Dresden's Historic Green Vault; hotels and restaurants in Malta, and Delta Air Lines appraisal

REPORT ON GERMANY…

In Dresden, the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, or Historic Green Vault (Residenzschloss, Dresden, Germany; phone +49 [0] 351/49 14 2000), is a treasure chest! Each room is a spectacle in itself, with gilding, mirrors, tables and small shelves, and each had a different type of treasure.

My husband and I saw an ivory-and-tortoise-shell room, a bronzes room and an ostrich-eggs-and-silver room. A jewel room had “garnitures,” complete sets of ornaments, including buttons, hat ornaments, lapel ornaments, etc., and each set was made with a specific jewel, such as diamonds or emeralds. Another room had Italian tables, chests, clocks and boxes inlaid with precious stone. On and on… .

An audio guide gave information about selected pieces, but there were a hundred others to look at in each room. It’s a good idea to buy your tickets online (€12) before you go, as the number of visitors is strictly limited. We visited Sept. 12, 2011.

— Margo Wilson, Scottsdale, AZ

REPORT ON MALTA…

My sister (who lives in Amsterdam) and I took a less-than-three-hour flight from Amsterdam to Malta on Transavia Airlines on Sept. 5, 2011. My sister booked us through the tour operator D-Reizen (website in Dutch only) in Amsterdam. The round-trip flight, airport transfers and hotel in Sliema were bundled together for €629 (near $892) per person.

The Victoria Hotel (Gorg Borg Olivier St., Sliema, SLM 1807, Malta; phone +356 21 334 711) is located in a quiet area a short walk from the Strand, where people promenade by the harbor and where the ferry to Valletta is located. The staff was always helpful, and the breakfast buffet was excellent.

The Penny Black Bar in the Victoria serves dinner that was good value (entrées, €6-€16, or near $8.50-$23).

Copperfield’s restaurant in the Victoria was very pleasant and offered a Maltese buffet with lots of seafood for €19 a person.

The Victoria is interconnected to the Palace Hotel on the seventh floor. Atop the Palace on the ninth floor are a restaurant and a pool with a magnificent view.

— Theresa Lynam, Vancouver, WA