Customer Reviews

Discovering Spain: An Uncommon Guide (New, Updated Edition)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the definitive guide to Spain. When Carol and I travel in Spain, we're three--the two of us and Penelope. We've been living in Spain since 1992 (the date of the first edition) and we've never traveled in this wonderful country without her. Her asides on history are worth the price of admission, her recommendations on where to eat and stay are invaribly reliable (although she could use some up-dating here and there in the countryside) and her take on places to see and what to do are a genuine menu of Spanish delights. If it matters, this is the preferred guide book of the American Embassy staff.

we traveled to spain during holy week 1999. the places we visited were influenced primarily by casas' beautiful prose. her book whetted our appetites for spain; both for the places and the food.

valencia and "la pepica," the catedral of paella were memorable, but... try finding the darn restaurant! the main drawback of this book is that there are no maps, no directions, and/or minimal addresses to find the locations that prove to be such a delight. (if you're not a spanish speaker, asking for directions is problematic!)

cuenca and alcala del jucar were everything and more that casas described, but both proved to have many more accomodations than offered by casas. she tends to advise higher priced hotels and paradors, but there proved to be many lovely low priced hotels.

casas is an excellent writer. i loved the book, but gosh, i sure cursed her when i was trying to find the places! btw, we loved spain and will definitely return!

This book truly fulfills it's intent - to be an uncommon guide. The references to history, culture and food are valuable, and Ms. Casas' love for Spain shines throughout. We are a family of four planning to live in Spain for next year - our family millenium project. This book has really inspired us to appreciate the beauty of the culture, people and food of all the different areas of Spain. It is so much more than the usual maps and tourist "must-sees". The only problem will now be to decide where we want to live as Ms. Casas has given us so many new options! (if you read this Ms. Casas, please let us know your thoughts on this!)

I enjoyed reading this book for the sense it gives you of each of the regions of this wonderful country. Unfortunately, this is an "uncommon guide" in that it does not go into detail on locations with maps and other assistance. Some other feedback for travelers bound for Madrid: The Wellington Hotel was under renovations this august (1999). Although the staff was so friendly, the hotel is lacking in atmosphere. We ended up relocating to another nearby hotel, the Villa Real, where they offered us a much nicer room AND and an excellent breakfast for the same cost. The staff there was, as we found to be so common in Spain, very gracious, helpful and hospitable.

Bring a "streetwise" guide for the cities you visit and you will do fine.

I was attracted to this book by Penelope Casas because I had found her cookery books very useful and authentic. I was also intrigued by the subtitle 'An uncommon guide'. However I have found this to be quite a common guide - not much here that others haven't written in other guidebooks about. Also the author seems to have very expensive tastes in accommodation and eating places. My experience in Spain has been that the most expensive is generally neither the best nor the most authentic.

This guidebook seems, as it claims itself in the spiel on the back cover, is definitely for an American readership.

We used this excellent book for a recent trip to Spain, and it made a notable difference, compared with a previous trip. We saw many things that we might have totally missed, and the book gives some very nice (but not tedious) background on just about everything of interest. Maps could be a little better (e.g., include all the places discussed in the text), but we used other maps, and it worked fine. Some restaurants/hotels may be a little pricier than others, but all were very good, and the recommendations usually at least led you to the right areas.

I have been visitng Spain for decades and Penelope Casas is my favorite Spanish cooking author. But in this book she adds local points of interests with places to eat.
Great guide book.

Penelope Casas' love of Spain pours out from every page of this wonderful book. In addition to the invaluable travel information, Ms. Casas infuses the book with historical anecdotes, suggestions for ferreting out artisanal treasures and a wealth of information on Spanish gastronomy. One can almost feel the presence of a caring friend gently guiding us to discover a culture of which she is so proud. I would rather die than travel in Spain without this book!

Penelope Casas, the world's leading authority on Spanish cuisine, has written the best and most comprehensive guide to travel in Spain. Now she has a new website - discoveringspain.com. Check it out

I love how this guide reads like a novel, and no so informational, Casas really makes you feel as if you're a part of her travels. Information is key in a guide book, but most people who are in love with the country of Spain, have so much passion and personality that we may need a little more than, "here and there info" I love her description, her recommendations and her passion for Spain.