Apartments that sleep up to four persons...

Apartments that sleep up to four persons are available for $85/$155 through a London-based company. Prices include taxes, daily maid service. Cheaper than many of London’s hotels. Each unit with its own small kitchen, TV, telephone. A complimentary daily newspaper. Properties are close to Knightsbridge, Harrods, museums.

Write to Five Emperors Gate Ltd., 8 Knaresborough Place, Kensington, London SW5 0TG, England.

Tahiti

L.J. of La Crescenta inquires about the islands of French Polynesia. Flight time from LAX to Tahiti is eight hours. You land at Papeete (this is the Honolulu of French Polynesia). I’d choose one of the neighbor islands. Moorea is closest. About 12 miles across the Sea of the Moon. For peace and good beaches, try the island of Huahine. You’ll also enjoy Raiatea (small inns, day-trips to the neighbor island of Tahaa, little islets for sunbathing, privacy). Bora Bora (Michener’s favorite island) leads the popularity poll in French Polynesia. Some excellent hotels. At the top of the list is Hotel Bora Bora. A smashing view of the world’s most beautiful lagoon. Over-water bungalows. Rates: $240/$420 U.S. per night, including meals.

Details by dialing toll-free (800) 223-1588.

Other information from the Tahiti Tourist Board, 9841 Airport Blvd., Suite 1108, Los Angeles 90045. Telephone (213) 649-2884.

Orient Express

B.J. of Van Nuys wants to take the Orient Express from London to Venice. It’s called the “King of Trains.” Travels between London and Venice via Paris, Zurich, the Arlberg Pass, Innsbruck, the Brenner Pass. In July/August other trips are offered between London and Vienna. In addition, you can choose from 10 daily excursions out of London to the British countryside: Leeds Castle, Hever Castle, Bath/Bristol, Broadlands, Beulieu Palace.

For brochures, contact Venice Simplon-Orient Express, One World Trade Center, Suite 2565, New York 10048, or call toll-free (800) 524-2420.

Other details from your travel agent.

Rental Guide

Sanford Cohen publishes a rental guide that covers properties in the Caribbean, Europe (England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland), Mexico/Latin America, several U.S. states. These are privately owned homes/condos/apartments. In Switzerland a chalet near Gstaad rents for 1,500/2,200 francs a week. Rates for a condominium on the beach in Puerto Vallarta range from $70 a night in the low season to $110 in the high season (living room, dining room, TV, telephone). (If money is no object, Cohen will put you up in a castle in Europe for $1,500 a week.) Subscriptions for this rental guide are $9 a year. Unlike similar publications that require you to write for details to the magazine, Cohen lists the addresses of individual owners. This enables the renter to make direct contact with the owner.

World-Wide Home Rental Guide, 130 Lincoln Ave., Suite 842, Santa Fe, N.M. 87501. Call (505) 988-5188.

Snowbirds

With the ski season approaching, we’re getting inquiries about B&Bs; in the West. For Colorado/Utah/New Mexico, your best bet is Bed & Breakfast Rocky Mountains. Kate Winters and her staff personally inspect all listings. Rates from $55/$150 double. In Colorado, Winters represents properties at Aspen, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Keystone, Snowmass, Telluride, Vail. Utah: Park City, Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude. Several in Taos, N.M. Some top-scale listings: In Telluride, Winters will put you up in a French-style B&B; with queen, king, double beds. All rooms with private balconies (“Views that take your breadth away,” says Winters.) Apres -ski refreshment served in a library/lounge. A Jacuzzi, steam room, game room. Free laundry, free shuttle bus to the ski area.

Write to Winters c/o B&B; Rocky Mountains, P.O. Box 804, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80901, or telephone toll-free (800) 825-0225. Other details by calling (719) 630-3433.

Emergency Flights

An interesting item in the August issue of Travel Letter. Deals with the subject of visiting a sick relative or attending a family funeral. Instead of paying full fare, inquire about the airline’s emergency rates. “Almost all U.S. airlines waive restrictions on cheaper fares when told that sudden illness or death requires an unexpected flight,” says the publisher. Several airlines waive the advance-purchase requirement on the “cheapest applicable coach excursion.” Advice to travelers: Ask your travel agent to request the waiver or telephone the airline personally. Each case is handled individually. If the reservation agent isn’t familiar with the procedure, ask to speak with the supervisor.

Lighthouse Inns

This note from B.N. of Monterey Park: “I understand there are lighthouses in California that accept overnight guests. Any information?” About a dozen lighthouses are strung along the California coast, but only a couple provide accommodations. The popular East Brother Light Station (mentioned before in Travel Tips) is a 1873 redwood Victorian. Rises on an island in San Francisco Bay. Expensive. For rates, write to East Brother, 117 Park Place, Point Richmond, Calif. 94801, or call (415) 233-2385.

Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel, 16 St. Cabrillo Highway, Montara, Calif. 94060, is a working lighthouse that provides inexpensive guest quarters in cooperation with the American Youth Hostel Assn. Nothing fancy (lodging in bunk beds) but the price is right: $7.50 per night.

Telephone (415) 728-7177.

French Chateau

If you’re going to France and want to live like the royal heads did before they lost theirs, try Chateau d’Esclimont at St.-Symphorien. Only about an hour outside Paris and a short drive from Chartres. This former hideaway of dukes and duchesses provides 54 guest rooms. A few are superior. There’s an excellent restaurant, a huge pond with swans, a park, a swimming pool, tennis courts. A castle-hotel where you’ll be treated like a king. And considering the prices, you should. Rates: $200/$350 per night.

Contact Chateau d’Esclimont, 28700 St.-Symphorien-le-Chateau, France.

Reader Recommendations

Alaska--Nancy D. Smythe, San Gabriel: Enjoyed Silver Springs Bed & Breakfast, P.O. Box 54, Glennallen, Alaska 99588. Rates: $55/$60.

Maine--Lillian A. Wolfensparger, Irvine: “Straw Hats & Sea Glass Guest House, 380 Black Point Road, Scarborough, Me. 04074. Two rooms with baths down the hall. Rates: $60/$70, double occupancy. Continental breakfast with home-baked goodies. A few minutes walk to a long, sandy beach. This place is very relaxing and a good cure for city stress.”

Canada--Russell J. Stubbs, Oceanside: “Best meal we had on our Canadian cross-country trip was at L’Auberge restaurant, five kilometers south of Jasper on Icefields Parkway (Hwy. 93), P.O. Box 1849, Jasper, Alta. T0E 1E0.”

Thailand--Peter L. Allen: Enjoyed the Coral Beach Hotel at Patong on the island of Thuket. “A double room at this time of year is $40/$50 U.S. per night. Beautiful baths, terraces directly overlooking the beach. Two swimming pools, three restaurants, two bars. Address: Coral Beach Hotel, Patong Beach, Thuket, Thailand.”

Because of the large number of reader recommendations, we regret that only a select few 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.