Cultured Travel Guide Books - Frommer's Costa Rica 2008 (Frommer's Complete) |
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List Price: $19.99
Our Price: $12.01
Your Save: $ 7.98 ( 40% )
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.286045
EAN: 9780470138311
ISBN: 0470138319
Label: Frommers
Manufacturer: Frommers
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: 2007-10-01
Publisher: Frommers
Studio: Frommers |
| Spotlight Customer Reviews: |
Customer Rating:  
Summary: Decided Not to Go!
Comment: I bought this for a 70 yr old friend who had suddenly taken an enormous interest in Costa Rica, and who was seriously thinking she wanted to go there. So I surprised her with this as a gift. I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive: at her age and level of physical abilities, I believed she would not be able to participate in all the loveliness and would likely find such a trip too much for her to enjoy. But I did not want to deliver that disheartening message.
She read thru the book and thoroughly enjoyed it but realized on her own that other places and trips would be better for her to consider. Sad but true, so the book did it's job. Frommer's can always be counted on to deliver a good product, even if as in this case it ends up turning away a potential visitor.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good basic guide for middle class travelers
Comment: We brought two guides with us to Costa Rica -- this one and Explore Costa Rica (Fifth Edition) by Harry S. Pariser. We found this to be a useful guide. It had plenty of information on basics. However, it lacked the detail found in Explore Costa Rica which has many places and much information not found in other guidebooks we looked at. We really enjoyed the author's sense of humor, as well as the extensive background information provided. For example, we learned a great deal about the rainforest and other ecosystems, history, culture, and economy. We also were able to find some great local restaurants as well as several ecolodges that we did not find elsewhere. The book contains thousands of website URLs and e-mails and this was a tremendous help in planning our trip, as was the additional tips and online update found on the publisher's website. The color photos are great also! If you are interested in getting off of the tourist track, then Explore Costa Rica is a better guide to bring along.Explore Costa Rica, 5th Edition (Explore Costa Rica)
Customer Rating:
Summary: not good for backpackers on tight budget
Comment: Although the information in this book is accurate, I ended up replacing this book with Lonely Planet's Costa Rica book. I do not recommend Frommer's book for backpackers who are trying to paying under $40 per night for lodging, who rely on maps for walking from a bus station to their lodging. This Frommer's book lacked a map for La Fortuna and non-touristy towns. It had very little information on inexpensive hostels. Also, unbelievably, there was no information on border crossings to Panama or Nicaragua; if this information was in the book (and I doubt that it was), it was difficult to find from the index.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Previous version was great
Comment: I went to Costa Rica in 2001 for five weeks and took an older version of this guide (that was co-written by the same author as the current one). I found this invaluable and constantly referenced it for both daytime activities and accommodations. It is very well-written for the active traveler and I highly recommend it.
I did not give it 5 stars as there were a few omissions that I was surprised to find. For example, the vans that tourists can take between the main tourist cities that are a LOT more convenient and safer than the buses.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Frommer's is Travel Friendly
Comment: I went to the bookstore and looked at Fodor's, Lonely Planet, etc and ended up buying this one. This is the most recent up to date version, but not as detailed or as well written as the LP version. Better than Fodors in my opinion. I used Fodors on my last trip to CR. Will use Frommer's this time.
When travelling, I'd rather have up-to-date more so than better details.... but if you've got money, always buy two guides. The best trips come from a collaboration of opinions and perspectives.
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| Editorial Reviews: |
Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Costa Rica features gorgeous color photos of the lush rain forest, the amazing array of wildlife, and the spectacular beaches that await you. Personally researched by a longtime resident, it's the only truly up-to-date guide that gives you such in-depth coverage of this fast-changing country, with recommended accommodations in every price category. You'll visit rugged wilderness preserves and sleepy beach towns, spectacular orchid gardens and mineral hot springs at the foot of a steaming volcano. There are adventures here to suit all ages and abilities: swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, taking a dip in a jungle swimming hole, spotting playful spider monkeys as you hike through lush foliage, windsurfing on Lake Arenal, or watching endangered sea turtles nest on the beach. With Frommer's in hand, you'll experience the wonder of Costa Rica's amazing biodiversity, as we point out the best places to see hundreds of unique, colorful species of animals and plants. You'll even get a color fold-out map!
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