5 comments about Moon Handbooks: Belize 5 Ed.

1. NOTE: Josh has just finished updating for the new 7th Edition, which is in press and should be out by Fall 2007. The 6th Edition was published in November 2004. Joshua Berman spent months traveling and living in Belize while working on the major update for the 6th Edition. The Moon Handbook has been my favorite Belize Travel Guide since the 4th Edition and it's great to have a fresh update! Just, FYI, I am a marine scientist, living and working in Belize half-time...about 6 months each year. From my perspective, this handbook gives the most TRUE represenation of Belize... and I have all the others on my bookshelf. Unfortunately, the publisher selected a cover photo that was taken on a Pacific Ocean Coral Reef. The species on the front cover to not exist in Belize. Fortunately, the information inside the book IS most accurate. Just remember, during your visit, "If ya drink di watta, ya mus com bak".



2. Really perfect for all trips to Belize. Was very helpful and complete. Nice job.
   J.



3. It's fitting that this 6th edition of Moon Handbooks Belize has won the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award granted by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) in the Best Guidebook category. Joshua Berman has done a splendid job adapting and updating a previous edition by Chicki Mallan - Moon Handbooks Belize has been reborn! It's a state-of-the-art example of Moon's new book design, and you won't find a better guide to Belize than this.



4. i found this handbook absolutely fantastic during my 4-weeks' travel through belize! the authors really know their stuff. every recommendation was great. i found it much better compared to the lonley-planet non-up-to-date version.



5. My husband and I just returned from a 16 day trip to Belize, and this was definitely our favorite guidebook on the trip! We bought this book as well as Fodor's Belize, and together they were the perfect combo. The Moon book was right-on for budget travelers who want to be more than a tourist--the authors' sense of humor & interest in getting to experience new cultures really made the book. We used the local buses for transportation and tried to stay in places under $50 US (which isn't hard in Belize!), and this book was right-on with recommendations and descriptions. The only negative was that it is getting a little more out of date in regard to lodging, restaurants, and prices, but that's why we bought the Fodor's book as well (Fodor's Belize 2007 edition). Overall, this book is 5 stars, and because of it, we had an awesome trip!

No comments about Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Vanuatu (Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef).

2 comments about Two on the Isle.

1. Two on the Isle by Robb White, was a real joy to read.I have been to Marina Cay 3 times and always have been amaized by it's beauty. Robb and Rodie had a paradise there on the Island,but the story of their hard labor and determination of building their home there is one of courage not seen by many today.And then! to find their deed was never excepted by the BVI government was a shock. It had to have been heart breaking to give up their island. Then again I guess Rodie was happy after all to be back in her home town in Georgia USA. I was saddened by that as well as the fact they did not remain together....



2. and a difficult book to find. Would make a great movie? 1930's depression era adventure and young love....

No comments about Puerto Rico Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay).

3 comments about Vieques: A Photographically Illustrated Guide to the Island, Its History and Its Culture.

1. This is a rich book filled with gorgeous photography, detailed history, and cultural details of this often overlooked island. It is hard to classify this work as it is so much more than a coffee table book. It is a love letter to an island.



2. I got married in Vieques in 2008 and bought this book as a gift to my bridesmaids. The book is smaller than a typical coffee table book (see the dimensions). The pictures are beautiful and it has information about the history of Vieques. Not all pictures are recent, some of them are from a few years ago so dont have the "digital" definition / colors.



3. This is a pictorial book about the island, Vieques which is part of Puerto Rico. The pictures are wonderful.

3 comments about Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Puerto Rico (Diving & Snorkeling).

1. It covered most of the island with greta details and information. it is a shamed that it di not cover mona Island the best dive site in PR. Also, it lacks enough info on shore dive in the island. But overall it gives you enough information to keep you wanting to go back to Puerto rico to dive.



2. My first reaction to this book was one of excitment, this came from my first perusing the pictures. I was, however, severly disappointed when I actually got into the information that the book contained. The first quarter of the book is devoted to a breif and very lacking overview of Puerto Rico. Although not that useful it didn't hurt. However, there were two things that really bothered me about the book. First was that almost all of the dive sites listed need a guide. The second was that despite the fact that it claims to be a snorkel and dive guide book there is virtually zero snorkel information and of the few sights mentioned only 3, I believe, were actually not seemingly impossible to get to. In fact, my old budget travel guide for puerto rico had over three times as many snorkelnig sites, with, as I was dismayed to see, a lot of sites that were not even included in the SNORKEL and dive guide. How a guide on underwater adventure can be outshown by a general travel guide is beyond me but it is. Do not buy this book if you are planning to mix dives with snorkel and are looking for an all inclusive, it just doesn't have the info. Also, as I said most of the dives require a guide which makes the information in the book rather pointless as the guides will know where the great sites are and a quick conversation can lead you to your next guide and site. This, it seems is probably what the guy who wrote the book did, just went from guide to guide. The main dive areas are well know on the island and you aren't really getting any information that you couldn't just by being here get yourself. My vote, Not worth it.



3. One previous reviewer suggests that if you are on the ground (or in the water) in Puerto Rico, you won't need this book, you can just "ask around". This is surely true. The chief use of such a book is for planning a visit to Puerto Rico; that is, you use the book at home and perhaps leave it there. The pictures are enticing, the information is well-indexed and quickly comprehended, and I found nothing incorrect in the one usage I made of the guide. I had one day free in a business visit to San Juan, I used to book to decide that Fajardo should be my starting point, I snorkeled at sites around the offshore island of Palominos, and I had a superb experience. No doubt the same info could have been found elsewhere, but this book allowed me to feel confident in my choice.

No comments about Cuba: Five Hundred Years of Images.

1 comments about Berlitz Virgin Islands Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guides).

1. Although this book is small, it really packs a punch. It's loaded with tons of information that will help you on your Virgin Islands trip. It's not big and bulky either, so it lessens the packing space. We used it in conjunction with Frommer's Virgin Islands and that was all that we needed for our week in paradise. If you are looking for a book of history or detailed background though, this one isn't for you.

No comments about AAA Caribbean, Central & South America: Including Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, French West Indies, Grenada, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Martin, Tobago, Trinidad, Virgin Islands: Plus Caribbean And (Bermuda Air Charts, Hamilton Bermuda Inset Map, Old San Juan Puerto Rico Inset Map: International Series 2008, 1206309103107).

3 comments about Caribbean Ports of Call: Eastern and Southern Regions, 5th: A Guide for Today's Cruise Passengers.

1. This book was definitely the most (if not the only) practical book for my week-long cruise along Eastern Caribbean islands last week, and I took a good look at about ten of them! It provides a good balance between amount and brevity of information to make it a fast and easy read and to help you schedule your limited time on each island as best as possible, depending on your particular interests - be it shopping, sunbathing, golfing, or fishing. Not an encyclopedia on Eastern Caribbean but has just enough for a cruise passenger! A perfect five!



2. Walking tours! It has walking tours and maps of the ports and very complete information on each island listed. If you want to tour on our own, this is book for you.



3. Caribbean Ports of Call is packed with information, but missing what I am looking for. It does give good basic information regarding the different ports of call, including highlights of each area, walking tours, and a sampling of shops, restaurants, beaches, etc. Everything is rather vague, however. What I feel the book is lacking is specific information regarding excursions, shopping and off-the-beaten track destinations. Only those excursions sponsored by the cruise lines are covered. You do not need this book to find that information--it is all listed on the cruise line websites themelves! There is a single page on which private excursion companies are mentioned, but none are named. They do no comparing for you, but suggest you do the research yourself to find the best prices. The reason I purchased the book was so that I would not have to do the research. For example, St. Martin is a mecca for finding fine 14k and diamond jewelry. One watch shop, one pearl shop and two high-end jewelry shops are referred to. Additionally, it does not tell you where the shops are--are they in Marigot or Phillipsburg? You won't save any time having to figure these things out for yourself. Another example is this: my family will be visiting Martinique, St. Martin and Barbados. We want to swim with the dolphins. The book does not mention that a 15 minute ferry ride from St. Martin to Anguilla will get you a full day of dolphin discovery, swimming and lunch offered by www.shoretrips.com. I found this information simply using a seach engine. Only a signle page was devoted to Anguilla even though it is a lovely, unspoiled island and easily accessible from St. Martin. I was hoping the book would list tour and excursion companies that offer price comparisons to cruise ship offerings and better values than those offered on the ships. There are none to be found in the book. I was looking for comparisons between excursions offered by the cruise lines and those you could find through private tour companies on the island and book yourself. The shopping sections also seemed to be just briefly skimmed over. St. Martin has dozens of reputable, jewelry shops with hefty discounts off of US prices. I have personally shopped in several on earlier trips. None of these are mentioned. I think the book would be much better if it dug a little deeper and gave more specific information. What it seems to be is a summary of what you will find on any of the cruise line websites. I did not find it particularly helpful--all of the info in the book can be found using search engines, reading cruise reviews or with search engines.