Customer Reviews

Cancun & the Yucatan For Dummies (Dummies Travel)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hadn't been to Cancun in twenty years and my traveling companion had never been, so we were looking for more than a book that outlined the location and services of area hotels. We wanted tips, how-to's, cautions, insider secrets and local recommendations. This book had them all. While it's true that the book highlights only the authors' picks for restuarants and hotels and can't be called a comprehensive hotel guide, it was invaluable in the information it lent regarding phones, transportation, money, fees and schedules, customs, activities and more. And when we finally got to Cancun and Cozumel, my companion and I were not only informed and prepared but delighted to find that virtually all of the information (both subjective and objective) was correct. The local restuarant we'd highlighted in the book turned out to be a word-of-mouth tradition in Cozumel. We chose our hotel based on the book's description of offshore snorkeling and found out it was widely known on the island for unrivaled aquatic beauty. True, I could've found much of this information by combing the Internet, but I didn't have to thanks to this book, which also includes any contact info you could ever need. We referred to it constantly while in Mexico and can't reccommend what we came to call "The Book" highly enough.

I've never been to Cancun before and had no idea where to start planning my trip. I bought this book because it promised to be an easy-to-use reference for the first time visitor. And that's exactly what I found. This guide covered more than I expected, with detailed information on Cozumel, Playa del Carman, and more. The authors obviously knew what they were talking about, as the savvy advice given in the book made my decisions easy to make!

Found it to be a little out of date i.e. the toll roads are almost over US$18 to get from Cancun to Valladolid and only take cash! But, this book offers so much local knowledge that it is a necessity to someone new to the area.
The book is also a little weak when it comes to the ruins - only list 4 of them. So if you go to see and want to know more on the Maya ruins get a good map of the Yucatan and a book specializing on the ruins themselves.
Despite these minor issues, if you want to manage yourself and not go on one of the bus tours you need this book!!!

Excellent resource for both first time or returning travelers. Easy to read, excellent overview of the area and history. Even though we vacation there often, we will be taking this book with us this winter.

The book was well written and organized. It was easy to look up information about all different types of subjects. We used this book on our trip to Cancun and we maximized our adventures during our stay.
Jim Kerr

I found this book to be unuseful. It talks too much about things that most people would know anyways. The book doesn't talk about many hotels. It's more or less a overview and doesn't pay attention to detail.

I bought this guide book to learn more about the Yucatan Peninsula. Apart from Chichen Itza, the book only covers Quintana Roo, and really only the beaches. The sparse chapter on the ruins only covers 3 ruins, because "of course, most of these smaller ruins aren't of interest to the casual observer because they're mere mounds of earth ..." How wrong the book is on this. People wax rhapsodic about UXmal, and are excited by the new discoveries at Ek Balem. I bought it at a going out of business sale, and wish I hadn't succombed to the temptation. I notice that Merida is a suggested tag -- it isn't even in the Index.

This book was shipped very fast and in excellent condition. Very good transaction. Anyone needing information about Cancun will enjoy the read. It is well written and easy to navigate.