Because Scotland is featured on Page 1...

Because Scotland is featured on Page 1 today, here’s a tip on cottage rentals (particularly the area near Loch Lomond). Hilary Prendergast lists a couple with real character. Natural stone walls, beamed ceilings, electrical heating, modern baths. Each cottage accommodates up to six guests. Excellent trout fishing on the Balvaig River. Sheep and cattle graze nearby. Blackberries free for the picking. This is about 40 miles west of Perth, 10 miles west of Loch Lomond. Rates from 70 to 185 ($116 to $300 U.S.) per week. Contact Hilary Prendergast, 1 Creagan Cottages, Strathyre, Perthshire FK18 8NB Scotland.

For other information on farmhouses, cottage rentals in Scotland, contact Idyll, P.O. Box 405, Media, Pa. 19063, or telephone (215) 565-5242. Excellent rates, dozens of listings. Idyll will send you all the necessary information for rentals this summer as well as prices that go into effect after the big tourist push is over in the fall/winter months.

Vermont

If you’re in a mood to slip away to yesterday’s world this summer, consider Vermont. Country lanes wind through maple forests and ancient villages, past mill ponds and apple orchards. Few places are greener or more peaceful than this New England state. To assist vacationers with their plans, Vermont has produced a handy guide. Details on antiquing, riding, concerts, scenic drives, cottages/cabin rentals, B&B; reservation services, festivals. One section deals strictly with farm vacations. Another describes inn-to-inn canoe trips down rivers with shady spots for picnics. Several companies that offer bike tours are listed. You’ll also find a map and a calendar of summer events. For a free copy of the guide as well as other materials, write for the Summer Fun Kit, Vermont Travel Division, Department R735, 134 State St., Montpelier, Vt. 05602.

Hawaii

I keep hearing good things about a small resort in Hawaii called The Coconut Inn. It’s near a pineapple field on the island of Maui. About a 10-minute walk uphill from the beaches at Napili. Contains one- and two-bedroom apartments. No restaurant, but the management serves a continental breakfast each morning with orange juice, Kona coffee and banana bread prepared from the resort’s own trees. Each apartment has a kitchen. No night life, but the management hosts a mai tai party each Friday night.

This is a quiet country inn. Gets lots of attention from honeymooners, retirees. Or anyone else seeking solitude. There’s a swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Ceiling fans. Coin-operated washer/dryers. A total of 41 apartments. Rates $60/$75 with daily maid service. To get a fix on the location, it’s not far from Kapalua, north of Lahaina and Kaanapali. Write to The Coconut Inn, P.O. Box 10517, Napili, Maui, Hawaii 96761, or telephone (808) 669-5712. You may also write to Creative Leisure, 861 Transport Way, Petaluma, Calif. 94952. Telephone (707) 778-1800.

Creative Leisure represents other private apartments at Mauna Lani Point on the Big Island. This is along the Kohala Coast beyond Kailua-Kona. Near the ocean on a stunning golf course. Rates start at $146 per day. Includes rental car with free mileage.

Creative has other apartments on the Big Island between Kona and Keauhou Country Club that go for $128 a day (accommodations for four persons), including a car. Each apartment has a lanai for studying those stirring Kona sunsets.

Long Stay Hawaii

O. C. Mackey of Santa Barbara sends along this note: “We’ve been vacationing in Hawaii for years. Now we’ve decided to make a permanent move. We love all the Islands, but plan to settle on Oahu. Need the name of a realtor who cares.”

There are dozens of choices, but my vote goes to P. C. Kendall, 4309 Kilauea Ave., Honolulu 96816. These people handle all sorts of properties--apartments, condos, homes. And no one high-pressures the buyer. The Kendalls have lived for nearly 30 years in Hawaii (they’re from the mainland), and know Oahu well. To reach them by phone call (808) 734-6032.

A Letter From France

Catherine Fletcher, who operates a small hotel in Paris, sends along this message: “Although American people are traveling less and less to France, I keep hoping they will come back. We have a small hotel that is only 100 meters from the Arc de Triomphe, the perfect choice for the discerning guest who is looking for an elegantly modern hotel which is small enough to keep a personal touch.” Madame Fletcher’s hotel was renovated and refurnished recently.

She adds: “A quiet and warm atmosphere . . . we are three belonging to the same family and we think we have a special feeling for the traveler. We belong to a new generation of hotel managers trying to give a new look to the small hotels of Paris.”

The location is good. Public transportation just up the block (buses, the Metro). Only 28 rooms (each with private bath, a hair dryer, direct-dial telephone, a safe, mini-bar, radio, color TV). Rates during summer will be 300 francs ($50 U.S.) single, 450 francs ($75 U.S.) double. Write to Madame Fletcher c/o Etoile Park Hotel, 10 Avenue MacMahon, 75017 Paris, France.

Peru

The State Department cautions Americans that “terrorism is a serious problem in most parts of Peru--indiscriminate and unpredictable.” The bulletin warns that Lima and Callao are under curfew between 1 and 5 a.m. and advises Americans to identify themselves with their passports if stopped by the military or police. A “safe conduct pass” is required to travel during the curfew period. Even with the pass, however, the State Department describes travel during this period as “dangerous,” adding that “terrorists have made frequent and unpredictable attacks against restaurants known to be frequented by foreigners.” The bulletin advises U.S. citizens to avoid travel to rural emergency zones designated by the Peruvian government (the Inca Trail, Lake Titicaca, Huraz, the Cordillera Blanca, Arequipa). For the latest details contact the consular section of the American Embassy, 346 Gimaldo del Solar, Miraflores, Lima, Peru.

Brooklyn

If your travel plans include Brooklyn, a couple of new paperbacks are free for the asking: “The Brooklyn Fact & Trivia Book” and “Great Dining in Brooklyn.” The trivia copy contains 18 chapters on history, facts, references. Tells about Brooklyn’s historic neighborhoods, tours, landmark buildings, museums, galleries, theater companies, festivals. The “Great Dining” book (54 pages) guides the visitor to dozens of ethnic restaurants. Maps included. Pick up your copies at the Brooklyn Borough Presidents Office, 16 Court St., 8th Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201. They’re free to those who drop by in person. Otherwise, send $3 for the Trivia paperback, $2 for the dining guide.

Aloha in California

If you can’t get to Hawaii this summer, here’s an option--and it’s only an hour from Los Angeles. Charles and Shirley Jackson do dinner cruises out of Oxnard each evening aboard their yacht, the Moana Pua. Hawaiian cuisine (chutney, Portuguese sausage, etc., direct from the Islands). Fresh Hawaiian flowers, Island music. Original menus from Matson Lines and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Sunset cruises to Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands. Rate: $50. The Jacksons also do one- and two-day charters out of Oxnard. The atmosphere is so heady, the Jacksons tell us, that “you might even envision Maui or Molokai on the horizon.” Contact the Jacksons c/o the Kalekele Charter Co., 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. 226, Oxnard 93030, or telephone (805) 644-0891.

Passport Reminder

Sakae Hawley, director of the U.S. Passport Agency at 11000 Wilshire Blvd., warns travelers that the lines are growing longer as summer approaches. Advises applicants to appear as soon as possible. The cost of a passport is $42 ($35 for a renewal). Minors under 18 pay $27. Says to be sure to bring a document with your physical description, signature. You’ll need a couple of two-inch-square photos. Recorded details by calling (213) 209-7070.