1 comments about The Florida Keys: The Natural Wonders of an Island Paradise.

1. Beautiful pictures. Interesting commentary. Obviously written by people who truly know and love nature, and who are on intimately familiar terms with the peculiar environments of the Florida Keys.

No comments about Florida: Portrait of a State (Portrait of a Place).

No comments about 50 Hikes in North Florida: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Trips in the Northern Florida Peninsula.

5 comments about Best Dives' Snorkeling Adventures : A Guide to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean, Hawaii & Florida Keys.

1. This is the best book for snorkeling I've ever found. The other books are so vague, they don't tell me much of anything. This one describes all the neat places to walk in from the beach and go snorkeling, how rough or calm the area is, how to get to various snorkeling beaches once I get there, whether the kids can safely swim in each area. It also has all the resorts that have snorkeling off their beaches, which is really nice for people traveling with small children and the airlines and travel stuff we need.



2. I found the reviews very helpful in deciding where I wanted to plan my nest trip... I went to the Galapagos with Aquatic Encounters, and it was so fantastic, it is beyond description



3. This is must-have book for both the beginner and experienced travelling snorkeler. It is a thoughtful guide to the best places to visit and great tips on what to look for in the way of unique marinelife once you get there. It should be a companion in every dive bag.



4. The book has very brief descriptions of snorkeling sites at a large number of different places. Most, but not all are Caribbean islands. There are also descriptions of other "traditional" snorkeling places, such as the Yucatan Penninsula and Hawaii. And there are two large sections on snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands. Several snorkeling sites are listed at each separate location, and useful advice and information is given for most. All sites are rated on a 1 to 5 "starfish" point system. About the only criticism I have of the book is that much of the hotel information seems to be pulled directly from the hotel's advertising about themselves. A little more independent commentary would be nice. The information is still useful as a starting point. Finally, for each location, there is useful information on weather, how to get there, and when to go. If you have the first edition of this book, I see little reason to purchase this new edition, however. I do wish a few other sites or activities had been included, in particular snorkeling with whale sharks off Northwest Australia. That's something that interests me, but there seems very little information on it out there. If you travel to snorkel, and don't have the First Edition, GET THIS ONE!



5. Everything you've ever wanted to know about snorkel swimming is in this great book, from "The Basics" to "Underwater Photography." Anyone in average health, who can swim, can don a mask and peer beneath the waters. Its low-impact aerobics and a great way to keep fit. Snorkeling has become a family affair with fish-watching and photography the main focus.
   
   You will find tips on a variety of snorkeling trips and activities in this informative book. Choices vary from sail-snorkel trips on shallow-draft catamarans or trimarans, glass-bottom-boat tours, snorkel-with-the-dolphins tours; the list goes on and on. Each snorkeling site is graded for interesting marine life, visibility, and water clarity with one to five "starfish."
   
   Helpful hints concerning snorkels, how to choose the proper fins, anti-fog solutions, and how to avoid sunburn are all discussed. Dos and Don'ts advise that you always swim with a dependable buddy and warnings as to what not to touch.
   
   The best reef-front resorts, starfish-rated beaches and boat-entry sites are included as well as Manatee tours. Where to find shallow shipwrecks, the best coral gardens, underwater photo trips and snorkeling cruises are all included in this wonderful book. Also included are twelve pages of fantastic underwater photography.
   
   If you are a snorkeling enthusiast, this book is a must have. It is a valuable guide to snorkeling sites and islands. Information includes detailed maps, photos, tours offered, and important information you need to make a wise vacation choice.

1 comments about Frommer's Florida 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. I know some people criticize Frommer's for being "negative," but to me, they're just doing their job--alerting you about the good and bad of travel destinations, and EVERY one of them has some bad. I don't think it's "negative" to mention that if you visit certain areas of a particular city after dark you should use the lighted, public parking lots instead of parking on the streets because of problems with break-ins and muggings. That's simply fulfilling their responsibility to their readers.
   
   At any rate, I bought this guide in preparation for a trip to Tampa. I had no idea how much there was to do in that part of Florida until I started looking through this guide. It steered us to the Big Cat Rescue facility (NOT to be missed if you love wild cats), the free manatee viewing by the TECO plant and the car museum in Sarasota to name a few. Also got some great restaurant ideas and general information about the area.

3 comments about Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Walt Disney World (Irreverent Guides).

1. Please read the previous reviews with the knowledge that they are actually for the last edition of the book, written by other authors. I have lived practically next to WDW for over 10 years and I have corrected many of the oversights from the previous editions. If you have read the book since its release in September, I encourage you to post a review. Thanks!



2. A couple of weeks ago I received the new edition of this Irreverent guide, and I am sorry to tell you that it was a waste of money! Yes, it has pages listing restaurants, hotels, attractions etc. but with no real detail. A thin book that is also thin on information.
   
   My advice for a Disney trip - buy the Unofficial Disney guide, a much more comprehensive guide, packed with helpful advice and information.



3. We recently went to WDW (Dec 2007), and took along quite a few guidebooks. I thought that I had selected the "best" books among the guides that we had purchased to bring along. Somehow, this book came along with us...I guess on first glance I had thought it might offer a different perspective from the traditional guidebooks. And, yes, the book that came with us was the "latest" edition of this guide.
   
   I read the whole book (not a difficult feat..."slim" understates the brevity of the guide). I found this book to be uninformative, unhelpful, and not even "irreverent". The only reason it came back with us instead of being recycled in the "World" was that I wanted to make sure to have it at home to review. I would suggest saving your money and bring along an "irreverent" novel, instead.

2 comments about 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Tampa (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge).

1. This book has great information about hikes around Tampa- for each trail, it tells you obvious info, like the length, the difficulty, trail surface etc., but also other things that are good to know, like how popular the trail is and how shaded it is. There's a great deal of variety in the types of trails in the book- hiking and biking, long and short, etc. When I tried to hike my first trail from this book, though, the directions to the trail head were horrible. It would literally have been impossible for me to find the trail using the driving directions in this book- they directed me to a completely different location. Once I was on the trail, I felt like the book's information about the trail was also somewhat incomplete. So- by all means, use this book to get ideas about where to go for hikes. But make sure you check some other sources for directions and grab a trail map.



2. I bought this book before a trip to Tampa, and easily found the trailheads on 4 hikes with the directions in the book, in spite of the fact that I knew little about the surrounding area. I was familiar with the series thanks to the Raliegh, North Carolina book, which I also enjoyed.
   
   Each trail includes a brief recap of the trail, detailed driving instructions and two to three pages of text with maps. Some of the trails have photos, too. The text is well written, and the trail description really helps me - I like to have an idea what the trail is like and the changes in store during the hike.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Florida (Serial).

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.

No comments about Space Coast, Florida / Cocoa / Melbourne / Brevard Co. Street Map.

No comments about American Map City Slicker Orlando (City Slicker).