Mexico’s new Hacienda Santa Veronica (near Tecate...

Mexico’s new Hacienda Santa Veronica (near Tecate in Baja) is a bargain at only $39 per guest, double occupancy, for a three-day, two-night visit (Sunday through Thursday) or $60 (Friday/Saturday) plus 15% tax. Includes meals as well as accommodations. This is a dude ranch-style resort with riding, tennis, hiking, off-road dirt racing. The Hacienda features a clubhouse, restaurant, fireplace, swim-up bar, half a dozen tennis courts. Rises in a meadow at the foothills of the Rumerosa range.

Your travel agent or call International Marketing (800) 522-1516. Outside California, (800) 225-2786.

Yosemite: Yosemite West Reservations is accepting bookings for Yosemite West cottages, mountain homes, vacation home rentals and Bass Lake vacation rentals. Accommodations with kitchens, TVs, etc., are available near Chinquapin (the turnoff for Glacier Point/Badger Pass Road) between Yosemite Valley and Wawona.

Write to Yosemite West, P.O. Box 36, Yosemite National Park, Calif. 95389 or P.O. Box 507, Bass Lake, Calif. 93604. Call (209) 642-2211 for reservations.

Britain B&Bs;: If you’re driving in Britain, it’s simple to spot B&Bs; in most towns/villages by the signs posted out front. Not so easy in London. Often homes are difficult to find in London’s crowded neighborhoods. Here are sources:

--Alma Tourist Services, 10 Fairway, West Wimbledon, London SW20 9DN, England. Rates: approximately $25 per guest, double occupancy.

--Bed & Breakfast (GB), P.O. Box 66, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon TG9 1XS. Rates from $32/$54 per person double occupancy.

--At Home in England, 70 Black Lion Lane, London W6 9BE. Selections range from houseboats on the Thames to Victorian/Georgian homes. Rates: $32/$66 per guest.

--Worldwide Bed & Breakfast Assn., (800) 852-2632. Accommodations in Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Kensington as well as Hampstead, Chiswick, Wimbledon. Rates: two-night minimum at $45 per night.

Note: For a free copy of the booklet “Britain: Bed & Breakfast,” call the British Tourist Authority in Los Angeles at (213) 628-3525. At the same time, ask for the booklet “Apartments in London.” Names rentals for one night to six months.

Biking: Backroads Bicycle Touring has produced a new 70-page catalogue that outlines dozens of biking vacations for winter/spring/summer. Focuses on the wine country of California, France’s chateaux region, the Big Island of Hawaii, the Canadian Rockies, Baja California. Other bikers check out villas in Italy, the pubs of Ireland. Tours for singles, families, youngsters 14-18 years old. Accommodations in hotels, inns, B&Bs;, campsites. Luggage delivered ahead daily in a support van. For a copy of the new Backroads Catalogue, write to Backroads Bicycle Touring, 1516 Fifth St., Suite PR75, Berkeley, Calif. 94710-1740, or call (415) 527-1555.

France: Alan Samuels of Palm Desert writes: “Misplaced the clip on a village you wrote about with a town crier in the Alsace region of France.”

The village is Turckheim, near the city of Colmar on the Route du Vin. Features France’s only remaining town crier. Appears nightly, leading visitors by lantern light through the cobbled alleyways of Turckheim. You enter Turckheim through 800-year-old gates. Shops, restaurants, a museum. Try for a room at the Hotel des Deux Clefs. A medieval setting with timbered walls, leaded windows. Public rooms feature classical melodies. This is a former coaching stop. In winter, guests dine by a fire in the lounge. Meals in summer are served in the garden. The town crier emerges precisely at 9 each evening from a guard house near the entrance to Turckheim. Crowds join him in his march through the village.

For brochures, write to the French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 3030, Beverly Hills 90212, or call (900) 420-2003 (50 cents per minute).

River Cruises: In these recessionary times, travel bargains remain. America’s former Cold War adversary, the Soviet Union, will be offering seven-night cruises on the Volga River in ’91 for only $499 per passenger. Trips will be between Moscow and Kazan, with visits to five ports. Dneiper River cruises are even cheaper ($399) aboard the MS Glushkov, one of the flagships of the Soviet River Fleet. Outside cabins, picture windows. Excursions by private motor coach at each port of call. English-speaking guides. These cruises can be tied in with post-cruise visits to Leningrad.

Your travel agent or Rivers of Russia, 1601 Industrial Way, Suite 195, Belmont, Calif. 94002, (800) 552-3032.

New York Taxis: We still get complaints occasionally from disgruntled travelers who are unhappy with New York taxi drivers. Particularly cabbies serving JFK. If you feel you’ve been taken out of your way, report the driver by calling (212) 221-TAXI. Note the medallion number on the cab’s roof, on the outside passenger door or dashboard. At the same time, jot down the driver’s number (also displayed on the dash).

Here are some sample fares from JFK into Manhattan: $30/$35 to Upper Manhattan, $25/$30 to Lower Manhattan, $28/$30 to the Bronx, $18/$21 to Brooklyn, $16/$18 to Queens. Tolls are extra and tipping, while optional, is expected. Be sure to ask for a receipt that contains the cab’s medallion number. Remember also that meters automatically read $1.50 at the start of the trip from JFK. In addition, a 50-cent toll charge is added between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. The starter who calls your cab at the JFK terminal will hand you a yellow slip. Keep it in case of problems.

Reader Recommendations

California--Lowel and Sabine Parode, Palos Verdes Estates: “There cannot be a better way to discover the Napa/Sonoma wine country than with Fred Byers of Vineyard Ventures, P.O. Box 4105, Foster City, Calif. 94404. You visit Napa in the morning and have lunch at the historic Sonoma Hotel, with afternoon stops for tasting. Price for the eight-hour tour, including lunch and champagne: $57.50.”

New Mexico--Bill and Eleanor Lynde, Cypress: “The Lodge, P.O. Box 497, Cloudcroft, N.M. 88317. A 91-year-old mountaintop inn with turn-of-the-century furnishings. Rates: $55/$65 double, $85/$100 parlor suites.”

New Hampshire--Carolyn Peterson, Malibu: “Victorian warmth and hospitality in a beautiful setting overlooking the Contoocook River at Henniker House, Box 191, Henniker, N.H. 03242. Rates: $60/$65 double with a full New England breakfast.”

Canada--Ray Kovitz, Mission Viejo: “Musee de la Civilisation in Quebec is just across the parking lot from where most cruise ships dock in Quebec. Exhibits are fascinating, imaginative. Admission prices: adults $4 (Canadian), seniors $3, students $2. Free admission on Tuesdays.”

Spain--Jerry and Mancha Kurilich, Monterey Park: “A charming, authentic and gastronomic delight, Rincon de Segovia, Trevesia Horno de la Mata 5, Madrid. Moderate prices: $11/$15.”

England--Rose A. Saunders, Torrance: “On a hassle-free driving tour of England, enjoyed driver Ian Wilkenson--The Wolleys, Toddington, near Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5BY. He charges $500 per person per week.”

England--Lou Zauner, Canyon Country: “Anyone who has the opportunity to fly on British Midlands Airline should certainly go for it. I flew from London to Belfast and believe me, this is flying like it used to be. Super clean interior, roomy seats, free drinks, a meal on every flight and plenty of smiles.”

Scotland--Rosemary and Lew Lalli, Northridge: “Langley Bank guest house, 39 Carrick Road, Ayr KA7 2RD. Rates: about $60 per night. Bob and Morna Mitchell are gracious hosts. This is a registered guest house with Old World charm. A full country breakfast elegantly served. For a wonderful dinner, try the Carrick Lodge hotel dining room across the street.”