Expo 2005

Tell your friends you're going to Kerala and they ask, "Where is it?" Mention Kerala is in India and they gasp, "It's dangerous there." But India's worrisome problems are for the most part in the north (in Kashmir), and Kerala is well over a thousand miles away. The lush, lovely, and incredibly cheap Indian state of Kerala, on the subcontinent's southwestern tip, is one of the most peaceful places on the planet. First-time tourists to India typically seek out the Taj Mahal in Agra, the bustling, chaotic cities of Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), and awe-inspiring temples in Madurai and Varanasi. But from the high mountains of the Western Ghats to the lush coastal plain, Kerala is as beautiful, dramatic, and exotic as anyplace on earth. Here is a destination that usually lives up to its nickname, "God's own country." Perhaps Kerala's greatest attraction is its people, from children who race along the backwater cruises calling out to tourists, to helpful strangers who make sure you get the right bus even if they miss their own. City streets in Kerala are a hodgepodge of auto-rickshaws, bikes, taxis, wildly painted lorries, and an occasional elephant. Its peaceful hills boast of wildlife, tea, and spice estates. Kerala has attracted travelers since biblical times, but was discovered by hippies in the Sixties and Seventies as a peaceful haven, and these days it draws a fair number of Aussies, Europeans, and Americans-in-the-know. Visitors come to loll under the palms beside golden beaches or cruise its labyrinth of backwaters. You can also get a sense of the ancient East with an Ayurvedic massage or a yoga session (both of which are thought to have originated in Kerala more than 5,000 years ago). The famous Kathakali dance drama is still performed here, as it was more than 1,000 years ago. And talk about cheap! Thanks to the favorable exchange rate (almost 48 rupees to the dollar), hotels that go for $5 to $15 a night are as plentiful as the coconuts on the trees. Backpackers love the $1 beach huts and $2 lodges (lodging prices listed below are the total for two persons traveling together, so singles can expect to pay even less). A typical veg thali (a sampling of vegetable dishes served on a platter) costs $1 or less in a small cafe, and an all-you-can-eat buffet at a glamorous hotel runs $7. In most of Kerala, it is easy to get by on about $20 a day. Be warned, though -- prices on just about everything go up in peak season (December and January in particular). Transportation within India is proportionately just as inexpensive. Buses are crowded, noisy, and cheap, but score a window seat and you might get a free show -- perhaps an elephant or two sharing the highway. Metered auto-rickshaws charge 8¢ minimum per kilometer (though meters are rarely used). Bargaining gets you a fair fare -- a good rule is to cut any offer in half to start the haggling, and be patient. For big spenders, a car and driver around town costs $20 a day. Bargaining when you shop (except at fixed-price emporiums) gets you beautiful buys in Kerala's rosewood and brass crafts. How we'll be dealing with Kerala The sights and rewarding locations in Kerala are countless, but to keep this article to manageable length, we've reduced them to five: the beach resorts of Kovalam and Varkala, the two major cities of Thiruvananthapuram (better known as Trivandrum) and Kochi (Cochin), and last but not least, the popular backwater cruise through a labyrinth of canals, lagoons, and villages. Visitors with extra time will want to spend a day or two at the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Set aside at least two weeks for an exploration of Kerala, including four or five days at the beach and a few days in Kochi. (Thiruvananthapuram is a commercial city where you won't want to stay over, though it's worth a day trip.) Getting around in Kerala (or throughout India, for that matter) is not as easy as in Europe or North America, but the average visitor finds things without much of a problem. English is widely spoken, and most signs are in English and the local language Malayalam. Few streets have names, so addresses for hotels and restaurants are rare (when available, we list addresses and phone numbers). For general information about Kerala, including hotels, tour operators, and cultural customs and tidbits you should be aware of (there are many, including dressing conservatively and never using your left hand in social interactions), visit keralatourism.org. Another good tourist source is the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, or KTDC (011-91/471-2318976, ktdc.com), which arranges lodging, tours, and packages. To call the Indian numbers listed in this article from the United States, first dial 011-91. Getting there from here From Mumbai, you have a choice of carriers flying into the state of Kerala. Jet Airways (866/835-9538, jetairways.com) operates three flights daily to Kochi for $302 round trip and one to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) for $387 round trip. Beginning at the beach: Kovalam A selection of inexpensive hotels are found in the little lanes off Lighthouse Beach. Sumangali Tourist Home and Achuta Lodge (471/2481021), steps off Lighthouse Beach, has pin-neat rooms with baths for $3 to $15; the higher-priced ones have sea-facing sit-outs (balconies). Tiny, tidy Seaside Cottages (471/2481937), located right on the beach, has simple rooms with baths for $4. Sitting high on a rocky outcrop, Hotel Rockholm (Lighthouse Rd., 471/2480306, fax 471/2480607, rockholm.com) has tasteful rooms with balconies and marvelous views priced at $27 to $30. The Rockholm also has an excellent restaurant with most items going for $1 to $5. Most restaurants in Kovalam tend to offer the same Western and Indian classics, with satisfying three-course meals running as little as $1. Service can move at a glacial pace because small kitchens are not equipped to handle a lot of orders. Away from the beach, overlooking paddies, Lonely Planet restaurant offers outstanding vegetarian food, and $2 to $3 goes a long way. The alternate beach: Varkala When it comes to lodging, how about a little splurge? At the elegant Taj Garden Retreat (Janardhanapuram, 470/2603000, fax 470/2602296, tajhotels.com), rates change with the seasons but generally start at $70 and include abundant breakfast and dinner buffets. Too expensive? Come just for the buffet dinner (phone to reserve) for $8, when classical dancers perform in the terraced garden. For more affordable options, the Nikhil Beach Resort (Beach Rd., 470/2605191, nikhil-resort.com) features an Internet cafe, and tidy rooms for $10 to $20. The only hotel on the beach, Marine Palace (Papanasam Beach, 470/2603204), has cheap rooms ($4 to $15), but the only running water is cold and its yard is occasionally filled with junk. Their tandoori restaurant overlooks the sea. Molto bene is the best description of the Italian-run Mamma Chompos (Beach Rd., 470/2603995), which has pleasant, modern, clean rooms for $5 to $7, plus a pizzeria. Atop the cliffs, the quiet, homey Thiruvambadi Beach Resort (Thiruvambadi Beach Rd., 470/2601028, thiruvambadihotels.com) has attractive rooms with baths for $15. Most rooms have balconies, some have beautifully carved headboards and doors, plus there is a pleasant rooftop restaurant. Just off a littered walkway, Jicky's (above Oottupura Restaurant, near the helipad; 470/2606994) has clean and cheap rooms ($3 to $5) with baths. Yoga classes are offered here. Many families also rent rooms in their homes starting at $2. Duck their scouts at the train and bus stations, and instead find your own room by asking around at the cafes and checking signs posted outside private homes. For food, Oottupura, where locals talk religion with you, is my top choice for a variety of cheap dishes under $1. Delectables include a superior masala dosa (a stuffed rice-and-lentil-flour crepe) and crispy cheese pakoras (fritters). Try them with a sweet and salty fresh lime and soda. A day trip to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) Another must-see is the vast Padmananabhapuram Palace (40 miles from the capital, 30 miles from Kovalam, in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu), the ancient capital of the maharajahs of Travancore, in its meticulously maintained teak and granite splendor. Features include fabulous murals, floral rosewood carvings, and an amazing mirror-like floor. Tour is 10¢; take the crowded Kanniyakumari bus from Thiruvananthapuram or Kovalam to Thuckalai, then rickshaw or walk for a mile. Or join the 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. KTDC tour (471/2318976) for $4; includes lunch. Kaleidoscopic Kochi For an intimate view beyond the main city, take KTDC's "Village Backwaters Tour" in a pole-driven canoe to glimpse village life (three hours, $7, includes transfers; ticket information at the KTDC Tourist Reception Center, near Taj Residency Hotel, 484/2353234). Kathakali is renowned in Kochi, and the See India Foundation (Kalathiparambil Rd., near Ernakulam Junction train station, 484/2369471) gives a two-hour show that will enlighten you about Indian history, Hinduism, and the intricacies of this dance drama ($2). Wrap it up here by seeing kalaripayattu, Kerala's ancient martial art, at the ENS Kalari Centre (484/2700810), located eight miles west of Kochi at Nettoor. As for lodging, the most interesting choices are found in Fort Kochi, the older section on the city's southern peninsula, where the architecture is influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. The Fort House (2/6A Calvathy Rd., 484/2217066, fax 484/2216886) offers a few spotless, simply furnished rooms for $20, including breakfast. In a quiet part of town, the Kapithan Inn (near Santa Cruz Cathedral; 484/2216560, kapithaninn.com) is a tidy, family-run guesthouse with tasteful rooms for $12 to $15. Very atmospheric, the Old Courtyard (1/371 Princess St., 484/2216302, oldcourtyard.com) has rooms with canopied beds and high-beamed ceilings for $20 to $50. The neighboring town of Ernakulam (located across the bay on the mainland) is renowned for its budget rooms. Biju's Tourist Home (corner of Canon Shed and Market Rds., 484/2381881) is somewhat seedy but popular and friendly; rooms cost $5 to $13, with baths. Hakoba (Shanmugham Rd., 484/2353933) has $4 to $8 rooms-some with smashing sea views and a restaurant. Sleek and modern, the Grand (M.G. Rd., 484/2382061, grandhotelkerala.com) charges $30. For food in Fort Kochi, the stylish Kashi Art Cafe, (Burgher St.), housed in a restored Dutch heritage house, has wheat-bread sandwiches, cakes, and pies, and real coffee (rare in tea-drinking Kerala, where coffee is grown!). Breakfast and lunch specials run $1 to $1.10. In Ernakulam, the glass-enclosed Bubble Cafe, (Taj Residency Hotel, Marine Dr.) offers bountiful East-West buffets; $5 breakfast, $8 lunch. For people-watching, grab a window seat at spiffy Bimbi's (Shanmugham Rd.), where superb dosas, amazing ice cream, and a range of Indian dishes run 25¢ to 50¢. Southern Star (above Bimbi's) features Indian and Chinese specialties, enormous portions; entrees under $2. Backwater bargain cruise Finally, here is the reason many tourists seek out Kerala. Exceedingly popular and an incredible buy is an eight-hour backwater cruise between Kollam (Quilon) and Alappuzha (Alleppey) aboard a double-decker ferry through canals, lagoons, and villages. Including lunch and afternoon tea, it costs just $4. Several operations offer nearly identical cruises. One example is the District Tourist Promotion Council in Kollam (DTPC; 477/2253308, dtpc-quilontourism.com). Tickets are available at various hotels and tourist offices in both Kollam and Alappuzha.

One thing I will never change is our one-star status," declares Roberto Zammattio, owner of Venice's Al Guerrato hotel. "I prefer to take in a few euros less but still give a bit more to guests; that way everyone is happy." Such is the attitude that makes a Little Wonder Hotel-a personal touch, comfortable beds, and a price tag of less than $90 per room. What follows are my selections of the top ten budget hotels in Florence and Venice. Breakfast is included in the price unless otherwise indicated. The rates quoted here are based on ]1=$1. To call Italy from the United States, dial 011-39 before the numbers listed below. Florence Pensione Maria Luisa de' Medici Via del Corso 1, 055-280-048 (reservations by telephone only). Doubles ]62-]67 ($62-$67) without bath, ]80 ($80) with bath. No credit cards. Picture the narrow hall of an antiques shop: a neoclassical sculpture of a child propped on a chair, tattered baroque canvases by Sustermans and Van Dyck cluttering the walls, a chipped della Robbian terra-cotta resting on a table in sunlight. Now imagine cavernous bedrooms opening off this hall, each filled with a quirky mix of antique armoires and 1950s and '60s designer tables and lamps of the sort usually seen in museums of modern art. The eclectic collector, Dr. Angelo Sordi, now convalesces in a back room, but each morning his partner, Evelyn Morris-born in Wales but a Florentine for decades-serves you a home-cooked breakfast in your room. Throw open your shutters and watch the pedestrian parade along the ancient, narrow street below. That's the picture of the best pensione in Florence, a place where I've taken everyone from my parents to my Boy Scout troop. Not all the rooms are that huge, or enjoy as rich a mix of designer furnishings, and only two have private bathrooms, but it's bang in the geographic center of town, and you just can't beat the atmosphere. Hotel Abaco Via dei Banchi 1, 055-238-1919, fax 055-282-289, www.abaco-hotel.it. Doubles ]63 ($63) without bath, ]95 ($95) with bath. Bruno, a gregarious transplanted Calabrian, has in a few short years made this one of Florence's best little budget hotels. Each room is named after a local painter and is decorated with ornately framed reproductions of his works, as well as richly colored walls, draperies, and bed-hangings, high wood ceilings, ornate mirrors, and buckets of antique charm. This tiny hotel is conveniently located at an acute intersection with the main road from the train station to the Duomo (double-paned windows keep out most of the noise). Bruno's putting in air-conditioning, which will cost an additional ]8 ($8) if you want to use it. Though he accepts credit cards, he far prefers cash (it helps keep those rates so low). Albergo Serena Via Fiume 20, 055-213-643, fax 055-280-447, thserena@dada.it. Doubles ]85 ($85). Breakfast ]5 ($5). The Bigazzi family's pensione around the corner from the train station is ever-so-slightly shabby, but it does retain some of the opulence from when this was a private apartment-leaded glass doors in the hall, stuccoed decorations on the ceiling, patterned stone-tile floors. The furnishings, however, are your average, well-worn modular jobs with baths squeezed into the corners. Still, the rooms are large enough, clean enough, and you get a lot of amenities for your money: TV, private bathrooms, even air-conditioning in some (the four rooms without A/C enjoy a small discount). Albergo Firenze Piazza Donati 4, 055-214-203, fax 055-212-370. Doubles ]83 ($83). No credit cards. This budget standby has none of the charm of its neighbor Maria Luisa de' Medici (mentioned earlier) but shares the enviable location in the very heart of Florence, on a tiny and quiet piazza just off Via del Corso. It still suffers from the institutional style and feel of its days as a student crash pad-a few study-abroad programs still use it for housing-but the beds are firm, and it's kept tolerably clean. The clientele is a comfortable mix of students and frugal families, guests who tend to congregate at the little breakfast-room tables, grabbing Cokes out of the fridge as they plan the day's sightseeing. Locanda Orchidea Borgo degli Albizi 11, tel/fax 055-248-0346, hotelorchidea@yahoo.it. Doubles ]57 ($57) without bath. No credit cards. No breakfast. The thirteenth-century palazzo in which Dante's wife Gemma Donati was born now hosts Maria Rosa Cook's little pensione of high ceilings, new tile floors, beaten-up functional furnishings, and extra-firm beds. It is ultraclean and has a cheerful staff. Number 4, one of the family rooms that can sleep four for ]110 ($110), opens onto a narrow, 30-foot-long balcony over a pretty little garden. Albergo Azzi Via Faenza 56, tel/fax 055-213-806, hotel azzi@hotmail.com. Doubles ]46-]56 ($46-$56) without bath, ]51-]62 ($51-$62) with sink and shower, ]62-]67.30 ($62-$67.30) with bath. Dorm bed ]17-]25 ($17-$25). Breakfast ]2-]3 ($2-$3). The Azzi is a self-styled locanda dei artisti, an "artists' place," where owners Sandro and Valentino are fond of breaking out guitars and serenading the guests on the little courtyard terrace. They also keep a collection of art books and gallery guides to lend to clients. The place has a laid-back atmosphere that's more beatnik than bohemian, and the rooms are an eclectic mix, the best (numbers 3 and 4) have ceiling frescoes and impressive French-style antiques. The owners have bought two of the other modest hotels in this building, so there are usually plenty of rooms available. Albergo Mia Cara Via Faenza 58, 055-216-053, fax 055-230-2601. Doubles ]50 ($50) without bath, ]60 ($60) with bath. No credit cards. No breakfast. The rooms are almost depressingly basic, but the Noto family keeps them clean, the beds are comfy, and the prices absolutely fantastic. Most furnishings are simple and modular, though the nicer rooms have wrought-iron bedsteads. Only two or three rooms share each hall bath. Though the windows are double-paned, for utmost quiet book a room on the back overlooking the trees of a little courtyard. Travelers on even tighter budgets can check into the daughter's fun-loving Ostello Archi Rossi hostel downstairs for ]17-]20 ($17-$20; the 1 a.m. curfew, though, has almost caught me on occasion in this city of four-hour dinners). There are plans to renovate the place, expanding both the hostel and the hotel-and perhaps upgrading the latter to three-star status-but the family is unsure when the work will start. Albergo Merlini Via Faenza 56, 055-212-848, fax 055-283-939, www.hotelmerlini.it. Doubles ]45-]65 ($45-$65) without bath, ]50-]79 ($50-$79) with bath. Breakfast ]5.16 ($5.16). A kind Sicilian family runs this gem in a building stuffed with cheap hotels. It's on the top floor, so rooms 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8 peek over the rooftops to the domes of the cathedral and San Lorenzo beyond. The rooms are simply but comfortably furnished. Thanks to renovations in 2002, all the bathrooms are new. Satellite TV, telephone, and air-conditioning should be installed in 2003. There are plenty of quirky touches: ornately carved wooden beds and dressers in some rooms, wall safes hidden behind hinged paintings, and a minor miracle: mosquito screens (something I've found in only two other hotels among hundreds throughout Italy). Two walls of the pretty breakfast room were frescoed by art students in the 1960s, the other two are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking greenery. Hotel Sole Via del Sole 8, tel/fax 055-239-6094. Doubles ]77 ($77). No credit cards. No breakfast. Hardworking Anna Giuralarocca keeps the prices way down at her cozy, eight-room pensione by doing everything herself-cleaning the rooms each morning before rushing home to prepare lunch for her kids-so don't begrudge her the 1 a.m. curfew. The orthopedic beds come with country-style frames that go well with the simple but sturdy furnishings. The baths are brand new, and double-paned windows keep out the noise. The Sole's a block from the church of Santa Maria Novella in a neighborhood chockablock with inexpensive restaurants and chic boutiques. Signora Giuralarocca plans to install televisions by mid-2003 and may start accepting credit cards soon. Instituto Gould Via dei Serragli 49, 055-212-576, fax 055-280-274, gould.reception@dada.it. Doubles ]44 ($44) without bath, ]47-]52 ($47-$52) with bath. No breakfast. No credit cards. This Valdese guesthouse, in a quiet corner of the Oltrarno surrounded by antiques shops, is quite a bit starker than its lovely cousin in Venice, but here you have the comfort of knowing that all the proceeds go directly to running an institute that helps disadvantaged and abused children. (The Valdese is an order of missionaries and do-gooders; no proselytizing, just a few discreet pamphlets.) The functional rooms can be, well, a bit institutional but are well-sized and quiet. Those on the first floor have high wood ceilings courtesy of the palazzo's seventeenth-century origins. Some units are perfect for families, with two beds in a large main room and another two lofted above it, and several of these overlook the institute's courtyard gardens. Rooms on the courtyard go for the higher rate listed above; those on the street, the lower one. Venice Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato Calle della Coa 4366 (parallel to Strada Nova near Campo SS. Apostoli), Cannaregio, 041-522-7257, fax 041-522-2424, hotelbernardi@vergilio.it. Doubles ]45-]55 ($45-$55) without bath, ]85-]90 ($85-$90) with bath. This is the Little Wonder Hotel of Venice: It has friendly family management, lies just off the main drag between the train station and San Marco, and is flush with incredible four-star amenities and class at one-star prices so astoundingly low they have to post much higher official ones otherwise the other hotels complain. Not only do you get Murano chandeliers, hand-painted eighteenth-century Venetian-style furnishings, and rough-beamed ceilings, but also satellite TV, air-conditioning, and a minibar. The homey annex is even better, as several of the large rooms overlook the L-bend of a canal, and a few even sport 200-year-old iron chandeliers, massive fireplaces, and eighteenth-century ceiling frescoes. Plans to upgrade the annex's functional furnishings to canopied beds and repro-antiques are in the works. Pensione Al Guerrato Calle Drio La Scimia 240A (off Ruga Speziali), San Polo, 041-522-7131, fax 041-528-5927, www.web.tiscali.it/pensioneguerrato. Doubles ]80-]93 ($80-$93) without bath, ]100-]115 ($100-$115) with bath. Roberto is so friendly that departing guests often hug and cheek-kiss him good-bye (though this may also have to do with the fact that he resembles a long-lost Baldwin brother). This 14-room pensione in a thirteenth-century palazzo near the Rialto Bridge is one of Venice's best for its welcoming atmosphere and sheer value. The good-size rooms with their patched-up chipped-stone flooring and historic Venice photos are spruced up with Murano lamps, scraps of frescoes in a few (best in number 3), and a stupendous melange of antique-yet-homey furnishings. "I stole everything I could from the houses of my grandmother and my aunties," Roberto says. Rooms overlooking the Rialto market to a sliver of Grand Canal and the Ca' d'Oro tend to be smaller and quite noisy during the early-morning market. The rates sometimes peak over our price ceiling-the lower ones are applied October to March and if you pay cash-but rarely will you find such an excellent marriage of price, class, and warmth at any Venice hotel. Albergo Doni Calle del Vin 4656, Castello, tel/fax 041-522-4267. Doubles ]80 ($80) without bath, ]105 ($105) with bath. The Doni family has been welcoming guests to its 12-room hotel mere steps off the high-rent Riva degli Schiavoni since 1946, and though Niccol- and Tessa now run the place, Grandma Gina hangs around to keep an eye on everything. Creaky floorboards lead to the modestly sized rooms filled with a hodge-podge of furnishings and aging bedsprings. However, all is forgiven when you check into room 8 and see the Murano chandelier dangling from a ceiling gorgeously frescoed in 1850, or throw open your bottle-bottom windows in room 3 to see a canal cruising with gondolas (rooms 12, 20, and 21 share the view). Only three of the rooms have private bath; the others split three large, clean ones. The prices listed above apply to the high season (generally, Easter to mid-October, and the weeks of Carnevale and Christmas); at other times they may be lower. Foresteria Valdese Calle Luga S. Maria Formosa 5170 (just over the bridge at the end of the street), Castello, 041-528-6797, fax 041-241-6238, www.chiesavaldese.org/venezia. Doubles ]54 ($54) without bath, ]70 ($70) with bath. The 40-foot hallways and frescoed rooms of the 1711 Palazzo Cavagnis host some of Venice's best cheap lodgings thanks to the Valdese order. I can't give you many specifics on the accommodations because as we go to press the guesthouse is undergoing a prolonged renovation that will open up more rooms as well as turn most of the small dorms into private rooms with bath. Just ask for a camera affrescata to get one of the coveted rooms with eighteenth- or nineteenth-century ceiling frescoes. Given its location at a confluence of waterways, almost all rooms overlook a small canal. Hotel San Samuele Salizzada San Samuele 3358, San Marco, tel/fax 041-522-8045. Doubles ]62-]70 ($62-$70) without bath, ]88-]100 ($88-$100) with bath. No credit cards. The amicable, energetic owners Bruno, Piero, and Mimmo hold cleanliness in the highest regard, and their simple, ten-room pensione positively sparkles. The sloping, old pebble-stone floors support modern furnishings, efficient baths, and a profusion of flowers in the window boxes (many of the bright rooms have two windows-a luxury in Venice). Every year they renovate something; last year it was rooms 9 and 10 on the staircase, which are carpeted, nonsmoking, and overlook a small, ivy-clad courtyard. Hotel Caneva Ramo dietro La Fava 5515, Castello, 041-522-8118, fax 041-520-8676, www.hotelcaneva.com. Doubles ]77 ($77) without bath, ]98 ($98) with bath (subtract ]10/$10 if you pay cash). Gino has run this basic one-star hotel since 1955, now helped by his son Massimo. Its location is fantastic-a three-minute stroll from Piazza San Marco-and 17 of 23 rooms overlook a canal to the palazzo where Casanova once lived. Many rooms are blessed with a strip of Gothic decor along the interior wall courtesy of the palazzo's fourteenth-century origins, and eight enjoy small balconies. Once you tear your gaze away from the gondolas cruising below, you'll notice the rooms themselves are fine, if nothing special: linoleum floors, unremarkable built-in units, and simple Venetian-glass light fixtures. The baths range from tiny modular shower jobs to aging tiled rooms with tubs. The breakfast room overlooks the choicest stretch of canal, opposite a Gothic palazzo. Hotel Silva Ariel Calle della Masena 1391a (the street's marked merely "Parrocchia S. Marcuola"; it's off Rio Terra S. Leonardo), Cannaregio, tel/fax 041-720-326. Doubles ]50-]82 ($50-$82) without bath, ]60-]105 ($60-$105) with bath. This little family-run hotel is up a narrow side street just two blocks from the historic Jewish Ghetto and ten minutes from the station. The rooms are small but the effect is cozy, fitted with velvet headboards and modular '80s baths. Some have dark beams on plank ceilings, others let the sunlight pour in through walls of frosted glass. Marble tables fill the flower-bedecked covered patio where you can enjoy breakfast year-round. Albergo Dalla Mora Salizzada San Pantalon 42 (just off the street), Santa Croce, 041-710-703, fax 041-723-006. Doubles ]67 ($67) without bath, ]72 ($72) with shower and sink, ]88 ($88) with bath. This unassuming hotel is tucked away in the little-touristed Santa Croce neighborhood, which is across the Grand Canal from the rail station, so it manages to be close by without feeling like a station neighborhood. Only six of the 16 rooms have a private bathroom-though four more have a shower and sink in the room (just no toilet). Half of the rooms overlook the wide, quiet Malcanton canal: four from the main blood-red house with its flower-fringed canal terrace, four from the annex across the alley. The rooms are basic but comfortably large for Venice. A few with foldout bunk beds are perfect for families. Casa Gerotto Calderan Campo S. Geremia 283, Cannaregio, 041-715-562, fax 041-715-361, www.casagerottocalderan.com. Doubles ]52-]72 ($52-$72) without bath, ]71-]98 ($71-$98) with bath. The Gerotto is your basic budget backpacker haven but not a dive or party house (they frown on drunkenness and don't let nonguests hang around). It's a ten-minute stroll from the station on a heavily trafficked square, so even the double-paned windows can't quite block out the pedestrian noise. However, those rooms on the front are the nicest in a varying lot, boasting eighteenth-century-style furnishings and, soon, air-conditioning (turning it on jacks up the price a bit, as does having a TV in your room). Others suffer from bland modular units, though those on the back courtyard do have the advantage of overlooking a leafy park one block away. They also offer shared-room "dorms" of only five beds each for ]21 ($21) per person. Hotel Galleria Campo della Carita 878a (next to the Accademia Gallery), Dorsoduro, 041-523-2489, fax 041-520-4172, www.hotelgalleria.it. Doubles ]88-]93 ($88-$93) without bath, ]104-]135 ($104-$135) with bath. Yes, you can have a room right on the Grand Canal for under $90. But call early: There's only one. This place would be near the top of the list if only it had more rooms in our price bracket. Stefano and Luciano make you feel you're living as a doge while spending like a pauper. Everything is decorated in a rich, antique-Venetian style (patterned-silk walls, curvaceous eighteenth-century-style wood furnishings, ceiling stuccos in rooms 2 to 4), it's set right at the foot of the Accademia Bridge, and breakfast is served regally in your room. Actually, bathless little number 5 on the corner with its ]93 ($93) Grand Canal view is not nearly as requested by name as the larger, ]135 ($135) Grand Canal rooms with private bath: intimate number 8 with a raised sitting nook set into the arch of a canal-vista window, and number 10 with its frescoed ceiling.

You come to New York and you get your own, personal Seinfeld!" bubbled Liz Smith, one of the dedicated staff at New York City's Big Apple Greeter program. Of course, she can't guarantee that you'll meet "the" Jerry Seinfeld, but what Big Apple Greeter does offer is a "match" service of sorts for people who enjoy meeting the locals when they travel. The program pairs tourists with friendly New Yorkers (no, that's not an oxymoron) for a two-to-four-hour tour of the city, absolutely free of charge. They visit Chinatown, hop the subway up to Times Square, stroll through Harlem (the program's most requested neighborhood), or tour one of the city's fascinating, multiethnic boroughs. Karen Ambrose, a Chicagoan who participated last fall, raved about the experience: "Meeting up with a local person who can say, 'I used to swing on those swings over there,' or 'This is what this place used to look like'-that's very engaging," she commented. "And you start to feel like this new city is your own after only a few short hours." Sound interesting? Well, you don't have to go to New York to participate. These terrific programs are springing up in cities all across the globe, from Melbourne to Montego Bay, Seoul to Chicago. Some were spawned by the decade-old Big Apple program, others created independently, but they all share the same price tag: zip. The "tour guides" are volunteers who simply love their hometowns and want to share that pride by helping visitors. And help they do. In the bustling metropolises of New York, Chicago, Melbourne, and Adelaide, Australia, greeters explain the layout of the city, how to use public transportation, where to find the best buys and meals. In Korea and Japan, English-speaking "goodwill" guides bridge the language gap. The programs in Jamaica and the Bahamas concentrate on getting the tourists out of the resorts and into the real Caribbean through home-cooked meals, church and school visits, even volleyball games between local clubs and visiting enthusiasts. Following are the best established, and most reliable, of the greeter programs: Big Apple Greeter Pairs visitors with volunteers based on the visitors' interests and background. The volunteer picks up the tourists at their hotel and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority throws in a free MetroCard to cover public transportation. The program currently has a pool of 400 volunteers from all walks of life and nationalities (tours in 20 different languages available). To assure a spot, call 212/669-8159 at least two months in advance or go online to bigapplegreeter.org to fill out an application. Chicago Greeter Based on the New York City program and launched this past April, Chicago Greeter differs only in that vacationers and volunteers meet at the Chicago Cultural Center rather than at a hotel. Again, local transportation is thrown in free of charge. For more info, call 877/244-2246 or go to chicagogreeter.com. Meet the People, Jamaica Like many programs, coordinators pair persons with similar interests or backgrounds-teachers with teachers, bird-watchers with bird-watchers, pastors with pastors, etc. In an unusual twist, the program doesn't limit itself to adults: Parents can arrange to have local playmates for their children, too. Go to jamaicatravel.com or call one of the Jamaica Tourist Board's regional offices at 312/527-1296 (Chicago), 213/384-1123 (Los Angeles), or 212/856-9727 (New York City). Goodwill Guides, Japan More than 56 "goodwill" groups are scattered across Japan, each with a roster of English-speaking guides. Some have preset walking itineraries for wh ich you simply show up at a certain time and place; others operate on a person-to-person basis. Although guide services are free, visitors are expected to pick up the tab should guest and guide decide to dine together or for any transportation expenses incurred in the course of the tour. Call the New York office of the Japan National Tourist Organization at 212/757-5640 or visit jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/. Goodwill Guides, Korea Korea has nearly 3,000 guides eager to help visitors better communicate and enjoy their stay. To that end, locals offer advice on travel plans, interpretation services, and commentary at sites of interest. As with the Japanese program, visitors are expected to reimburse any expenses the guide may incur. Call 201/585-0909 (New York area), 312/981-1717 (Chicago), 323/643-0025 (Los Angeles). Melbourne Greeter Service and Adelaide Greeters, Australia Founded at the time of the Sydney Olympics to draw attention to Australia's other great cities, both programs offer half-day city tours, seven days a week. Tourists are asked to apply at least three working days in advance, and the cost of public transportation is not covered. For more information on Melbourne, call 011-61/3-9658-9658 or go to melbourne.vic.gov.au and click on "For Visitors." For Adelaide, call 011-61/8-8203-7168 or log on to the Web site: adelaidegreeters.asn.au. People-to-People, The Bahamas Along with one-on-one half-day exchanges throughout the Bahamas, visitors who happen to be on the islands on the last Friday of the month can go to Government House at 4 p.m. for tea with the governor-general's wife. Call 242/356-0435 or go to bahamas.com.

Why pay $4,000 a week when all you receive at lunch are a carrot-raisin salad and a tiny baked apple? When the "program" consists of your own physical exertions in jogging, bending, stretching, and leaping? When "optional entertainment" consists of a five-mile hike along mountain trails that are free of charge to all? Too many Americans have been discouraged from booking a spa vacation by the frightening rates of the famous resorts--the only ones of which you hear. At the elegant Golden Door and Canyon Ranch, at Cal-A-Vie and Doral's Saturnia, prices do indeed often start at $4,000 for a week and quickly climb from there. Even at the several well-known "budget" versions of the glitzy names (Rancho La Puerta, Heartwood), weekly rates average $2,000 to $4,000 to which a hefty airfare need be added. Unadvertised, and largely unknown outside their immediate areas, are at least 30 locally marketed spas in every region of the nation that, in my opinion, will provide you with the very same reductions of weight and stress, the very same toning of muscles and spirit, for under $1,300 a week, and often for considerably less than that. They deserve to be better known. For as modest as they may look, these spas provide the very same well-planned meals totaling 900 to 1,200 calories per day, the same hyperactive regimen of group aerobics and individual workouts, the same walks in the open country air, the same instruction in proper nutrition and behavior modification. The best establishments I've found are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, the rates cited are for a full seven-day stay in establishments with active programs of exercise and instruction, and serving nothing other than low-calorie meals. Below the American spas, we've included a section on low-cost spas in Mexico. Ground costs at these foreign spas can often be even cheaper than in the States, but be sure to factor in the additional costs of airfare before booking. Southern spas Tennessee Fitness Spa, near Waynesboro, Tennessee, is surely the cheapest of all, and yet one of the best. The site: an attractive, hilly, woodsy setting in western Tennessee, 95 miles southwest of Nashville, where it runs you ragged with morning-till-night exercise sessions, water "aerobics" in the pool, and fast-striding hikes designed for a rather youthful clientele, though offered to persons of all ages. And it provides precisely the same sort of program for which other ritzier spas charge $2,000 and $3,000 a week. But the Tennessee Fitness Spa charges as little as $700 per person for a week in a quad room (including all meals and exercise classes), $815 per person in a double  -- and the two-story, motel-like lodgings are tastefully decorated, comfortable and scrupulously clean. On my own recent visit to it I found it supplied good value for the money and excellent program of fitness classes. Though the food was not delicious, it was certainly limited in calories. Contact Tennessee Fitness Spa, 299 Natural Bridge Park Road, Waynesboro, TN 38485, phone 800/235-8365, e-mail shaw@netease.net; website tfspa.com/. Runner-up in terms of cost: Regency House Natural Health Spa. The strict "vegan-vegetarian" menu here pretty much says it all: this place prides itself on coaching guests in the rules of healthy living. A cheerful, 60-room spa, it focuses on the "big picture," gearing its programs towards anyone looking for long-term lifestyle changes in weight control, nutrition, and fitness. You'll start your day with a brisk "walk for health" along the beachfront of this South Florida spa. A rigorous schedule of aerobics and health lectures follows in the afternoon. Workout programs range from aquatic activities in the pool and ocean (weather permitting) to "basic training boot camp" to evening dance classes. Yoga and meditation classes are held just before dinner. During the off-season (June 1 to October 5), a week in a standard double room starts at $995 per person (singles pay $200 more); from December to April, the peak of the year prices average $1,295/person for the same room. Your stay at the spa includes three meals daily, all lectures and activities, as well as two spa services. For information or reservations, contact Regency House Natural Health Spa, 2000 South Ocean Drive, Hallandale Beach, Florida 33009, phone 800/454-0003 or 954/454-2220.View the Web site at regencyhealthspa.com/. East coast spas The New Age Health Spa, of Neversink, New York (in the Catskill Mountains), 2 1/2 hours by car from New York City. Though innovative and open-minded, it is no more "New Age" than many other classic spas I've visited, and it is scarcely different from other, far more expensive resorts. The facilities are extensive (indoor and outdoor pool, whirlpool, well-equipped exercise rooms, saunas, etc.), meals are high quality but meant to ensure weight loss, rooms are rustic and plain but entirely pleasant, management is passionate (not to say fanatical) about current-day theories of good nutrition (low fat, low sodium, low calorie) and exercise, and the setting -- on a hillside overlooking a vast expanse of other rolling green hills -- is as awesome as you'd wish. New Age has gotten more expensive over the years, now starting at $194/night per person. But for the quality of the program, this small splurge should be worth it. For further details, contact the New Age Health Spa, Route 55, Neversink, NY 12765 (phone 800/682-4348, newagehealthspa.com/). Deerfield Spa, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, 1 1/2 hour from New York City, has rates of $1,000 to $1,160 per person double and $1,295 for single rooms. This is a large and sprawling country home on 12 acres of Pocono forest that offers comfortable air-conditioned rooms with private bath, several lounges, a heated outdoor pool and separate gym, carefully prepared meals averaging 1,000 calories daily, a small but caring staff of physical therapists, and a full-scale program of aerobics and body workouts, extensive hiking, swimming exercises, and yoga and relaxation techniques. Book and music libraries supplement a video collection for quiet evenings leading to an early bedtime. Mainly for women, but occasionally booked by men and couples, Deerfield is open from early-April to early-November only. For details, write or call Deerfield Spa, 650 Resica Falls Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 (phone 570/223-0160, or toll free 800/852-4494, deerfieldspa.com/, email: deerspa@ptd.net. One half-hour east of Hartford, The Spa at Grand Lake is no longer strictly a diet spa; while its nutrition and exercise programs can be tailored for weight-loss, visitors often come to de-stress and relax on the 75 acres of countryside. Included in your stay at Grand Lake are room, board, exercise classes, use of all facilities (which include an Olympic-sized swimming pool outdoors; a junior heated swimming pool indoors, jacuzzi, and sauna), plus a nightly half-hour massage. For those who want to shed a few pounds, meals can be portioned and calorie-counted, and a wide range of classes, from kickboxing to pilates to trail-hiking, are offered to complete the fitness package. Dinners are regularly served by candlelight and abide by the mantra of health: lots of veggies and low fat, low sugar, low salt. The spa is open April through December with the same rate all year. Prices bottom out at $1079 per week for standard double rooms. Singles pay $200 more in any season. For full rates and info, go to thespaatgrandlake.com/ or contact The Spa at Grand Lake, 1667 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT 06249, phone 800/THE-SPA1 (843-7721) or 860/642-4306 e-mail spagrandlake@earthlink.net. California and Utah The Palms at Palm Springs, in Palm Springs, California, a two-hour drive from Los Angeles, has weekly rates from September to June of $1,113/week per person double (plus 14% service charge) with shared bath, $1,393 with private bath, and $1,750 for a single. As glamorous as you might wish, located in an area of elegant resorts, the Palms offers you a choice of 16 optional fitness classes a day in addition to meals limited to a spartan but well-balanced 1,000 calories per day, which virtually guarantees a daily weight loss of nearly a pound. Though it only barely fits within our budget standards, the Palms' desert mountainscape and good-quality lodgings make it a value. These prices also include two complimentary spa treatments (facial, massage, body wrap, or private fitness instruction). For details, contact The Palms at Palm Springs, 572 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (phone 800/753-PALM or 760/325-1111, email: info@palmsspa.com or Web: palmsspa.com/. The Red Mountain Spa in Utah (southwest corner of the state, some 120 miles north of Las Vegas) is a collection of hotel rooms and high-end villas on the desert floor of red sandstone canyons. Also on the higher end of the budget scale (prices start at $1,645 per person per week in a double occupancy, and higher still for singles), yet remarkably well-equipped and with a serious approach to nutrition that for many results in permanent weight loss. "For the price we charge," says the institute's owner, "we are the number one fitness resort of the world." Amazingly enough, I have heard similar raves from several people who paid recent visits. Guests work out on the most modern sports equipment, swim in a large heated indoor pool, go on guided hikes or rock climb, engage in numerous exercise classes daily, eat meals designed to cut fat and cholesterol, and often experience dramatic reductions in blood pressure and clothing sizes. Contact Red Mountain Spa, 1275 East Red Mountain Circle, Ivins, Utah 84738, phone 800/407-3002. Web: redmountainspa.com/. The Oaks at Ojai, 50 miles east of Santa Barbara, California. Sister spa to the renovating Palms at Palm Springs, The Oaks average $169 a night per person in double rooms to a stiff $309, all plus a 14 percent service charge, make this a high-end budget selection. Impressive in both its fervor and facilities, the rustic (beamed ceilings, stone fireplaces) but elegant Oaks is a fitting country-inn addition to the art colony town of Ojai, offering a remarkable program of nearly 16 daily exercise classes and lectures. Meals are frequently gourmet in quality, but made without salt, white sugar, or white flour and containing a total of only 1,000 calories daily. Equipment and exercise areas are of top quality, as is the large staff that attends to a varied clientele of both sexes and all ages. Weekly packages included two spa treatments per person in the rate (see above). For more information, contact The Oaks at Ojai, 122 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, CA 93023 (phone 800/753-OAKS, oaksspa.com/). Mexico Rio Caliente, Mexico: In the valley of a remote pine forest about an hour by taxi from the airport of Guadalajara, Rio Caliente is Mexico's holistic-health-inclined, yoga-oriented, New Age-style spa and mineral hot springs. Guests--who represent a broad range of ages, backgrounds and interests--"take the waters" in one of four heavily salted (of lithium and selenium) and mineral-rich pools or in a natural steam room; alternate between meditation, yoga, tai-chi, aquatic and non-impact aerobics, or hiking; and consume a slimming, vegetarian diet low in sodium and fat. Rio Caliente offers various forms of both swedish and regular massages. Bear in mind that the social program and setting are not for swingers or other standard resort types; that children under 16 are not admitted; and that a pervasive, stress-free hush prevails over the 30 acres of stunning terrain, in a constantly moderate climate. For all this, you pay only $128 or so dollars a day for room (based on double occupancy, $152 for a single) and all three meals, and a remarkable $49 for each one-hour massage, $16 for detoxifying mudwraps. Request bookings or brochures from Spa Vacations Ltd., P.O. Box 897, Millbrae, CA 94030 (phone 800/200-2927), e-mail: RioCal@aol.com, riocaliente.com/. Ixtapan, Mexico: The closest Mexican equivalent to our own luxury spas, the large (250 suites) and well-equipped Ixtapan Resort Hotel and Spa takes pains to limit its spa guests to 1,100 calories a day of well-prepared diet meals. On the all-inclusive, Sunday-to-Sunday spa program costing only $120 per person per night single occupancy, and $150 double, guests take a daily morning walk followed by aquatic exercise, steam bath and daily massage, facial, and gymnastics. Then, three times a week, and also included in the price, they receive mudwraps and loofa baths, hair treatment, manicures, and pedicures, yoga, and swedish massages, staying all the while in attractive junior suites that would cost far more in the U.S. Don't confuse this location with Ixtapa on the Pacific coast; this is near Ixtapan de la Sal, south of Mexico City, and also near the silver-producing city of Taxco. For brochures or bookings, call 800/638-7950 or visit spamexico.com/. Avandaro Golf and Spa Resort: In the Sierra Madre mountains, near the colonial town of Valle de Bravo, it takes a rather relaxed approach to health, favoring rest over exercise (though there's plenty of the latter, together with tennis courts, pool, golf, sailing, and horseback riding), massage over treadmills. And there are jacuzzis everywhere, saunas and steam rooms, high-pressure massage showers, and high quality accommodations that feature working fireplaces in each room. The "Spa Sampler," a six-night, seven-day program includes accomodations, all meals, seven spa admissions, three massages and a variety of spa treatments, costing $2050 in a double or $1430 in a single. Contact the resort's U.S. representative, Great Spas of the World for reservations 800/SPA-TIME or 212/889-8170 (or visit greatspas.com/). Villa Bejar, Mexico: On the shores of Lake Tequesquitengo, rather quiet and serene during the week, lively and active with the start-up of a floating discotheque on weekends; it is a superb spa and a fine value, with extensive and up-to-the-minute, computerized exercise machines. Depending on the package, Bejar guests will receive a facial diagnosis, six body massages, one deep cleansing facial and one "hydrating" facial, a reflexology treatment, mud or seaweed wrap, and of course unlimited visits to the resort's spa, which comes with Evian showers, hydro-pool, saunas, jacuzzis and assorted other treatments. All for around $874 (double), $1078 (single), based on a six-day stay including full board as well. Again, bookings can be made through Great Spas of the World at 800-SPA-TIME or visit greatspas.com/. To find other low cost spas, a booking specialist A glossy four-color publication called Spa Finder ($19 for a one-year subscription) is currently enabling a narrow segment of the public (those who know about it) to enjoy wholesome spa vacations here in the United States at a fraction of the cost that others incur. It achieves that feat simply by revealing the existence of a broad range of spas heretofore known only to spa-lovers residing in the immediate vicinity. A remarkable product of nationwide research, presented with glamorous flair but punctilious attention to detail (prices to the penny, seasons, facilities), it claims to contain listings and descriptions of all major U.S. spas, bar none, alerting us to underutilized facilities that have long catered to a purely local clientele. Included are places with all the features and facilities of the big-name resorts--Jacuzzis and rubdown tables, saunas, aerobics, and scientifically measured meals--but at rates as low as $525 a week for room, all meals, and all traditional spa treatments and programs. Some of the establishments in it are making their first appearance before a nationwide audience. (Spa Finder also lists and describes the higher-priced varieties, of course, but proudly claims to be the first such publication to gather particulars on every one in every price range, in a widely dispersed activity.) To subscribe, visit Spa Finders on the Web at spafinder.com/, or call 212/924-6800. Packages and airfares can also be arranged at a reduced price.