Traveller Letters: A hotel told me I was too old to stay there

Such a waist

It was Hugh Grant in Love Actually who said he went to airports to find love. Actually, I think most of us dread airports. I’ve lost three belts in the process of stripping off at Sydney Airport in the past year and unfortunately most of the officials are hardly an advertisement for the destination. Not Cairns Airport though – a five-star review for the professionalism and good humour of the baggage inspectors there; I was leaving Cairns, but it was such a pleasurable farewell.
Peter Hook, Naremburn, NSW
EDITOR’S NOTE A Traveller editor has also been victim to Sydney Airport’s belt-eating security belt, after alerting staff soon after discovering he’d left it behind. What other mishaps and losses have other readers suffered proceeding through airport security both here and abroad?

Breakfast time

Emirates serving breakfast immediately after a 1am departure from Dubai to Oz may be disconcerting (Traveller, September 28) but reflects that it’s also breakfast time in Sydney. Having meals (and sleep) aligned to your destination is ideal for jet lag management so full marks to Emirates.
Pete McGuckin, Ferntree Gully, Vic

Joy after Joyce

After hearing about difficulties with Qantas regarding refunds I was pleasantly surprised, when phoning them regarding a refund for a trip which was cancelled in 2020, the phone was answered within six minutes, a helpful woman attended to my request, and to top it all, the money was credited to my Visa three days later. I had put off asking because I had not been able to use it towards a flight and envisaged a long wait as I had heard so many bad experiences.
Elizabeth Proude, San Remo, NSW

Nap app

After reading about the in-flight sleep app (Traveller, February 17) I wanted to share my delight at using a jet lag app called Timeshifter (free for the first trip). My family travelled from Melbourne to Entebbe, Uganda, with over 20 hours flight time and an 8 hour layover in Dubai. The app helped us understand when to seek light, when to try and nap or sleep, and to take melatonin if desired. We arrived ready for our gorilla trek on a great sleep schedule and it set us up for an amazing four weeks travelling through East Africa.
Sally Levy, Canterbury, Vic

Tower of power

Brian Johnston’s recent Savvy Traveller tips for Switzerland on a budget (Traveller, February 10), were certainly on point and wide-ranging. For affordable Swiss culinary delights don’t forget Swiss chocolate, it is significantly cheaper on the ground and a perfect addition for the shoestring traveller possibly on two meals a day.

If visiting Bern, the medieval clock entertains on the hour (for free) and the exceptional clock tower tour is worth every franc (daily tours except Tuesday). The best tip for last – do as the locals do and take a dip in the crystal blue Aare River. Depending on your adventure levels, swim or paddle down the river from various plunge points upstream of the old town.
LJ Bulkeley, Canberra, ACT

Cruising with a bruising

A footnote to Michael Gebicki’s column (Traveller, February 17), “Should we feel ripped off on travel insurance?” My answer is a resounding yes. When I travelled to Norfolk Island, using travel insurance with NIB, with pre-existing conditions mainly due to age, it came to $362.62. My age and pre-existing conditions remain unchanged, but four months later, my travel insurance with NIB before undertaking a cruise in the Kimberley region of Western Australia cost me $869.29 – more than a 50 per cent increase. How can this be justified? My travel agent explained that travel insurance can be more expensive when taking a cruise. Why? I still think a 50 per cent increase with no change in one’s age or medical conditions is a rip off.
Susan Lenne, Randwick, NSW

Tip of the week: Lean times

For those flying to Italy and wanting an easy and simple arrival, I suggest flying from Australia to Pisa. We did so from Melbourne with Emirates with our twin small children. The Pisa airport is small and receives minimal flights a day, so customs is quick and friendly.

Most handily, the airport is a specialised 10-minute train shuttle into town (you can purchase tickets beforehand), with the Leaning Tower precinct another 15-minute walk. Alternatively, you could hire a car at the airport and be on the highway in one minute heading into the Tuscan countryside.
Kathleen Bartlett, Rutherlgen, Vic

Trains in Spain

During a visit to Spain, we travelled everywhere by train (and by the occasional bus). No need for a car but do book everything you possibly can. Segovia, and especially Toledo, are day trips from Madrid and you can spend a worthwhile three hours exploring Cordoba on the train trip from Madrid to Seville. We incorporated several day trips with Viator – north into the mountains from Barcelona and south into the real Sierra Nevada from Seville, both excellent with knowledgeable guides. Go as early or as late in the season as you can.
John Pinniger, Fairfield, Vic

Oughts and crosses

My old Italian guide book has helpful advice for pedestrians in Italy (Traveller Letters, February 11). If the signal says “don’t walk” – do not leave the pavement under any circumstances. If it says “walk”, it is marginally safer to cross.
Ross MacPherson, Seaforth, NSW

Grim realities

I recently visited South Korea and the Seodaemun Prison History Hall. Once a prison, used by Japanese colonists to hold Korean independence activists, and now a museum, we thought we already knew about the atrocities that were inflicted. How wrong we were. The exhibitions are movingly well done, with personal accounts of not only suffering but incredible heroics and self-sacrifice. You can roam freely through the various buildings, at your own pace and take time to reflect. Most sections have English translations. It’s an experience that has stayed with us.
Claire Johnson, East Brighton, Vic

Site for sore eyes

Recently my wife and I did a road trip around the western half of Australia and found the website aussietowns.com.au gave in detail all things to do and places to visit along the way from Melbourne to Perth, up the west coast of Western Australia, across the Kimberley to Katherine and back home via Alice Springs. Many interesting places would have been missed but for Aussie Towns.
Geoffrey Mould, Brighton, Vic

Falling for Quebec

I was in Quebec City (Traveller, February 11) a while ago in October and the autumn colours of this most beautiful and historic of North American cities are enough to blow your mind. Ile d’orleans in the great St Lawrence River, its quaint cottages, with their root cellars for storing winter produce, the markets and quayside below Chateau de Frontenac, boulangeries and historic churches – one week just wasn’t long enough to take it all in. I was disappointed that your cover story didn’t mention Montmorency Falls, a few minutes from downtown Quebec City. While not as wide as Niagara, they are a great deal higher, not as touristy and very photogenic. I left a part of my heart in Quebec and wish I could return some day.
Llieda Wild, Eastwood, NSW

Keep it private

We were two couples wanting to explore the highlights of Sicily from Palermo in the north to Agrigento in the south in the most relaxing way possible. Staying in Palermo at the charming bed and breakfast, Il Giardino di Ballaro, we took a private transfer to Milazzo Port to board the ferry bound for Lipari Island, where our accommodation was at B&B Diana Brown. It was a welcome relief from the fast pace of life in Palermo. Next, it was back to the mainland with another private transfer to beautiful Taormina staying at Hotel Villa Schuler with Ionian Sea views. Then it was on to see the magnificent baroque buildings and piazzas of Ortigia, Syracuse to stay at Henry’s House Hotel with its breakfast terrace right on the seafront and finally transfers to Agrigento (the Valley of the Temples) with pre-arranged stops at Noto and Ragusa Ibla before returning to Palermo.
Robyn Thomson, Hamilton South, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com