1 comments about Conde Nast Johansens 2004 Recommended Hotels, Inns & Resorts North America Bermuda, Caribbean, Mexico & Pacific 2004 (Johansens Recommended Hotels Inns ... North America, Bermuda, Caribbean Pacific).

1. If you are a traveler who enjoys accomodations that aren't "cookie cutter"........then this guide is for you. The hotels and inns featured are unique and wonderful. Conde Nast again offers the best for travelers.

1 comments about Eastern Caribbean in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (In Focus Guides).

1. This slim book is a helpful and fact-filled introduction to the history and socio-economic trends in the Caribbean basin. Its focus is on the gentle arc of islands stretching from Anguilla to Trinidad. Sugar, bananas, and oil are among the commodities that have and continue to play a role in the economic life of the region. The author gives us a brief history of the Caribbean's past reliance on the slave trade to support its agricultural economy and the sometimes bloody uprisings prior to its eventual abolition in the nineteenth century. It is the kind of information you will not find in Fodor's or most travel brochures (I write this note standing at a Curacao resort photographing an idealized mural of healthy black servants - the second I have seen today). Of greater interest to the curious North American may be the history of colonial involvement which has left its ethnic mark on the islands' culture along British, French, and Dutch lines. Anglo-Canadians will almost certainly be amused to recall that it was in the Treaty of 1763 that Britain opted to retain Canada - dismissed by Voltaire as a "few acres of snow". In exchange, the delighted French retained a dotted cluster of islands that for all its imagined similarity to paradise is extraordinarily difficult to locate on any map - Guadeloupe. The impact of tourism is tremendous in the Caribbean today and it seems only destined to grow with cheap airfares and travel 'channels' of information breathlessly promoting the regions' splendid climate and recreational amenities. While some voice reservations about the cultural or ecological impact of this recent 'invasion', others might argue that the material benefits imparted to the island economies are real, needed, benign, and re-occurring. Each island's cultural identity is a dynamic asset that can be protected but not totally controlled from change with civic planning and an eye toward promoting the preservation of local traditions. In this way tourism and local identity can evolve together. The cultural impact of tourism, the development of off-shore banking enterprises, an ever-present awareness of the United States (the CNN Effect) get little attention and are generally beyond the scope of this book. The sinister threat of the drug trade moving through the islands is noted (A vacationing Amsterdam physician tells me to read SNEEUW OVER CURACAO, J.van den Heuvel [untranslated]). These are topics that warrant serious attention. Reading Ferguson's introduction is a reasonable place to prepare for that more serious study.

No comments about Caribbean (Exploring Countries of the Wor).

2 comments about Frommer's Caribbean Hideways (8th ed).

1. Ian describes in detail the most romatic inns, hotels and getaways available in the Caribbean. He writes the information you REALLY want to know before you travel...location of the room, the activities not to miss, what to expect and special details which set apart his book from all the rest. I read this book cover to cover and marked all the places I wanted to travel based on his recommendation. After I traveled to the first location on my honeymoon (it was everything I pictured it to be, based on his description) I then put it to the test and traveled once again to a location I read about in the book. Again, I was impressed at the detail he was able to capture within the pages.

   I plan to travel to each of the resorts he rates highly and would recommend to any reader that enjoys the Caribbean to pick up this book and you won't be disappointed. In fact, even if you don't step foot out of the privacy of your our home, after reading this book, you will feel as if you have traveled to some of the most amazing Hideaways in the Caribbean.




2. Keown's detailed and forthright travel guide is must-read for anyone looking for an off-the-beaten-track, romantic beach vacation. We each read Keown's descriptions of the various resorts cover to cover and dog-eared the possibilities - then compared notes. Truthfully, any of the resorts he reviewed would have fit the bill, but his thorough evaluation of four areas (dining, sports, rates and the hard-to-capture "atmosphere" category) allowed us to find the right fit for our vacation. He tells you which islands to pick depending on your budget, mood and individual needs, then takes you through virtually every consideration you'll need to select the right resort, down to island taxes, transports, tipping, and room service availability. His pet peeves are the same as ours - no huge hotels, no convention centers, and no cruise ships! Thanks to Keown, we were able to find the perfect romantic Caribbean hideaway for our honeymoon. We loved it so much we're buying the 9th edition for our next vacation.

No comments about AAA Spiral Dominican Republic, 2nd Edition (Aaa Spiral Guides).

No comments about Portrait of Cuba.

No comments about Berlitz French West Indies (Berlitz Pocket Guides).

No comments about Lonely Planet Republica Dominicana (Lonely Planet. (Spanish Guides)).

No comments about Outdoor Travelers Guide Caribbean (Outdoor Traveler's Guide).

4 comments about Nassau and the Best of the Bahamas Alive! (Nassau & the Best of the Bahamas Alive!).

1. Paris Perneter and John Bigley's Nassau & The Best Of The Bahamas Alive! provides all the destination-oriented information needed to make the best of a trip to the Bahamas, from a survey of restaurants and hot fishing holes to best places to stay, shop, and enjoy the variety of the islands. An excellent take-long tote.



2. "This Hunter Travel Guide stimulates readers' senses immediately with its lively description.... Fully indexed, the guide delivers an insider's view to what the authors call 'the most hospitable islands in the world.' Not a typical guide, the book is as much fun as it is resourceful, with a chatty writing style... great suggestions for sites to visit when travelers are in the mood for something unusual or spontaneous." Today's Librarian



3. This exciting new addition to the Alive! series takes you to the cruise ship capital of the world - in style!

   "Dawn to Dusk" sections focus on the best daytime delights, such as terrific watersports, sightseeing, golf courses, beaches and fascinating museums. "After Dark" sections take you to the best nightclubs, piano bars, cocktail lounges and beach cookouts. Hundreds of places to stay and eat are profiled in detail, based on repeat visits by the authors. In-margin icons allow you to see at a glance which activities are being discussed.




4. I bought this book thinking that I could take it with me on my trip next week. However, you can't print it out and you can only download it to a Palm device (I have a Pocket PC). Therefore, it can only be read at the computer on which it was downloaded. It's not going to be much use to me next week when I'm in the Bahamas and my guidebook is in Maryland! I wish I had just gone to the bookstore and gotten a hard copy.