1 comments about Best Walks in the Lake District (Best Walks Guides).

1. When planning a recent trip to the Lake District, I needed information on good hikes and this was just about the only guide I could find that looked like it might be helpful. The basic structure of the book is not bad as it breaks hikes into three main categories based on difficulty. I might quibble with some of the ratings but since the author reveals the mileage and elevation change you can judge for yourself whether you're up to the challenge regardless of the rating. The individual hikes are described in very thorough detail and I found that this was very helpful as trails may fork with no signs. Good directions are also given for accessing the trailheads.
   
   The faults with this book are not severe but definitely detract from its overall utility. First, the color photos included from the hikes are the quality of mediocre snapshots. I found myself flipping through and wondering if any of the hikes would be worth the effort is that was all I'd see. The publisher really needs to get better quality photos to represent what you might see on the trails. The other issue I had was that the author does little to stress that one trail is any more beautiful than another. I realize that this is in the eye of the beholder to a certain extent but we all know that in any scenic location there will end up being a handful of spots that nearly everyone finds especially lovely. If such places exist in the Lake District, you won't find out about it in this book. That's a shame because it's a huge area that no visitor can possibly explore in full during an ordinary vacation and I would have greatly appreciated some help in prioritizing places to explore.
   
   Despite the drawbacks I mention, this is still a book worth buying. The Lake District is simply huge with hundreds of miles of hiking trails. This book at least gives you the means to find some of the best and helps you stay on track when you're there. If it isn't perfect, it is still quite useful and I was happy to have it on my trip.

1 comments about 360 Degrees Paris.

1. For 85% this book is breathtaking and fascinating. No doubt, it's a new look on usual things in Paris. Paris is my most favorite city in the world and I collect photo albums about it for a long time, thus I can assure you that it will be a good deal to buy it. Its weaknesses: there are usual things (though from unusual point of view, 15% of the book is devoted to some interiors of shops and bars(do you want to pay for product placement?, the disk is attached to this book, which includes some digital panoramas, included in the book (however, my Quick Time Player did not manage to find some files (most interesting I should admit) though it seems they are there).

1 comments about Paris in 3D: From Stereoscopy to Virtual Reality 1850-2000.

1. I received "Paris in 3D" for Christmas and what a wonderful surprise! This book is exciting before you even open the front cover. The front of the book has a beautiful lenticular of the Eiffel Tower. But the wonder does not stop there. Each page reveals beautiful 3-D images which can be viewed with the viewers enclosed in the book. The paper is high quality and the reproductions are gorgeous! As if this weren't enough, the book is engrossing and full of interesting information. I have been interested in 3-D photography for six years. This is the kind of book that I would be comfortable recommending to anyone who loves beautiful, well produced books, regardless of their knowledge or interest in 3-D photography. It is truly a collector's item that the whole family would enjoy viewing.

No comments about The Mont Blanc Range: Classic Snow, Ice, and Mixed Climbs.

No comments about Walking in France (Walking Guides).

1 comments about Mediterranean Handbook: Ferry Routes, Islands and Ports.

1. I found this book quite by luck, hoping the title would truly indicate its contents. I have been wanting to plan a trip of travel across the Mediterranean from port to port, and this book is a splendid start for such a venture. Also, it is sufficiently rigorous and detailed-- probably because the author is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

No comments about French or Foe.

5 comments about Special Places to Stay French Bed & Breakfast 9th (Special Places to Stay French Bed & Breakfast).

1. My wife and I used this book as the basis for a planning a vacation driving through Normandy. We stayed in four different B&B's recommended in the book. We found the reality met or exceeded the descriptions and we were able to enjoy excellent stays. We recomend this book to any traveller to France wishing to use small hotels and B&B's.



2. I used this guide to plan my husband's and my last trip to France. Although we've been to France many times, the excellent bed and breakfasts in this book made this the best trip ever. The descriptions were accurate and the facilities all lived up to our expectations and more. This book must be popular in the U.K. because most of our fellow travelers were British and had found the B&B's through the book. The book indicates which B&B's serve evening meals along with the cost of the meals; we enjoyed the lively family style dinners immensely. The places we stayed were outside of the towns and cities but the book gave adequate directions to find them.

   Many of the B&B's owners did not speak any English which can make telephone reservations difficult for anyone who does not speak French, however fax numbers are included where available. Although the book did not stress any need for reservations, we traveled off-season in the fall and many places were full and turning away drop-ins. I highly recommend the book for planning a casual trip in the French countryside.




3. This is a delicious and absolutely reliable guide to the delightful B&B establishments of France. I wouldn't think of traveling without it. The selected accommodations always have some unique feature or special charm.



4. This volume describes 721 French B&B's in 370 pages, each B&B keyed to one of 18 useful regional maps. An additional 40 pages provide maps, indices, some French vocabulary and advertising for Sawday's other products. The descriptions are very useful and the book's organization conducive to effective planning of an independent trip.

   I am using this volume to plan a trip from Nice to La Herradura in southern Spain during during the next few months. This permits me to compare this book to the companion volume, Special Places to Stay:Spain.

   After reading the Spain volume I expected French B&B's to be as detailed as that of Spain. Certainly it provides information about B&B's in every corner of France. Yes, it too is a marvelous aid for planning the independent trip. Yes it is much stronger than any Rough Guide to France or Spain that I have read. It provides prices, the number and type of rooms, web site references, e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers. It very briefly describes what each B&B offers and when it is open or closed. What is lacking for my taste buds, compared to the "Spain volume", is the detailed descriptions provided by a pithy writing style descrbing the locale, the owners and of the cooking style that almost makes the roast kid aroma of a described culinary delight jump out of the pages. My wife misses photographs of the interiors of each B&B.

   To provide considerable detail for two establishments per page is an ambitious task and the editors carry it off. Not withstanding my "comparative disillusionment", the word descriptions do compensate for the missing photographs, directions to local eating places anticipate culinary delights and "How to get there information" makes it easy to locate a Special Place on a detailed Michelin map.

   Based on my personal experiences, the Spanish volume appears to be very reliable, I see no reason why the French B&B should not be equally so.




5. An American friend resident in France and my wife and I used this guide last May on a trip through much of France. We set out with a fistful of books: three lodging guides in English and three general guides in French including the familiar Michelin. After a few days we used only Sawday. We found it rock-solid: reliable, authoritative, sensible, up to date, well illustrated, easy to use - all we could hope for. We would phone during the day for a place to stay that night and scored most times with our first choice. [A caution: While some proprietors spoke English, we relied on our friend's French for the cell phone.]
   
   All was as advertised: our hosts welcoming, the accommodations clean and comfortable. A few miles from Omaha Beach we stayed in a new extension to a 18th C. manor house on a 100 acre dairy farm. The next morning, after a delightful breakfast, the proprietress gave us a tour of her milking barn. The average cost for was $50 for two, breakfast included.
   
   Some hosts provided dinner for $15 to $30 including wine. On another farm, dinner included home grown vegetables and home brewed aperitif and digestif, all for $14. In Arlanc although we phoned late, the proprietor graciously made a special trip to purchase extra food for a gourmet meal.
   
   It was a memorable, and thrifty, way to meet real people. What's more, Sawday maintains a searchable database for pre-planning and a most helpful staff. Overall, a superb resource.

1 comments about Blue Guide Southwest France, Second Edition.

1. You can't beat a Blue Guide when it comes to accurate, useful, and detailed information, and Southwest France is no exception. 576 densely printed pages, this book thoroughly covers the Midi-Pyrenees and Aquitaine, including Dordogne, Lot, Landes, Tarn, Gers, Gironde, and the Pyrenees. Elegant towns, superb museums (many little known), chateaux, churches, valleys, vineyards, city maps - this is a total cultural and historical guide to the region, which encompasses a vast amount of territory. And it fits in your pocket, always a plus. If you just want an overview of the most popular sites, this would not be your best choice. If you are an off-the-beaten-track kind of traveller who likes to delve and find hidden gems, by all means, take BGSF along for the fun. You may want to supplement it with another guide containing photos, as Blue Guides typically include line drawings in black and white.

No comments about COSTA DEL SOL & ANDALUCIA POCKET GUIDE (Pocket Guides).