Customer Reviews

Fodor's Pacific Northwest, 18th Edition: with Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver (Full-color Travel Guide)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No one travel guide can serve as an all encompassing travel planner, but the 18th edition of Fodor's "Pacific Northwest" does a very good job of covering the basics and then some.

The book is divided so there is a separate discussion of each area of interest. Thus, there are chapters on Portland, the Oregon Coast, Willamette Valley, the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood, Central Oregon, Crater Lake National Park, Eastern Oregon, Seattle, Seattle Environs, The Puget Sound and San Juan Islands, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Yakima River Valley, Eastern Washington, and Vancouver and Victoria.

Each chapter is logically organized. For example, the chapter on Seattle begins with a rundown of the "top reasons" to go to Seattle, followed by a general orientation of the area, how to get around, when to go and a detailed discussion of what to see in each part of the city. I have been an occasional visitor to Seattle and environs, and this guide provides everything you need to know for comprehensive sightseeing. There are also suggestions of where to eat divided by area, with several restaurants highlighted as a "Fodor's Choice," and even restaurant suggestions when "dining with kids." There are also lodging suggestions divided by area, again with some recommended as "Fodor's Choice." No list of the restaurant and lodging suggestions in a large city can be comprehensive and the suggestions in this book are no exception. For example, there are many hotels in the South Lake Union - Queen Anne area and I have stayed at several good hotels there, but not at either of the two hotels Fodor suggests in this area. There are about a dozen hotel recommendations for downtown Seattle and more for other areas, so a reader has a good chance of finding a suitable choice, if he is limiting himself only to the recommendations in this book.

The book also has maps of selected areas and interesting color photographs. I have regularly used Fodor travel books with great success and this volume is current and lives up to the Fodor standards. My suggestion is, however, that when using any travel guide, including this one, a traveler should consult other travel resources to supplement the information in this book, especially with regard to restaurant and hotel recommendations.

Having lived in Oregon for over forty years I've traveled throughout Oregon and Washington, enjoying many of the sights mentioned in this book. Instantly taken in by the lovely cover photo of Crater Lake in Crater Lake National Park, I was excited to take a look inside.

Like most of the Fodor's guides this book is filled with what I would call 'overview' information for those who know nothing of an area and want a feel for it. Recognizing that most guidebooks can't cover all the info on an area, I went directly to an area I know very well because I've lived here most of my life: 'Southern Oregon', specifically the Medford, Ashland and Grants Pass areas. Knowing what's there to do, festivals, restaurants, lodging, etc... it gave me a chance to get a feel for how well represented these areas are in the book. I was disappointed.

I'm not sure how Fodor's decides what restaurants and lodging make it into their guidebooks, but I can't help but wonder if it's based upon who pays them to do so. This is not to say that there isn't good information in this book - there is, but in my opinion, it's biased and sometimes a bit 'snobby'. Bearing that in mind I wasn't surprised to see the limited number of restaurants listed were also not necessarily the best, but certainly the 'look good' ones. Throughout the information given for the area I was disappointed with the lack of real insight into festivals, what's to do, lodging and food choices. Granted the area isn't Portland or Seattle, but there's a lot to do and see that was missed.

If you want a travel guidebook to the Pacific Northwest this is a 6 out of 10 on a ten point scale. If you want to really know the areas, I still think online choices are your best bet for current information and guides, but two books that are better than this one in my opinion, for maps and helpful information are: Pacific Northwest (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) and Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest Trips (Regional Guide).

Bottom line - it's a pretty book, but not the best. Save your money.

We are planning a road trip through the Pacific Northwest this summer, so I was excited to see this book come up on my options for reviewing. However, the attractions/sights information offers no more (if not less) than one might find in the AAA guide that comes free with membership. The hotel and restaurant information is more complete, but again, nothing more than I can already get for free on yelp or other online outlets. I think putting the money towards a AAA membership and getting their guide might be a better decision.

I'm in a particularly good position to review this guidebook, which Amazon Vine suggested to me among my recommended options. I've traveled to the Pacific Northwest several times in the last few years for both business and pleasure, so I'm at least slightly familiar with some of the hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations that this Fodor's guide provides. Overall: It's a very good overview of the options, especially for the places you're most interested in.

Like most Fodor's guides, the Pacific Northwest 2011 edition had to cram a lot of information into a book that is light enough to stuff into your backpack. The introductory section essays (like "Oregon's best beaches") are excellent; I just wish there were more of them. Aside from a finite amount of space to devote to, say, Portland, the need to make the book heftable means that they must jettison a lot of personality and chatty explanations. (Not to mention some of my favorite restaurants, but okay, I expect such omissions.) That could be just fine -- plenty of us want "just the facts" from a guidebook rather than a social overview -- but if you're looking for a sense of what makes this region WayCool (and it is!), you might want an additional book. And a map, too, if you're going to spend most of your time in the city (downtown area maps aren't especially detailed).

I spent some time rummaging through the listings for the areas I've gotten to know pretty well, and none of them made me say, "What? They included THAT dive?!" I agree with most of their top recommendations, too, which they note as a Fodor's Choice -- among them Fort Clatsop on the Oregon coast, and Uwajimaya in Seattle.

Sometimes I wished that the book gave just an eensy bit more detail about a destination such as their hours. For instance, Mother's restaurant in Portland is an outstanding place for breakfast, though it doesn't open until late on Saturdays; from the listing you'd never know either of those facts. The book recommends the Mt Hood railroad but gives no clue as to their price. (Sure you can look it up online or call, but I prefer to know if I'm looking at a beer-or-champagne possibility.) And with city hotel accommodations in particular, it would be useful to point out when-and-where you need a car -- or should avoid one. Among Portland's many virtues is that you can visit most of the downtown area (including the conference center) using public transit, but any listing for the (Fodor's choice) McMenamins Kennedy School should mention that a car is practically a necessity.

Despite those quibbles, this is an excellent book for planning your trip. Fodor's information is trustworthy and reliable.

I love Oregon. I love the Pacific Northwest. My back yard, my personal playground and living room. I take pride in recommending good places to visit, stay and eat. To ensure a quality recommendation I talk with many people. I read a lot: newspapers; magazines; blogs; online forums and review sites like Urbanspoon, Yelp, Angie's List and Judy's Book among others.

Apparently, Fodor's uses a different approach: dust off the last edition and give it a cursory edit. Tick off tired adjectives like `spacious' hotels and `elegant' dining rooms. Fodor's acts as though no other up-to-date information is available online other than the website of the establishment mentioned and its own (sparse) website and electronic newsletter.

Is the Fodor's guide right for you? No, if you own either a smartphone, a laptop or a netbook. Don't waste your time looking for handy smartphone aps to use on your vacation in the Pacific Northwest. You won't find them in Fodor's. (Forget about Quick Response (QR) codes, too.) The editors at Fodor's think Foursquare is a game children play at recess.

What you will find is nearly 30 pages of generic travel advice that deftly separates the Jeopardy contestants from those who Jay Leno finds for street interviews. Surprise! The Canadian currency units are the dollar and the cent.

Fodor offers two pages of hiking advice that leaves out any mention of a communication device, listing instead 10 essentials from the Washington State Trails Association. Hikers would do well to visit the REI website and read the updated list (or watch the video posted there as well). REI notes "The original Ten Essentials list was assembled in the 1930s by The Mountaineers, a Seattle-based organization for climbers and outdoor adventurers." The updated list debuted in 2003; maybe Fodor's will catch on in its next edition.

So, is the Fodor's guide right for you? Yes, if you are the type of traveler who only uses a computer if one is available in the hotel's business kiosk. You can futz around, typing listings from the guide into a search engine and printing directions on an inkjet printer. Enjoy that free pape- filtered ground coffee while younger generations lap you and score the last reservation at whatever restaurant/hotel/event you hoped to enjoy.

As much as I want to delve into specifics about the wrong or missing information, I don't want to harm a local business just to illustrate how dated and inaccurate is the information Fodor's sells. For example, in the southern Oregon section where I live, a `Fodor's Choice' (a special designation given to top recommendations) was given to a winery that was the leading producer and tourist destination...in 2005. In the meantime, one or two other nearby wineries raised the bar and surpassed `Fodor's Choice.' Yet neither of these other two wineries received mention, so anyone relying solely on this guide would miss these opportunities. I found the same issues with hotels, restaurants and entertainment destinations. The information is often stale and occasionally flat out wrong.

In summary, Fodor's is quaint, but less and less useful with every passing year. There's no excuse for leaving out smartphone aps and resource listings for online information that is updated monthly, weekly and daily. Unless Fodor's evolves, it is bound to follow Collier's Encyclopedia.

Rating: Three stars.

This book serves as a good overview for someone unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest. The book is pretty and has a nice layout, but I didn't feel like it had enough useful information that couldn't be found elsewhere. I got this before moving to Oregon, and while it did get me excited about my trip, I gathered more information doing research online.

. . . it is possible for a travel guide to contain too MUCH information!

In my view, this book falls into this category. A cursory glance at my reviews will show that I've reviewed quite a few travel guides published by various companies, and have been both positive and negative. As "Fodor's" is certainly a leader in the field, and since this is a part of the world I would very much like to explore, I chose to review it.

And felt overwhelmed.

The book is physically beautiful and some of the photos are downright stunning. But the information was SO thorough and SO complete that for someone new to the area (like I would be) it might well be information overload. At times, I felt as though I was reading a Triple A Tour Book.

For the experienced traveler, who might want to know about some of the more obscure restaurants, clubs, and destinations, this book would work well. But I would recommend another option for a "newbie".

We recently used it for a 5 hour drive up the coast to the north end of the state. We never thought of stopping in this little down (Cannon Beach), but it was highly recommended, so we decided to check it out.
It was well worth the stop, that in itself made the book worth it.

We also went to a spot in Astoria it recommended and also enjoyed it quite a bit.

Basically, if you're interested in a decent book and want to tour Oregon, this is a very solid choice.

This is a very handy traveler's guide of the Pacific Northwest. The information is arranged in a handy, logical manner that makes it easy for the user to access the needed information. Each section, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver provides interesting background of the area, ideas for activities that would appeal to various types of traveler, information on using local public transportation as well as the usual dining and lodging listings. There are enough photographs to pique a traveler's interest and enough maps with sufficient detail as to help the reader plan itineraries. There is always a cross section of selections in all price ranges listed for dining, lodging and/or attractions at each location.

As with any general travel guides this one gives enough information to accommodate a casual traveler with a few days available, although even then it would be prudent to supplement this with more current, local information. Travelers with more time, or more specialized interests would definitely need to dig deeper.

Fodor's Guides are a well known brand of travel guides that give a traveler a reasonably detailed description of a particular destination. The reader/traveler is supplied with a overview of the area, listings of popular attractions and even a few hidden gems. Also a variety of lodging and dining options are included. The guides are all laid out according to a standardized format, making it convenient for a traveler who has used one guide to quickly find information in other volumes. These guides though are meant to be an overview of the area, a place for the traveler to begin researching a trip. Any traveler looking for specialized activities or having particularly stringent requirements would definitely need to seek out more specialized information. Even the more casual traveler is cautioned to confirm any critical information as it is impossible for any printed guide to guarantee that the information that was verified in time for publication will still be correct when it reaches the reader many months later.

Fodor's has established an excellent name in the travel industry, and for a good reason. This wonderful handbook is an excellent resource for those traveling for the first time in the Pacific Northwest, like me.

I've jsut this past year started exploring this part of the U. S., and Fodor's Pac NW guide has been very helpful. I love the color pictures and maps - excellent. I enjoy the suggestions for things to do, places to stay, and places to eat or visit. However, one should remember that this is not comprehensive - times change quickly especially in our current economy. I found that a couple of restaurants had closed, but this is a small issue because the suggestions put me in locations where there were other great choices.

I used this 18th Edition recently on a trip to Seattle, Tacoma, and Port Townsend, WAshington and greatly enjoyed the suggestions for things to see and do, and even though Hostels were not listed as places to stay, I was able to find good B n' B accommodations that were excellent.

I am now getting ready to take another trip to that area and Fodor's is my #1 planning tool.