A month and a half ago I wrote a story on hotels - specifically those wonderful finds that feature among the highlights of a trip - and asked you to tell us some of your favorites.
The responses varied. Some people wrote of grand hotels - even though I had been thinking more of small, personal places - others of bed and breakfasts. Geographically they ranged from Venice to Haiti, from Jakarta to Indianapolis, and included two hotels in, of all places, Bar Harbor, Maine.For those who took the time to write and share their memories, many thanks.
Our favorite hotel in the world is the Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore. The beautiful, historic Goodwood was our first and last home during a three-year residency in Singapore. Decidedly upscale in service and decor, the hotel employs an expert staff that prides itself on making guests feel welcome and comfortable.
There are four excellent restaurants. A tantalizing afternoon tea is served in the rear lounge with a string quartet playing in the background. Fine shops and restaurants are within easy walking distance.
Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Rd., Singapore 0922, Republic of Singapore; 011-65-737-7411. Rates start at $120.
- Winona Rhodes, Boca Raton, Fla.
As a G.I. in World War II, I spent part of my three years overseas in Italy. During that time I was sent for a week to a rest camp - the Villa d'Este on Lake Como in northern Italy. I can't tell you anything about the cost because Uncle Sam paid all my bills.
Today the hotel is world-famous. The help at the time we were there was their regular peacetime help. The food, drink, accommodations were unbelievable; so were the women. It is over 50 years since that time, but I can never forget the beauty of the hotel and the country.
Villa d'Este, Via Regina 40, Cernobbio, 22012, Italy.
- Samuel G. Flitter, Sunrise, Fla.
Watching the sun rise over the Porcupine Islands, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background and the occasional dot of a dim lantern from a lobster boat leaving the harbor, is as close to heaven as I expect to get. That is the view from most of the rooms of the Bar Harbor Inn.
The inn has it all: a good restaurant, a location only a block from the harbor and charming town center, spacious comfortable rooms, expansive complimentary continental breakfast served in a cheerful waterside lounge, friendly competent staff.
Off-season rates are phenomenal - Oct. 15-Nov. 11, $75-$135. I was there in November and temperatures were in the 50s. I can't wait to return.
I spent 10 years in the hotel business and have traveled the world: The Bar Harbor Inn is my all-time favorite.
Bar Harbor Inn, Newport Dr., Bar Harbor, Maine 04609; 1-800-248-3351.
- Alice Mulhern, Pompano Beach, Fla.
My favorite place to stay in Gatlinburg, Tenn., is Brevard Inn Bed & Breakfast, an old, three-story hunting lodge (breakfast is served on the second floor) with two authentic log cabins on the property. Located in a wooded setting but downtown.
Brevard Inn, P.O. Box 326, Gatlinburg, Tenn., 37738; 1-615-436-7233.
- Carr Grigg, Margate, Fla.
Staying at Sunlaws House was like living in a Merchant-Ivory film.
The former hunting lodge of the Duke of Roxburghe is located in the Borders region of Scotland, the rolling lowlands south of Edinburgh. Our enormous room on the second floor was dominated by views of the gardens and manicured grounds.
Before dinner we were led into a mahogany library and given the menu. There we placed our orders, sipped Scotch, sat in leather armchairs and pretended we were British nobility.
Sunlaws House, Kelso, Roxburgheshire, PD5 8JZ, Scotland, U.K. Rates start at $200.
- Ron Lusk, Delray Beach, Fla.
The hotel that most impressed me on our trip through Europe was the Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice.
The room was a visual masterpiece, with fresh flowers, champagne, antique furniture and European art works. We felt as if we'd stepped into a museum.
The hotel is located on the Grand Canal, with a restaurant terrace that gives you great views of all the boat traffic.
Gritti Palace, Campo Santa Maria del Giglio 2467, San Marco, Venice, Italy.
- Betsy Stickles, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Entering L'Habitation LeClerc in Port-au-Prince, Haiti was like stepping off the plane onto Fantasy Island.
After being welcomed at the reception desk with a tall cool rum punch, we were escorted to our quarters. The bellman opened the door onto a huge shuttered room complete with fresh flowers, fruit and a seating area. Across from the king-size bed was an 8-foot round tub. Just outside the bathroom was a bidet.
The estate was originally inhabited by Napoleon's infamous sister, who was shipped off to Haiti to marry Gov. LeClerc in an effort to curb her scandalous behavior.
We shared a small swimming pool with a neighboring room, and on the terrace hung a small brass bell that when rung summoned a butler who brought us fresh fruit and croissants in the morning and cocktails in the evening.
- Cindy and David Markowitz, Coral Springs, Fla.
The Nuthatch Bed and Breakfast is a 1920s French country cottage located on the banks of a quiet meandering river in Indianapolis.
I stayed in the "Wren's Nest," with a pink claw-foot tub, antique lighting fixtures, a feathered bed and cozy sitting area.
The owners are Bernie and Joan: Bernie has a doctorate in psychology, Joan is a gourmet cook and ex-librarian. Prices are $80-$95.
Nuthatch Bed & Breakfast, 7161 Edgewater Place, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46240 1-317-257-2660.
- Susan Dae Arpin, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
It was our honeymoon, the setting had to be perfect, and the Village Green Inn - a Victorian lodging in Falmouth, Mass. - didn't disappoint.
On arrival we were greeted with a warm cup of spicy apple cider. Our room was magnificent: Logs were burning in the fireplace and a bottle of champagne, with two fluted glasses, had been set out for us.
Our hosts were attentive to the smallest details. They pampered us with mouthwatering breakfasts, fresh flowers in our room, cordials and chocolates in the evening. They made our honeymoon truly special.
Village Green Inn, 40 West Main Street, Falmouth, Mass.; 1-508-548-5621. Open year-round. Rates range from $105-$135 (high season) to $90-$110 (off season).
- Carmen C. Knapp, Parkland, Fla.
We recently returned from a summer vacation in Indonesia and one of the highlights was the Grand Hyatt in Jakarta.
After a day of trying to fight the traffic, we would come back to our hotel and feel as if all the problems of the world had vanished as we walked into the lobby with its gardens and waterfalls and chamber music.
Our room had the most wonderful bathroom, with terry cloth robes and slippers for our convenience. The dinner buffet - featuring Western, Japanese and Indonesian cuisine - was delicious. The pool and health spa also were great.
Grand Hyatt Jakarta, P.O. Box 4546/Jkt 10045, Jakarta 10230, Indonesia; 011-62-21-390-1234. Rates start at $280.
- Sandy Amir, Coral Springs, Fla.
We spent a few wonderful days at the beautiful Maples Inn in Bar Harbor. It is a six-bedroom bed and breakfast on a side street (away from all the traffic). Each room is furnished differently.
The innkeeper, Susan Sinclair, made us feel as if we were in our own home, and even served tea and fresh-baked cookies every afternoon. And the breakfasts were delicious.
The Maples Inn, 16 Roberts Ave., Bar Harbor, Maine, 04609; 1-207-288-3443. Rates are $60-95 (off season) and $90-140 (in season).
- Adrienne Kotlove, Coral Springs, Fla.
My favorite "grand hotel" is the Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
It is so charming and clean - it looked as if no one had ever used our room before. I felt like a Southern belle with the service and caring and pleasantness of the staff.
Best of all, I loved the feeling of history. I could really believe that a popular young lady back in the antebellum days would wear out her shoes dancing the afternoons away on the platform surrounded by beautiful green lawns.
The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, 24986; 1-800-624-6070. Rates start at $396 for a couple, breakfast and dinner included.
- Marge Bowman, Pompano Beach, Fla.