I need a hotel with a nice Miami price

Q Do you know of a reasonably priced hotel on Ocean Drive at South Beach in Miami, ideally with a pool?

Sheila Carrier, via email

A The Leslie Hotel, a lovely canary-yellow 1930s Art Deco hotel, is at 1244 Ocean Drive with a rooftop pool/terrace and stylish rooms from £155 (lesliehotel.com). Pool day pass at the Savoy Hotel at 425 Ocean Drive from £60 (resortpass.com).

Q Can you recommend a package trip over Christmas – somewhere hot with good birdwatching? Our budget is £1,200 each.

Janice Smith, Bristol

A Try seven nights in Gambia in West Africa – it’s famous for exotic birds, with more than 600 species. A trip to Holiday Beach Club in Kololi, on December 19, costs from £1,099pp B&B with flights (gambia.co.uk). Expect to spot pied kingfishers, reef herons and – if lucky – long-crested eagles.

Q We’re travelling to Switzerland for Christmas with easyJet from Manchester, taking hand luggage. Has the liquid restriction been lifted yet? I heard it’s about to happen.

Carol Tapp, Darwen, Lancashire

A Not yet. The Government’s deadline for airports to install new security technology to bring an end to the 100ml liquids rule is June. This is not yet in place at Manchester Airport, although it is already at London City Airport and Teesside Airport, where liquids and gels do not need to be separated from bags and can be in containers of up to two litres.

Q How easy would it be for two people in their 70s with luggage to get from Pisa Airport to La Spezia by train? And do you know of any package holidays to explore Italy’s Cinque Terre coastline?

T. Hobson, via email

A You should be fine as there are lifts/escalators at each end. The journey to La Spezia is about 55 minutes, requiring catching the Pisamover rail shuttle to Pisa Centrale, then a Trenitalia service. For a package, eight-day ‘Lucca, Portofino and the Cinque Terre’ escorted tours cost from £1,419pp, with flights, hotels, guides and some meals (rivieratravel.co.uk).

Q Do I need a visa for Brazil? I’ll be there for ten days before taking a cruise to Spain. Job Smith, via email

A Visas are not required if staying fewer than 90 days.

Q We are going to Las Vegas and have two rooms at the Horseshoe Las Vegas Hotel. I am told it has a resort charge of £36 per room per night – is this right? A. Jackson, via email

A Yes. The fee covers wi-fi and accessing the pool and fitness centre (caesars.com).

Q Since losing my wife I have become tired of holiday prices marked as ‘pp’, or per person. This is at best misleading, implying that all who wish to travel will pay this price, even though it is for a minimum of two people. One cruise line recently told me, for a single room, to double the ‘pp’ price and merely subtract £350. Is this fair?

J. E. Farren, via email

A For a single room, absolutely not. The travel industry has been slow to adapt to growing numbers of solo travellers, hence ‘pp’ prices have become the norm (as in the answers on this page and the rest of this section). I suggest you try solosholidays. co.uk, friendshiptravel.com or onetraveller.co.uk.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

If you need advice the Holiday Guru is here to answer your questions. Email us at holidayplanner@dailymail.co.uk