Customer Reviews

Caribbean for Dummies (Dummies Travel) 3rd Edition

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

 

 

Oh dear, oh dear. This is the Caribbean from a Dummy. There is far more to it than this horribly limited selection of islands.

Aruba is in, but not Bonaire or Curacao. Nor St Maarten to round off the Netherlands and Dutch Antilles, plus its French half St Martin.

Grand Cayman yes - Cayman Brac and Little Cayman? These beauties are a short hop away for the discerning traveler.

Jamaica is in, but not Cuba.

Puerto Rico is there but not the Dominican Republic or the Spanish Virgin Islands. In better times Haiti can be an attractive destination.

BVI and USVI are there. No sign of Anguilla.

Further down the great chain of the East Caribbean islands all we see is Barbados (which is stuck out in the Atlantic anyway and does not count itself as East Caribbean). These islands are almost all popular holiday destinations for land or cruise travelers. St Kitts and Nevis (laid back), Antigua and Barbuda (365 beaches), the French islands Guadeloupe and Martinique (incomparable cooking and rum), Dominica (the only true rain forest in the Caribbean), St Lucia (spectacular), St Vincent and the Grenadines (sailing as good as BVI), Grenada (an under-appreciated gem with beaches every bit as good as Grand Cayman), Trinidad and Tobago (restful Tobago). No to mention a few islands like St Eustatius and Saba in the north, plus volcanic Montserrat for at least for a day trip from Antigua.

Anyone who relied on this book for a true view of the Caribbean really would be a Dummy. There is not one country in here that uses the East Caribbean dollar.

PS I live and work in the Caribbean. I have lived on four islands, visited thirty-six at the last count, and I am still delighted and amazed to find wonders round every corner.

The Garretts give readers a big dose of their "dummy" wit and wisdom about the Caribbean. Having traveled many times to the Caribbean, I found their candid commentary makes this book not only accurate and informative, but a fun read. I have shared the book with several friends and we all agree on this one. However, a word of warning - If you never desired to explore the Caribbean before, you will now.

The review says that the book includes information on St. Lucia and St. Maarten/St. Martin. It does not. It totally ignores most of the smaller islands of the Caribbean. I realize that they could not fit an in-depth analysis of all the Caribbean islands into one book, but to totally ignore the vast majority of islands makes this book incomplete and disappointing.

In reviewing the hotel section of the Caribbean For Dummies, I was VERY disappointed to see the omission of the Allego Resort which is located on Palm Beach. Located immediately between the Radisson and the Hyatt, this all-inclusive facility has been extremely popular with my family for the last 4 years. Anyone who has been referred to this hotel has returned with a very positive response. Your book has done a severe injustice to a novice traveller to the island by excluding the ARUBA ALLEGRO.

the book was informative but it left out several interesting islands. the book only covered 11 islands & i know there is more than that. for a first time visitor to the caribbean you need information on all the islands so you can choose which one is best for YOU!!! As i said okay book but fodors or frommers is a much better choice.

Yes, you'll find many Caribbean guidebooks out there. But this one's much more fun, complete and useful than others. The authors tap into their expertise and wonderful sense of humor to guide you to the best hotels, beaches, restaurants, attractions. And unlike some other guidebooks, this one's researched and written so well, you'll enjoy every page.

This book is great. It has so much information about the caribbean. These Garrett folks are hilarious. They seem to put their heart into this book and I appreciate it. There is a lot of info for couples looking for romantic spots and for families with kids.

Although I prefer the "Idiot's Guides," I got this "guide for dummies" at a yard sale. So far, it is proving to be just an "adequate" catalogue of activities, hotels, beaches and ways of getting around on the major islands (only) in the Caribbean. Unfortunately it is light on the history and nature of the peoples there, and ignores the smaller islands altogether. Since our cruise ship will be docking at smaller islands, most of the information here appears to be quite useless for our purposes.

Interestingly, it is subtitled: "with tips and recommendations from the experts at Frommer's?" This of course begs the more obvious question: Why not consult Frommer's instead? And although the book seems ideally designed and suited for those "island hopping" with pack packs or hiking gear and who favor scuba diving, it leaves a lot to be desired for those like us who are on ports call from a cruise, or who may be interested in activities other than scuba diving.

Although I did find some useful information here, overall the book struck me as being one packed with a maximum amount of data (culled from better sources) and a minimum amount of actual information? It also would have helped if the maps had been in color. As a result, I am going to take the author's suggestion and also consult Frommer's. Two stars

I am doing a cruise down the leeward chain and thought this book would help me during my cruise. To my disappointment I found that over 75% of the islands were not included. Aruba but no Bonaire or Curacao. The BVI and AVI but no Antigua, Nevis, St Barts, St Kitts, Montserrat, Dominica, Martinique,St Lucia, St Vincent, Bequia to name some of the missing islands. I may be a dummy but I know cruise ships stop at these islands too so I give a thumbs down on this book. Do't waste you money

Thorough and easy to ready information about traveling around in the Caribbean. Helps you figure out when is the best time/value to go, sights, local customs. Took it along with us while on our tropical vacation.