4 comments about The Rough Guide Ibiza and Formentera, Second Edition.

1. As a travel guide, this book succeeds on a superficial level but fails to deliver the "real" knowledge that a traveler to Ibiza seeks. I'd like to insert a caveat here and say that much of the info that an Ibiza traveler is looking for is probably not something that any author in their right mind would put in a book. this book is mostly filled with info on how to book a flight, find a hotel, commute to the clubs or beaches, and where to eat. Great, if you are traveling to the Grand Canyon, or Great Wall of China but I doubt people go Ibiza to do the "tourist" thing. The book did touch on some wild incidents that were reputed to have occurred in the past causing my imagination to run wild. But overall, the book is very basic. I wish the "Let's Go" series would publish a book on Ibiza. They always put in what you want to know.



2. This guide was excellent, and extremely comprehensive. We went to Ibiza in Sept 2001 for the clubs' closing parties, but managed to hire out a car for a three days and explored the island. You've got to get to Atlantis, an amazingo quarry with weird hippy carving and to some of the beaches in the north. The restaurants recommended in the RG were also very well chosen - check out Bambuddha Grove for Thai food...mmmmm...



3. If you like this book about Ibiza, 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



4. Descriptions are detailed and basically accurate. However, this edition is 3 years old and getting out of date, especially for the club information (Pacha is really past it, for instance). Could use some more photos. Overall, I got my money's worth -- the physical info and rating of beaches etc is essentially excellent. Also, it turned me on to some of Ibiza's history, such as Elliot Paul's Life and Death of a Spanish Town. I only spotted one outright mistake: There is NO beach at Cala D'Aubaurca, although the cliffs there are really spectacular and well worth a vist -- and there will be no one else there.

No comments about Canary Islands: The Bradt Travel Guide.

No comments about Picos de Europa: Car Tours & Walks (Sunflower Guides Picos de Europa: Car Tours & Walks) (Sunflower Guides Picos de Europa: Car Tours & Walks).

1 comments about Portugal, 5th (Cadogan Guides).

1. Travelling through Portugal trying to use this book led to a ridiculous series of misadventures. We had thought about renting a car beforehand, but ended up visiting Coimbra and Lisbon only - making this book completely useless.
   
   The guide's profile of each of these cities (two of the three biggest) was abysmal. The maps had no scale or even north/south orientation, and included only a small section of each city. Also, the location of each place to stay and every other sight was given in address only, rather than as reference points on a map (Such as they do in Lonely Planet). Several of the addresses were not even on the maps provided by the guide, and some were on streets that were too small for the guide to print the street name.
   
   Basically our strategy became to get to the city and go straight to the tourist office. The only time the guide was remotely helpful was in listing a laundry facility located in Lisbon - but again, we had to rely on a tourist office map to find it. This guide was endlessly frustrating, and we constantly had to rely on the help of other travellers/citizens, the ever-useful tourist offices, and our ability to wander endlessly, to find anything and everything from internet cafes to hostels to clubs to good dining spots to fado.
   
   Honestly, by the end of the trip if we'd had a match we'd have burned it. Instead we just threw it away.
   
   

No comments about The Pilgrim Route to Compostela : In Search of St.James : A Practical Guide for Pilgrams and Walkers in Spain.

No comments about The Rough Guide to Mallorca and Menorca.

No comments about The AA Map & Guide to Costa Brava: Top 25 Sights (AA TwinPacks).

1 comments about Spain: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides).

1. This is a wonderful resource for those interested in the prehistory and early history of Spain. The book is well organized, with maps that cross-correlate with listings of sites by time period. Each site is described succinctly, and directions for finding the sites are clear and detailed. Obviously, the book is now about 5 years away from the most recent research, but nonetheless it represents a comprehensive guide for some essential places to know.

No comments about Valencia.

No comments about Sunflower Landscapes of Menorca: A Countryside Guide (Sunflower Guides Menorca) (Sunflower Guides Menorca).