Here is a new twist for travelers...

Here is a new twist for travelers planning a visit along Northern California’s Mendocino Coast. Vacation homes are up for grabs between Navarro Ridge to the south and Ten Mile River to the north. Scores of choices. Convenient to Mendocino Village, redwood forest, the dramatic Pacific shoreline. Rates $70/$250 a night to $425/$950 a week. Other rentals by the month. Ocean views, rivers, creeks, woods. Fully furnished rentals. Some with fireplaces.

Contact Mendocino Coast Reservations, P.O. Box 1143, Mendocino, Calif. 95460. Telephone (707) 937-5033. For sightseeing information, write to the Ft. Bragg/Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1141, Ft. Bragg 95437, or call (707) 964-3153.

Swiss Holiday

With the inauguration by Swissair of direct service between Los Angeles and Switzerland in mid-December, A.J.S. Travel Consultants will be packaging ski-week vacations to nearly a dozen Swiss resorts. A choice of 17 first-class and deluxe hotels at Zermatt, Grindelwald, St. Moritz, Klosters, Arosa, Crans-Montana, Davos, Engelberg, Interlaken, Wilderswil. Prices: $363/$1,180, plus air fare. Includes accommodations, breakfast/dinner daily, service charges, taxes. Swissair will be checking passenger baggage direct from LAX to the ski resorts. Weekly departures through mid-April.

For details on A.J.S. ski packages, contact travel agents or A.J.S. Travel Consultants, 177 Beach 116th St., Rockaway Park, N.Y. 11694. Call A.J.S. toll-free at (800) 221-5002. A.J.S. also will arrange for stopovers in Geneva or Zurich and will issue Swiss rail passes.

For more information, call Swissair toll-free at (800) 221-4750, or the Swiss National Tourist Office in San Francisco at (415) 362-2260.

More on Home Exchanges

World Home Exchange Network of San Francisco is providing a new computerized service for its members. Exchanges available on short notice. No directories, no fuss. The company operates two programs. One involves a straight-across-the-board swap. The other is a host program whereby homeowners welcome other homeowners. Example: You host a Parisian for a week in your home and later the Parisian hosts you in Paris. Opportunities worldwide. Memberships include unlimited exchange requests, plus a quarterly newsletter explaining methods for arranging a swap. Write for a brochure to World Home Exchange Network, 878 30th St., San Francisco 94121, or call toll-free (800) SAY-WHEN.

Hawaii

Veteran travel authority Ricci Zuckerman has turned to specializing in Hawaii. Books retail packages, airline tickets, hotels, car rentals. Serves both budget/upscale travelers. Assists with anything involving the islands. Weddings, hiking, scuba diving, biking, fishing, luaus.

Contact Zuckerman c/o To Hawaii Only, 15634 Brookhurst St., Westminster 92638, or telephone toll-free (800) 222-4852.

Meanwhile, another Hawaii specialist is providing free nights at 32 hotels/condominiums. You pay for the first day and get a free night later. Price categories vary. Choices of properties on all the islands. Contact Classic Hawaii c/o The Bary Group, Pier 26, The Embarcadero, San Francisco 94105, or call (415) 495-5022.

Backroads Bicycling

A series of six-day bike tours through Baja California by Backroads Bicycle Touring of Berkeley is being planned for December/January. The program includes a clockwise loop along the Sea of Cortez to Cabo San Lucas, with a northern return along the Pacific to La Paz. Bikers will pedal through El Triunfo, San Bartolo, Buena Vista, plus other small villages. In Cabo San Lucas they’ll be headquartered at Hotel Finesterra. Other nights will be spent in posadas. An average of 40 miles per day on the road. Rates from $894 (meals, accommodations, safety helmet, guides, support vehicles for hauling luggage, etc.).

For a 52-page catalogue describing the Baja trip and other bike tours, contact Backroads Bicycle Touring, 1516 5th St., Berkeley 94710-1713, or call (415) 527-1555 or toll-free (800) 533-2573 (outside California).

Jamaica

In a play for the tourist, a Jamaica hotel is offering to pay one free air fare for two guests traveling together for a minimum of seven nights. Offer is good through Dec. 14. The hotel is the 236-room Jamaica. Provides all-inclusive adult vacations. A 27-acre property with golf, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, catamaran cruises, bicycling, windsurfing. This is a packaged deal that includes room, meals, open bar, airport transfers. No tipping.

Contact International Lifestyles toll-free at (800) 858-8009.

Letter From Kathleen

“I’ve just returned from a holiday in Italy, and I want to share a treasure--Hotel Tramonto D’Oro in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast between Positano and Amalfi. An incredible bargain. Rooms for about $45 U.S. including breakfast. Full pension available for slightly more (about $20). The hotel is family-run and the staff is professional and wonderful! A huge swimming pool. The view is spectacular as the hotel overlooks the sea. Other rooms nearby are three times the price. Praiano is a great place to rest and relax. A small, quiet town. For those who want more excitement, there are plenty of nearby places. I’m planning a return trip.”

Having been to Praiano, I agree with Kathleen Nizro. A real bargain hotel along one of the world’s romantic coastlines. Hotel Tramonto D’Oro: 40 rooms with bath, telephone, private balcony. Open year-round. See your travel agent or write to Hotel Tramonto D’Oro, via Gennaro Capriqline 119, 84010 Praiano, Costiera Amalfiana, Italy.

Skiers

For skiers on a budget, try Sunrise Resort Lodge in eastern Arizona. An early season rate (Nov. 17 to Dec. 16) for only $170 for two guests for two nights. Includes lift tickets as well as lodging. (Prices will be hiked to $270 during the holiday season.) Sunrise is operated by the Apache Indians. A lift capacity of 1,300 skiers per hour. Terrain is second only to Taos. A choice of three mountains and more than 60 trails. Night skiing on weekends. Two new quad chair lifts will double Sunrise peak’s capacity this season. Ski school instruction is offered for all ages. A shuttle bus delivers skiers to the lifts.

Write to Sunrise, P.O. Box 217, McNary, Ariz. 85930.

Reader Recommendations

Colorado--Pat Longville, Long Beach: The Talbott House, 932 Colorado Ave., Glenwood Springs, Colo. 81601. Cherry Talbott, proprietor. Rates: $27 single, $42 double.

England--Aileen and Howard Routledge, Palm Desert: “Holly Lodge, Upper Oldfield Park, Bath. Run by Carolle Sellick. Has just been awarded a commendation by the British Tourist Authority as the ‘Best B&B; in the West.’ Views over Bath are magnificent. Decor is outstanding. Cost: $82 U.S. per couple per night, including a full English breakfast.”

Scotland--Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Martini, Orange: St. Margaret’s Bed & Breakfast, Mallig, Scotland. “A dream of a B&B; in the home of Mrs. Carmine Macdonald, featuring a splendid view of the sea to the isles of Skye, Rhum and Eigg. Doubles, 10.50 per person. Singles, 11.50.”

New Zealand--Whitey Stanforth, Westminster: “People travel the world over to golf and I’m one of them. I would like to make some of the others aware of the friendliest, least crowded and most beautiful place I’ve ever visited to play golf. I speak of New Zealand. My trip was organized by Paul Walker, New Zealand Golf Excursions, 2041 Rosecrans Ave., No. 103, El Segundo 90245.”