A FEAST FOR THE EYES AND EARS

I have been to Chicago several times and enjoyed last week’s article

(“Chicago, the city that kissed the sky”, May 12).

A stay here is a fitting finale after enjoying the California Zephyr train from San Francisco or arriving at O’Hare airport. The L train easily gets you to the city.

We stay downtown in River North, ideal for all the attractions using the Loop and buses. At $28 (£21), a Ventra seven-day CTA pass is excellent value and afterwards you can track exactly where you have been on the web, bringing back all the memories.

If you go in June you can take in the Chicago Blues Festival in Millennium Park, a free three-day event with

international artists and lots of free samples.

Everyone says avoid the south side: however we had no problems. Taking buses south took us through fascinating neighbourhoods and to superb beaches and even elicited an invitation to join a gospel service in a local church. The north’s beaches (one hidden, just by the Navy Pier) and harbours are worth visiting, too.

The harbour wall near the planetarium is an excellent vantage point for the regular firework displays at Navy Pier.

ANDY ELLIS WINS A £250 RAILBOOKERS VOUCHER

were travelling in Kerala we experienced communal living for the first – and definitely last – time.

Hidden deep in coconut and cashew groves, Costa Malabari sounded idyllic and very different from our usual accommodation. However, we were not aware that the laid-back hippy lifestyle extended to communal meals.

On our first evening, one of the young men – who, like the others, felt it acceptable to sit at the table bare-chested – began telling us how he had swum with whales. This then started a succession of pretentious stories, each one designed to outdo the one before.

Next morning we decided that Malabari was not our idea of a tropical idyll and suddenly, conventional hotel dining rooms seemed boring no more.

DIANA COODE