The World at Cut Rates

One major benefactor of the robust dollar is the American tourist. Especially in Europe and Latin America, U.S. visitors are getting much more mileage from their traveler's checks than they were a year ago. Even though some hotels that cater to well-heeled visitors regularly raise their prices to keep pace with foreign currency changes, good values abound. In Paris, a four-course dinner at the three-star Tour d'Argent goes for about $54, expensive by most standards but still $17 cheaper than two years ago, thanks to a 74.8% appreciation in the dollar against the French franc. At ubiquitous Parisian cafes, steak and pommes frites cost only $4, and a glass of wine can be as little as an additional 60-c-. Said Elaine Lustig, a Virginian traveling with her husband, last week: "We've been eating outstanding meals for one-half or one-third of what they would cost in the States. I think it's fantastic." In Spain, U.S. visitors find their dollars going 25% further this year. Rental cars, expensive elsewhere, cost $12 a day and up at Avis, a reduction of 20% from a year ago. The average price of popular mouton coats, made of processed sheepskin, $333 one year ago, has declined to $256 now.

Travelers to Italy will find their best values away from the beaten tourist track. At La Badia, a converted 12th century monastery 75 minutes north of Rome, double rooms cost $33. Lunch at Peppone, a very good medium-priced trattoria off the Via Veneto, costs $16, including appetizer, dessert and drinks. Status shoppers can pick up a pair of black Gucci loafers at $92 for men, $72 for women, or about 40% to 50% less than on Fifth Avenue.

Although a round-trip airline ticket between New York and Rio de Janeiro still costs a hefty $1,400, tourists in Brazil can get good deals on semiprecious stones such as amethysts, tourmalines, topazes and aquamarines, which cost about 30% less than in the U.S. Neighboring Argentina, formerly one of the two or three most expensive countries in the world, is merely medium-priced today. A weeklong excursion for two from Buenos Aires to Peninsula Valdes, 840 miles away, to view whales and penguins can be bought for just $340, including air fare, hotel room and two meals a day.

As a result of two devaluations of the peso so far this year, Mexico has become a bargain basement of U.S. tourism. An airplane ticket from Mexico City to Acapulco costs $44 this year, compared with $76 in 1981, and a room at the Hyatt Continental at the Pacific resort can be had for $42 a night, compared with $96 last year. At the famous Las Hadas resort, where the movie "10"was filmed, a couple can spend a week lolling on the beach or practicing their skiing for less than $500. The same outing a year ago would have cost Dudley Moore and Bo Derek more than twice as much.

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