I will be travelling in Europe in both June and August of this year. 
I will be attending a conference in Pisa June 10-12, but I am flying
in to Paris on June 5 and leaving from Rome on June 15.  I have a
number of travel related questions.
1. I will need to make lodging arrangements in Paris, Rome, and
possibly other places between (I already have arrangements in Pisa). 
How would you recommend I make these reservations?  Via the internet,
travel agent, wait until I get to the cities?  Any recommendations
regarding web site or agency?  I would like to stay in moderate
accomodations in walkable areas with plenty of activity.  I don't have
specific price limitations, but I don't want to overpay for something
I can get for much less.

2. I will need to travel from Paris to Pisa.  It seems that a
high-speed train that can go overnight from Paris to Florence is
available, although I would like to spend some time at a beach (French
or Italian Riviera).  What travel options do I have, and what is the
best way to get a train reservation?  Any recommendations regarding
places to stay on the Mediterranean?  I will be travelling alone, and
I would like a more crowded rather than secluded beach.  Would Cannes
be a good choice?  If so, how should I travel from Paris to Cannes and
then to Pisa for the June 10-12 conference?  Where can I stay on the
Riviera (town, beach, hotel, etc)?
3. In August, I will be travelling with a friend from Detroit to
Amsterdam. We would like to spend a few days in Amsterdam, a few days
in Ibiza, and a few days in London.  How should we get from place to
place (e.g. fly from Amsterdam to Ibiza, Ibiza to London, and home
(detroit) from London)?  Or Amsterdam to London to Ibiza, back to
London, then home?  What airline would you recommend for flying each
leg?  We plan to fly Northwest/KLM from Detroit to Amsterdam and
probably London to Detroit.  Do you recommend any internet sites or
travel agents to make the plane reservations?  Also, any
recommendations regarding where to stay and how to make those
reservations.  We would prefer some place nice, and a "fun" beach in
Ibiza.  We would like good value and would not like to overpay on
accomodations although we can spend a lot if it is thought to be worth
the money.

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Request for Question Clarification by leader-ga on 12 Apr 2004 18:09 PDT

Hello abetens-ga:

Your question seems very interesting. I have started working on your
request. I will keep this question open to other researchers since
there are very knowledgeable researchers who might want to answer
this.

I don't want to rush into an answer because the questions that you
have posted are varied and I want to make sure that you really get the
best opinion that is available, anywhere.

I am attending this question because I worked as a travel consultant
and think that I have the right answer. I am pretty much done with the
first part. If I have any further questions, I will ask to clarify.

THANKS.

---

Clarification of Question by abetens-ga on 13 Apr 2004 16:59 PDT

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

---

Request for Question Clarification by leader-ga on 16 Apr 2004 13:25 PDT

Thank You. I have the answer for the first and second parts. Very
soon, I will complete the third part of the qustion and provide you
with an answer.

Sincerely,
leader-ga.

---

Clarification of Question by abetens-ga on 17 Apr 2004 03:12 PDT

Excellent.  Thanks.

Hello abetens-ga:

It was a real pleasure to answer your question. I will try to keep
this answer as concise as possible without providing irrelevant
details. I have selected the best websites for you so you really don?t
have to look for yourself. Please bear with me as I go step by step in
explaining each part of your question.
_____________

QUESTION 1
_____________

Let us talk about the accommodations in Paris, Rome or any other city.
I have learned from my experience as a travel consultant that it is
easier to find accommodation through the web as it simply provides you
with varied options. Let us talk about the best options that we have.
I will start by accommodations in Rome. One of the best website for
such a reservation is ?Rome Reservation? at
http://www.romereservation.com. It is a website that provides you with
a short list of good hotels, Villas, Apartments and B&B that are
tested by the website critics and are located in the center of Rome.
You really don?t have to worry about the location and other stuff
because the staff has done it for you. The accommodations here are for
every price category from luxury to Very Moderate.

Another good place for the Rome Accommodation is
http://www.Romeby.com. Why I like this website is because it provides
consumer with detailed hotel description and a possible price range
(bookings) before they book. It has some of the best interface of any
website where you may easily sort through different criteria.

Another good place for the Rome hotels is the ever reliable Frommers
Guide. The guide can be found at its website at
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/64_indacc.html#. You might
get interested in hotels with a minimal price and a star or a two star
beside that hotel. That will indicate that not only the hotel offers
good prices but also it is one of the best when it comes to service
and cleanliness.

According to the Dorling Kindersley guide to the ?Best Places to Stay
in Europe?, the hotel ?Villa De Parco? in Rome is the one that is just
not to be missed when it comes to price and service. You may book this
hotel at http://www.Romeby.com. The web link is
http://www.romeby.com/hotelvilladelparco/pages/profile.htm.

One of my best places to search on the internet for good hotels at an
excellent price range is http://www.specialplacestostay.com. The
online version of this indispensable guide has nine properties that
are considered to be the hallmark of excellent hospitality. You may
want to look at these properties at
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/search/listing.php?Town=Rome
Although the prices for most properties may be on a higher side but
you might like on of these properties. This guide also provides
information on other European cities and carries a much extensive list
to choose from. I will discuss that later.

Let us come to Paris. A good place to start looking for a Paris hotel
is http://www.efrancehotel.com/paris/index.html. It has a very easy
interface that lets the consumer review the hotel star rating with the
price. You may ignore the special hotels of the month and Scroll down
the page to compare a wide variety of hotels.

I already discussed the website, http://www.specialplacestostay.com.
Yes! It might not have a great variety when it comes to Rome but it is
a gem when it comes to locating hotels in Paris. Here is a map search
for the hidden gems of Paris
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/maps/paris/index.html. Click on the
map anywhere and you will see orange dots describing the location of a
hotel. Click on these orange circles for more information. You can
sort by different areas of Paris. Let me tell you that if you keep
looking at different hotels (since they are not sorted by any
category), you will find a hotel that will amaze you. I always consult
this website for my reference. Most of the hotels have a website.
Don?t forget to visit the website of the hotels.

As for Rome, Frommers has recommendations for Paris. Please consult
this webpage at http://www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/62_indacc.html

The Dorling Kindersley?s guide to the ?Best Places to stay in Europe?
has two hotels that might suite your needs. These are:

Hotel d Angleterre
http://www.hotel-angleterre.fr/

Hôtel de la Place des Vosges
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/search/display.php?FileID=ph1036
(Review at special places to stay)

Apart from the accommodation in these specific cities, if you really
want to wait for a bargain price the http://www.laterooms.com is for
you. I have checked this website and reviewed it extensively; the
website really provides great prices at the very last minute.
_____________

QUESTION 2
_____________

As for the rail journey and the beach, the France Italy Rail Pass is
for you. You can find more information here
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/france_italy_index.htm.
Here is a brief description on how this pass works?
http://www.raileurope.com/us/common/how_pass_works.htm. My choice of
the perfect beach is Cannes. It was recently voted as the top ten
beaches in the world by the Travel Channel
http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/beachweek/interactives/worlds.html.
You can travel from Paris to Cannes and than to Pisa and Rome through
this Pass. Please use this schedule and timetable service for an idea
of what types of trains are available. You can use TGV for the Paris
and Cannes leg. Although, there is no direct connection from Cannes to
Pisa but you can use the adjacent stations for a direct route to Pisa.
Again, there are many options for train journey from Pisa to Rome.

For accommodation in Cannes, I will highly recommend these three
places that have their own character and are very affordable. These
include:

Centre International Marie Eugénie Milleret
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/search/display.php?FileID=fh2160

Les Palmiers
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/search/display.php?FileID=fsc3884

L'Églantier
http://www.specialplacestostay.com/search/display.php?FileID=fbb2338
Website: http://www.bnbnet.com/bfr/fr00042.html
_____________

QUESTION 3
_____________

Before answering your third question, let me say that it will be wise
to ask your local travel agent for the prices to and fro from European
cities to Detroit. The online travel agencies might not be able to
match the prices because there are not many airlines that will serve
this route.  You can get two separate tickets (e.g. Detroit to NYC and
NYC to Amsterdam).

For inter European flights, the cheapest way to go to Amsterdam,
London and Ibiza is to get a round trip ticket to Ibiza from London.
It is so because you can get great prices from London to Ibiza. You
might want to go to Amsterdam first and than go to London and than fly
to Ibiza and back to London. Your journey might look like this USA >
Amsterdam > London > Ibiza > London > USA.

For inter European flights, the website http://www.flights is your
best source. You can book airline tickets from Amsterdam to London
through this website and than use the bargain airliners Thompson
Flights http://www.thomsonflights.com/bd/home?formAction=initiateFareSearch
Or Easy Jet http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/index.asp for the journey
To/Fro from London to Ibiza. Believe me; you will save a fortune by
doing so. Otherwise, travel agents and other online travel portals may
charge you astronomical prices. You will be delighted by the prices
(even in High Season) that you can get by using my suggested strategy.

For accommodation in Ibiza, you should not miss these two small inns
that I am going to mention. The first is called Les Terrasses. It is
the only place that is recommended both by the Dorling Kindersley?s
Best Places to Stay in Europe and by
http://www.specialplacestostay.com. It truly is a magical place. Here
is the website http://www.lesterrasses.net/. The other inn is Can
Pujolet. Here is the website http://www.ibizarural.com/en/precios.php.

For a detailed listing of Ibiza hotel, please consult
http://ibiza-hotels.com/. I will also like to recommend a few hotels
in Amsterdam and London that are really exceptional. These are:

Amsterdam 

The Canal House Hotel
http://www.canalhouse.nl

Ambassade Hotel
http://www.ambassade-hotel.nl/eng

For a detailed listing of Amsterdam hotels, please consult http://www.hotels.nl

London

Winchester Hotel
http://www.winchester-hotel.net/

Number Sixteen Hotel
http://www.firmdale.com/index.html

L Hotel
http://www.capital-london.net/lhotel-lemetro/lhotel.html

Useful Links

Choosing a travel agent
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/Editorial/Article/data/cntraveler/2002/08aug/ThePerrinReport_ChoosingATravelAgent.xml/

Useful Keywords

?< Best beaches in the world >?
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=best+beaches+in+the+world&btnG=Google+Search

?< Best hotels in the world >? 
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=best+hotels+in+the+world&btnG=Search

I hope this will help you. Please clarify, if you need further
explanations. I will be highly obliged to help you.

Sincerely,
Leader-ga.