5 comments about Moon Handbooks Yucatan Peninsula (Moon Handbooks).

1. On a recent vacation, we took both Moon Handbooks Yucatan Peninsula (2005) and The Rough Guide to the Yucatan (2005). I was glad we brought both books, but overall I found the Moon book more useful for the small practical details.
   
   For instance, we rented a car and drove from Merida toward Tulum (south of Cancun). This route offered a couple options: the free highway or the toll highway. We stopped in Valladolid and were trying to get back on the *toll* highway. The Rough Guide map of Valladolid just shows an arrow east labeled "Cancun". The Moon Handbook map reveals that east lies the *free* highway to Cancun, but you head *north* to reach the toll highway. This sort of detail can save a lot of frustration and stressful driving around.
   
   Another example - in Tulum we were looking for a hotel on the beach. The Rough Guide had a detailed description of how to reach the beach hotels from the town center, but it contained directions like "Coming in from the north... another kilometre south along the highway is the beginning of the town proper...Most of the local accommodation, however, is a few kilometres east, right on the beach - all of it connected by a narrow road running north-south along the water..." etc. This was frustrating because I wasn't always sure which compass direction we were facing while we drove around. The Moon book, instead of paragraphs of text, had a much more helpful and practical map showing the beach hotel zone in relation to the town center.
   
   On the other hand, the Rough Guide seemed more rigorous and reliable in terms of historical accuracy. For instance, take the ball court at Chichen Itza, with its murals of beheaded players. Apparently, historians aren't 100% sure whether it was the winners or the losers who got decapitated. The Rough Guide mentions this but the Moon book simply states that it was the losers. It bothered me that the Moon book seemed a little sloppy with history sometimes.
   
   For vegetarians, the Rough Guide was more helpful in mentioning restaurants with vegetarian options.
   
   Overall, the Rough Guide and the Moon Handbook complemented each other well and I'm glad we had both. I thought the Moon book was slightly more useful and practical with better maps, but the Rough Guide seemed more trustworthy for historical facts.



2. The main problem I had with this book is the uneven coverage of regions. Other than the city of Villahermosa, the state of Tabasco is barely covered. The authors write that there is not much there. Not true! Go ahead and "google" Tabasco or look at the State of Tabasco's official website and you will see that there are many wonderful off the beaten track places to visit in Tabasco. It's as if the authors just didn't bother to do in depth research of the area. Another example is Chiapas. The most touristed areas are covered well, but the coastal region and other remote areas like the incredibly beautiful Lago Miramar are barely if at all mentioned. The heavily touristed coast between Cancun and Tulum is covered fairly well, but even here there are some areas more focused on than others. The tourist village of Akumal, for example, is not well covered. A better job also could have been done on Sian Ka'an. I also would like to see more hotels and restaurants listed. I realize that every place on the peninsula cannot be listed, but they barely scratch the surface.
   
   I thought that a guide book covering just one region of Mexico was supposed to be more focused and detailed than a "whole country" book. While the book does this at times, it does the complete opposite at other times. Bottom line is that there is room for improvement. Maybe it is just a matter of the authors gaining more experience traveling the region. To end on a positive note, I did like the coverage of the state of Yucatan.



3. Hands down the best guidebook to the Yucatan. Great suggestions for restaurants and hotels, great driving directions, and accuracy in even the little details. We followed the recommendations and were rarely disappointed. The only thing it was dead wrong on was the restaurant suggestions in Isla Mujeres. We used it to drive all over the northern Yucatan, small towns, ruins, ceynotes, etc. and we loved the personality and opinions of the writers.



4. For basics that will never change, short of a mass destruction of the entire Yucatan, this book is fantastic. I've used and abused this book for 3 trips to the region. With the bus schedules, the bus routes, the ways to do tours on your own for practically pennies compared to the formal over priced tours, this book easily paid for itself in the first day trip we ventured out on. Great background info on the region and history, things to do, places to eat, places to stay... a wealth of good info. I will definitely buy the next edition when it's updated.



5. This is a great book for the non-Cancun, non-all-inclusive inclined traveler. I used this edition last summer while traveling around the Yucatan and found it incredibly useful, accurate, and informative. One of the useful features I liked was the fact that they include time tables that show the length of time needed to travel between cities on the peninsula- an important detail if you're taking buses, or driving, and need to plan distances/times. Not only that, it's actually fun to read- the authors write using a friendly, conversational tone. Their enthusiasm for the peninsula and their appreciation for the culture there comes through in their writing. I found myself longing to visit parts of the peninsula that I hadn't planned on, based on their descriptions alone! I realize that a more recent edition has come out since I've used this book, and I'm sure it's just helpful and informative as this one.

2 comments about Topographic Recreational Map of New Mexico: Detailed Travel Map.

1. THE MAP IS WHAT I WANTED BUT I FEEL ALL THE ITEMS I ORDERED ON THE SAME DATE WHICH WAS 4-7-08 COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MAILED TOGETHER TO SAVE ME SHIPPING. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW. JENNIFER



2. These are great reference maps for generalized recreational activities. Not as detailed as a topo map, but still packed full of outstanding information. I have one for every state and I don't leave home with out them. An improvement over simple highway maps.

2 comments about Frommer's Mexico 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This is a wonderful book where it tells you history of the places, what to do, when to do it, entrance fees and the most important thing: how to go around the place.
   I love how this book give you explicit ideas of what to do not just on the place that you want to do but also what is to do in places around the town that you are visiting.
   I just love the Frommers book.
   Excellent



2. We took this book on our July 2007 driving trip through Western Mexico and found it nearly useless. Carefully examine the Table of Contents to ensure the areas you plan to visit are adequately covered. Often only the big city is covered. We traveled to Nogales, San Carlos, Los Mochis, Mazatlan, Durango, Torreon, and Chihuahua. My love affair with Frommer's guides started back in 1968, this shoddy guide broke my heart.

5 comments about Let's Go Mexico 21st Edition (Let's Go Mexico).

1. "Let's Go Mexico" has been running with the big dogs (Rough Guide & Lonely Planet) for years and it is the best guide out for those on a "starving student" budget.
   
   There is a great section at the beginning of the book, "Discover Mexico", which has five suggested itineraries - excellent. The "Beyond Tourism" chapter will help those looking for volunteer opportunities, environmental preservation, social action, teaching English and studying everything from language to college level courses. These two sections alone are worth the price of the book.
   
   The authors will find you the best rock bottom, dirt cheap, bargain basement, lowest price possible accommodations and restaurants to match. The accommodations listed in this guide span from under $10 to $25 plus. Where the guide has the "thumbs-up" symbol near the listing it is worth checking it out.
   
   There are restaurants in the guide for $2 (this doesn't include your beer) and these eateries have very good food! The guide was written by six "research-writers" so one geographical area can be better described than another. I found the descriptions of both the accommodations and eateries to be very brief and not as informative as the upscale guide ,"Frommer's" (a very good guide for Mexico - strongly recommended). However, you still get enough information to make a discerning choice.
   
   For those who love "Nightlife" (bars & clubs), the "Let's Go Mexico" guide is the best out today... especially for the young crowd. All of their recommendations, including the bars and clubs, are easy to find on fairly decent maps.
   
   Bottom line: This is guide is especially valuable if you are trying to explore Mexico on your lunch money. Happy Trails. Highly Recommended.



2. I didn't really gain much insight as to the types of activities I was hoping to explore in Mexico (Chiapas). Granted, there is a good deal of info regarding museums and markets in Let's Go, but not very much regarding ecotour and other outdoor pursuits, which don't get much mention at all in this guide. If you're looking for info regarding hotels and cultural attractions, Let's Go may be a good choice. If you're looking for info regarding ecotourism, outdoor activites, and other such things that may be a little off the beaten path, Rough Guide or Lonely Planet is probably the better buy.



3. I've been using Let's Go guides since college (over tens years ago), and they never disappoint. From great tested recommendations of places to eat, sleep, or sightsee, I know that Let's Go will steer me clear of tourist traps or dangerous situations abroad. My partner and I will be travelling to Cancun in mid-June, and have used Let's Go to plan all of our excursions, from scuba diving, to snorkelling, to bull-fight watching, to daytrips around the Yucatan peninsula. I highly recommend this book!



4. The content in the book is pretty good, though I'd prefer more meat and potatoes and less unnecessary discussion. It is interesting reading, but I prefer guide books to be more utilitarian. It also has a cheap feel to it--the paper is thin, sort of like newspaper. Lonely Planet feels sturdier, yet is thinner and has the same things to say. Let's Go also sells far too many advertisements in the book. I would understand seeing an ad every other page if it were free, but I paid for it and expect very few (if any) because of that.



5. it was an excellent choice. I wanted to buy it because last one I had gotten was 2001. This got new prices but not the newest ones.

No comments about Touring New Mexico Hot Springs, 2nd (Touring Guides).

2 comments about Rand McNally 2008 The Road Atlas: United States/Canada/mexico (Rand McNally Road Atlas).

1. Each year, I look forward to purchasing the newest Rand McNally road atlas. At last, I have purchased the 2008 edition. One nice touch this year--a plastic cover to help protect the normal soft cover.
   
   Since I was a kid, I have always enjoyed this publication. This atlas has never just been a source of information about how to get from point A to point B. There has always been a certain amount of "romance." Even as a kid, I would trace a route from one place to another, and look for the special sites along the way--and imagine what they were like. Whether a state park, a national monument, a battlefield, the birthplace of someone special, I would close my eyes and wonder.
   
   Even now, I still do the same thing.
   
   But there are also many practical aspects to the atlas. You can go to a web site to get further information, including road construction sites. There are phone numbers for contact information about hotels and road conditions. For short hand estimates of how long it would take to get from one place to another, the "miles and minutes" map on the inside of the back cover is a favorite.
   
   As my eyes lose a little of their power with each passing year, it's sometimes a challenge to read the small print.
   
   Still and all, this remains, for me, a classic and a purchase made each year that carries a little extra pleasure with it.



2. The atlas is ok. Honestly I don't like it as well as the 1997 version. I bought this 2008 version to replace the 1997 one. It's very similar...of course, it is updated but the printing is darker and that makes it harder to read.

No comments about New Mexico Off the Beaten Path, 8th (Off the Beaten Path Series).

No comments about Southwest Camping Destinations: RV and Car Camping Destinations in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah (Camping Destinations series).

No comments about New Mexico: Images of a Land and Its People.

5 comments about Retirement New Mexico: A Complete Guide to Retiring in New Mexico.

1. While the book devoted a bit more space to the retirement home/assisted care scene than I needed for each locale, it helped me find a number of interesting towns which had not been 'on the radar' with other sources. A good companion volume to a more generalized book on New Mexico.



2. Concise and well-organized. This is a good reference for comparing the salient points of different parts of New Mexico. We are currently trying to decide whether northwest or southwest New Mexico will suit us better. The illustrations are breathtaking and the descriptions include practical details on healthcare and other services.



3. This is a solid review of retirement locations in New Mexico. The information presented is helpful and well organized.



4. The book was delivered timely. It covered the Roswell area very well. Unfortunately some of the stats were not current but then it is really not possible for a book of this type to keep that data up-to-date since it changes almost daily. Otherwise the review satisfied me,



5. I would not consider this a "COMPLETE Guide to Retiring in New Mexico." I was hoping it would include specific retirement communities in different areas of New Mexico -- not just descriptions of the areas. The book needs to be updated.