We’ve had glowing reports about The Inn...

We’ve had glowing reports about The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. Top honors from four major travel publications. Mobil Guides gave it five stars for both accommodations/dining. The Inn at Little Washington rises in the foothills of Virginia’s Shenandoah Mountains, 67 miles outside Washington, D.C. Guest rooms styled after an English country house. Antiques. Imported fabrics. A staff of 60. Balconies face gardens, the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Inn at Little Washington has been described as “the best possible place to propose.” (The chef offers to hide the engagement ring in the dessert!) As a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateau Assn., the inn got outstanding ratings in a recent Zagat Hotel survey.

The Inn at Little Washington, P.O. Box 300, Washington, Va. 22747, (703) 675-3800. Rates: $210/$490.

A Letter From Paris: Carolyn Ames, an American in Paris, writes that she’s prepared to assist English-speaking visitors seeking private apartments/rooms as well as bed and breakfasts (in the countryside) “at almost half the price of good hotels.” Ames serves as a guide/translator. Provides trip advice “before your visit or during your stay in Paris.” Leads Americans on shopping tours, tailors sightseeing excursions, recommends restaurants, puts you in touch with doctors/dentists. Formerly from Santa Monica, she says she’ll get you top exchange for your dollars. Sets up meetings between Parisians and Americans. Gives advice on Metro/train travel. Offers to arrange lessons in “tourist French.”

Carolyn Ames, 5 Rue Charles Weiss, 75015 Paris, France.

Free French Guide: Before jetting off to Paris, get a copy of the new “France Discovery Guide.” Details on travel aids, hot-line telephone numbers, celebrations, festivals/cultural events, transportation, sightseeing. The 104-page guide names more than 60 French travel organizations that assist with accommodations, provide other services. With the Gulf War over, bookings are heavy throughout France. Particularly in Paris. Deluxe hotels remain outrageously expensive. Ask your travel agent about Paris’ small mom ‘n’ pop hotels. Better yet, get out into the suburbs where the bargains are to be found. For copies of the free guide, see your travel agent or contact the French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Beverly Hills 90212.

A Letter From Britain: Mrs. Robin F. Candy of England writes: “We would like to invite your readers to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of England’s glorious West Country and the Cotswolds by staying with us in our home in the quiet residential area of Chippenham, a small market town 12 miles from Bath. It’s an ideal touring base to many areas of natural beauty steeped in history. We offer warm hospitality in a pretty double room overlooking our English garden. Guests have the use of a private bath, kitchenette. Terms: about $27 per person per night (double occupancy), or about $317 a week. My husband is a professional artist and art tutor at Chippenham College. My interests are in historical architecture and gardening and I am a tourist guide at the Roman Bath.”

Mrs. R.F. Candy, Carew House, 2 Lowden Hill, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 2BY, England.

Mendocino Coast: Kathi Lawson of La Habra is searching for a honeymoon hideaway on the Mendocino Coast--”someplace serene and romantic.” In a survey of the coast last summer, we discovered more than a dozen excellent inns. While each had its own personality, our bid for a honeymoon goes to the Harbor House in the Lilliputian village of Elk, 15 miles south of Mendocino, 150 miles north of San Francisco. Perched on a bluff, it faces a cove with waves that pour over an outcropping of rocks. This old redwood mansion (circa 1916) contains 10 guest rooms (all with private bath) and a cheery, old-fashioned parlor that’s shared by a couple of cats, Dizzy and Glenyth. No TVs, no radios. The idea is to let go. Read or stroll along the beach or just study the eternal movement of the ocean. At Harbor House, all but one room has a fireplace or Franklin stove. Innkeepers Helen and Dean Turner (a couple of ex-educators who fled Los Angeles several years ago) raise herbs and tend a lovely English garden, including a flower-strewn path to the ocean. Pleasant hosts. A cheery inn.

Harbor House, Box 369, Elk, Calif. 95432, (707) 877-3203. Rates: $150/$220 per couple, including a full breakfast and four-course dinner.

For the Bargain Hunter: Four low-cost two- and three-week spa vacations in Czechoslovakia are the latest offerings by A.J.S. Travel Consultants of New York. All-inclusive packages ($1,232/$1,555) include round-trip flights from the United States, hotels, meals, medical examinations, spa treatment, entertainment (musical/theatrical performances). Summer rates for the packages increase to $1573/$2001. This is the same company that features popular one-week chalet-hotel vacations in Switzerland. Prices start at $344. A.J.S. also does five-day motor-coach tours of Switzerland ($645) that take in the San Bernardino and Julier passes, Morgarten, Altdorf, Lugano, Rapperswil, St. Moritz, Zurich. Other budget tours of Eastern Europe/Israel. Ask about A.J.S.’s three-day Prague city packages ($150) that provide a choice of seven hotels with breakfast daily.

A.J.S. Travel Consultants, 177 Beach 116th St., Rockaway Park, N.Y. 11694, (800) 221-5002.

Footnote: A Chicago company will put you up in a fully furnished apartment in Prague for $75/$135 a night. This is a city where it’s nearly impossible to book a good hotel in summer months, and you’ll likely pay dearly. Details from Uniglobe Cihak Travel: (800) 426-8826.

On the Road: Another way for Europe-bound travelers to save money this summer is by renting a motor home. DER Tours of Los Angeles will get you on your way for as little as $940 a week. Models accommodate up to six persons. With the weak dollar and high hotel prices, traveling by motor home could save you a considerable amount of cash. Motor homes are especially attractive for vacationers visiting Eastern Europe, with its shortage of hotel rooms. Pick a campground and settle in for the night. No unpacking, packing. Travel at your own pace. Motor homes are equipped with linen, bedding, refrigerators, showers. Optional accessories: color TVs, camping chairs, bike racks. Rental rates include unlimited mileage, insurance, campground guides/road maps, taxes. Ask about DER’s long-term rental rates/fly-drive packages.

DER Tours, 11933 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90025, (800) 937-1234.

Adventure Travel: Pat Dickerman, the veteran authority on adventure travel in North America, has updated her guide on rafting, canoeing, riding and other wilderness pastimes. The 20th annual edition features pack trips with llamas, dog sledding, camping, jaunts by covered wagon, biking, hiking. Dickerman’s book (150 color photos) puts vacationers in contact with scores of tour operators. Describes trips in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Eastern/Western Canada, the Northwest Territories. Copies ($18 postpaid) from Adventure Guide, 36 E. 57th St., New York 10022, (800) 252-7899, or see your bookstore. Dickerman also publishes the popular “Farm, Ranch & Country Vacations” guide for travelers wishing to experience old-fashioned holidays on working farms, dude ranches.

Reader Recommendations

California--Barbara R. Conrady, Los Angeles: “In Cambria a B&B;, Pine Stone Inn by the Sea, 221 Weymouth St., Cambria 93428, (805) 927-3494. Rates: $60 weekdays, $65 weekends.”

Canada--Cecilia Kelly, Cardiff-by-the-Sea: “In the Northwest Territories, I stayed at Jennifer Collins’ Bed & Breakfast, 30 Otto Drive, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories X1A 2T3. Rates: $65 single, $80 double.”

New Zealand--Christine R. Geltz, Pasadena: “Bucklands Beach Waterfront Motel, 42 The Parade, Bucklands Beach, Auckland. I rented one of their chalets. Right on the beach. Rates: $49 U.S.”