Customer Reviews

Fodor's Australia 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

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Note: This review is solely about the Sydney section.

I'm in Sydney now on my one week trip. I had contemplated on purchasing a Lonely Planet version of Australia, but it was a bit old (published in 2005-06). I've used Lonely Planet books in the past for Japan and they worked rather well, but I decided to go for Fodor's because it was a brand new book, therefore up-to-date information...

Well, after reading the parts about Sydney over and over, I have come to some conclusions:

*This book is not for backpackers. There is no section on hostels and all of Fodor's choices (highest recommendation) are extremely pricey. This includes restaurant recommendations as well.

*Some restaurant information are out of date. I went to Costi's Famous Fish Cafe today, looking for some barbecued octopus, only to find out they have completely shut down. I also called to make a reservation at Becasse (a Fodor's choice), but they aren't open on Sundays; they also serve lunch. This goes against what the book said. Who knows what other information is out of date!

*This book does not contain local insider info. I can't think of anything that makes this book stand out from any other travel book.

The plusses about this book is that mentioned a number of things to do near Circular Quay and a tidbit about the Sydney Fish Market. I highly recommend anyone with an appetite for fresh sashimi, oysters, crab, lobster, etc. to go check it out and feast on excellent food. We had to go twice that day because it was THAT GOOD.

A great complement for this book is Sydney mini Street Directory by UBD which provides your mapping needs in a compact book.