No comments about Insight Flexi Map Bahamas (Flexi Map).

3 comments about Bahamas For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. I thought this was a great effort to present the true Bahamas, but unfortunately, there are some inaccuracies that seem to confuse The Bahamas with other countries in the West Indies, particularly in referring to the language. Bahamians would never refer to their dialect as patois. (that's Jamaica and other countries). Bahamians just call their English dialect "Bahamian dialect". And some of the words are not in general use as stated, e.g. nyam is Jamaican, and bobo, if used, more usually refers to Rastas, not morons.



2. I love to thoroughly research and plan vacations, gleaning recommendations and experiences from as many independent sources as possible. Therefore, I ordered BOTH Frommer's Bahamas 2007 and Bahamas for Dummies to get two different opinions. Bahamas for Dummies repeats Frommer's hotel and restaurant recommendations WORD-FOR-WORD. The Dummies who wrote this book obviously did NO independent research of their own. In fact in turns out Wiley published both books. The only redeeming feature is the cute little post-it flags, that I can stick inside my Frommers guide book!



3. I found the guide had a lot of useful information about the best hotels, restaurants and tours. This is exactly the information I needed. It also had a great section on the pro's and con's of each major island. This was helpful in figuring out where I wanted to vacation. I have read a lot of information on the web, and frommer's website, but I found this guide to have it organized more efficiently and it is more comprehensive. It was an easy and fun read and also had information on the history of the Bahamas. I really enjoyed it and it helped with my vacation planning.

2 comments about Frommer's Bahamas 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. The Bahamas are generally mistreated by guide book companies. The Open Road Guidebook is almost four times shorter then that on Tahiti, while the Rough guide is much shorter then that on Jamaica. Guidebooks tend to treat the Bahamas as a place where you rest, drink & dive. Very little background info and almost nothing about the Out Islands. Lonely Planet had by far the best book, but then with the new format in 2005 came a very poor and short edition, so LP has definitely lost that title. Now IMHO Frommer's is the best. Closely followed by Fodor's. They have the normal info for package tour guys, but they also have some interesting background reading. And all of it is in good proportions, unlike the Insight Guide which has a stunning amount of background reading but very little practical info.



2. Very very good resource of information, made me feel a lot more comfortable with my hotel choice and what part of the island I am staying on. Very excited to go on my trip and see if they were right.

3 comments about The Exuma Guide: A Cruising Guide to the Exuma Cays : Approaches, Routes, Anchorages, Dive Sights, Flora, Fauna, History, and Lore of the Exuma Cays.

1. I found the book to be the Bible for getting in and around the Exuma Cays. More importantly, the book nicely deals with the history, geography, flora and fauna of the cays. There is no way that a person should consider sailing, motoring or paddling into the Exumas without this book in hand. Too bad it was not printed on waterproof paper and bound with stainless steel staples. If your headed for the Exumas be sure to read and bring a copy along. It might also help to secure it in a large zip lock plastic bag.



2. I have cruised the Exumas four winters on my Jeanneau 41. I wouldn't think of doing it without Steven's wonderful book. He includes, for example, many chartlets not to be found in any other guide. Hence, I was able to find anchorages not well known (and which had, as a result, more lobster!).

   Don't even think of visiting the Exumas without this book (or any other area included in his other guidebooks without its associated book).




3. I have been cruising the Bahamas for over 30 years. For all these long times there was just one cruising guide available. And it was quite limited in scope. The along came Stephen Pavlidis. He has singlehandedly upgraded the quality and safety of Bahamas cruising . His Exumas Cruising Guide is the most complete information you can get for that area. I wouldn't think of cruising the Exumas without it. Stephen Crow, K4CPX

No comments about Lonely Planet Bahamas, Turks & Caicos (Lonely Planet Bahamas, Turks and Caicos).

2 comments about Fodor's Bahamas 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. My wife and I recently took a trip to Grand Bahama Island and used this book as a guide to explore the area. Although the book contains some useful tips and suggested day plans, we ended up wasting a fair amount of time chasing down events that were either on holiday or do not exist. For example, the book should highlight the fact that the ministry of tourism is closed during the holiday, so the People-to-People program is not available during this time. On Grand Bahama Island, Junkanoo is NOT always the day after Christmas and most likely will fall on Eve of the New Year. Also, the book mentions about a mini crab festival that takes place at a Pub garden of the International Bazaar in Freeport. We went to this Pub only to find out that this event does not happen during the holiday season. It turns out that the International Bazaar was mostly an abandoned dump and a royal waste of time. Even the locals admitted that nobody goes there because the epicenter has shifted to Lucaya. It has literally been reduced to a few putrid restaurants. This Wednesday Fish Fry at Smith Point is ok, but it takes forever before they serve your order. We were also severly disappointed by the fact that the Rand Nature Center is closed until AFTER New Year. So, don't take this book too seriously and make sure that you call these places ahead of time before wasting money on a taxi (filthy mini van) ride only to find out that the place is closed!!!



2. Like F. Douglass (FD), I went to Grand Bahama - not during the holidays as FD had - and experienced similar disappointments, having used this book as a guide. When I travel I stick to local cuisine, but not after realizing the author of this guidebook glorified substandard restaurants (as well as attractions). For example, I finally found the "mini crab festival" restaurant that FD wrote about, which was a dark, dingy snackbar. The cook showed me a meat stew that has crab as an ingredient, which is the extent of this "famous" crab festival. I do not recommend purchasing this travel guide, and having had great experiences using Rough Guides and Frommer's, almost swore off Fodor's b/c of this misleading Bahamas issue. However, I learned that other Fodor's authors accurately describe the destinations they write about. If you do go to Grand Bahama, don't miss Reef Tours' catamaran sunset and snorkeling cruises. Also excellent snorkeling can be found at Paradise Cove (the owners are warm, welcoming and helpful), but be careful to drive through 8 Mile Rock with eyes in the back of your head: I slowed down for a puppy in the road and was "hit and run" by a local. Two weeks home, I am still waiting for a police report (and this is with supposed assistance from the Ministry of Tourism).

5 comments about The Bahamas Fly-Fishing Guide, Updated and Revised.

1. This is not only the definitive flyfishing guide to the Bahamas, but also (i) a very insightful book on logistics and non-fishing pursuits on the islands; and (ii) one of the finest fishing guides written for any area in the world, which is an especially great accomplishment given the span of the area. Read to plan, or just read to dream. Essential for anyone deciding on which island to go to, and which areas to fish. My only complaint? -- that I personally wasn't able to help research this book by visiting/fishing all areas covered.



2. Stephen has set up a couple trips for me to the Bahamas, two very different types of trips, and I can tell you first hand that he and Kim know their stuff!

   See that big guy on the poling platform on the cover? I had the privilege and pleasure of fishing with him.

   Having been to some of the places described in the book, and fished with some of the guides described in the book, I can say first-hand it is right on the money. I'll trust nobody else to set up my Bahamas fly-fishing adventures, and this book is my first resource in planning my next trip.




3. The amount of information in this book is easily worth five stars. What made me give only four was the lack of color pictures. There are only few color pictures in the middle of the book and in the rest of the book pictures are black and white. Other notable thing is that the book is made considering americans and international travellers are only briefly mentioned.



4. More comprehensive than I had hoped. Full of useful information and well organized. Anyone considering a bonefishing trip to this area should benefit from the contents therein.



5. This book isn't terrible - but could use some work.
   ** Disclaimer - we only visited Grand Bahama**
   
   I expected the do-it-yourself sections to have some tips on where you could drive & wade out to fish, not just list independent guides instead of package deals. I don't consider hiring an independent guide to be doing it myself. Since our trip was not soley for fly fishing, we wanted to get a guide for a day or 2 & maybe do some independent fishing from shore on a couple of days. We did this, but with zero success on the days we fished from shore. Others (including both guides we used) said that fishign from shore could be productive. I had hoped that the book would have had soem tips for this type of fishing for each island. Or just told you if it wasn't a viable option for a specific island.
   
   BTW - I can strongly recommend Captain Perry Demeritte, who is listed in this book - he was excellent.
   
   All that said, given the selection of books available on this topic, this is probably your best bet. We also still had a great time AND got some fish.

5 comments about National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda.

1. A few years ago, I bought the Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes and found when I tried to use it in the Florida Keys that there were many fish I couldn't identify. People recommended I buy Paul Humann's book, "Reef Fish Identification." The book is more expensive, but I found it to be far more comprehensive and user friendly. For example, many fish look entirely different when in their "juvenile," "initial" or "terminal" phase, and the "Reef Fish Identification" book has clear photos of each of the three stages shown beside each other, and frequently includes photos of alternate color phases as well. The Audubon book usually just shows a picture of the fish in just one phase, and often not a terribly good photo at that. Next to each photo in the Humann book is an excellent line drawing of the fish, highlighting and labeling which features of a fish are most dependable for identification. The Audubon book includes no such diagrams to aid identification. Finally, the Humann book is based upon both an extensive bibliography and collaboration with field biologists, and if the detailed descriptions in his book of definitive features for discriminating species of fish are correct (and experienced scuba divers tell me they are correct) then some of the pictures in the Audubon guide are actually even misidentified as to species. For example, the Audubon picture labeled as a "Leopard Goby" is almost certainly a picture of an "Orange-sided Goby" (if the Humann book is correct about dark lines outlining the orange rectangles being a reliable discriminating feature). If there were no other reef fish identification book available, I would have given the Audubon book more stars, I am usually a great fan of the Audubon Field Guide series, but in comparison with the Humann book it just doesn't rate very well. I should add that I have never met, nor have any private or professional association with, the author of either of these books, so my opinion is not biased by any such affiliation.
   Finally, I should add that I am pleased nevertheless to own both of these books because, for many species of fish, fish of the same species can be found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, so you can never study too many photos to get a handle on the range of appearances possible for any given species. Buy the Humann book if you can just afford one book, but owning both books is even better!



2. Although there are many fishes accounted for, it has quite a few that are missing, and it would be helpful if more showed pictures of the difference between adult and juveniles.



3. The Audubon Field Guides are the best there are. Every category of book is well documented and the glossy photos are fabulous. I buy these books for my 11 year old son. He enjoys reading them so much that I count his time spent as credit for our homeschool science course.



4. I bought this book as birthday gift for my son-in-law. I looked through the guide before I sent it to him. My impression was very positive, but no where near the rave reviews that Steve had for it. This guide to tropical fish should be a must for anyone taking a tropical vacation.
   
   Dick



5. I bought this book for my husband to prevent him from telling me about "that yellow fish" he saw when we were diving. It is good because it has a lot of variety of different types of fish, but it is by no ways all encompassing reference. It has only a few varieties of each type of fish (ie only a few angel fish shown, not all of the types). So, it is good, but not exactly what I was looking for.

No comments about The Cruising Guide to Abaco, Bahamas: 2008.

1 comments about Frommer's Bahamas 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. I just returned from a trip to New Providence island (Nassau). The reviews were honest and reliable. We found a great restaurant from the book (it is called Sun and...)The book helps the traveller find the real Bahamas, as opposed to the Bahamas represented by the Atlantis resort which I call Disney Bahamas. One thing that was lacking was information regarding customs. We wanted to take liquor back to the states and the book referred us to some pamphlet online. We were in the Bahamas and had no access to the internet. Be advised: it is now a hassle to take back liquor. You have to pass it through security, then send it to the plane. You are allowed 2 liters per person. If the liquor is Bahamian (like the excellent rum), you can take more. If you like clever and funny guidebooks, this is not it. But it did the trick and it has encouraged me to return to other Bahamian islands and explore.