Book through the Yosemite Concession Services Corporation (001 559 252 4848, ).Time to international airport: It's about four hours to San Francisco and six to Los Angeles.Are you lying comfortably? There are 104 guest rooms; we were in Number 5, Washburn Cottage. Only 50 have private bathrooms; those that haven't provide robes for that late night sprint down the corridor The rooms open on to wraparound verandahs. Ours was rustic but pretty without being twee; Victorian wallpaper and white painted furniture.Freebies: just basic soap and shampoo.Keeping in touch: refreshingly, there are no TVs or telephones in the rooms. There's a pay phone on the verandah and chess board in the sitting room.The bottom lineRooms with bath cost $161 (£105), rooms without cost $101 (£66).I'm not paying that: a canvas tent cabin in Curry Village costs $54 (£35)..

Pick and click for detailsThe panelKate Calvert is a travel journalist, author of Harden's London Baby Book, and editor of Jayne Irving presents the holiday series Travel Bug for the Travel Channel. Caroline Raphael is co-editor of The Good Hotel Guide 2002 for Great Britain and Ireland, and Continental Europe (Ebury £16.99). Kate Simon is deputy travel editor of The Independent on Sunday Victoria Summerley is editor of The Independent Magazine. Rosie Whitehouse is a freelance journalist specialising in family travel, and author of Cadogan Guides' Take the Kids: Paris & Disneyland Resort Paris (£12.99).. Why go now? This year, to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee, the annual Lord Mayor's celebrations promise to be better than ever. From 10 to 14 July, there will be street theatre, free concerts and fun fairs. It all culminates on Saturday night, with a carnival procession and a spectacular firework display over the castle.

For further information call 01603 212136, or visit Why go now? This year, to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee, the annual Lord Mayor's celebrations promise to be better than ever. From the Midlands or further north you will have to travel with Central Trains (08700 006060; ) via Peterborough Return fares from Birmingham start from £33. Norwich Station is on the edge of the city centre, and you can walk there in 10-15 minutes. Get your bearings Norwich grew out of several Saxon settlements, and was one of the most important towns in England when the Normans invaded in 1066. Today, their legacy can be seen in some of the city's most impressive structures.

The castle stands on a mound at its heart, with the cathedral to the north-east. There is no high street as such, but there is a pedestrianised area between Rampant Horse Street and St Andrew's Street. The Tourist Information Centre is in The Forum, Millenium Plain (01603 666071; ). Check in A quiet hotel within easy reach of the city centre is The Beeches, 2-6 Earlham Road (01603 621167; ). You can stay in one of its three Victorian houses and take advantage of the free entry into the glorious Plantation Garden next door Doubles start at £82 for B&B or £108 for half-board. Set in cosy, 15th-century merchants' houses full of antiques, By Appointment , 25-29 St George's Street (01603 630730), is a luxurious alternative in the city centre Doubles start at £95.