No comments about Great Getaways in Great Britain and Ireland (Time Out Guides).

4 comments about Insideout Dublin City Guide (Insideout City Guide: Dublin).

1. This little companion book has some great pop-out maps, some good suggestions on places to go, a pen and compass. No detailed descriptions, but very detailed. Good buy.



2. These books all follow the same format: Fold out maps, then general information about the city. All are well written, with lots of information. Maps are very descriptive. Recommended.



3. I found the book very easy to use. The information inside was current, and the mini pen, and compass were helpful.



4. I kept this in my coat pocket my entire trip, easy to use map with compass, never needed to use the pen but nice to know I had it. Written guides very useful.

No comments about Shades of Scotland 1956-1988 (By Appointment Only Series).

No comments about Michelin Motoring Atlas Great Britain & Ireland (Michelin Great Britain & Ireland Motoring Atlas).

5 comments about Lonely Planet Greek Islands.

1. I read the recommendation from Amazon, who recommend reader to buy "Lonely planet island" and "Lonely Planet Greece" together.
   However, I found the book of " Greece" is enough!! Because you can find enough information of islands in the book of "Greece", you needn't to buy the book of "Greek Island" again! I am not happy for the recommendation from Amazon, which is difficult for me to trust it again!



2. In general, while I find that Lonely Planet produces far and away the best country guides, their city-, region-, and continent guides have a tendency to be surprisingly light on actual information. (One would expect city guides to have, say, _more_ information, but sadly no.) The same is true for LP Greek Islands, which uses the same stock descriptions to talk about virtually every island, really giving very little sense of how the flavor and atmosphere is different in the different places, and with very few photos to give you a sense of what each island looks like. Ferry information is minimal but sufficient, but if you're looking for information on alternative lifestyles, look elsewhere. Even the section on Mykonos, a famous gay retreat, barely acknowledges it as such!



3. I took Lonely Planet Greek Islands and Greek Island Hopping on a recent trip to the Greek isles and Athens, and by the end of the trip I opened LP only for its eating recommendations (which are pretty sparse, but still better than Greek Island Hopping, which has none). I found LP to be inferior to GIH in virtually every respect. The information is not detailed enough to give a good picture of the islands and towns (making it hard to prioritize which islands to visit), the maps are frustrating in their lack of detail (not to mention that the number of maps is much less than in "Island Hopping"), the writing is uninspired, and it is overpriced for what you get (only $2 less than LP's full Greece guide!).
   
   It did have some good restaurant recommendations, for which I am appreciative (try Levantis if you're ever on Paros!) because it's easy to pay a lot for bad food in Greece. Yes, that's true everywhere, but I'd take issue with anyone who tried to argue that the quality-to-price ratio isn't much lower in Greece compared to places like Italy, France, or even next-door Turkey. Even with food, Lonely Planet still didn't have all that many recommendations and its descriptions on how to find the places were lacking (I don't know how many places were described as "just off the main street" or something like that). Given that many of the towns it describes do not have an accompanying map, that's a problem.
   
   LP has built its name on its usefulness to the independent budget traveler ... but its guides are often hit or miss for me. I'd put LP Greek Islands in the "miss" category: get "Greek Island Hopping" instead.



4. Lack of information is the big feature of this guide. Where to eat and stay is the worst thing in this book. So if you think to choose a hotel or restaurant forget it! Choose another guide. Lack of criticism concerning sights and places to visit is another minus point. Lonely Planet guides are very narrative. Like Frommer`s guides these guides should rate sights and places.



5. The media has recently reported that many travel books are now written by people who don't actually travel to the places they review. While using this book in Greece I had the nagging suspicion I must have bought one of those books.
   
   For example, the book reviews several beaches on Patmos but doesn't mention a single hotel around Grikos Beach, even though there are at least half a dozen places to stay. Also, I'd expect a book to do more than just list the beaches on an island--but to let us know which ones are crowded, which are nearly inaccessible, and which beaches are hidden "gems". The books gives no such information, leaving you to waste time finding it all out yourself.
   
   Also, the book doesn't indicate which beaches can be walked to and which require your own wheels or some other form of transport.
   
   The book's information regarding ferries and connections was completely inadequate, making it impossible for us to plan a ferry trip before reaching the place we planned to leave from.
   
   Finally--don't bother with this book if you already have LP Greece. The islands book is just a shorter version of Greece w/o the mainland--literally word-for-word.

2 comments about Lonely Planet World Food Ireland (Lonely Planet World Food Guides).

1. Very entertaining and informative, this little book was a pleasure to read. Written by Irish folks, it offers witty commentary on the social and cultural traditions of Ireland as well as discussing the wholesome and delicious cuisine. If you've got any interest in Ireland at all, you're sure to enjoy this wonderful guide.



2. This is a really great book. It covers not only the subject of Irish food, but also gives information on the culture and a brief history of Ireland. The book is packed with information, maps and beautiful photographs. It is a really helpful book for anyone interested in Ireland.

No comments about Ireland: 2009 Mini Day-to-Day Calendar.

No comments about Skye and North West Highlands Walks (Pathfinder Guides).

No comments about Stately Ghosts Then and Now (Visit Britain).

No comments about Epicurean Traveler.