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I found a one-bedroom lockout on the Web for rent at this resort in Week 39 for about $150 a night. Since this is bigger than your studio example, I will assume it costs 15 points a night. At that rate, your 242 points would buy about 16 nights. Now 16 x $150 = $2,400 -- which is close to the $2,332 I would have available to spend by not buying the timeshare.

My conclusion: Don't buy the timeshare. Instead, use the interest/investment income to rent a similar unit. And you still have the $24,442 at the end of the year!

Don Huebner, Larkspur, Colo.

Hudson Valley Mansions

NICOLE COTRONEO'S article ["50 Rooms, Hudson View (Plus Tinsel)," Dec. 17] was a useful guide to a destination filled with history and charm. Instead of calling it the American Rhine, I would compare it with the Loire Valley because the mansions were summer social retreats, whereas the Rhine's castles were built to defend against warring neighbors.

I was surprised that there was no mention of one of the Hudson Valley's most interesting stops, the Culinary Institute of America near Hyde Park. The beautifully landscaped grounds overlook the Hudson. The CIA, as it is known, features three gourmet restaurants where fine dining of various types is prepared and served to visitors every day. Tours are available as well.

Michael Rae, Potomac

ANYTHING THAT attracts support for protecting the Hudson and its treasures is a good thing. You did, however, leave out a couple of excellent houses on the east side of the Hudson: Lindenwald, Martin Van Buren's house in Kinderhook ( http://www.nps.gov/mava), and Locust Grove ( http://www.morsehistoricsite.org/), Samuel Morse's house in Poughkeepsie.

Deborah Odell, Alexandria

London Hotels

THANK YOU for the spot-on London hotel article ["Pound for Pound, Bargains by London Standards," Dec. 17]. I travel to London frequently for business and pleasure, and this type of article was just right for those "I'm not on an expense account this time but need a nice place to stay without breaking the budget" trips. That place in Kensington near Earl's Court is right up my alley.

Benjamin Cromer, Round Hill

Montevideo Street Crime

MY WIFE and I recently booked a Buenos Aires-Montevideo tour with LanVacations, which had been mentioned in your section. Most of the tour was pleasant, the staff attentive and the accommodations in line with our expectations.

However, in Montevideo we had an unpleasant and dangerous experience in the doorway of the Balmoral Hotel on Plaza Cagancha. As my wife and I were about to enter the hotel at 10:30 p.m., a biker swooped past and grabbed my wife's purse. She was thrown to the ground and dragged for several yards until the thief cut the purse strap.