Side trip

By Times staff, wires
Published September 16, 2007

So, you want to be a travel writer

Learn how at the Society of American Travel Writers Institute for Travel Writing & Photography on Jan. 25-27 at various locations in Orlando.

The institute provides 15 hours of instruction for writers, experienced travelers and others considering careers in print and online travel writing, guidebook work and travel photography. Cost for the weekend seminar is $345 and includes six meals but no lodging. For information and to register, go to www.satwinstitute.org or call Herb Hiller at (386) 467-8223.

Get your history online

A new Web site, www.AmericasLivingHistory.com, offers a wealth of information, including travel articles, historical tidbits, color photographs and an online store, all focused on America's early years. A recent posting outlines a travel itinerary for exploring the Southwest.

Special sections are tailored to the interests and needs of various readers, including armchair travelers, RVers and road trippers, families, educators and librarians, homeschoolers, ethnic and religious explorers, foreign travelers and immigrants.

For 2007, the editors of Mobil Travel Guide considered only 35 U.S. hotels worthy of five-star status. New to the list are the Tower Suites in Las Vegas; St. Regis Resort at Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif.; the Mandarin Oriental in New York; St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco; and the Hermitage Hotel, above, in Nashville, the first five-star hotel in Tennessee.

So, what are some of the criteria?

According to the Exxon Mobil Web site, a five-star resort should have all the amenities of a four-star, plus:

- A well-informed staff that is "extremely well spoken, polite and clear, avoids slang and phrase-fragments"

- Choice of at least two complimentary newspapers

- 24-hour room service

- Cloth towels and fresh plants or flowers in public washrooms

- Separate shower and tub

- Proactive service at pools, with complimentary refreshments when the weather is warm

Maui's long-established bed-and-breakfast industry has faltered since county officials cracked down on illegal vacation rentals, leaving the island with fewer accommodations for its many visitors, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Maui County officials told more than 50 operators of vacation rentals in July that they couldn't continue operating without permits. Those with pending permits were allowed to honor reservations until the end of the year. Others were ordered to cease operations immediately.

The government is trying to alleviate noise and congestion in residential neighborhoods where B&Bs have operated.

Despite the dollar's loss in value, especially against the euro and the British pound, there are a few places where our currency still has muscle. Experts at Hotwire.com and Orbitz.com agree on these two destinations, where exchange rates are favorable and prices are low: Thailand and Argentina.

Barbara Messing, Hotwire's travel expert, says you can still get a $12 steak dinner and an $8 bottle of wine in Buenos Aires, a cosmopolitan city that often reminds visitors of Paris - long boulevards, scenic parks and great shopping. John Cohn, spokesman for Orbitz, notes that you can find three- and four-star hotels in Phuket, Thailand, for less than $120 a night.

Other suggestions: Chile, Turkey, Vietnam and Mexico. In Santiago, for example, Cohn says the cost of a good meal is about $12, and you can find hotels for around $110. And Mexico, with an 11-to-1 exchange rate on pesos to dollars, remains affordable and accessible.

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A photo caption in last Sunday's Latitudes showed a window overlooking the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The wrong museum was named. Also, there are 28 screens showing art house movies in the Greenwich Village area. Another caption was incorrect on this point.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 15:18:33]