Trips to Amalfi Coast

Picturesque Amalfi and the scenic Campania coast region of Italy is the destination of a new one-stop winter and spring vacation program for travelers age 60 and over.

The senior vacations are offered in 15-, 22- and 29-day packages that are booked in three-star hotels in Amalfi.

Offered by the Diana Presents tour company and available through travel agents and Alitalia Airlines, the packages include accommodations, three meals daily and round-trip air fare from Los Angeles to Rome, plus motor coach to Amalfi, which is south of Naples.

There will be sightseeing excursions to such areas as Pompeii, Naples, Ravello and Positano.

Hairdresser and barber services, wine tastings, cooking classes, theater tickets in Naples, all taxes and tips (except for sightseeing guides) are also part of the package. Guests will be welcomed by the mayor of Amalfi, and will be given a briefing by the local U.S. consulate.

“The stays are just for seniors,” company owner Diana Balsamo said from her office in New Haven, Conn. “There’s a full breakfast, not just coffee and rolls. Nothing starts before 10 a.m. and I’ll be on hand every day to make sure everything goes right.”

Per-person prices, double occupancy, from Los Angeles are $2,749 for 15 days, $3,049 for 22 days and $3,349 for 29 days.

Departures are Jan. 8 and 22, Feb. 5 and 19 and March 4 and 18. Add $150 per week for single rooms. However, Balsamo says she will make every effort to match up singles upon request.

Present plans are to extend the Amalfi vacations into April and May with the same features, but those plans have not been finalized pending Alitalia’s spring schedule.

Balsamo also expects a modest price increase, about $30 per week. But current prices are firm through March, she said.

For more information, contact Diana Presents, 301 Alden Ave., New Haven, Conn. 06515, (800) 441-3485.

Calico Tours offers mature travelers a three-night Chef’s Holiday by motor coach to Yosemite National Park, Jan. 14-17, with accommodations at the Ahwahnee Hotel.

Participants will take cooking lessons from well-known chefs during scheduled cooking demonstrations and tastings. Martin Yan of “Yan Can Cook” is one of those featured.

The tour, $495 per person, double occupancy, includes transportation, accommodations, one lunch and a gourmet dinner in the Ahwahnee dining room.

There will be plenty of free time to explore Yosemite through optional tours, cross-country skiing, ice skating, Snow Cat rides and other activities.

For more information, contact Calico Tours, 2265 Westwood Blvd., No. 247, Los Angeles 90064, (213) 478-5865.

Effective Jan. 1, visitors 65 and older no longer will be able to ride free on public buses on Oahu, Hawaii. A loophole that allowed tourists to get a free pass for use during their stay was closed. (Hawaiian seniors also no longer will ride free, but will have to pay 30 cents a ride after paying $15 for a four-year pass.)

The public system remains a cheap alternative to taxi service, though, as riders can go anywhere on Oahu for 60 cents.