Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Serious drawbacks, September 30, 2005
It makes sense to market a guidebook focusing on the two cities in China that many Americans will bundle together in one trip. I found the site, hotel and restaurant reviews consistent with my own experiences (albeit my sample size was small). But this book has key drawbacks that made me regret the weight it took up in my baggage: (1) place names for hotels, restaurants, sites, etc. are generally given only in English. Most tourists will get around these cities by cab. Cab drivers in China almost never speak any English. Nor will most Chinese on the street, should you want to ask directions. Thus, giving these names in both Chinese characters and Pinyin (romanized Chinese, so American travelers could at least try to pronounce them), should be mandatory for any guidebook you actually want to take with you to China. (2) The maps are confusing and, worse, sometimes inaccurate. Separate maps are given for hotels, sites and restaurants, and the formats differ, making it harder than it needs to be to figure out, say, how to reach a given site from your hotel. Many streets are unlabeled, making it hard to use the maps when walking around. It's not clear whether the maps are to scale, and scales aren't provided, so the maps can't be used to predict how far away things are. (3) Little information is given even on key sites. It would be better to find a guidebook that included little maps of large sites and major museums, as well as detailed background information. (4) The phrasebook section is far too limited, includes phrases you won't actually need (e.g., phrases for checking into hotels, although every hotel listed will have English-speaking reception staff), and omits phrases you definitely will want (e.g., phrases for asking directions and navigating customs) as well as phrases that could make your trip more fun (e.g., a basic foot-massage vocabulary). Finally, it should be noted that, like other Fodor's titles, this book is geared towards travelers who might be somewhat afraid of leaving their "luxury bubble." Unless you are willing to set the book aside and explore on your own, using this book will shield you from a lot of wonderful experiences.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than expected.., January 11, 2007
When we went to China..we bought the Eyewitness Guide that everyone raved about...as well as Lonely Planet for Shanghai and Beijing...and we usually love Lonely planet books...this book was a gift..and since we don't usually like Fodor's..we didn't expect much..however we did find it very helpful on the places to eat, places to visit, things to see. Although Eyewitness..and the Insight Guide were much more informative on China culture/history etc..but for getting around.. I would reccommend this book.
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