandchildren, a little girl one year of age, with more on the way.
I plan to remain in the travel field, resisting any further temptation to write about the movies.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: cruise, italy, sophia loren
May 15, 2007
NYROB: An odd source of travel values
The New York Review of Books, which appears 20 times a year, is one of the most erudite publications in America, devoting itself to the most serious questions of literature and politics. But it is also a superb source of short-term apartment rentals in London, Paris, Rome, Provence, Tuscany, the Hamptons and the Berkshires. Its classified ads are full of listings of vacation properties offered by various academics for short-term rentals, and since its readership are mainly professors without much money, the properties it offers are quite sensibly-priced and furnished with large supplies of books, comfortable reading chairs, and lamps. Next time you're in the market for a vacation apartment or villa, go to a newsstand and pick up the New York Review of Books.Add a comment about this post.
Labels: accommodations, berkshires, england, france, hamptons, italy
May 8, 2007
Europe and the sinking dollar: What do we do now?
I'm not sure that the full impact of recent exchange rates -- $2 for a British pound, $1.35 for a single Euro -- has yet sunk into the psyche of Americans planning a European trip. Or that they've considered the radical new tactics that a cost-conscious trip there will require.
Because the average guesthouse room -- I'm talking a modest guesthouse and a double room -- is currently renting for £100 in London and for at least 100 € on the continent, the cost for lodgings is therefore $200 a night per couple in London and nearly $150 in Europe. Multiply those costs by 14 nights, and for a pair of Americans traveling together, the average two-week trip can start off with a $3,000 tab for lodgings alone.
So what's to be done? It's clear to me that the cost-conscious American must, from now on, seek out not hotel accommodations, not even guesthouse accommodations, but so-called "private homestays" -- a low-cost, $40-per-person room in a residence whose owners are simply supplementing their income by renting out an occasional room. If you'll go to www.happy-homes.com or www.athomeinlondon.co.uk, you'll find such $40 per person accommodations in London. You'll find the same for Paris at www.goodmorningparis.fr or www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com; and in Rome at www.b-b.rm.it.
For years, many of our Frommer's travel guides to Europe have laid a heavy stress on alternative, non-hotel accommodations, and my daughter's recent series (Pauline Frommer's London, Pauline Frommer's Paris and Pauline Frommer's Italy) is especially full of internet services for private homestays, university accommodations, hostels, and guest-accepting convents and monasteries. And you can bet that I'll be returning to the private homestay in future issues of this daily blog.
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Because the average guesthouse room -- I'm talking a modest guesthouse and a double room -- is currently renting for £100 in London and for at least 100 € on the continent, the cost for lodgings is therefore $200 a night per couple in London and nearly $150 in Europe. Multiply those costs by 14 nights, and for a pair of Americans traveling together, the average two-week trip can start off with a $3,000 tab for lodgings alone.
So what's to be done? It's clear to me that the cost-conscious American must, from now on, seek out not hotel accommodations, not even guesthouse accommodations, but so-called "private homestays" -- a low-cost, $40-per-person room in a residence whose owners are simply supplementing their income by renting out an occasional room. If you'll go to www.happy-homes.com or www.athomeinlondon.co.uk, you'll find such $40 per person accommodations in London. You'll find the same for Paris at www.goodmorningparis.fr or www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com; and in Rome at www.b-b.rm.it.
For years, many of our Frommer's travel guides to Europe have laid a heavy stress on alternative, non-hotel accommodations, and my daughter's recent series (Pauline Frommer's London, Pauline Frommer's Paris and Pauline Frommer's Italy) is especially full of internet services for private homestays, university accommodations, hostels, and guest-accepting convents and monasteries. And you can bet that I'll be returning to the private homestay in future issues of this daily blog.
Add a comment about this post.
Labels: accommodations, budget, england, france, guesthouse, italy, london, paris
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
