Another attempt to have a moderately-priced vacation in light of the sinking dollar. Of all the major Italian cities, I have always found Rome to be the most affordable, the least pretentious and the most interesting.

We have written up The Daphne Inn in the past. Still a great place to stay, at a great price. Depending on the season, the rates range from 140 Euros up, and include breakfast. They will also give you a 10% discount if you pay cash.

Once again, our room was spacious and well-lighted, and our modern bathroom had a makeup mirror. Since The Daphne is a B & B, there is no lobby or bar.

Shopping

Stay away from the Via Condotti and the major Italian labels. The smaller boutiques near the Campo di Fiori and the Pantheon are still worth seeking out, especially during sales season. One of my favorite shops is Nuyorica. Piazza Pollarola 36/37 06 688 912 43.

Eating

We’re very fond of Gusto’s Osteria, and had lunch there our first day in Rome. It is well-located for shopping and has an interesting menu. Salads, pasta and a bottle of wine about 33 Euros per person. Via della Frezza, 16 06 321 114 82.

Dinner that night was at Trattoria Monti (approx 15 minute walk from Daphne). We shared an onion tart, pasta with gorgonzola and beef bracciole. With a bottle of wine the bill was about 35 Euros pp. Via San Vito, 13A 06 446 6573.

Next day, lunch at Casa Bleve. Gorgeous wine bar with a lovely selection of food on display. With wine and coffee, 40 Euros pp. Is convenient to the Pantheon and therefore some interesting boutiques. Via Teatro Valle, 48/49 06 686 5370.

Dinner found us returning to Uno e Bino. A cab ride away, and ensconced in kind of a wine shop, this restaurant features contemporary food. 40 Euros pp. Via degli Equi, 58 06 446 0702.

Excellent and reasonable lunch of pizza, salad and wine at Il Corallo. Via del Corallo, 11 066 830 7703. Al Bric for dinner. A lovely osteria enoteca with a huge wine list and known for its cheese—we shared a terrific starter of gorgonzola cheese fondue with crispy pieces of potato, then a pasta amatriciana (Roman in origin) and a pork dish. About 40 Euros pp. Via del Pellegrino 51/52 06 687 9533.

Paula has gone to London to suss out the medium-priced restaurants and shops we can go to on our declining currency. (warning: all prices are quoted in pounds)

{First, the driver she uses to pick her up at Heathrow: David Elliott. He’s terrific and very good at avoiding traffic. Davidelliott.pcs@virgin.net}

Sunday

Dinner in Belsize Park, a lovely part of North London, at XO. XO is an offshoot of E & O on Notting Hill (see below), with an Asian fusion menu of mostly small plates. Dinner was 27.50 pp, including wine. 29 Belsize Lane 020 7433 0888.

Monday

A day in the West End. You can save a lot of money on tubes and buses if you buy an Oyster Card. It can be added to (“topped off”) forever.

Shopping

Shopped at Joseph. Stores are franchised and each buys differently. Medium-priced casual spring clothes start at about 50.00. (multiple locations). I went into Emma Hope, a shoe store, but wasn’t terribly impressed with the merchandise.

You’ve got to take a walk through Dover Market. An unusual layout, featuring expensive designers but quite a hoot. Has a terrific café for lunch. 17-18 Dover St 020 7518 0680. You also must go to the Chocolate Society and try their chocolate covered cookies, their brownies and hot chocolate. 36 Elizabeth St 020 8743 2646. Next door is Erickson Beamon, with great costume jewelry—both theirs and that of other designers. From about 80.00. 38 Elizabeth St 020 7259 0202. Baker and Spice, up the street, has a nice reputation for take-out (as well as a small seating area for lunch). 54-56 Elizabeth St 020 7730 3033.

We ate lunch at Daylesford Organic. Communal tables, yummy food and mostly organic wines. Also does takeout cheeses, wines, breads, cookies, salads, etc. About 20.00 pp for lunch. 44B Pimlico 020 7881 8060.

Dinner was at Wild Honey. It has one Michelin star, as does Arbutus, owned by the same people. The restaurant occupied a nice space and wasn’t too noisy despite the tables being rather close together. Very good modern European food—an appetizer with ricotta, sprouting broccoli and potato. My companion had bouillabaisse while I had pork belly (how trendy!) with a barley risotto containing chorizo and tomato. The wine list was very reasonable, both by the bottle and carafe. Dinner cost about 35.00 pp. 12 St George St Mayfair 020 7758 9160.

Tuesday

Off to Topshop at Oxford Circus. Still very inexpensive, even with our dollar. The quality always seems good and we both found some cute tops, skirts and pants. I then found a new store nearby on Regent Street called COS. Turns out it’s an offshoot of H & M, for the more sophisticated shopper. The clothing was plain and nicely styled, and the accessories seemed well-made. I bought a cashmere cardigan for 59.00. 222 Regent St 020 7478 0400.

Lunch that day at Yauatcha. Great dim sum, glasses of wine and tea: about 22 pp. 15 Broadwick St 020 7494 8888. We were disappointed in our tapas dinner at Salt Yard, which had received a very good review in TimeOut. The menu was small and uninteresting, as was the food when it came out. The cheeses were mediocre, as was the crispy squid, the zucchini flowers, etc. 54 Goodge St 020 7637 0657.

Wednesday

I spent the day wandering around the West End looking at more boutiques. Nicole Farhi was pricey, but good quality and great fabrics. Fortnum & Mason has been totally remodeled: much sleeker and much less crowded. The negative is that they have stopped producing my favorite sauce for baked potatoes—spicy tomato salsa. Their restaurant is supposedly super for lunch or tea. 181-186 Picadilly St James’s 020 7734 8040. Seek out Rigby & Peller, wonderful, well-known fitters of bras and bathing suits, especially for large-busted women.

Want books? Waterstones always have 3 for 2 and discounts on hardbacks.

Thursday

Lunched at Tas, Turkish restaurant with nice mezes and open-faced pitas with a choice of lots of toppings. Kinda like a Turkish pizza. About 15.00 pp with a glass of wine.

Friday

We drove to Notting Hill, paying the 8.00 congestion charge. But, we found parking (take heed, New Yorkers). Ate lunch at E & O (see above) 14 Blenheim Crescent 020 7229 5454.

Shopped at Jigsaw. This store is making an appearance in California but not on the East Coast. A new designer has been hired to lighten up the dark and dreary clothing—the design and color palette is now superb. (Stripes are huge in London this season). Look nearby at Odabash, carrying designer Melissa Odabash’s divine bikinis, cover ups and beachy clothes. 48b Ledbury 020 7229 4299. Go to Dinny Hall for nice gold and silver jewelry in all price ranges. 200 Westbourne Grove 020 7792 3913.

We ate dinner at Urban Turban, in Notting Hill. Featured a riff on Indian street food (esp Mumbai)—lots of small plates, mostly medium-spiced and interesting. We loved it! Well priced—with wine about 35.00 pp. 98 Westbourne Grove 020 7243 4200.

Saturday

Alas, my last day in London (and the 7th in a row sans rain!).
Sushi lunch at Sushi-Say, a tiny, plain, well-known spot, vg and about 20.00 pp. 33B Walm Lane. 020 8459 2971.
Check out Primark, featuring copies right off the runway. (more stripes)
Whistles is about to undergo a major overhaul by a woman who left Topshop’s helm last year. We’ll see.

My dernier cri dinner was at Eyre Brothers. We’d always wanted to go there, but were never willing to commit to the half-hour drive to Hoxton. Twas an interesting, conemporary restaurant. Youngish crowd, due to the proximity of a lot of the clubs. Appetizers were salad-y (mine with torn salt cod). We had skate in a caper and onion sauce with roasted new potatoes and spinach, and sliced pork in an herb and salt crust over a potato and onion sauté. We shared rhubarb ice cream with rhubarb and ginger sauce, and a very nice bottle of wine. The meal was 100.00. 70 Leonard St 020 7613 5346.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Ask at Peter Hoe’s Evolution Craft Shop, at 2 Jalan Hang Lekir (60-3) 2026-0711, for the hidden location where they sell silver baubles and linen separates for men and women.

FRANCE

Paris

Paul Minchelli has opened a new fish restaurant, named 21. 21 rue Mazarine, 6th, 01 46 33 76 90.
Chez Julien has been reopened by Thierry Costes of Restaurant Georges. 1, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4th, 01 42 78 31 64
La Marlotte has been taken over by the owner of the Bastide Odeon, and is undergoing a face-lift. 55 rue du Cherche Midi, 6th 01 45 48 86 79.

The renovated Musee des Arts Decoratif has a new restaurant, Le Saut du Loup, open for lunch and dinner. 107 rue de Rivoli, 1st, 01 42 25 49 55.

Le Versance is the new elegant restaurant opened by chef Samuel Cavagnis who worked previously at Georges Blanc. 16 rue Feydeau, 2d, 01 45 08 00 08.

L’Orenoc, in L’Hotel Meridien Etoile, features the contemporary cuisine of Claude Colliot, formerly of Le Bamboche. 81 blvd Gouvion Saint Cyr, 17th, 01 40 68 30 40.

Alain Ducasse has taken over the historic fish brasserie Rech. 62 av des Ternes, 17th, 01 45 72 29 47.

The most eccentric for last: Spring is open Tues through Friday night, seats only 16, offers a four course menu with no choices, for about 39 Euros per person. 28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, 9th, 01 45 96 05 72.

Marseilles

The Café Parisien has been taken over by the Pourcel twins, and will now be called La Compagnie des Comptoirs. 1, pl Sadi Cornot 04 91 90 05 77.

ITALY

Rome

If you like biscotti the way I like biscotti, you need to get to Biscottificio Innocenti, where one can purchase from a large selection. Via della Luce 21 06 580 3926.

L’Acino Brillo is a new restaurant with exciting, creative cuisine. Piazza S Eurosia 2 06 2513 7145.

When sightseeing near the Spanish Steps, stop for lunch at Ristorante Babette, where there is an inexpensive, tasty lunch buffet and a pretty courtyard. Via Margutta 1D/3 06 321 1559.

TURKEY

Istanbul

Do not, DO NOT miss the Grand Bazaar. You can either get a good map or hire a good guide. One recommended guide is Aysegul Cavas, at 0532 612 5124.

A completely different experience. The Copamarina, on Puerto Rico’s south coast, is a lovely, small resort, with not so much to do. You can kayak, mountain bike, or simply lounge on the pretty beach. The water is mellow. The resort has one fancy restaurant and one more casual. Half the guests were Puerto Rican, which made for a nice change. Ponce, about 45 minutes away, has great seafood restaurants on the water if you want to leave the resort. The Copamarina is a two-hour drive from San Juan, or you can fly nonstop from the US to Ponce. 800-468-4553.

A large gated community on the east coast of Puerto Rico with a hotel, villas, condos, etc, in several spread out communities with two golf courses, tennis, horseback riding and a marina.

Lodging

We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton, where we were upgraded to a suite. A little tired, and with no outdoor space of any sort, but it did have two closets and plenty of space (and a makeup mirror!). The lobby, partly outdoors, seemed OK, the pool pleasant and the beach nice excepting the constant noise of the wind and waves. More of a surfing than bathing beach and the undertow dangerous. Bizarrely, no umbrellas at the pool or beach. No children’s program in sight, so not too many children.

Eating

Two lunch places/outdoor bars, at the pool and beach. Pretty good, varied selection, but the one by the pool was SLOW.

Only breakfast place was a David’s Cookies shop in the lobby that served Danish, bagels and eggs (no table service).

The restaurants were pleasant, but with a laid back attitude. When they decided they had enough reservations, they just stopped answering the phone. Nonetheless, we didn’t starve. We had two good dinners at Caracoles, within walking distance of the hotel, behind the tennis center but down a dark unpaved road. Good Caesar, jambalaya, local preparation of chicken with garlic sauce and pizza (you have to ask for it specially). People ate early; at 9 p.m. we were the last diners to be seated. Another nice dinner at Candelero, nice salads (although bleh tomatoes everywhere we ate) and churrasco.

On New Year’s Eve, we ate at Chez Daniel, the chef being one of the well-known chefs of Puerto Rico, who emigrated from France many years ago. Good bistro food, although without the interest of the food we had in San Juan.