A couple of tempting offers from Vacation...

A couple of tempting offers from Vacation Rentals Unlimited. In Puerto Vallarta the company lists a cottage (“so remote you must travel by boat to get there”) for $38 U.S. a night. Sleeps four guests. Has its own private swimming pool. In Acapulco, Vacation Rentals offers a two-bedroom (2 1/2 baths) home near the famed resort, Las Brisas. Fully air-conditioned, a great view of the ocean, mini-refrigerators in the bedrooms. Private pool and lanai, lush gardens. The price ($275 a night) includes the services of a maid/laundress, gardener and security patrol at night.

Vacation Rentals Unlimited, P.O. Box 4426, Salinas, Calif. 93902. Telephone toll-free (800) 288-4552.

Budget Motel

Remember the condor that was born recently at San Diego Wild Animal Park? In celebration, American Budget Motel (Escondido) has produced a “condo discount package.” No joke. You pay $48.95 for a three-day, two-night package that includes a room, continental breakfast, admission to the park and a guided monorail trip. The rate (per person) is based on double occupancy. For an extra $6.20, children share their parents’ room and are given admission tickets to the park. American Budget is a 75-room motel with swimming pool and spa. The package is available through April 29, 1989 (the condor’s first birthday!).

American Budget Motel, 528 W. Washington Blvd., Escondido 92025. Telephone (619) 747-3711.

Home Exchange

A home exchange company in London is doing a brisk business. Brits traveling to the United States are anxious to exchange homes/apartments with Americans. As a result, Home Base Holidays publishes booklets four times annually (November, January, April, June). Members receive all four booklets plus a “Home Exchange Hints” publication. In some cases, car exchanges are part of the deal. Makes for a rent-free holiday at a time when hotel rates are climbing.

For other details and membership costs, write to Home Base Holidays, 7 Park Ave., London N13 5PG, England.

London

Here’s an opportunity to beat the high prices of hotels in London. Guests booking rooms for three days over any weekend through Dec. 31 at the Academy Hotel get the third night for only 17.76 per person. Works out to about $32 U.S. Regular rates: 55 single, 70 double. This is a Georgian hotel (circa 1776). Near the British Museum. Within walking distance of Covent Garden, the West End. Totally refurbished. High praise by famed hotel/restaurant guidester Egon Ronay.

Academy Hotel, 17-21 Gower St., London WC1E 6HG, England.

Soviet Union

Now that U.S. relations with the Soviets are improving, a company in San Francisco is scheduling specialty trips to the Soviet Union. Americans look in on artist studios, discos, churches, synagogues, schools, factories. All tours feature visits to Soviet homes, including those of party members, dissidents, Jewish refuseniks. Trips range from two to three weeks. Pre-trip lectures and post-travel seminars are part of the plan. Schedules are rigorous, so travelers should be in good physical condition. (These aren’t your run-of-the-mill “museum and monument” tours.)

Contact Lisa Sinclair-Smith, Center for U.S./U.S.S.R. Initiatives, 3268 Sacramento St., San Francisco 94115. Telephone (415) 346-1875.

Hawaii Guides

The best guide I’ve come across on Hawaii is called simply, “The Best of Hawaii.” Written by Jocelyn K. Fujii, an islander who knows her subject intimately. Includes sections on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai. Packed with information on hotels (both budget and deluxe), dining, sightseeing. Contains details on tours, camping, hiking, beaches (one called Sharks’ Cove!), free attractions, shopping. Even bakeries and bookstores. I took Fujii’s advice a couple of years ago and stayed at a little cottage resort on the North Shore of Oahu. Loved it. Fujii provides island history along with loads of practical information.

“The Best of Hawaii” (Crown Publishers: $13.95).

If you’re going to Maui, M. J. Harden and Jill Engledow have produced a guide (366 pages) titled “Magic Maui.” Details on B&Bs;, condos, hotels, transportation, restaurants, night life, garden tours, tennis, golf, fishing, diving, surfing, riding, biking. The book won an award in the recent Hawaii Visitors Bureau Travel Writing Contest.

“Magic Maui” ($9.95 plus $1.50 postage), AKA Press, P.O. Box 1372-B, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793.

Waikiki Hotel

The developer of Maui’s popular Coconut Inn is opening a 92-room hotel in Honolulu (The Coconut Plaza). Rates from $60 a night, including a continental breakfast (Kona coffee, breads, fruits). Units feature kitchenettes. Corner of Ala Wai Canal and Lewers Street. About a 5 or 10-minute stroll from Waikiki Beach. The Coconut Plaza is being heralded as a “European-style hotel with the lure of tropical Hawaii.” A pool, courtyard, restaurant, valet parking, daily maid service. If the new Coconut Plaza stands up to the high standards of its sister hotel on Maui, it should be a winner.

The Coconut Plaza, 2171 The Ala Wai, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. Telephone toll-free (800) 882-9696.

Closer to Home

One of the fastest-growing areas in Southern California is the delightful little town of Temecula (90 miles south of Los Angeles), with more than a dozen wineries (tours/tastings). Delis feature picnic lunches. Visitors are welcomed at Jim Colachis’ renovated 84-room Temecula Creek Inn. At the Temecula Creek Inn, golf packages include two nights’ lodging, breakfasts and dinner, unlimited golf ($139 per person). A good buy providing you can slip away midweek. Only 10 minutes from many of the wineries.

Temecula Creek Inn: toll-free (800) 962-7335.

For details on Temecula’s wineries, call the chamber of commerce at (714) 676-5090.

Reader Recommendations

Washington--Robert Vinson, Vacaville: “I nominate for the most beautiful bed and breakfast in the country, Lakeside Manor, near the Canadian border. The mansion is on a tiny peninsula with one lake at the front door and another at the back. Features two guest rooms, an indoor spa and Jacuzzi, fireplace, panoramic views of the lakes and mountains. Rates: $40/$50, which may be the best bargain in B&Bs; I’ve ever found. Write to Pat Thomas, Tiger Star Route, Box 194, Colville, Wash. 99114.”

California--Victoria and John Bennett, Los Angeles: “A gem of a B&B--the; Ojai Manor Hotel, 210 Matilija, Ojai 93023. An ‘old California’ feeling embraces us each time we walk through the door. Rooms for $75 a night, none with private bath. A short drive puts you at Wheeler Springs for a relaxing mineral bath.”

Louisiana--Patty Mortl, Torrance: Praise for Lamothe House, 621 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans 70116. “At the very edge of the French Quarter. A visual delight. Four-poster beds, settees, marble-topped tables. Continental breakfast, soft drinks, port wine included in prices from $89 to $135.”

Canada--Mrs. H. Lowrey, La Mirada: “A truly elegant B&B;, Clementine’s, 21 Clements St., Yarmouth, Nova Scotia B5A 2B9. Only a few blocks from the Ferry Terminal. A restored Victorian captain’s house. Quiet residential section. Rates: $40 Canadian double occupancy, $30 single. Includes full breakfast.”

France--Steven E. Greenebaum, Santa Monica: “A delightful Paris restaurant that offers a smoke-free refuge, Aux Deux Canards, 8 Rue du Faubourg Poissonniere. Fixed price of about $25 U.S., a la carte menu that may run from $30/$45 per person plus wine.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.