There are travelers who enjoy winging it--taking...

There are travelers who enjoy winging it--taking the chance they’ll find a hotel room at the end of the day, wherever they are. This isn’t particularly risky in the off-season, but you could get into trouble during the high season. Especially in Europe. If you have your itinerary figured out well in advance, the safe bet is to book your hotel before you leave home. And be sure to get a confirmation in writing (some hotels routinely overbook, which means you could find yourself without a bed and a long night ahead). Even if you have a confirmation, phone ahead if you figure you’ll be a late arrival. Reconfirm. It’s the name of the game. The safer bet is to let a travel agent book your hotels. If you’re on a tour, it’s all academic. But if you’re traveling independently, start looking for a room well before dark. I made the mistake once of checking into a hotel late in the evening in France, and lay awake the entire night listening to locomotives. The hotel was directly across the street from a major railroad station. Unless you’ve traveled overseas before, put your worries on a travel agent’s doorstep. The agent can smooth out the wrinkles--and in most cases, the agent receives commissions from hotels/airlines, so it costs you nothing.

The Caribbean: Bill Kovich of Fillmore asks about the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean and a resort called Anse Chastanet.

As islands go, St. Lucia is small (27 miles long, 14 miles at its widest end) but breathtakingly beautiful. Clouds hang on the horizon. Jungles sweep to the sea from volcanic peaks. And at Anse Chastanet, guest units are strung down a verdant hillside overlooking a striking black-sand beach. At night, vacationers are lulled to sleep by the sound of the surf and the symphony of singing frogs. A couple of peaks, the Pitons, rise heavenward like those on Moorea. Indeed, there’s a feeling here of the South Seas. And like resorts in the South Seas, Anse Chastanet is a place to come to rest. There is little else to do but read, swim, sunbathe and meditate, unwinding in a setting that inspires relaxation.

Anse Chastanet, P.O. Box 7000, Soufriere, St. Lucia, West Indies. Rates: $155/$200.

In the same general area, other vacationers check in at Dasheene, a resort that faces the sea from a hilltop perch dead-center of the Pitons. Few views in the Caribbean match it for beauty. Awaken here and you know you are far from the world of traffic snarls and polluted skies.

Dasheene, P.O. Box 225, Soufriere, St. Lucia, West Indies. Rates: $275/$450.

Washington State: Anita Marshall of Carpenteria is curious about a B&B; in Washington state’s San Juan Island “that you wrote about three or four years ago.”

Several come to mind, but I’m partial to Turtleback Farm on Orcas Island. Seven bedrooms, seven baths, heaps of charm. Old-fashioned pedestal sinks, wool comforters on the beds, lots of antiques. This old two-story farmhouse is operated by ex-San Franciscans Bill and Susan Fletcher. When they set out for the San Juans in 1983 Bill and Susan were searching for a summer place for themselves. What they wound up with was this 80-acre farm that’s become their year-round home. When the weather is warm, as it was the other day when I spoke with Susan (“It’s Indian summer,” she said), breakfast is served on a sun deck overlooking meadows with sheep, trout/duck ponds, geese/chickens and a herd of charlois cattle. At Turtleback Farm, guests picnic in meadows and there’s a shaggy sheepdog (Vicar) who tags along. The Fletchers sunk $500,000 into the farmhouse. The result is a perfectly marvelous B&B.; During the holidays, Turtleback exudes a special warmth. In the village of Eastsound, guests take their meals at Christina’s, which is on the water. Others enjoy Ship’s Bay Oyster House outside the village.

Turtleback Farm, Route 1, Box 650, Eastsound, Wash. 98245, (206) 376-4914. Rates: $65/$145.

Orient Express: The latest schedule of the Simplon-Orient Express has the train operating twice weekly, London/Venice. Return trip via Paris, Zurich, Innsbruck. Other routes take in Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich. A London/Venice trip covers 1,065 miles in 32 hours. London/Vienna spans 1,140 miles in 38 hours. Both trips are priced at $1,525. Other rates: $1,700, London/Budapest; $1,175, Munich/London; $1,535, Paris/Budapest. Prices include sleeping compartments, meals, tax. It’s not cheap, but this is the ultimate in train travel in Europe. The Orient Express went into service in 1833 and kept rolling until 1977. Later, American industrialist James Sherwood purchased/refurbished rail cars and the new Orient Express made its debut in 1982. Christmas gift certificates for friends/relatives are being issued. Venice Simplon-Orient Express, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, New York 10036, (800) 524-2420. (Ask about the one-day excursions out of London that take in the British countryside. Rates: $180/$270.)

British Hotels: A consortium of hotels in England/Scotland/Wales have announced standard rates of $55 per person (double occupancy). Minimum two-night bookings required. Choices in London, Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Canterbury, Cardiff, Chester, Coventry, Shrewsbury, Torquay, Windemere, York, Dover, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Wight, Oxford, Penzance, Plymouth, Ross-on-Wye, plus other destinations. Hotels are independently owned. Most areas are served by BritRail. Reservations: (800) 327-6097. (Call the same number for information on independent car rentals.)

Meanwhile, maps, books, catalogues for vacationers planning trips to Britain are available from British Travel Associates, P.O. Box 299, Elkton, Va. 22827. Tourist maps of England/Scotland/Wales for $2. A 370-page book with descriptions of 2,500 vacation rental cottages/apartments, $3 postpaid.

Other selections feature a “Quick Guide to London,” shopping in London, a pub/dining guide, a roundup of Welsh and Scottish country cottages. You can also order a 163-page directory with names, addresses, telephone numbers of 1,000 B&Bs; in Britain, Scotland, Wales for $10.

Potpourri: Two 128-page guides on Hawaii/Florida by Arthur Frommer are being given free to customers of Budget Rent-A-Car (information on accommodations/restaurants/attractions) . . . A map pinpointing 24 country inns in the Pacific Northwest is free from Unique Northwest Country Inns, P.O. Box 429, Donald, Ore. 97020 . . . For information on a guide containing details on thousands of private homes/condos worldwide, send a self-addressed envelope to Vacation Rental Magazine, P.O. Box 10189, Department CC, Salinas, Calif. 93912 . . . A new association of six small hotels formed by the Mexico Department of Tourism includes the Hotel Twin Dolphin (Cabo San Lucas), Casa de Sierra Nevada (San Miguel de Allende), Villa Montana (Morelia), Las Manzanitas (Cuernavaca), Hotel Villa del Sol (Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo), Posada Coatepec (Coatepec). For details, call Twin Dolphin’s reservations line at (213) 386-3940, the Mexican Government Tourism Office at (213) 203-8151 or contact your travel agent. . . . Savings of up to 56% at Inter-Continental hotels in Europe will be offered from mid-December through mid-January. Rates from $99 (Hotel Athenaeum, Athens). Other offers (Dec. 1/Feb. 1) in 24 European cities. Details by calling (800) 327-0200 . . . For a free copy of a new restaurant/food guide, contact the New Zealand Tourism office, 501 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300, Santa Monica 90401, (800) 388-5494.

Reader Recommendations

New Mexico--Mr. and Mrs. Emerson MacGregor, Malibu: “(We) highly recommend a small restaurant called La Mexicana, 1507 Riverside Drive, Espanola (between Taos and Santa Fe). Inexpensive, unpretentious.”

Vermont--Virginia R. Pesola, South Pasadena: “Beaver Pond Farm, Warren, Vt. An 1804 farmhouse with six beautiful rooms and views. Rates: $32/$65 per person.”

England--Loreen Clow, San Marcos: “Wollaston Lodge, Dorchester, Dorset. Three of us paid $21 each for two large bedrooms and private bath, with a sumptuous breakfast.”

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.