YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
How do I find a hotel beside Padre Pio's shrine?
QI plan to travel to Padre Pio's shrine, in southern Italy, in September. I suffer with arthritis and am looking for a hotel very close to the shrine. I know there are two or three very close but am unable to find them.
AB, Dublin
With the help of the tourist board in San Giovanni Rotondo, I have been able to track down the hotels you are looking for. The nearest hotels to the shrine, all three-star, are the Hotel Cassano (Viale Cappuccini 115, 00-39-0882- 454921 (about 200m from the sanctuary), Hotel Pace (Viale Cappuccini 123, 00-39-0882- 456234 (about 100m from the sanctuary) and Hotel Colonne (Viale Cappuccini 135, 00-39- 0882-412936 (about 50m from the sanctuary).
QWe plan to bring my father on a surprise holiday to Frankfurt for his birthday at New Year. The family includes three teenagers, aged 17, 16 and 14. I would like to know if there is anything you would recommend doing while there and for New Year's Eve. Also, do you know a good place to stay?
HT, Cork
A number of events over the New Year period would be suitable for a family group. Moulin Rouge, a feast for the senses, is at the Jahrhunderthalle from New Year's Eve for six shows. You can get tickets from www.frankfurt-ticket.de. On New Year's Day the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie will be performing at the Alte Oper at 4.30pm. Tickets from the web address above. Hair, the musical, is at the English Theatre, www.english-theatre. org. In the Tiger Palace, Frankfurt's vaudeville will be celebrating 20 years, with magic, juggling, acrobatics and clowns. See www.tigerpalast. com.
In Frankfurt you have a choice of 16 museums, most of which are on the Sachsenhausen stretch of the main embankment. Hotels in the city centre include the Best Western Scala, the Hilton and the Steigenberger. Funky newer hotels are Flemings and Goldman 25hours. There is freephone access from Ireland for tourist information on 1800-484480.
QCan you help find a quiet twin-bedded room, away from traffic and human beings, in Paris, in the fifth arrondissement, from September 11th to 15th? My brain is frazzled from scrolling through the many identical hotels and apartments, all tall, thin and Haussmanian and, above all, overlooking busy streets, which is fine and lovely if you're not a neurotic insomniac like me. We would pay up to 24O per room per night, although would hope to pay much less than that.
GO'B, Dublin
Sorry to hear that you suffer from insomnia. With luck we have identified some quieter hotels in Paris. The Paris tourism office helped me. The first suggestion is Des Arènes, on Rue Monge, where some of the rooms overlook the Lutèce Amphithéâtre and would be quieter. You can contact it on 00-33-1-43250926. The Best Western Jardins de Cluny, on Rue de Sommerard, is at 00-33-1-43542266 and www.hoteljardindecluny.com. The Agora Saint Germain is on Rue des Bernardins; contact it at 00-33-1-46341300 or www.agorasaintgermain.com. The Jardins du Luxembourg Hotel is in a cul-de-sac near the Luxembourg Gardens. Call 00-33-1-40460888 or visit www.les-jardins-du-luxembourg.com.
QMy friend and I plan to travel to Spain in late September. We would like to be near enough to Barcelona to explore it thoroughly while staying somewhere interesting within reasonable commuting distance along the coast, for example as Cascais is to Lisbon. Our priority would be for a town with good bus and train services, some local interest, nice restaurants and opportunities for walking. The tour operators appear to finish in late September, so we will have to fly to Barcelona or Girona and make our own way from there. Any tips on hotels and the best way to transfer?
MMcA, Donegal
Late September is a lovely time of the year to visit Spain, as it will still be hot, but not too hot. Sitges fits the bill for your holiday; it has been called the St Tropez of Spain. On the coast about 35km south of Barcelona, it is here that counterculture survived under Franco. As a result, Sitges has a great selection of hotels, restaurants and entertainment on offer. It is also a very historic town, having being founded in medieval times. You may hear that Sitges is the gay capital of Spain, as my colleague Quentin Fottrell describes in our cover story this week, and this adds to the range of activities on offer. The nightlife is very good.
There are regular train and bus services to Barcelona, 30 minutes away. Sitges is the ideal location to enjoy the coast and to explore one of the great towns of Spain. For details of hotels, try www.sitgestour.com. The Calipolis and La Nina seem to be favourites. If you consider self-catering, www.sitges holidayaccommodation.com has apartments from about €60 per night. There is a bus service to Sitges from the main Barcelona airport with Monbus.
• E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie