3 comments about Colonial Mexico 2 Ed: A Guide to Historic Districts and Towns.

1. I think this is an excellent book. I was delighted to find a guidebook that focuses on such an under appreciated topic. It is well researched and well writen. It describes many of the major colonial towns in central and southern Mexico. It provides a brief history for each town, describes the significant buildings, as well as near bye attractions. The maps are accurate and easy to read. It will be one of the few guide books that I bring on my next trip to Mexico.



2. Ok, go and buy this book. I am saying this because it is indeed a good read on Mexico and its historic towns and not just because this author devotes 16 pages to my adopted town of Guanajuato!
   
   Doug Bower
   Author: THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO



3. This is a great book on the "silver cities' of mexico. Reads like a novel, not a tour guide. very informative and entertaining. I've been to a few of the cities mentioned and now I feel I have to go back to see some of the things I missed!! A wonderful guide to parts of Mexico well worth exploring.

1 comments about The Spell of New Mexico.

1. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the state of New Mexico.

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Mexico 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. I love these guides because they offer the perfect balance between practical information and "the fun stuff." Rough Guides keep getting better and better, and this one is the best I've ever purchased (I have a collection of about 20). For long-time fans, it's typical Rough Guides fare: It's a thick flexible chunk of paper featuring exhaustive coverage, more words than photographs, lots of cultural and historical context, simple easy-to-read maps, special attention to important natural attractions, a sample of the best accommodations and restaurants, and a nice bibliography of related books, films and music. While that may seem like more of the same, this guide brings the series to a new level of refinement. And what better country for reaching such a milestone than truly beautiful Mexico! Armchair travelers and serious vagabonds alike deserve a guide this good.



2. While I liked some things about this book there are a few of things that drove me crazy and made it hard to use. One is the method of using a numbering system for hotel prices. It took me a long time to find the key to this system which is located near the beginning of the book. Why can't they just put the actual prices and separate the hotels into budget, mid-range, and high-end categories the way Lonely Planet does?
   
   Another frustrating thing was bus information. Near the end of my trip I found that they have information at the end of each section listing bus routes for that region, but in most cases not much information about schedules. When is the last bus of the day? The first? Can I get from San Cristobal to Oaxaca? Reading this book you would not know if it is possible, yet there are three direct buses a night.
   
   The third issue, and possibly the worst failing of this book, is the quality of the maps. They are much smaller and less detailed than Lonely Planet's. In one case a recommended hotel was misplaced on the map causing me to walk around for an hour looking for it until I finally resorted to going to an internet cafe to look up the hotel's location on line. Also, the hotels and restaurants are indicated by letters and numbers on the map, but these are not cross-referenced on the descriptions of the establishments so what I would do is look up the name and letter then write the letter next to the hotel description for easy reference.
   
   The index is also very poor. For example, I had seen some information about whale-watching and couldn't find it again. The index made no reference to the page I had seen, but when I finally did find it, it was a featured activity for the region!
   
   The book does make interesting reading as another reviewer said, but I wonder if he or she has ever actually tried to use it as a guide.

5 comments about Panama Canal By Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising the Panama Canal (2nd Edition).

1. This will be packed and going on my upcoming cruise. It has not only the historical, cultural, political perspectives on the canal, but has all the Central America, Mexico, South America ports where you stop during the cruise. Wonderful maps, pictures, and discussions about the surrounding areas.
   I am enjoying studying it each night in prepartion for our cruise.
   Well write and easy to pack. This author did a tremendous job with this guide. I would definitely buy other guides from Ms. Vipond.
   Linda Canada



2. Our Holland America transit of the Panama Canal in May '07 included a veteran tour guide talking on the ships announcement systems. His description was very poor and the facts were just wrong. I knew that because I had read this book.
   
   I recommend you buy and read this book before making your transit.



3. Great coverage of the history and structure of the Panama Canal itself and a great deal of information about cruise ships in general. However, I was disappointed in the coverage of the ports. I would have preferred more details.



4. Purchased this book for my mother-in-law. She seemed to like it. They are taking a trip there, so it made a good gift. Have not read the book myself.



5. I bought this book prior to a Panama Canal cruise not just for the cruise information but also because of the extensive amount of history covering the Panama Canal, including how it was built and the political involvement in making it happen. The details and background on the canal are outstanding.
   
   What I didn't expect to find was not only information about the ports of call in Panama, but information about every possible port of call on a Panama Canal cruise. Whether you sail from Florida to California or any other path, your ports are covered in this book. Know what to purchase in Costa Rica, know where to sightsee in Cozumel, and know where the locals will be waving at your ship as you pass through the canal. A must have guide for every canal cruise, and a great guide for the Caribbean and Mexico as well.

1 comments about Scenic Driving New Mexico, 2nd (Scenic Driving Series).

1. Laurence Parent is a well-known photographer - his photos illustrating this book are superb (wish there were more) and his descriptions of these drives in New Mexico are great...the maps are crude but serviceable. They are better than the very rough ones in his Hiking New Mexico, though...I've driven almost all the routes described and got my money's worth many times over - the book is well-used and always with me on my New Mexico trips.

2 comments about Frommer's Cancun & the Yucatan Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day).

1. Small enough to carry around and very useful! The authors write clearly and make it sound fantastic. Can't wait for my trip to start, Will carry this with me everywhere.



2. this guide was very helpful and informative about the region especially in finding good places to eat at

5 comments about Stories from Mexico : Historias de Mexico.

1. This is a small book, but great reading. When the space shuttle was visible from Mexico a friend saw it with great delight and found out that
   a young gentleman talked about the rabbit on the moon, which she had never heard of before, so the first story is all about this. Good for those who want to be bi lingual



2. This is a fantastic book for Spanish review and practice. Very easy to check yourself and translate vocabulary because of the accurate English translations. The stories give you cultural insight,as well.



3. This is an excellent book for a beginning Spanish student or anyone who wants to improve their Spanish reading skills. The "side-by-side" layout with English and Spanish on opposing pages eliminates constantly having to refer to a dictionary to translate unknown words.



4. Great book, interesting stories and legends from Mexico. Intermediate level Spanish, or a little above. The short 2-3 page stories are a good introduction to some of the legends of Mexico. I enjoyed having the side-by-side translation; it made it easier to understand the full translation. not just word by word text. Highly recommended.



5. I have had trouble finding side-by-side readers appropriate for my level. (I would say I am at an intermediate to advanced-intermediate level) This book is perfect for my level, in fact, the best I have found so far. The stories are normally around three to four pages long and interesting. Another book I would recommend is "First Spanish Reader."

3 comments about Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque (Regional Guide).

1. We were staying with a local in Taos whose restaurant reviews for the area echoed the ones in the book. One of the restaurant listings even mentioned the exact dish she always get at that locale (Tres Colores).
   
   One addition - try to make happy hour at The Alley (the oldest building in town, used to be a trading post) which is just steps off the plaza (where they have free concerts on Thursday nights in the summer) for some really incredible (and cheap) margaritas.
   
   We didn't go wrong with the restaurant or tourist attraction recommendations in Albuquerque either. I thought this was a GREAT guide!



2. We were heading to Northern New Mexico for the first time and this book helped us plan our trip for maximum enjoyment. What an amazing area!



3. LONELY PLANET ALBUQUERQUE, SANTA FE, AND TAOS is a great book on the rugged northern section of New Mexico. The three cities the book focuses on each have their own charms, especially Santa Fe, with its live-and-let-live attitude providing for healthy ethnic diet ideas that will be useful for anyone who's trying to look good for their favorite actor or actress. Other ways to achieve that dream, such as hiking and bicycling in the mountains surrounding these three cities, are also discussed, as are shopping opportunities and radio stations. Overall, this book is a wonderful addition to any travel library.

No comments about Frommer's Los Cabos & Baja (Frommer's Complete).

5 comments about Cashing In on a Second Home in Mexico: How to Buy, Rent and Profit from Property South of the Border.

1. I "bought" a home in Puerto Pensaco two years ago. I am still trying to get my Fideicomiso. While everything looks like it will turn out ok, I sure wish i had read this book first. If nothing else I would have understood the process better and would have know what questions to ask and what documents to look for.
   
   A very informative book and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about buying in Mexico. It will increase you comfort level trmendously.



2. I found this book very informative. It covered all aspects of buying property in Mexcio and information on specific areas of the country. Even though he promotes Stewart Title Insurance I see how this is an important area to consider when purchasing in Mexico. I learned a lot and will keep this book for future reference.



3. Book in great condition. Easy reading, and many good pointers on moving to Mexico. Great information on email address for help on subject of renting or owning property. Think it will be very usefull.



4. This book, although it does occaionally contain tidbits of information specific to the Mexican real estate process, contains alot of information general in nature such as chapter seven: "Calculating your discretionary income"; or chapter nine: "Strategies to find (and keep) good renters".
   
   Much of the book is written more like a travel or tour guide such as chapter one: "Top 10 locations that will appreciate over time"; or chapter five: "Sharing the stories of people and places" including "a trip across the border to the dentist".
   
   Pertinent and useful infomation is presented in chapter seventeen: "Understanding taxes: what to expect from Uncle Sam".



5. I am in the process of buying a house in Mexico. I am buying in Baja and the info in the book really helped me. So far, so good. Fortunately, I'm buying from a reputable developer and my purchase so far has been exactly the way the book detailed that it should go. I think this is a great book to show you what the sale should look like so that you can tell when it is legit or not. Great info source.