Amtrak is teaming up with United Airlines...

Amtrak is teaming up with United Airlines for a new air-rail package. Fly one way, take the train the other. Dozens of combinations. Flexible round-trip itineraries with stopovers included. The air/rail plan can be used as a transportation-only package or in combination with Amtrak’s 1991 Great American Vacations Program. Reservations will be accepted starting Wednesday. The air/rail plan will be used in conjunction with coach-class trips on Amtrak to any Amtrak/UAL destination in the continental United States. Lodging/sightseeing tours can be requested. Transcontinental fares start at $419 ($499 in the high season). Regional programs begin at $299. On the train portion of the journey, passengers will be permitted three stopovers. Early bookings suggested as seats will be limited.

Check with your travel agency or call Amtrak at (800) 872-7245.

Meanwhile, Amtrak is offering year-round discounts to disabled passengers. Details from Amtrak. Deaf persons using teletypewriters are advised to make contact at (800) 523-6590.

A Small Hotel: One of my favorite little hotels in San Francisco, the Raphael, is out to snag guests with a special winter package. Singles/doubles available for $75 (now to March 1). Discounted shopping/dining certificates are part of the deal. The 152-room Raphael is a block off Union Square (behind the world-renowned St. Francis Hotel). Only a short stroll to Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks, I. Magnin. Half a block to the Powell Street cable car that runs to Fisherman’s Wharf. Guests dine in the Raphael’s own restaurant and fill up on pasta across the street at New Joe’s.

My favorite watering hole in San Francisco is the Iron Horse on Maiden Lane. Only a five-minute stroll across Union Square. Popular with locals. Ask for directions at the Raphael.

Raphael Hotel, 386 Geary St., San Francisco 94102. Call (415) 986-2000. Ask about Lincoln Town Car rentals ($39.99 a day, unlimited mileage). Parking available next door to the hotel.

Germany: The German National Tourist Office is recommending that Americans traveling to the former East sector join tours offered by American tour operators. The GNTO has been busy checking out hotels, weeding out those that are undesirable (and many are). Trips take in the five new states of the unified Germany. Another option: base in towns close to the old border (Berlin, Lubeck, Fulda, Kassel, Hanover (the latter will be celebrating its 750th anniversary in ‘91).

If you decide to try it on your own, watch for signs reading zimmer frei in front of B&Bs.; Travelers are often happier in private homes rather than hotels operated previously under the Communist banner. Rates as low as $15 per room, including breakfast. Inquire also about Germany’s reasonable campsites. Another idea worth considering is Germany’s popular WunderHotel plan that allows you to buy hotel vouchers before you leave the United States ($54 per person, double occupancy, including breakfast). A choice of nearly 100 hotels.

German National Tourist Office, 444 S. Flower St., Suite 2230, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 688-7332.

Nettie’s World: Nettie Symonette has introduced wedding/honeymoon packages at her popular Casuarinas Hotel in the Bahamas. Island-born Nettie lays on the flowers, the cake, the music. She’ll even gather someone to tie the knot. The Casuarinas is popular with vacationers looking for tranquillity. None of the Vegas-style action of Nassau. The hotel (91 units) is five miles outside Nassau, five miles from the airport. On the beach. Gardens, a couple of restaurants (the Round House and Albion’s). A laid-back place with friendly, smiling Nettie mothering her guests. One guest told us: “Nettie and her family made us feel welcome in a special way.”

Casuarinas Hotel, P.O. Box N4016, Nassau, Bahamas. Call (800) 327-0787 or (809) 327-8153. Rates: $85 double/$180 for a two-bedroom apartment that sleeps four. After April 20: $65/$135.

Channel Islands Sail: Ten cruises to the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara have been scheduled by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. First up: whale-watching trips to Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands--Jan. 13, Feb. 10. These are one-day excursions, leaving Santa Barbara’s SEA Landing at 8 a.m., returning at 5 p.m. Lunch aboard the 88-foot Condor is included in the $65 price. All cruises carry a lecturer. Underwater photos are relayed to passengers by divers equipped with video cameras. Other tours: May 18, June 9, July 7, Aug. 18, Sept. 21, Oct. 20, Nov. 7, Dec. 7. Subjects will range from visits to a kelp forest to eavesdropping on a shipwreck off Santa Cruz Island.

Details from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, 735 State St., Santa Barbara 93101, (805) 966-7107. To book reservations, dial SEA Landing at (805) 963-3564.

Student Travel: Students planning trips abroad in ’91 can obtain tips on low-fare flights, budget rail passes/accommodations and other money-saving advice in a catalogue published by the Council on International Educational Exchange. Descriptions of study/work programs, voluntary service in dozens of countries. Other information on insurance, passports/visas, travel gear, rental cars, tours. Student identity cards entitle travelers to a 24-hour information hot line, automatic accident/medical insurance.

Free copies of the Student Travel Catalogue by writing to CIEE, 1093 Broxton Ave., Suite 220, Los Angeles 90024, or call (213) 208-3551. Readers may also call (619) 452-0630 in La Jolla, (213) 598-3338 or (714) 527-7950 from Long Beach, (619) 270-6401 in San Diego, (818) 905-5777 in the San Fernando Valley.

South of the Border: Beginning Wednesday, Baja California Tours will be offering daily departures to the fishing village of San Felipe. These will be three-day, two-night trips from San Diego. Vacationers arriving by train will be picked up at the Amtrak station in San Diego. En route to San Felipe, the group will make a luncheon stop in Ensenada at the ocean-front La Cueva de Los Tigres Restaurant. From Ensenada, buses will travel east through the ranching areas of Ojos Negros and Valle de Trinidad. Accommodations in San Felipe at Las Misiones Hotel. Rooms with balconies/verandas. Some with ocean views. The package ($169 per person, double occupancy) includes daily breakfasts.

Your travel agent or Baja California Tours, 6986 La Jolla Blvd., No. 204, La Jolla 92037. Call (619) 454-7166. Other tours offered to Rosarita Beach ($99/$135) and Ensenada ($115/$138).

Tokyo: R.C. of Costa Mesa is going to Tokyo, asks if he should take a cab into the city from Narita International Airport. We don’t recommend it. Taxis are shockingly expensive. Take a bus or train instead. If you decide on the bus, ask for one that goes directly to your hotel. Otherwise you’ll probably wind up at Tokyo City Air Terminal, where you’ll still have to take a cab. At your hotel, ask the receptionist to jot down the name of the hotel in Japanese to avoid getting lost after you’ve been sightseeing. (In Tokyo, few taxi drivers speak English.) Because Tokyo is expensive, you can save money by dining at one of the small restaurants off the main boulevards. Some are surprisingly reasonable. Usually, prices are posted in the window.

Other details from the Japan National Tourist Organization, 624 S. Grand Ave., Suite 2640, Los Angeles 90017, (213) 623-1952.

Reader Recommendations

California--Jim and Shirley Guardia, Yorba Linda: “The Kaleidoscope B&B;, 130 E. Dana St., Nipomo 93444, (805) 929-5444. Far beyond our expectations. Rates: $65/$70.

Maine--Judie and Dick Kappes, Northridge: “Hawthorne Inn, an outstanding bed and breakfast at 9 High St., Camden, Me. 04843. Overlooks the harbor. Rates: $55/$85.”

Italy--Sylvia Radiloff, Tarzana: “You can enjoy a wonderful meal for about $40 per couple at Oreste Restaurant, Piazza S. Spirito 16r in Florence. A gourmet experience from beginning to end. Share this with the public.”