Planning a trip to Paris? Four books could help you make the most of your trip. For general planning, Jody Belsher has created a compact organizer titled "JB's Paris Planner" ($13). Belsher builds on her own travel experience to offer tips on language and money, travel and sightseeing, and leads to short-term apartment rentals.
To discover lesser-known quarters of the City of Light, consult "Quiet Corners of Paris" ($15) by Jean-Christophe Napias and photographed by Christophe Lefebure. The illustrated handbook takes you to often-overlooked parts of the city: Its hidden villas, winding lanes, cobblestone courtyards and Renaissance fountains.
A guide to 49 of those unique Paris bars that serve simple meals as well as drink is found in "The Brasseries of Paris" ($17). In addition, author Francois Thomazeau and photographer Sylvain Ageorges examine the menus, decor, history and even ghosts associated with these establishments.
Noted food writer and critic Giles Pudlowski is out with the first English edition of "Pudlo Paris" ($20) an exhaustive guide to dining in the city. Organized by arrondissement (district), Pudlowski describes some 1,000 restaurants, 300 specialty shops and nearly 300 pubs, wine bars, tea salons and cafes.
All four books are for sale in retail stores and online.
FYI: www.parisplanner.com ("JB's Paris Planner); www.littlebookroom.com (the other three titles).
Real, Real Old Mexico
In A.D. 400, when the Roman Empire was still a going concern, Teotihuacan was the world's sixth-largest city; 300 years later it was inexplicably abandoned by the Nahua who built it centuries before the Aztec. This is just one of many mysteries and marvels of yesteryear explored on Caravan Tours' seven-night escorted trip to Mexico's ancient and colonial cities. The trek - offered year-round - starts in Mexico City goes to Teotihuacan then through the Yucatan to Chichen Itza and ends in Cancun. The tour starts at $995 per person, a fee that includes hotels, all meals, gratuities, airport transfers, guides and tour directors (airfare, fees and incidentals are excluded).
FYI: www.caravantours.com or 800-227-8626.
Want to transverse the Transvaal? Sightsee the Sierra Nevada? A recreational vehicle can make almost any extended tour quite cost-effective. Many RVs include luxury touches such as air conditioning, central heating, satellite navigation, TV, video, DVD and microwave. Others are more basic. With recreational vehicle rentals on six continents, Australia-based Motorhomes Worldwide pretty much lives up to its name. More than 100 motor home companies from around the world are represented by the firm with inventories that include four-wheel drive models for outback and off-road touring.
FYI: www.motorhomesworldwide.com or 011 1800 8781 1120
Rolling on the River
Five-star accommodations, exclusive tours, special meals and guaranteed departures are among the features of Pacific Delight Tours' 14-day fully escorted Historic Cities and Yangtze River package. Highlights of the excursion include: Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the Shanghai Museum, the terra cotta warriors and Wild Goose pagoda in ancient Xian and cruises up the Yangtze River through its gorges. Prices range from $2,938 to $3,438 per person, double occupancy (transpacific air and taxes and fees are additional); booking with a deposit by Jan. 22 reduces the price by $75 per person.
Also available: a six-day pre-tour to Tibet ($1,898 per person) and four-day post-tour to Hong Kong ($1,108-$1,228 per person).
FYI: www.pacificdelighttours.com or 800-221-7179.
Beverly Hills Luxury
Touches such as 400-thread linens, 24-hour concierge service, iPod docking station and Wi-Fi and broadband Internet access prompt Thompson Hotels to position its new Thompson Beverly Hills as a merger of "the sophistication of New York design with the ease of Southern California lifestyle." Located on Wilshire Boulevard near Rodeo Drive, the hotel boasts 360-degree views of the surrounding city, Jonathan Morr's BondSt restaurant and a sophisticated, modern design. A members-only bi-level rooftop area boasts a pool, gym and private cabanas with flat-screen TVs, mini-bars and sofa beds. Its ABH (Above Beverly Hills) lounge offers seating areas overlooking downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.
Rates start at $339 per night for deluxe rooms, $539 per night for one-bedroom suites.
FYI: www.thompsonhotels.com or 800-441-5050.
