‘I was fined for traffic offences in hire cars I wasn’t driving’

It’s ludicrous that Avis has failed to sort out this nonsense in the years — years! — since your original hire and that you felt you had no alternative but to pay the fines. After I waded in, however, the problem was resolved in a few days. An Avis spokesman said: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to Mr Boyes following his car hire in Rome. We are working with the customer, colleagues at our Fiumicino location and the local authorities to investigate and resolve the matter. We have confirmed with the local authorities Mr Boyes was not driving the vehicle in question and are processing a refund. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further.”

Charleston has enough to keep you busy for a week

ALAMY

✉ We’re interested in visiting Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, but would prefer not to do a fly-drive. Is it possible to visit the cities without a car, and is there enough to do to fill a week in each city? Can you recommend companies that offer this sort of two-centre holiday?
Ros D’Albert

Tours of the Deep South tend to devote a day each to exploring Charleston and Savannah, which are a two-hour drive apart, but there’s every reason to linger, and not driving isn’t a problem. Charleston’s walking tours, historic homes, museums (including the new International African American Museum) and boat trips, plus an incredible food scene, will keep you busy for a week. Stay at the Pinch, a super-stylish boutique hotel on the shopping and dining epicentre of King Street (the pinch.com).

In the port city of Savannah split your week between a hotel in the historic district, perhaps the splendid B&B Kehoe House (kehoehouse.com), and one in the River Street area — the River Street Inn is a beautifully restored cotton warehouse (riverstreetinn.com). The historic district, with its antebellum houses and Spanish moss-draped squares, is of course a must-do, as is the American Prohibition Museum (you could easily lose an afternoon in its speakeasy bar afterwards, especially if you try the city’s signature drink, the potent Chatham Artillery punch).

There’s an excellent music and cocktail scene (this is a party city, and one of the few places in the US to have an “open container” policy, so you can wander the streets with alcohol in a plastic cup), as well as great food. Top spots include the Grey, in a former art deco Greyhound bus terminal, for shrimp hushpuppies (thegreyrestaurant.com), and Mrs Wilkes’ Dining Room, for classic southern fried chicken (mrswilkes.com). British Airways flies twice a week to Charleston from June to September, and Bon Voyage (bon-voyage.co.uk), Audley (audleytravel.com) and Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) can arrange tailor-made trips.

✉ My husband and I will celebrate our tenth anniversary in April and are looking for a holiday in Croatia, with a few days in Split followed by something outdoorsy in the islands. Any suggestions?
Ange Paterson

After your Split sojourn take the hour-long ferry ride over to Solta, a little-visited island off the Dalmatian coast, for six days of hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkelling and paddleboarding in a small group. In April it starts at £1,277pp, including an apartment stay and some meals, but not flights (muchbetteradventures.com).

• 13 of the best hotels in Split

✉ My husband has recently been discharged from hospital after a life-threatening bout of sepsis. It’s going to be a long recovery, but once he’s strong enough I’d like to take him somewhere relaxing. We’re 20 minutes’ drive from Newhaven [where the ferry departs from], so somewhere within an hour or so of Dieppe would be ideal. I’m thinking of four or five days and I have a budget of about £2,500. Any ideas?
Nick White

Manoir de Surville is just over an hour from Dieppe, and the elegant 16th-century manor would be a serene spot for your husband to recuperate in. There are 11 beautifully decorated rooms, plus a heated outdoor pool and a small spa (with a steam room, sauna and two cabins for treatments), as well as a restaurant serving top-notch set menus based around local produce. Borrow bikes for a gentle pootle or book a hot-air balloon to float over the valleys. B&B doubles start at £177 (manoirdesurville.com).

Manoir de Surville is an elegant 16th-century manor

✉ I’m back from a really upsetting stay on Capri. I paid, via Booking.com, for three nights at the Relais Maresca Luxury Small Hotel on the port and chose a room with a bed and a sofa bed because we were two friends travelling. Booking.com then bombarded me with pop-ups and lured me into upgrading to the penthouse room with a fabulous terrace at £690 a night. This was a trip of a lifetime, so I did it — but we were horrified when, having walked up the unbrushed 20 or so steps to the top floor, we were presented with a shoebox no bigger than 12 sq m and a bed made up for two. This was made into two single beds, but there was no room between the beds and no room for our stuff; I had to put my case out on the terrace with the fridge and the coffee machine. How could the room be sold as 20 sq m when it’s clearly not? We had various other complaints (including lack of air-con and no water one day). I have asked Booking.com to get me a refund of 50 per cent — could I launch a small claim against Booking.com?
Kate Sissons

I’m not surprised you’re upset — for that amount of money you were expecting something special. However, exceptionally high demand means the price of very ordinary rooms in Amalfi coast hotels has skyrocketed. It is possible to take Booking.com to the small claims court (or Money Claim Online, as it’s now known) because it has a UK address. However, your contract is with the hotel, so this is not a route to a refund. The alternative is a chargeback through your credit or debit card company, and the good news is that, after examining the evidence you sent, American Express has approved this. Amex will deal with it, but you’ll have to wait to see whether the hotel decides to dispute it with them. When Booking.com contacted the hotel it insisted that its description of the room is accurate and that it tried to address your other complaints during your stay.

Have you got a holiday dilemma? Email traveldoctor@thetimes.co.uk

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