3 comments about Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Bahamas (Diving and Snorkeling Guides).

1. There's some good things about this book: in typical Lonely Planet style you've got great general travel information for the area (which if I really wanted, I'd buy a general travel book).

   It does also cover a large number of sites - though is still far from comprehensive.

   And it has some nice additional information occasionally through the book.

   Two main peeves though. And they're killers:

   - Each description is a paragraph, or two at most. You can't tell me very much about a dive site in so few words.

   - There are no maps / diagrams for specific dive sites (just area overview maps) - a dive guide fails totally without these.

   It's a pretty book, but to be any use you need to include maps and more detail per site (if this was done it could be forgiven for not being totally comprehensive).

   In short, it's nice, but it's no use as a tool for researching a dive holiday.

   What'S further is I now own two of these (Red Sea and Bahamas) - I certainly will not buy another.




2. I've just used the new dive guide by Lonely Planet on my recent dive trip to the Bahamas (Eleuthera). It was an excellent resource - solid dive site descriptions of 108 sites, which were organized by dive region. For someone not familiar with the Bahamas prior to going there, I found the book an invaluable tool for helping me plan where to go.The sidebars were entertaining to read as well (and useful), and the color photos are pretty inspiring too. Recommended highly!



3. Agree with the "pretty but shallow" assessment below. On a recent trip to the Abacos, found it completely useless without map coordinates. There must be a market out there for dive guides without maps or GPS coordinates (people who don't actually want to dive? the clairvoyant?) but...

2 comments about Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Curacao (Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef).

1. An accurate portrait of the dive sites, with clear descriptions for both the beginner and advanced diver. I highly recommend this book to anyone who plans to scuba dive Curacao.



2. Agree with the 1st review. Very well written and clear. Good photos and easy to read layout. A must have for anyone who wants to dive Curacao.

1 comments about The Traveler's Tree.

1. This book exceeded my expectations. If you are intrigued with the era of seafaring exploration, and in particular the colonial shenanigans of the eighteenth century West Indies, you may find this book as riveting as I did.
   Both the horrible realities of life on ships and the dream-like allure of the tropics are thoroughly treated, and the simple but compelling plot kept me turning the pages. An enjoyable read.

2 comments about San Juan, Vieques & Culebra: Great Destinations Puerto Rico: A Complete Guide (Great Destinations).

1. If you are in San Juan for a couple of days or more this is a very good book to get before the trip for research and to take with you, although it is a little too large to easily carry around in a pocket, maybe in a bag or big purse. Covering only SJ and the two islands the book has more space to spend on details of the area; more information on the hotels or restaurants or the sights. I recommend it although I was dismayed that specializing in SJ the maps were not more detailed or numerous. I had to refer to a different travel book for a better mapping. It could include more restaurants as well. Second edition could be a real winner with good editing help, but this edition is worth picking up if you are headed down to San Juan, Vieques or Culebra.



2. Before i read this book I had no clue of the unique place that is San Juan, Puerto Rico. I read the majority of the book before my trip and in addition to reviews on places of interest like most other guides, Zaine does a great job in describing and capturing the essence of Puerto Rico and its residents. It gave me a great insight into its beautiful culture and it helped authenticate my experince of the island!!!! It's also a great carry-on to reference.

1 comments about The Cruising Guide to Cuba.

1. The "Cruising Guide To Cuba" covers in great detail in a first person narrative the entire coast and all of the coastal cities, ports, and harbors, i.e., about ninety percent of what is worth seeing in Cuba. Written as a first person memoir, the book is extremely readable as a novel, with local customs and situations described extensively to place the reader in Cuba, at the docks, talking with the friendly Customs guards and mechanics. Having been to Havana many times, I find the character of the country better captured in this book than in any travel guide or any other book about Cuba, including "Our Man in Havana". With humor, fairness, and keen insight into the truly comfortable Latin American way of doing things such as living intelligently with spontaneity and vitality, Charles goes farther than anyone to rectify the embedded Yanqui mistrust of Cuba by describing actual experiences which let the reader know that the embargo against that counrty has resulted in a great loss to our people: knowledge and understanding of one of the most beautiful places, and most enlivening cultures on earth. This seems to be one of those classics like "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" which some readers will dismiss as too narrow for their general interests. This book is as much about boats and cruising as that classic was about machinery: it is in there, but there is a wonderful, on-going essay about cultures, philosophy, and, without asking it directly, the one big question: who has lost the most in the ridiculous campaign of hatred against this proud, historically magnificent country, us or them? There are other cruising guides to Cuba which are dry and obviously format and budget driven. There are similar travel guides by the usual publishers for inland excursions. "The Cruising Guide To Cuba" stands out because it is obviously a labor of love, written by a man and his mate who have spent years in research and preparation; some seven months alone for the second edition just to circumnavigate the island one more time. Other authors write of Cuba as they would any other assignment, with predictable and often useful factual results, as if they are writing about a beautiful actress they saw on stage and later interviewed. This book goes far beyond the quick glance infatuation, as if the author went to the beautiful woman's house and lived with her intimately and came away with enduring respect and admiration. A sage exile architect I know listened to my account of feeling miserable for not having been to Havana in over a year. "Yes," he said, "it started as lust, but then it turned to sincere love, and you cannot forget her, can you? None of us can." Forget the leg shows and cigars; Cuba without those pop buzz topics is a direct shock to the heart, it will leave you wondering why we remain so poorly informed about one of the most relaxing and desirable places on earth. Charles' book brings that message across, with respect and admiration for what is actually there and what it is like to be there. In the same way that "The Old Man and The Sea" was not necessarily about fishing, this cruising guide is not necessarily just about boats and charts, although as just that, it is worth the price.

3 comments about Adventure Guide to Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Adventure Guides Series) (Adventure Guides Series).

1. This guide is immediate and thorough; it give a host of places and activities that could fulfill even the most bored tourist's desires. The book is salted with the kind of personal experience that makes visiting these islands so special. They take us away from palm beaches, island vistas and rugged emerald mountains and put us in touch with the people who inhabit these beautiful places. From fishermen in Barrouallie to Rastas in the Port Elizabeth market and a botanist in St. George's, we get a sense of the lives that entwine to make up the fabric of these islands. Also, each section begins with a history of the place at hand, so important to understanding the southern Windwards. The authors have produced a journeyman labor, a product of discernment and enterprise tempered with warmth and humor. Those of us who have seen the southern Windwards as a special place for so long have reason to be thankful and relieved.
   Paul Tyler, Caribbean Compass



2. My wife and I took this book with us on a recent "Yankee Clipper" cruise from Windjammer. The book was quite useful with good descriptions (usually a paragraph or two) of the accomodations and restaurants on the islands we visited (Grenada, Mayreau, Bequia, Carricou, Tobago Cays). The authors were very up front about the experiences they DIDN'T like which helped us to avoid frustration. The book also had a nicely organized table of contents which helped navigate the book quickly.

   Three small strikes against the book... First is the prices given were in ranges. Thus a hotel has its rating of 1 to 4 dollar signs. However, you don't know if the hotel you're staying at with the $$ sign is on the low end ($110-$115) or on the high end ($190-$195). Some people may not mind this, but I found Lonely Planet's "Eastern Caribbean" to be a bit more specific on what kinds of prices you can expect.

   Second, most of the maps were for the whole island, with the only city specific maps being Kingstown, SVG and St. George's Grenada. The Lonely Planet book had several "city-scale" maps which proved to be helpful.

   Finally, the book is rather large physically, about one inch thick and almost 6" by 9". This made it somewhat of a hinderence to carry around; we just left it in our cabin and read it on the way to our next island.

   However, don't let my negative comments discourage you. This is an excellent guidebook for the area and is highly recommended.




3. Grenada, St Vincent & the Grenadines Adventure Guide has been selected by the Caribbean Tourism Organization as "Best Guidebook to the Caribbean in 2004."

No comments about The West Indies and the Spanish Main (Travel Classics).

No comments about Streetwise Cuba Map - Laminated Country Road Map of Cuba - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise (Streetwise Maps)).

4 comments about The History of Havana.

1. Whatever your feelings about Cuba's revolution and government, this book provides an uncommon and fascinating portrait of Havana and its place in the country's history.
   
   The authors are steeped in the many facets of Cuban cultural and political lore surrounding life in the city but still manage to cover wide swaths of national history. Their treatment of the years since 1959 seem fair and balanced. It is not all about Castro but he is well represented. It is, rather, a story about the people of Havana, past and present. You will meet some unforgettable characters and have your assumptions about Cuba challenged and your sights broadened.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   Jack Malinowski



2. Be aware that this book is only half the story, the half that only includes the despair of the 47 years of "socialist" mismanagment in a once thriving city. I have to be skeptical of the contents when Mr. Belafonte and Mr. Glover, long term apologists for the disastrous Castro regime, offer glowing reviews of the book. La Habana of the first half of the 20th Century may have been less than perfect, but never the city in ruins that it is today. A reader, Mr. Malinowski, talks about the book being "fair and balanced". Sorry, if you did not know Havana before the Castro years, fairness and balance are pure fantasy/fiction. Today's Havana and its inhabitants are in a state of deep despair, and only those who close their eyes to this sad reality will find these musings amusing.



3. This is a for-real serious history with all the facts laid out clearly. But what makes it great is partly the many vivid visual descriptions of scenes past and present, and most of all the stories about Havana's strange, wonderful--and ordinary--residents through the centuries. The authors so obviously enjoy the incredible variety of people who gave and give the city its unique character and incredible energy--Spanish, African, and American, artists, hustlers, politicians, workers, dancers, revolutionaries, intellectuals, street vendors, and just plain people trying to get by. I also really liked the description of the love-hate relationship with U.S. culture. This is not a weighty political analysis of the Cuban revolution, but a description of what it felt like to be a Cuban living through it, with what seems to me to be a very honest look at the great achievements and serious problems. I don't know if I'll ever get to Cuba, but reading this book made me feel almost like I had been there, sitting around talking with Cubans about their past, their present, and their stories.



4. I just finished this and its excellent. Its not political, the authors just tell you about how things have evolved over the years since the first settlers arrived. Their writing is clear and interesting. They don't dwell on the negatives nor do they sugar coat things. If you have a political bone to pick either with or against Castro, you won't find it here. This era is treated just as another chapter in the development of this country pointing out the limitations and improvements made during this time which is likely about to end anyway. If you have interest in learning about this country and what makes it tick, this is a good place to get an overview.

No comments about Dive the Cayman Islands (Interlink Dive Guide).