1 comments about Northern Spain: How to Find Great Wines Off the Beaten Track (Discovering Wine Country).

1. Only book of its type, as far as I know. Went on a wine tasting trip to Priorat, Montsant, and Penedes with my father, and found this guide invaluable. It was practically the only source of information we had when we set out, and it gave us plenty of info for a perfect 4 days of wine tasting. Simple things, like hotels, generally efficient routes through the regions, restaurants, etc., would have been dramatically more difficult to plan without this guide. For what it's worth, she's absolutely right about the tourism office in Falset, they have a giant map of the Montsant and Priorat regions that supplements this book perfectly.
   
   If I have any complaint, it's that she's very liberal in her praise. She is unlikely to tell you when a given winery, much less a region, isn't very good. But so what? The purpose of this guide is to give you enough information to be able to go there and make your own judgments.

No comments about Bilbao & Basque Country, 2nd (Footprint - Pocket Guides).

1 comments about The Rough Guides' Costa Brava Directions 1 (Rough Guide Directions).

1. This is my first experience with the Rough Guide series and I am overwhelmingly pleased. The Costa Brava is usually "added" to guides on Barcelona and is given very little space in guides to Spain. This is a jewel...concise, informative, covers the smaller places that other guides do not mention. Very nicely done little book - it's definitely going to be one of the "chosen few" that we take with us on our trip to Costa Brava and Barcelona this Fall.

5 comments about Frommer's Spain 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. Note: This is for anyone contemplating purchasing the new 2006 travel guide of Spain by Frommers. Don't waste your money. Although I have purchased over 30 Frommers books in the past and enjoyed each one, the Spain book was awful. In Madrid, the book lists 20 or so "Top Attractions" (which is customary for Frommers). However, try to read about these attractions (e.g. what they are, hours of operation, etc.) and you can only find about half of them in the book. How do you know if it is worth treking across town for something that has no description?
   
   In addition, some attractions in Barcelona are not correct on the map (literally they are across town from where Frommers puts them). I ended up stopping in bookstores and reading Eye Witness in order to see what I was missing.
   
   Save your money. I am also sending a complaint directly to Frommers as well. For the rest of the reviews (prior to mine) on this page, note that they are for other Frommers Spain versions (not the 2006 book).



2. Thorough, Comprehensive and well-put together.
   
   From all the travel books out there on Spain this one is not a compilation of mere facts, photos, phone numbers and page-fillers.
   
   What sets Frommer's apart is the information provided and the style in which is presented. You will find lodging options for various budgets, a list of most important sites to see and even suggested ways to spend time in a city if you have only 1 day or as much as 5 days, great places to eat and great places to splurge if you can stretch your dollar. Be aware that this is not a book for the ones on a shoestring budget. Frommer provides a good introduction to Spain without being overloading you with mass amounts of information or pictures, a truly well-balanced book.
   
   When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).



3. I just got back from Spain a few days ago, having used the 2006 Frommer's Spain to plan our trip. None of the entries have been updated to reflect 2006 pricing for entry fees to museums, etc. The book has a small section in the front called "What's new in Spain" or something along those lines, but the rest of the book does not appear to have been updated for 2006. We ended up spending more than we had expected at almost every single place we visited on Frommer's advice due to the fact that the pricing was outdated. In hindsight, I would have saved some money and bought a used 2005 version. And FYI, most attractions have student discounts which knock up to half of the admission price off, so don't leave your student ID at home if you have one!



4. I've been to Spain several times, and until now I've been using the Lonely Planet 2003 Spain guide. On my upcoming trip there in May I thought I might update and perhaps complement my old guide by getting a 2007 edition
   from another publisher. So, I picked up the Frommer's 2007 and started reading it in depth when I got home. Well, it's just not that good. The layout is very annoying and they barely list any hotels that aren't expensive. Also, they leave alot of tidbits out that the lonely planet has. (Like the chapter on Toledo for example, says nothing about the mass migration of the population to high rises around the city. Lonely Planet mentions things of this nature. Many of the Lonely Planet chapters usually make mention of a negative aspect of a certain area, which every good book should have.)
   
   Not to mention the maps in the frommer's are basically nonexistent. Nothing more than a faraway street map with only the main roads filled in. The map of sevilla for example, only lists a couple major arteries and the names of plazas. For a city as confusing as sevilla, this isn't a big help. Good thing I already know my way around. To conclude, I'd say that Frommer's is just missing that one essential aspect: Soul. The book has no soul. No opinions, no diversity, no explanations of seedy happenings or places to stay away of because of certain things. Just no soul or passion and terrrrrrrrrible maps.



5. The date on the latest edition says 2007, but this book is completely out of date.
   
   I took a quick look at the Madrid chapter and immediately found the following:
   
   (a) The subway map is old (p. 98); line 8 from the airport started running to Nuevos Ministerios a long time ago but this is not shown.
   
   (b) On pg. 94 it is claimed that there are airport buses to Plaza de Colon. They used to go there, but since Feb. 2005 (two Frommer editions ago!) they terminate at Avenida de America.
   
   (c) On pg. 41 there is the wacky claim "There is a very favorable exchange rate in Spain when you pay in US dollars". The exchange rate for euros isn't any different in Spain than anywhere else, and it isn't "favorable" at all. When do you think this sentence was written?
   
   (d) There's an article about internet access away from home. That's useful and modern, right? Well, it recommends hotspots operated by T-Mobile "at more than 1000 Starbucks coffee shops nationwide". The 'nation' they're talking about is the USA!
   
   As I said, I got this during a quick browse; this is not a complete list of the weirdness in this shoddy little book.

No comments about Fodor's Madrid's 25 Best, 4th Edition (25 Best).

1 comments about La Sagrada Familia.

1. My husband and I took a trip to Barcelona this year and visited this cathedral. I wanted a book that detailed all the areas you were not really able to see at the ground level. I also wanted a bit of the history and explaination of the building. This book gave me everything I was looking for. If you want very detailed pictures of just about everything on the facade, this is the book.

No comments about Barcelona Restaurants & More.

2 comments about A Long and Uncertain Journey: The 27,000 Mile Voyage of Vasco Da Gama (Great Explorers).

1. A Long And Uncertain Journey is the entertaining and informative picturebook story of Vasco da Gama's 27,000 mile exploratory journey in 1497. Sailing to discover a route to China just five years after Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama discovered what Columbus had not -- a sea route from Europe to China. Elizabeth Goodman blends a compelling, dramatic narrative with Tom McNeely's superbly drawn watercolors giving readers age 8 to 18 a memorable and enjoyable "window in time" to one of the truly outstanding feats in history.



2. hi ,
   Im Hermione and i like to write a review on the above book.
   its nice and ive bought it using the information they have given.
   though i would like them also to write out the summary of the book so that the viewers have an idea of the book since all the books are about vasco da gama{the bks that i ordered}.
   In all other respects the site is good
   thanking you
   Hermione{this is not only a name in the harrypotter bk but also my real name}
   {im from britain and love harrypotter}

2 comments about Mallorca (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides).

1. If you like this book about Mallorca, take a look to one of the following links: http://www.balearicpictures.net http://www.mallorcapictures.com http://www.menorcapictures.com http://www.ibizapictures.net http://balearicpictures.net http://mallorcapictures.com http://menorcapictures.com http://ibizapictures.net



2. If you like this book about Mallorca, take a look to one of the following links: http://www.balearicpictures.net http://www.mallorcapictures.com http://www.menorcapictures.com http://www.ibizapictures.net http://balearicpictures.net http://mallorcapictures.com http://menorcapictures.com http://ibizapictures.net

2 comments about Lodging in Spain's Monasteries.

1. The information in this reference book is very good. The text and photos are informative. The one missing link is a map or series of maps that would help the reader orient him/herself.
   
   I recommend it for adventurous travellers.



2. This is an exceptionally well presented resource on Spain's monastic lodging opportunities. I have been studying and trying to stay in monasteries in Spain for at least 10 years. This is the first resource that I believe will really help me find these preferred accommodations in Spain. I haven't used the book yet but I shall this summer. I am very optimistic.
   
   In addition the travel information about the area around the monastery is unusually good. It often gives more particular and much more interesting information than other regular guidebooks. I know several of the areas discussed well and I find that the information given is much of what I want to know. It has a different perspective that will enrich any journey.