If you’re planning a trip to the...

If you’re planning a trip to the Monterey Bay Peninsula, here’s an opportunity to rent an apartment, condominium or private home. A studio apartment in Carmel will cost you about $50 per night. Or there’s a two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath condo on a hillside overlooking Monterey Bay ($125 a night) that features two fireplaces, three decks. In Pebble Beach/Carmel, four-bedroom, three-bath homes are listed for $125/$195 per night. You can move into a three-bedroom, two-bath condo in the Carmel Valley for $85. Dozens of other listings. Write to Jan Leasure c/o Monterey Bay Vacation Rentals, 1034 Austin Ave., Pacific Grove, Calif. 93950. Telephone (408) 649-8216.

Italian Giveaway

Italy has published a 54-page booklet that’s filled with all sorts of interesting tidbits. Details on customs regulations, currency, tipping, climate, flea markets, papal audiences, sightseeing, associations for the handicapped, accommodations (villa/apartment rental agencies), hostels. Other sections tell about museums, art galleries, language schools, yacht and houseboat rentals, summer/winter sports, transportation (air, steamer, hydrofoil, ferry, train). You’ll also find a calendar of events in small towns and villages from Arezzo to Verona. For a free copy write to Agostino Petti, Italian Government Travel Office, 360 Post St., Suite 801, San Francisco 94108.

San Francisco Budget Hotel

San Francisco has another budget hotel, the Pacific Bay Inn, 520 Jones St. (three blocks west of Union Square). Rates from $29 single/$34 double. Includes a continental breakfast. This is an old hotel that’s been spiffed up to the tune of $2 million. Popular with young travelers from other countries who can’t afford the steep prices of San Francisco’s major hotels. Described by manager Bob Jones as “an older, graceful hotel.” Rooms feature private baths, touch telephones. This isn’t San Francisco’s choicest neighborhood, but the price is right. For reservations call (415) 673-0234.

South Pacific Hideaway

This is for the traveler who truly wants to escape the pressure cooker. In the South Seas, the Cook Islands people are heating up a campaign to draw the tourist. A couple of islands provide only one lodge each. On Atiu Island you have a choice of three chalet-style bungalows at the Atiu Motel (refrigerators, cooking facilities). Units are stocked with beverages, dairy products, canned food. In addition, fresh fruit, coffee and tea are supplied free. And all it will cost you is $23 a day for a single, $26.50 for a double. Atiu (pop. 1,300) lies 130 miles northeast of Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands (about a 40-minute flight by Air Rarotonga). Bungalows face pineapple fields, valleys.

Or there’s Mauke Lodge on Mauke Island (another 40-minute flight). Only two rooms. Rates: $15 single, $18 double. No restaurants, so you must prepare your own meals. You can stock up on canned goods, vegetables, etc., at a local store. Or if you’d prefer less adventure, Ted Cook’s Islands in the Sun has put together a $999 package (good through Sept. 30) that includes hotels and round-trip air fare on Air New Zealand to Tahiti for five nights and Rarotonga for another six nights. For details on this package as well as Atiu and Mauke islands, contact Islands in the Sun, P.O. Box 1398, Newport Beach, Calif. 92663. Telephone toll-free (800) 854-3413. Other details from your travel agent.

London Homes

Beatrice Hauser of La Puente asks about B&Bs; in London. We know of one company with 80 listings. Homes near Hyde Park, Kew Gardens. Rates 10/16.50 (about $16/$26.50 U.S. per night). You get a continental breakfast. Guests are given their own front door key. This same company will put you up in a self-catering home/apartment at rates ranging from 75 to 385 per week. Minimum booking: two weeks. These homes and apartments are popular, so write in advance to London Homes, P.O. Box 730, London SW6 2QN, England.

Converters/Adapters

Parks Products has updated its brochure on foreign travel converter/adapter plugs. Provides a breakdown, country by country, on voltage uses. Parks says a converter is necessary to change 220/240-volt foreign electricity into the 110/120 necessary for U.S. appliances. Generally, an adapter is also needed so that you can plug into the electrical outlets. The brochure lists voltage figures for more than 120 nations and islands. For a free copy of “Traveling Overseas,” send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Parks Products, 3611 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood 90068 or telephone (213) 876-5454.

Pacific Northwest

Harry Ellis conducts tours in Washington for small groups “rather than bus loads.” One zeroes in on Mt. St. Helens. Ellis will pick you up at your hotel in Seattle, and deliver you to the airport for a flight over Mt. Rainier as well as Mt. St. Helens. The rate is $85 per person for groups of four, including a “snack lunch.” Ellis has other tours from Seattle that cross Puget Sound by ferry, followed by a drive along the Strait of Juan de Fuca that takes in mountains, glaciers, Lake Crescent, beaches, the Hoh Rain Forest. Features a salmon barbecue followed by a return flight to Seattle ($95 per person for groups of four). Ellis does other tours as well. Write to Adventure Outdoors, 5354 Ruby Place, Bainbridge Island, Wash. 98110 or telephone (206) 842-3189.

Reader Recommendations

New Zealand--Michael C. Rowson, Point Mugu: “Southern hospitality at Academy Motel, 64 Creyke Road, Christchurch, New Zealand. Rooms $27/$35 single.”

England--Jean Wichelman, La Crescenta: “Charming, redecorated B&B; operated by Simon and Liz Butterworth, The Post Office, Hawkshea, Ambleside, Cumbria, England LA22 0NS. Rates $14/$18 per person a night.”

England--Lori Lee, Woodstock: “A lovely guest house in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds, 20 Evesham Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England Gl52 2AB. Rates $25/$30 a night per person including breakfast.”

California--Candice Bailey, Beverly Hills: “Enjoyed a B&B; operated by Gerarda Ondang, 1056 Bay Oaks Drive, Los Osos, Calif. 93402. Ondang is Dutch-born. Provides three bedrooms, one with a private bath. Rates: $35/$39. Five miles south of Morro Bay, 10 miles west of San Luis Obispo.”

Colorado--John R. Heckenlively, Los Angeles: “Had an incredible stay at a businessman’s hotel called Many Mansions, 1313 Steele St., Denver, Colo. 80206. One- and two-bedroom suites with full kitchens. Free transportation to the airport, a complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, evening sherry. Rates: $79.50/$96.”

Alaska--Jim and Helen Riley, Grover City: “Recommend A Log Home Bed & Breakfast, 2440 Sprucewood St., Anchorage, Alaska 99508. Three quaint and homey bedrooms with shared bath. Rates from $40 to $49.”

Alaska--Nora F. Brooksher, Santa Ana: Enjoyed a B&B; called All The Comforts of Home, 12531 Turk’s Turn, Anchorage, Alaska 99516. “Four beautiful bedrooms, a 360-degree view of the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet. Rates $35/$45, including breakfast. Best value in all of Anchorage where hotel rooms are pricey.”

Washington--Doris Schier, Torrance: “Lizzie’s is a magnificent Victorian home in Port Townsend. Innkeepers Bill and Patti Wickline sparkle with warmth and hospitality, making this bed-and-breakfast stay memorable. Breakfast is huge and elegantly served. Rates from $42/$79. Address 731 Pierce St., Port Townsend, Wash. 98368.”

Greece--Toke Hoppenbrouwers, Calabasas: “Found a superb little inn, the Bella Vista, Spileo, Corfu, Greece. On a mountainside. Terraces and restaurant overlook the Mediterranean. Visitors are stunned by the beauty of the view. Less than 15 minutes by foot to the beach. Guests pay less than $15 per night for a double.”