You wrote that the one time you visited Vancouver Island, you stayed in Ucluelet at a place that was quite dreary. I think we stayed at the same hotel you did!

The staff were all gone for the day except one young guy. We were put in a room that had some luggage in it. In the middle of the night (or at least after we were asleep), the previous occupant tried to get in. And to top it all off, it was dreary!

Another hotel experience was in Varenna on Lake Como when we were travelling with our young teenaged children. We didn't have reservations but it was early enough in the day. The hotel manager was friendly and welcoming. We checked in, went for a walk and on our return, we were faced with an irate manager. Evidently she had mistaken us for some other people with reervations. (She claimed we had misled her!) She had had our luggage moved into the only available room and said that she had made arrangements for our kids to stay at a hotel down the road (more of a bar with rooms). Well, my husband and son had that privilege! Actually it turned out fine.

Frances Toronto, Canada