2 comments about Spain: Interiors * Gardens * Architecture * Landscape.

1. I have found this book of very little help for those who want to get an idea of how Spain looks like. It seems it was written in the 19th century instead of in the 21st. The authors present (represent) Spain the same way it was pictured in many European and North American books of the 1800's and early 1900's: focusing mostly in the moorish buildings (which are not the majority in Spain)and the drafty rural houses. It seems that mostly shows, except for some pictures of Galicia, the misleading stereotype of Spain as a land of matadors, flamenco and moorish influence.
   I can't believe there aren't any pictures of Madrid, the capital of the country and with an enormous cultural heritage, Salamanca, with one of the oldest Universities in Europe, all the incredible cathedrals in Castile, the Renaissance buildings in Andalusia, the Cathedral of Santiago the Compostela and the Pilgrim's Path in Northern Spain (with a tremendous importance in Europe's Middle Age cristianity).
   The book omits the legacy of the Roman Empire, the palaces built during the Habsbourgs and the Bourbons, resulting in a very partial way to show the reader a general idea of Spain. It also surprises me that, in a book titled "Spain: Architecture,Interiors, Landscape, Gardens" there are the authors' political references to Spanish history, like when they say "...the infame Pizarro", refering to the conqueror of Peru, Francisco Pizarro.
   The conclusion is that most Spaniards will be offended reading this book, the foreign readers that have already visited Spain will think they visited a different country and, if they haven't been here yet, when they first visit, they will most likely have the feeling they arrived to a very different place .
   I planned this book to be a present for my girlfriend's family in the US, but I decided to return it because it would have not met my expectations: to show them an objective perspective of Spain's Architecture, Interiors, Landscape and Gardens.



2. I agree with the other reviewer, this book has concentrated on the areas exactly as he stated, however I still think this is a very nice book, and the pictures / places in it are very good. Spain is a beautiful place and this book is a bit one-sided, although to be honest I didn't even notice that until I read the other review.
   
   If you are interested in the things it does concentrate on, it is a very nice book. If you are looking for the things it has stayed away from, or you are looking for an overview of Spain, well it might not be the book you are looking for.
   
   Please note I have travelled all over Spain.

4 comments about Lonely Planet Canary Islands.

1. Damien Simonis wrote the first edition of the Lonely Planet's gide to the Canaries, and an excellent companion to the islands it was; now (May, 2001) Lonely Planet has issued the second edition of this work, and I am delighted to say that it is just as good (but more up to date) than the first version. Simonis was joined by Miles Roddis to prepare the current book, which follows essentially the same plan as the first guide, and which conserves intact much of the original writing about the islands. The current version displays and entirely new set of photographs by Simonis, who seems to have improved his camera work in the intervening years since he first published the guide.

   The book is amazingly fruitful for its relative compact size and number of pages (271): it provides brief but essential information about the history of the islands, its dogs, its Canary birds, people, plants, transportation, medical services, its gay life, the island sports, and the means of getting there. It accurately describes each of the seven islands, and managest to convey the major and the subtle differences between them -- and those differences can be huge: from the dry Saharan landscapes of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, to the verdant La Palma, to the scraggly beauty of Hierro. The Pico de Teide, on the island of Tenerife, is the 3rd largest volcano on earth (after Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, in Hawaii)and rises from the sea to over 12 thousand feet. Its peak is covered with snow most of the year, but at sea level the islands have superb weather.

   For those about to visit the Canaries, a Lonely Planet guide to them is essential. I don't think it is necessary to buy the second edition if one already owns the first: there are no dramatic changes between the books, and with a little flexibility the traveler will find the first edition just as useful as the second one. The travel tips are pricesless in both books and they will surely enhance the pleasure of visiting this strange and beautiful corner of the world. Don't leave without a copy.




2. I took this book on my recent trip to Canary Islands. Most of the information contained in the book can be easily found on internet (or even more). The content is an encyclopedic compilation of facts (probably rehashed from other publications) with very little personal experience. This is another hastily written and impersonal guide book. I expected something like the Ultimate Kauai and got less than could be found on Ecanarias web site. The most irritating, in my opinion, were multiple references to another book by one of the authors about hiking trails. If you want to hike - buy another book, uh. There is no even basic walk described. I laughed pretty hard when I read about poorly marked trails in the National Park on La Gomera. The reality is quite opposite. The trail-heads have excellent markings and even area maps. You wander how many years it has been since they visited last time. (the signs start show age here and there). There is nothing outstanding about this book. No personal touch like Ultimate Kaui Guide or sumptuous visual information like in DK Eye Witness series that steers you to the best sights (too bad none on Canary Islands is available yet). Explanation for this mediocre performance dawned on me when I realized what a prolific author Damien Simonis is. He "fathered or better bastardized" guide books covering about 15 - 20 areas (depending how you count) and these include whole countries like Italy, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, southern Spain and even all of Africa. Doing simple math tells you that he could not work on updating each more than 3 weeks a year. Probably many tourists would beat him in this aspect.
   I enjoyed other Lonely Planet publication but this one is a real disappointment. There is plenty of free guides in English, even hiking maps and trails, once you get to islands. Save your money and skip it.



3. I lived in the Canary Islands for 10 years. I am returning this winter for the first time as a tourist, and purchased Lonely Planet's guide, because they are normally good. Using this guide, I cannot find a single decent place to stay, any good restaurants, and even the activities list is pathetic. I know you're probably thinking that I'm just jaded because I lived there and know the spots, but from a basics perspective, not ONE of the major hotels that I know are good are listed, the three hotels that I did recognize are dumps, and the restuarant selections are crappy tourist dives without any real authenticity. Unfortunately, I don't have a good guide to recommend yet, but whatever you do, don't get this one!



4. I got the guide, because I like the Lonely planet books. Well, that one is an exception - there is nothing interesting or useful. use some other guide or go to turist information in the airport. Canaries are pretty civilized and there are not many surprises here, so maybe that is why the book is so thin and uninteresting.

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Madrid.

1. I found this guide of Madrid to be extremely useful. It provided a good deal of history for the local sights and events and wasn't too conspicuous to carry around. I recommend this book without hesitation.



2. I am an experienced traveler (30+ countries) who is nearing retirement and plan to travel extensively, who has recently become obsessed about finding "good" guidebooks. So this review is a comparison of the books I looked at for Madrid.

   I started with the Insight Guide. I was seeking to get background, history, etc. The Insight Guides seem to vary enormously from one to the next in both quality and orientation. I think they are good for an entire country if you are trying to decide where in the country or what parts you want to see. I thought the guide for Madrid was useless. It provided very little information about the city or the culture. It seemed to be best if you were planning on moving to Madrid and wanted to find out the differences between the various suburban areas. I suggest you forget this one.

   I looked at the Mini-Rough Guide. I didn't like the format and it was too terse for my taste. In my opinion, Rough Guide still needs to produce a guide for Madrid that is a regular, not a mini Rough Guide. The LP Guide to Madrid seemed pretty mediocre. The stiff covers also made it awkward to use or hold open to a particular page. The information and descriptions were inadequate compared to some other guides. The Eyewitness Guide to Madrid is, I think, the best overall guide to Madrid. (Generally I prefer Eyewitness guides for City's much more than as a guide for an entire country.) The maps are good, the pictures of the food and other items are very helpful. The hotels and restaurant sections were pretty good, but not great. If you are looking for hostels, you will need the LP guide. Eyewitness does not give great historical depth, but it gives you some, probably enough for most tourists. Guide Books are not the best source for detailed historical and cultural information anyway. The Time Out guide was almost like a tourist's yellow pages, primarily a listing of hotels, restaurants, sites, services, etc. It had the best listing of restaurants and hotels and covered all price ranges. It wasn't as good as Eyewitness is describing the things to see and do.

   I ended up getting the Eyewitness Guide to use while sightseeing, supplemented by the Time Out guide for picking hotels, restaurants and being able to look up things. Another reviewer recommended this same combination in order to visit Tapas bars. I'm not that much into Tapas, but I still think these two are the best combo.

   Incidentally, the Spain Rough and LP guides Madrid sections do not cover Madrid as well as the Madrid-only guides. You are looking at a 60-page section, compared to the Madrid-only guides of around 300 pages length.

No comments about The Rough Guides' Rome Directions 1 (Rough Guide Directions).

No comments about Travellers Menorca, 2nd: Guides to destinations worldwide (Travellers - Thomas Cook).

No comments about Walking the Camino: A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago.

No comments about Weekend Escape: Barcelona (World Travel Guides Series).

1 comments about Taste of Castile.

1. Gijs van Hensbergen left England to go to Spain for a as yet undefined adventure. He ended up falling in love with the country and the food described in mouth-watering detail. through a quirk he gets a job at a famous restaurant and we have a sort of Kitchen Confessional. But more than anything it is about the people and their truly foreign way of life. The bok contains a few savory recipes and descriptions of several local customs and holidays.

1 comments about Madrid Destination Map (National Geographic Destination Map).

1. High quality and durable. My husband spent a few years in Madrid once and he likes reminiscing about the areas he's been to. This was a Christmas present for a guy who had no Christmas list and I'm really glad I got it. Note: it only shows the main city center and no 'burbs, but for what it displays it is fabulous!

No comments about Madrid (AA Popout Cityguides) (AA Popout Cityguides).