Dear Sandra: I remember hearing about a place where there is a hotel under the sea. Is there truly such a place? If so, where is it, and how much does it cost? -I. W., Syracuse.

Dear I.W.: Yes, there is an underwater hotel. Jules' Undersea Lodge, named after Jules Verne, is in the Undersea Park in Key Largo, Fla.

The lodge began as La Chalupa Research Laboratory, an underwater habitat used to explore the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico. Now it is open to the average person, sport divers and nondivers.

It has air-conditioning, hot showers, stereo music and other amenities. To enter the lodge one must scuba-dive 21 feet beneath the surface of the sea entering through a 5-by-7-foot "moon pool," opening in the bottom of the habitat.

The lodge is filled with compressed air, which prevents the water from rising and flooding the rooms.

Upon entering, guests find themselves in the wet room, the center of three compartments that make up the underwater living quarters, where they leave their gear and dry off before entering the rest of the living area.

Prices start at $295 per person. They even offer a Honeymoon Package for $1,195 per couple. For more information, check www.jul.com or call (305) 451-2353.

Tip: There are many unusual accommodations worldwide. In the tropics it is possible to stay in a room built on stilts above the water. In Kenya, only 20 minutes from the capital of Nairobi, visitors can stay in Ngong House, a two-story luxury treehouse.

Other treehouse accommodations can be found in Kenya's Aberdares National Park at The Treetops.

Accommodations in a cave can be found in several countries, including Spain and Australia. And there are many places where visitors can stay in castles, some of which claim to be haunted.

Dear Sandra: In your Dec. 15 column you said there are 28 lighthouses along the Seaway Trail. I have a Seaway Trail map that indicates there are 20 lighthouses. What ones am I missing? -P.B., Central Square.

Dear P.B.: The map you have is an artist's rendition of the Seaway Trail showing ½-inch high replicas of only 20 lighthouses. It does not show all the lighthouses in the Buffalo area and none of the three in Pennsylvania.

The entire trail has 28 lighthouses, 25 in New York and three in Pennsylvania. For more information on the lighthouses along the Seaway Trail, which is a National Scenic Byway, visit www.seawaytrail.com or call (800) SEAWAY-T.

Another site, www.seawaytraillights.com , has photos, driving directions and other information.

Each lighthouse and surrounding area are worthy of a day trip. You can even stay overnight in three of the lighthouses: the Selkirk Lighthouse, 298-6688, in Pulaski offers rustic accommodations. Thirty-Mile Point Lighthouse, (800) 456-CAMP, in Golden Hill State Park in Barker, is the most recent lighthouse to accept overnight guests.

I have included the telephone numbers, but they will not be operational until spring.

Tip: If you are interested in visiting lighthouses after you have seen all the ones on the Seaway Trail, head for Michigan. With more than 80 lighthouses, Michigan has more than any other state.

A few offer accommodations, including Sand Hill Lighthouse in Ahmeek and Big Bay Point Lighthouse in Big Bay. 'Chinglish'

Recently, Beijing, China, declared war against incomprehensible and misspelled English-language signs and notices.

Many "Chinglish" words on road signs and menus puzzle foreigners. Menus offer delicacies such as "fried pawns" instead of fried prawns and "crap" instead of carp. One sign read "Pee Park" instead of Free Park.

Often phrases are translated literally, causing confusion, such as "Collecting Money Toilet" for a public toilet, and "To take notice of safe, the slippery are very crafty" on a sign warning that roads are slippery. However, I think they should be commended for trying to ease the way for foreign travelers.

I wonder how many Chinese language signs there are in this country to aid visitors correctly or incorrectly spelled. Trivia tease

Where can you walk into the Infinity Room and look out over the Wyoming Valley? Look for the answer next week. - Sandra Scott, a retired Mexico Middle School social-studies teacher, is a free-lance travel writer and co-author of two local history books. Her column appears here weekly.