In Washington I discovered a vacation hideaway...

In Washington I discovered a vacation hideaway for travelers who enjoy the mountains. It’s called the River Chalet. About 2 1/2 hours by car from Seattle via U.S. 2 (runs right past the door). This is a two-story vacation home. Three bedrooms, two baths. Electric heat plus a couple of wood-burning stoves and a modern electric kitchen. A hot tub on the sun deck. Rises beside the Wenatchee River in the Tumwater Canyon area of the Cascade Mountains. Peaceful, secluded. Less than five miles east of the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth (we’ll be featuring Leavenworth in a Page 1 article soon). Modern throughout. Rents for $150 per night (cheaper by the week). Fish out the back door. Good kayaking. For reservations write to Dean Adams, 1131 Monroe St., Wenatchee, Wash. 98801 or telephone (509) 663-7676.

A Letter From London

Penny Candy of England writes: “We invite your readers to visit us and tour the glorious West Country and South Cotswolds. We provide warm, generous hospitality in our home that’s in a quiet residential area of a small market town 12 miles east of Bath. A double room overlooking our gardens has a kitchenette with private bath. Rates (B&B;) 9 (about $14.50 U.S.) per person per night. Room only, 85 per week. My husband is a professional artist specializing in watercolors. My hobby is historic architecture. We both have wide knowledge of this area and would be happy to assist with your itinerary.” Write to the Candys c/o Carew House, 2 Lowden Hill, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England.

Art Tour

Artist Jeanne Dobie will be in charge of a watercolor workshop tour through the South of France Aug. 5-19. She’s signing up “experienced amateurs” as well as professionals. This is a 15-day trip through Provence and the Cote d’Azur that attracted Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and others. Dobie and her group will spend six nights on a hotel barge, three nights in Arles at the 15th- Century Hotel d’Arlatan (I enjoyed it immensely on a trip to Europe a couple of years ago) and four nights at Auberge Le Hameau in the charming hill town of St. Paul de Vence. Barges will serve as floating studios on part of the trip. Passengers will paint scenes along the tree-lined Canal du Midi (red-roofed villages, vineyards, stone bridges). Passengers are free to paint or go sightseeing by bicycle. The cruise/tour begins with a champagne dinner. Cost is $2,250. Dobie will lead another artist tour through England in September. Her address is 160 Hunt Valley Circle, Berwyn, Pa. 19312 or telephone (215) 353-9117.

Rocky Mountain State

Colorado is featured in a stunning 76-page guide that’s being mailed free by the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, 225 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, Colo. 80202; phone (303) 892-1112. Lists more than 300 hotels, resorts, dude ranches, cabins, motels and B&Bs.;

In the back of this magazine-size guide you’ll find 30 coupons good for discounts at hotels, restaurants, the Alpine Slide at Breckenridge, etc. The guide also features five pages of maps and dozens of color photos. One section describes day trips out of Denver. Destinations include Aspen, Boulder, Breckenridge, Buena Vista, Central City, Crested Butte, Cripple Creek, Durango, Estes Park, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Keystone, Loveland, Mesa Verde National Park, Ouray (the “Switzerland of America”), Purgatory, Silverton, Snowmass, Steamboat Springs, Vail and Winter Park. A super-giveaway for anyone planning a trip to Colorado.

Britain on a Budget

Dinner plus bed and breakfast will be available to travelers in Britain for as little as $25 a day this year. Accommodations are on the campuses of universities from Dundee in Scotland to Cardiff in Wales and Exeter in England. Sponsor is Campus Holidays USA, 242 Bellevue Ave., Upper Montclair, N.J. 07043; call toll-free (800) 526-2915. Campus Holidays has accommodations throughout the U.K. Groups of 25 or more are joined by a courier at no extra charge. London is already nearing “sold out” status, so get busy if the plan sounds appealing. A full range of sightseeing services and low-cost air fares are also available through Campus Holidays.

Paris Apartments

To R.C. of Buena Park, who asked about apartment rentals in Paris: Elysees-Concorde lists dozens of accommodations near the Champs-Elysees, on the Left Bank in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area and Les Invalides. Priced from $30 a night for a studio to $385 for a fashionable flat with five bedrooms. Elysees-Concorde provides maid service, linens and telephone, as well as secretarial help, interpreters, limousines, car rentals, guides and shopping tips. Apartments can be rented by the week, month or year. Many come with full kitchens and electrical appliances. Write to Elysees-Concorde, 9 Rue Royale, 75008 Paris, France.

Japan on the Cheap

A new guide called “Economical Travel in Japan” is free for the asking. Japan is an expensive destination, so grab off any tips you can obtain that might save money. The guide suggests staying in ryokan, minshuku (family-run inns), youth hostels, temples and shrines. Information on sightseeing as well as tips on transportation, dining and shopping. You’ll save money by eating and drinking where the ordinary Japanese hang out. This same pamphlet tells about currency exchange, public baths, entertainment and Japan’s “home visit” program. There’s also a listing of useful Japanese phrases. Contact the Japan National Tourist Organization, 624 S. Grand Ave., Suite 2640, Los Angeles 90017 or telephone (213) 623-1952.

Sequoia Camp

Starting June 22, family vacationers will be welcomed to the Montecito-Sequoia camping area in Sequoia National Forest. This is a high-altitude spot (7,500 feet). Weekly cabin rentals begin at $225 per person, including all meals and activities. Special rates for children (preschool to teens).

Activities include riding, canoeing, sailing, water-skiing, swimming, tennis, archery, hiking and fishing. Evening events range from variety shows to moonlight boating and campfire sing-alongs. Programs will continue through Sept. 7. Montecito-Sequoia is about a five-hour drive from Los Angeles (65 miles north of Fresno), only minutes away from a forest of world-famous sequoia trees (some 3,500 years old). For details, write to Virginia Barnes, 1485 Redwood Drive, Los Altos, Calif. 94022 or call toll-free (800) 227-9900. Outside California call (800) 451-1505.

Reader Recommendations

Washington--Thelma and Stan Thorsen, Culver City: “We have taken a couple of excellent trips with Harmony Charters on their 50-foot sailboat through the San Juan Islands and north into Canada. The boat sleeps six guests comfortably. There is a captain and gourmet cook. The cost last year was $100 a day per person. For information, write to Dana and Patrick Cotten, Harmony Charters, P.O. Box 211, Lopez Island, Wash. 98261.”

France--Robert and Sherry Terry, Cypress: “Followed signs five kilometers southwest of Redon (Brittany region) to the rural setting of Auberge Mouline Bernard. The mailing address is 56350 Beganne, France. This facility contained a converted 200-year-old waterwheel mill with seven rooms. The stone barn was the bar and dining room, complete with huge fireplace. Beautiful grounds with a large pool, millpond and two-acre wooded garden. A retired sea captain and his wife pamper their guests and serve gourmet meals. B&B;, 200 francs (about $33 U.S.). Dinners run 85/115 francs.”

Reader Recommendations should be brief (typewritten or printed). Cannot be used without prices and addresses. Please, no brochures.