Showing posts with label costa rica travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label costa rica travel. Show all posts

Fodor's Costa Rica 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides) Review

Fodor's Costa Rica 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
" . . . let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." -- Genesis 1:20
For years our children, friends, neighbors, students, and acquaintances have extolled the many virtues of traveling to Costa Rica. There was only one problem: Each one described the country so differently that it was hard to imagine that they were describing the same place. Surfing around on the Internet didn't help: The sites seemed to assume that I already knew what I was looking for.
In the past, Fodor's various guides have proven to be invaluable for assessing the best ways to organize trips to places I know well. I often found better ways to travel, more interesting places to stay, new things to do, and great meals at prices I could afford. But I had never thought of Fodor's guides as a resource for a place I didn't know much about.
With that in mind, I picked up Fodor's Costa Rica 2009 to see what I could learn. Wow! Was I glad that I did!!
Although Costa Rica isn't a very big place, getting around can be time-consuming and difficult. Many nature-oriented activities such as bird and turtle watching are better at some times and places than at others. Also, there's a lot off rain in the rain forest. Arrive during the dry season and your visit can be a lot more pleasant.
Beginning with the index to learn about what I wanted to see, I quickly picked up the basic facts. With those helpful bits of information, I was able to go back to the Internet to check out the more interesting alternatives and find the lowest cost ways to explore them. From that research, I became convinced that my original idea of going in November wasn't such a good idea.
Without Fodor's I would have planned the wrong trip at the wrong time of the year. I don't know if I'll ever get to Costa Rica, but if I do it'll be a great trip thanks to this valuable guide.

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Fodor's. For Choice Travel Experiences.Fodor's helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you're at the helm, Fodor's offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It's like having a friend in Costa Rica!•Updated annually, Fodor's Costa Rica provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.•Fodor's Costa Rica features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.•If it's not worth your time, it's not in this book. Fodor's discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor's Choice designations, ensure that you'll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Costa Rica.•Experience Costa Rica like a local! Fodor's Costa Rica includes unique photo-features that impart the country's culture, including driving the Orosi Valley Loop, hiking the Arenal Volcano, taking a canopy tour, lounging on the beach, and much more!•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include "Top Reasons to Go," "Word of Mouth" advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.•Includes 8-page color insert and over 30 mapsVisit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

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Frommer's Costa Rica 2011 (Frommer's Color Complete) Review

Frommer's Costa Rica 2011 (Frommer's Color Complete)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought the Frommer's guide based on my previously being happy with them when I travelled. I loved that this guide comes in full color and includes a lot of pictures. I realize that there is a lot of information about CR to include in this type of guide book, but I felt that it should have been more detailed.
The hotel and attractions information was very accurate in terms of descriptions and pricing. I was a little let down by some of the recommended restaurants, in particular Stella's Bakery in Monteverde and El Patio Latino Bistro in Manuel Antonio. Both restaurants were overpriced and had mediocre food in comparison to some of the other recommendations in this book and previous history with Frommer's guides.
I also thought that the book needed more maps, in particular of Manuel Antonio National Park, the Monteverde Cloud forest, and the town of La Fortuna. We only visited three destinations, so I'm sure there are plenty of other places where the maps are lacking.
One big attraction that was left out of the guide in Monteverde is the Sloth Sanctuary. This was one of my highlights in the area and the proceeds go towards a noble cause-the sloths.
Overall, this is a good book but it does not hold up to the Frommer's standard. I would buy it again, but Tripadvisor is a great help to fill in the gaps.

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Completely updated every year, Frommer's Costa Rica features gorgeous color photos of the lush rainforest, 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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