Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

by Matt Firestone (Author), Wendy Yanagihara (Author)
Key Phrases: Volcán Poás, rancho grande, Río Frío, Costa Rica, Getting There, Central America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Best for curious and independent-minded travelers' --Wall Street Journal
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Discover Costa Rica

Gaze at Volcan Arenal as it spews fiery lava into the twilight sky
Savor a cup o' joe straight from the source among the vast coffee fields of the Valle de Orosi
Stretch out in a beachside open-air yoga studio in Montezuma
Roll up your sleeves and help the sea turtles of Parismina

In This Guide

Three authors, 150 days, over 500 Imperial beers consumed
Inspirational 'Green Costa Rica' color chapter shows you how to tread lightly in paradise
Top spots of pit stops, cinematic kisses, hot springs, sunset views, wildlife watching and more
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for reviews, updates and traveler insights


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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 8 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741048850
• ISBN-13: 978-1741048858
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,545 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Conflicted author may depress you, July 10, 2007

By	Ross H. Calvert IV (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

While I agree with the conservationist spirit and general distaste for overrun tourist traps expressed throughout this guidebook by Matthew Firestone (one of the book's two authors), I found his relentlessly negative tone to be extremely off-putting. While the sections written by the other author (Mara Vorhees) are more neutral, informative and generally reflect the high quality I've come to expect from the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks, Matthew Firestone's sections have fully succeeded in dampening my enthusiasm for a trip to Costa Rica before the trip has even begun.

While it may be that the beach at Playa Tamarindo "is full of blubbery North American and European holidaymakers who spend most of their time frying in the sun like beached whales" turning their complexion "from a pasty white to a rosy shade of skin cancer," and while that description does indeed sound like a scene I would rather avoid, I find the author's consistent haughty tone and overriding negativity to be out of place and offensive in a book that is intended for - after all - tourists.

I am still planning what I fully expect to be an exciting and fun vacation in Costa Rica, but now I have to do so in spite of the author of this book's overbearing negativity. It's true, I'm sure, that Costa Rica was once better to visit than it is today, but this book is not for people who knew and loved the country years ago. It's intended for people who have never been there before, and since Mr. Firestone couldn't put aside his sour gripes and focus on what's great about the place rather than bemoaning what's been lost, his words and advice won't be making the trip with me.

This book has been my first disappointment in the Lonely Planet series.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only one you'll need, January 4, 2007

By	Dr D - See all my reviews

This review is from: Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

As usual I bought a few guide books and took them all with me. I had the National Geographic, the Tico Times book (Exploring Costa Rica) and the Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet was the bible. All the rest were fluff. As my trip progressed I put the others in the glove compartment and eventually deep in my luggage. The only time I needed anything else was consulting the map (I had a waterproof detailed Costa Rica map which I also recommend) and once when a phone number was misprinted.

As for the preachy tone, yes, I agree, there was a huge element in the book. A lot of it I tended to agree with (I personally think zip line tours are a terrible idea and would make more sense over Manhattan skyscrapers than in one of the world's most precious cloud forests and I also agree that Tamarindo is a hole) so it didn't bother me as much as some of the other reviewers. I wouldn't lower my score by more than half a star for that so they still got 5 stars.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Find a new author Lonely Planet, January 16, 2008

By	Fikus Tree "fikustree" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Costa Rica (Country Guide) (Paperback)

If you want to enjoy traveling to Costa Rica I would recommend another book. If you want to spend your time lamenting about how Costa Rica has changed, how Americans are annoying, and be afraid to take your valuables out of your hotel safe than I recommend you check this book out. I would often read passages out loud to different people I was traveling with. You would think that Jaco is similar to Jersey but with more crack and lots of prostitutes from reading this book. In fact, when I went it was mostly families, a little sketch, but man get a grip. I read the chapter on San Jose and was to afraid to take my camera to the central market and downtown. What a regret! The people everywhere in Costa Rica were so nice. Downtown was crawling with tourists with their cameras and police. It wasn't even remotely sketchy. We could only get reservations in Tamarindo for Christmas day and I was terrified that it was going to be like Myrtle Beach on Spring Break. Yes there were lots of condos but it was still Costa Rica! Dirt Roads. you could walk from one end of town to the other in less then 10 minutes, everyone was nice, the beach was pretty. I just couldn't understand why the authors seemed to hate travel so much and be so hateful towards places where we were going.

Also, the book didn't give a lot of key information about how to get around without a car. We wasted so much time in La Fortuna trying to figure out how to get to the different places we wanted to go. It turns out there isn't a bus, there are only guided tours. They are all expensive. We finally hitchhiked which worked out well but I never go to go on the hanging bridges. I loved Cahuita (it wasn't dangerous) and Dominical. I loved Costa Rica. I am ready to go back.

I just wanted to warn people to stay away from this book. I love guidebooks. I am the kind of psycho that gets them from the library and reads through them even when I am not going anywhere. This one was the worst.