2 comments about South of France: How to Find Great Wines Off the Beaten Track (Discovering Wine Country).

1. I learned a lot about the South and France and its wines from this book. The author makes you feel like you're there - and he tells you what wines are worth buying, and why. The book is beautifully illustrated too, with fabulous photographs and loads of maps with suggested wine routes. I like the fact he takes you off the beaten track and adds lots of quirky details that other guides overlook. He obviously knows his stuff. There are great recommendations about what to eat, where to eat, and where to stay, too. Highly recommended!



2. There are numerous wine areas of Southern France that are referenced and given wonderful details....Yet, the author has completely left out one of the most magnificent areas of what is definitely part of "Southern France"..... the Chateauneuf du Pape area, and almost the entire Northern and Southern Rhone region..... If he had included this area,..... he would have created a MASTERPIECE.

No comments about Walking with Beatrix Potter.

1 comments about Paris Complete Residents' Guide.

1. As long as I've been a Paris resident, the city is constantly changing and it's nearly impossible to keep up. The Paris Explorer is helpful in demystifying some of the quirks (?) of French paper work and how to get things done!! French law changes frequently and the Paris Explorer will alert readers about what they should be on the look out.
   
   The guide is well-written, informative and will equip its readers with some well-researched knowledge.

No comments about Drive Around Provence & Cote d'Azur, 2nd: Your guide to great drives. Top 25 Tours. (Drive Around - Thomas Cook).

5 comments about Let's Go Paris 14th Edition (Let's Go Paris).

1. Hey, all,
   So, I agree completely with everyone's cranky reviews of Let's Go: Paris 05. As it turns out, they've completely redone quite a bit for the 07 edition, and I found it quite accessible and useful. They've totally reorganized the Entertainment, Food, and Nightlife sections so that they're all by arrondissement: no more of the idiotic subdivisions. Plus, all the information in the chapter is in a handy table on each chapter's opening page, so you can really do a fast find if you need to.
   
   Plus, the maps have improved tenfold. They've got the "Paris by Arrondissement" map as well as a map that breaks the city down into cultural areas, and ones that highlight suggested itineraries.
   
   Bottom line: 07 is incredible. I've seen Lonely Planet, Frommers, etc., and LG is the way to go.



2. Let's Go Paris 2007 offers a wealth of information! It is easy to use, organized well, and focuses on budget traveling. I found my hotel in the 5eme for only 65 euros a night - thanks Let's Go! It also outlines dangerous areas in Paris, cheap places to drink, and describes sights and musuem by neighborhoods. The maps are great as well. I found it much more useful than Lonely Planet France or Frommer's Paris for budget traveling.



3. I had used one of the "Let's Go" books on a previous trip to Europe (in 2000) and remembered it being informative and helpful for youngish people traveling on a budget, so after quickly looking through guide books at the bookstore I decided to give Let's Go Paris 2007 a shot for my trip to Paris this summer. I soon regretted that decision. Here are my top complaints:
   
   -In general, the information is disjointed and poorly organized. Food, Sights, Museums, Entertainment, Nightlife, Shopping, etc. all have their own categories, which is not helpful when you're in one area, trying to find multiple things to do. I was constantly flipping back and forth between the many sections, and it wasn't always clear where to look. For example, is "Invalides" a "sight" or a "museum"? What about the Pasteur Institute? And where can I eat nearby? Are there other attractions worth visiting near here? Flip, flip, flip. Also, the maps (more on those shortly) are all in the back, in the index. What I wished for, while standing on the street corner trying to hold five pages at once while my husband plotted things on the map (in the Index!), was an all-inclusive section for each arrondissement, with the map of that arrondissement in that section. Another reviewer mentioned that this problem was resolved in the 2007 edition, but my copyright date reads 2007 and the subdivision pest lives on.
   
   -The maps themselves are terrible. They're small, and not in chronological order by arrondissement (it breaks down after the eighth when they go 9th & 18th, 10th, 12th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th), and the map of the 15th was so tiny it was practically useless. On the map of the 20th it actually says, "See Père Lachaise map p. XXX." The page number is listed as XXX. Unbelievable. I was so frustrated that I almost purchased a "Paris Pratique" while I was there.
   
   -At least one restaurant reviewed ("Le 36" in the 8th) did not exist once we walked 45 minutes to get there. That was unpleasant.
   
   -Almost all listed admissions prices were wrong. If it said 6,50 E, we just counted on it being 7,50. It said a carnet of 10 Metro tickets was 9,60. It was 10,80. Again, this was issued in 2007.
   
   -There are things listed in the book that are not in the Index (so it's almost impossible to find them again if you haven't marked the page) and things in the Index that are not in the book.
   
   -While I found the cultural information and historical sections in the beginning to be generally interesting and useful, I was annoyed when trying to figure out postage rates and found the following on p. 48 "...the standard postage system whose rates are listed below," but there was nothing listed below. My husband and I read and reread the section, baffled, and there were no postage rates listed anywhere.
   
   After a week, this book became that unreliable friend that you can no longer trust so you just stop trying. We resorted to looking up restaurants, maps, and attractions on the Internet, but not everyone visiting Paris has easy access to an Internet connection. I'm giving it 2 stars only because some of the information was helpful, but I would strongly advise looking into another guide book. I will not purchase any Let's Go publications again. Ever.



4. This book was my bible for the trip I took to Paris. The pages are so worn and dog-eared and wine-stained, it makes me laugh to look at it. Indispensable if you're making up your own funky itinerary (on a budget!) and looking for your own experience of Paris outside of guided tours and bus trips.



5. I would just like to say, be careful when reading the reviews for this product. I searched for the 2007 (14th) edition of Let's Go: Paris and was presented with ranting reviews from 2005, when the book was not even written. This guide book is great and accurate, and the mistakes in the 2005 book are not applicable to this updated version. Please be aware of when the reviews were written and about which version. I am not sure why they even show up for this book.

1 comments about Paris, 2nd (City Guides - Cadogan).

1. By Bill Marsano. If you were to go to a really well-stocked bookstore and start counting the guidebooks devoted to Paris, there's a fair chance you wouldn't finish on the same day you started. Paris is like the Battle of Gettysburg: Everyone wants to write about it and almost everyone does. (Some more than once.) So while you might consider yourself spoiled for choice, it's more likely that you'll be overwhelmed and baffled.
   
   I can help you out here because I'm almost uniquely qualified to judge. I've used guides, written for guides and even sold guides in a travel bookstore. And from that I conclude that this is the best guide to Paris available, bar none.
   
   Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls have written literally dozens of guides; I first came to know their work in Italy two decades ago. They lived there at the time just as they are now writing guides to France and live there too. It's fair to say that from depth of experience and local perspective, they can't be beat. They are not quick in-and-outers dependent on what the local tourist office is pushing.
   
   Their Paris book has all you'd expect from any decent competitor, of which there are plenty: details and overviews of nightlife, sports, parks, hotels, transport, restaurants, museums, walking tours, festivals, flea markets, shopping. All that and more. What sets it apart--far apart--is the quality and freshness of the writing, which is informed, stylish and witty (the historical notes are especially fine and a delight to read). The reader truly feels guided by this book--taken in hand by an expert (two of them in this case) and given the key to the city. This is a genuinely sophisticated approach to the City of Light. A triomphe, in fact.
   
   If you're going to Paris for a week or more, you may very well wish to embark upon a daytrip beyond the city. For that you must buy "An Hour from Paris," by Annabel Simms (a Brit long resident in Paris). She's a perfect companion to Facaros and Pauls, and almost their equal as a writer. She lists 20 splendid daytrips, most of them little known, all available by public transport, and none more than an hour away.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning travel writer and editor.

No comments about Berlitz Pocket Guide Paris (Berlitz Pocket Guides).

5 comments about 26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur (26 Gorgeous Hikes).

1. I've hiked in France, but I had no idea what a beautiful and interesting region Cote d'Azur was until I read Florence Chatzigianis's, "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur." Now I want to go there, her guidebook in hand, and try out the trails she describes so vividly!
   
   Chatzigianis's book is not only informative, but also easy to use. She's organized the 26 hikes by region, which enables visitors to quickly find a trail nearby. I particularly like the way that the "Table of Hikes," breaks the hikes into categories of "easy" and "medium," and then gives the distance and time needed for each. And since I like to know whether I'll be doing a lot of climbing in the mountains or a bit of strolling by the shore, I find the small drawings showing the elevation range of each hike are also quite useful.
   
   Chatzigianis's colorful photos are a rich accompaniment to the text. Not only are there pictures of the beautiful countryside, but also of the many historical and cultural sights that most auto-touring visitors miss.
   
   Finally, I found that the "Aside" sections--short essays on such intriguing topics as "Hiking Under Water," (on the island of Port-Cros) and "The Cork Oak" (some of which you see on the Lac de l'Ecureuil trail), make "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the West Cote d'Azur" an indispensable guide for any traveler who wants to truly experience France's Mediterranean coastline.
   
   Highly recommended!



2. As a connoisseur of hiking books and having spent a summer during college (many moons ago) exploring this region of France, I was drawn to this book about hiking the western Côte d' Azur. The book is lightweight, perfect for carrying or slipping into a backpack. The table summarizing hikes by difficulty, distance and terrain will prove particularly helpful. Other positive aspects in the book include the color photographs, the useful contact information and the interesting tidbits regarding history of the area, plants and the like. My only regret is that our vacation plans this year do not include the Côte d' Azur, so will have to postpone putting this book to use first-hand. Maybe next year . . .



3. An alternative tourist attraction could be found and would be well appreciated by nature lovers around the world - "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is a compilation of guides for twenty six half day hikes around France's beautiful coastline along the Mediterranean Sea for any experience level. Packed with color photos and specifics of each trail such as its time, distance, difficulty and what you should bring in preparation, it is the flat out most comprehensive guide you can find on the subject, even covering the history of the area alongside information on the plantlife. "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is highly recommended for armchair travelers and hiking enthusiasts destined to travel to southern France.



4. 26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western CÃ'te d'Azur is an illustrated guide that invites you to slow down, take a breath of fresh air and soak in the Western French Riviera's natural beauty. Author Chatzigianis is a long-time hiker who has spent many years scouting southern France for footpaths with stunning views, walks that lead to boat-accessible only inlets, and prehistoric sites rarely visited or seen.
   
   This guide has stunning maps and photographs of the nature hikes. There is an introduction with points of interest for each hike. Hiking time, distance, difficulty level and elevation profile are included with each hike description as well as practical advice on when to go and what to take with you.
   
   The descriptions of the hikes are vivid enough to make you want to go there, to see it for yourself.
   
   You climb a short, steep hill behind the village of La Garde-Freinet. You cross a moat that is carved deep into the rock. Step back 800 years in time; you have entered the ruins of the ancient fortified stone settlement of Fort Freinet.
   
   Whether you enjoy an evening walk through a chestnut grove to watch a monastery set aglow by the setting sun or a more vigorous hike up the red mountains to view the amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this beautiful guide of the Western Cote d'Azur.
   
   The hikes range from an hour to half a day. I never knew some of these places even existed until I read this lovely guide. My interest has been peaked and I found myself daydreaming as I became absorbed in the photographs. My family may find themselves on a vacation soonâ"that only I have been dreaming of!
   
   Armchair Interview says: Excellent book for hikers and dreamers



5. 26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur by Florence Chatzigianis details wonderful half-day experiences along the Mediterranean Sea coast of France. With excellent maps of each hike and beautiful color photographs of the places to hike, the book includes Islands of Hyeres, St. Tropez, Frejus and Saint-Raphael and the Esterel Mountains and the Maures Mountains, from Hyeres to Cannes. Chatzigianis gives instructions of what to wear, best times to go, and alluring descriptions of what you will experience. She also tells for each hike the distance, time required, elevation, and difficulty, as well as restaurants, tourism offices, and sports stores nearby. The book is certainly one to plan your trip to this beautiful area.

2 comments about Love in Provence: Romantic Adventures in the South of France.

1. Yvone Lenard has done it again. Reading her books is like being in Provence with her. You can picture the lavender filled fields, and taste the delicious food. These stories are both amusing and touching. I loved it!



2. From its style to its authentic-sounding anecdotes ranging from the picturesque to the emotionally charged, to its superb enthusiasm, all is just wonderful. Including recipes was a startlingly good idea. Love in Provence should be proposed as mandatory reading in universities and colleges, for these are times when more windows need to be opened onto the world.

2 comments about Knopf Guide: Mexico (Knopf Guides).

1. Knopf has produced a series of beautifully illustrated and informative travel guides over the years, and the recent guide they have issued on Mexico lives up to the high standards they have set. This guide combines a wealth of information on history, culture, etc. with useful travel facts, and is simply a pleasure to browse, whether or not you have plans to go to Mexico soon!



2. Packed full of useful information in a small handy guide. Is also just an interesting read.