5 comments about Lonely Planet Florida (Lonely Planet Florida, 2nd ed).

1. Great look. Great maps, organized but watch out for the assessment of hotels and restaurants.

   I drove around South Florida, making a circle from Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Myers, down to Key West, and back to Miami.

   The book was useful: the background and history information were interesting; one doesn't have to lean on AAA and can even use the maps when driving!

   But what you read and what you get was inconsistent.

   For example, to my pleasant surprise, I found many more worthwhile restaurants than what were listed.

   In Key West, the book mildly recommended The Curry House bed and breakfast, and I found it very, very charming, with an excellent breakfast!

   On the flip side, I was very disappointed when on the first night I had made a reservation at the St. Tropez hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. In the book it was favorably described as 'large rooms and clean.' The rooms were large, it was clean; but the walls were very thin, there were questionable other guests, and the whole place reeked of cigarette smoke. I came out of there smelling like a cigarette factory.

   It made me leery of any other recommendations.




2. I had apprehensiveness when I bought this book since already in the tutorial, where the authors tell about them self it can be easily understood that the USA is not their specialty - actually, it is hardly mentioned they've been in the states at all! However, I needed guiding-book and was familiar the other Lonely Planet so I took the chance … about the book: while my trip I was disappointed again and again since I found the guidelines un careful or even wrong. Let's take for example the chapter deals with the Everglades Park. The book's hottest recommendation is to go to the 10,000 islands. (only) According to the book, this is area where there are a lot of small peaceful islands with white sand and dolphins around you… and you can hire your bout, have a private island for the day or even for the night. Well, let's start with the simple fact that those island haven't got any grain of sand! And you can hardly find an island in which you can park at all since the flora is so crowded..



3. While I have found other Lonely Planet guides to be top notch, the Florida guide is a disappointment. The tone, which was intended to be hip, comes off as juvenile. Good places were overlooked and mediocre places over extolled. The Lonely Planet Mexico guide is imbued with comprehensive knowledge of the country. The Florida guide gives the impression of having been thrown together to fill a gap in the Lonely Planet series.



4. I used this book for a trip to east coast and central Florida and thought it was the best Florida guide of all the ones I looked at. I stood in the book shop looking through all the guides, and checking chapters against each other, and found that this was the one to get. When I got to Florida, I found the information was right on target for all the sights, the restaurants and especially the history. The history of the Space program in this book was better than anything I saw, and even better than the information I got in the Kennedy space Center visitor center. I was surprised to see people claiming inaccuracy in the reviews here, but I looked at the dates and think they must have meant the old edition of the book. This one is tops, and kudos on Lonely Planet and the selbys for this great new edition.



5. Another Lonely Planet book, this listed enough hostel accomodation for me, and the maps, and background information were plenty of a base to begin a trip to Florida. Upon arriving to the Sunshine state, it is best to add onto this base of (LP) information by word-of-mouth from fellow travelers and locals. This addition provided me with enough information, and it certainly beats the AAA guidebooks, (and many other travel books), which are short, shallow, & designed for the exciting people that travel in RVs and those that mingle with the "Days Inn" crowd. Important to note: there was sarcasm and juvenile expressions in thie book, that appreared to be condescending. This is not the first time that writers for LP have done this. Often, the chirpy sarcasm, was indeed, incorrect. LP should make a note of it. Many-a-times, international backpakers/travelers think they "know" most everything, becuase the think they've "been there and done that." Usually it's quite the opposite. Bottom line: regardless of the impish tones, take this over most other travel books.

3 comments about Indian Mounds You Can Visit: 167 Aboriginal Sites of West Coast Florida.

1. The Author has a style of writing that bring the reader into the world of Florida's first people. He very eloquently puts forth his message of conservation and protection. This book is packed with information on the various cultural periods of Florida pre-history like the Weeden Island and Safety Harbor people.



2. Indian Mounds You Can Visit is informative and very interesting. A must read for anyone interested in Florida's history.



3. I've lived in Florida, and studied archeology, all my life. Mac Perry reported on many sites that I had never known about, plus added information on those that I'd already visited. An excellent book, with a clear, interesting style.

No comments about Rand McNally 2008 Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach Counties Street Guide (Rand McNally Miami/Dade/Broward/Palm Beach Counties Street Guide).

No comments about Guide to Florida Campgrounds.

No comments about Picturing Florida: From the First Coast to the Space Coast.

No comments about Tales of the Caribbean.

5 comments about Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, SeaWorld, and the Best of Central Florida (Unofficial Guides).

1. This is a companion book to the "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World," for those who decide to venture beyond Disney's realm in central Florida. The authors do a fine job rating attractions (rides, films, displays, etc.). They use star-ratings coupled with their assessments and readers' comments, along with a healthy dose of humor--all of which will be familiar to readers of the "Walt Disney World" book. It's all-too familiar in the case of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. In fact, it's simply a verbatim extract of the "Walt Disney World" text. Worse yet, it omits one of the best features of the Disney book: the touring plans.

   If you're planning a trip to Universal Studios, and/or Islands of Adventure, stick with Sehlinger's Disney book: it contains more and better coverage. Sea World receives better coverage here. And this is the only "Unofficial Guide" coverage of the other parks.




2. We just got back from our Orlando vacation. I had read and re-read this book before going, even made notes. It was the best preparation I did. We were ready for everything and I we did everything we wanted to do by taking the author's advice. I recommend buying it before visiting the Orlando area.



3. It was a very good book to have when we went to Florida. SeaWorld it told us alot about it. We did SeaWorld 2 times. Universal we did not do when we were there. Universal we really did not have time for it. If you like to go on rides then Universal is for you.



4. A real handy guide to help plan not only your day, but what rides to hit and what rides to miss depending on what you are looking for. Very accurate and easy to work with



5. Beyond Disney is meant to be used as a second guide when planning a trip to Orlando. They assume that you have purchased a guide for Walt Disney World and are using this one for the other theme parks in the area. This is a good idea but there are some problems with it. First, the Universal Parks are already covered in the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) and that material is simply dropped in here with no additions. So if you have the WDW book, then you don't need to see that again here.
   
   The main value in this book lies in the coverage of Sea World and Busch Gardens. Both are major theme parks and get full coverage here. This is the only book in the Unofficial Guide series where you'll find that material and many of the other publishers ignore those parks completely. If you are interested in attending either park, then I highly recommend Beyond Disney. If you plan to stick to WDW and/or the Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure area then you can safely skip this.

No comments about Preschooler's Guide to Disney World.

5 comments about Miami Then and Now (compact) (Then & Now Thunder Bay).

1. I was born and reared in Miami, the fourth generation of my Pioneer South Florida family. I was delighted with this book, it brought back so many memories.

   The old photographs are gems, and the descriptions well written and informative. I enjoyed the "then" pictures with the "now", in some instances they are almost unbelievable, the Coconut Grove Womens Club little Club House which I went to frequently is a good example, long may it survive!




2. If you have lived in Miami or have an affinity toward Miami, this is a must-have book. Few people in Miami like Arva Moore Parks have taken the time to document the City's rich history as the fastest-growing metropolis in the United States over the last 100 years. The "then and now" photos offer splendid matches, with interesting and informative historical notes in the caption. Great coffee-table book too!



3. Execellent book - highly recommended, but get down here and see for yourself - what's happening to the Miami is magical and really a golden opportunity for all. Over the next few years Miami's Skyline will be transformed as builders and investors seek billions in pre-construction investments to turn the city into a the epicenter of the region.
   
   
   http://realestate.1stmiami.com



4. Having grown up in Miami, I found the book particularly interesting. The pictures were excellent. I thought the captions could have been a bit more informative.



5. Being both a history buff and having grown up and lived in Miami for 20 years, I could certainly appreciate the spirit of this book. Miami is currently synonymous in popular media and culture with clubs and partying, sexy people and celebrities, and hip shops (even though this image is more descriptive of Miami Beach and South Beach rather than the city of Miami itself). Despite it being a relatively young city, though, it is still rich in its own history and thankfully this book goes beyond the present glossy, superficial party image of the city and transports the reader back to a simpler and more wholesome time. This is Miami how its founders and earliest residents knew it. Most of the "before" pictures date from the 20's and 30's, and it is really fascinating to see how things have changed. As I said, I grew up in Miami and there are places shown in the book that I never even knew existed, such as the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple and the Coral Gables Rock House. I am glad that the author explores not only downtown Miami and Miami Beach, but devotes pages of photos to other neighborhoods around Miami such as Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Little Havana, and even Opa Locka and Hialeah (being a Hialeah native myself, I would have liked to see more than just the one picture of the racetrack, but that is my own personal bias). While the book is certainly complete, I feel maybe too many pages were devoted to certain places, such as Coral Gables and Coconut Grove for example, and perhaps some of that coverage could have been reduced and made room for other places to be shown. I am glad that the author explores little known places familiar to residents and not just the touristy areas that visitors would know, but on the other hand, some of these are a little too obscure and I would have also liked to have seen what was in some of those touristy areas, such as Bayside, the zoo, major malls, etc. Just because of those little complaints I give the book four stars, but if you don't care about these, then this might as well be 5 stars and it is still a highly recommended book.

No comments about Essential Florida (Essential Travel Guides).