Customer Reviews

Frommer's 2000 Arizona (Frommer's Complete Guides)

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I browsed many guidebooks in bookstores and read several from the library before settling on this book to take with me to the Southwest.

The writers write well and are not afraid to offer candid opinions of hotels and tourist sites. More of this candor would make this an even better book.

Another amazon reviewer, jdhauer, wrote a good review and makes valid criticisms about the book's organization, but what were problems for him were not problems for us.

** I especially liked the lists of top attractions by type in the front of the book: Best Scenic Drives, Best Active Vacations, Best Day Hikes and Nature Walks, Best Family Experiences, Best Moderately Priced Hotels, etc. (there are 18 of these lists).

These lists helped my companion (my 13 year old son) and I get our hands around the diversity of this state and plan just what we most wanted to do during our one week in the Southwest.

Once we narrowed down what we wanted to do, the book was arranged by region, listing all the other things we could do while in that area.

Other good companion books for this trip were Tony Hillerman's novels set in Navajo country and the book, Roadside Geology of Arizona.

The Frommers book for New Mexico has the same organization and is even better.

I finally purchased a copy of Frommer's Arizona guide after my 5th trip to the state since I'm certain we'll be returning many times.

If you're in a major city such as Phoenix or Tucson or if your're going to a smaller location such as Sedona or a more tourist oriented place like the Grand Canyon or Canyon de Chelly, this is a nice book. It's a bit to thick to actually tote around with you while you're touring but it's nice to have to look at your various options.

Where this book could be improved is to add a "driving tour" in addition to the walking tours. For example, there's a drive down I-10 from Phoenix to Tucson that just about everyone uses to get between the two cities. Casa Grande and Florence are mentioned as is Picacho Peak, but they are hidden away as a "side trip" from Phoenix. In that context, Tucson isn't really mentioned as a destination. I'd like to see more emphasis placed on what there is to see between your destinations. Another example is the drive from Phoeniz to Yuma. Supposedly there are petroglyphs to see outside of Gila Bend but this guidebook doesn't mention them. I found that information in a National Geographic guide to the major highways.

I also found the organization of this book to be confusing the first time I used it. You start out in Phoenix then work your way north to Sedona, to the northwest for the Grand Canyon, to the northeast for the four corners area and then directly south for the Painted Desert. Next you jump south of Phoenix to Tucson, southwest to Organ Pipe National Monument and southeast to Tombstone and Bisbee. Next it's a giant leap west to Lake Mead, Lake Havasu City and Yuma. If I was unfamiliar with the state, I'd be completely lost!

I realize that a guidebook can't be everything to everyone, but in a large state such as Arizona, you spend a lot more time in the car to see attractions compared to eastern states. It's a matter of scale. I'd like to see a little more attention paid to that reality.

Overall, this is not a bad guidebook and one of the best available.