Customer Reviews

Frommer's Alaska (1998ed)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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With honest, forthright, outspoken, and candid opinions, this is the best of the few Alaska travel guides there are.

I am a traveller/adventurer from the extreme parts of Northern California along the Pacific. I am not a tourist. That said, I am not writing this review from a tourist's point of view. I AM writing this review from the point of view of an ADVENTURER, and so my opinion of this book is based on the usefulness an adventurer can get from it.

Some things I like about this book are:

1) The author's honesty. If he thinks there is something you ought to see that other guides tell you isn't worth your time, he'll let you know. If he thinks something is a waste of time, or if something is overpriced or overhyped, he'll let you know that, too. He's not afraid to tell it like it is, which has saved me time and money.

2) He's lived in Alaska since day one, so he knows the subject. He's also an adventurer that has explored much of Alaska and knows where you can do or what you can do to get the most for your money. He is especially knowledgable about Southeast Alaska, and the kayaking and other types of adventuring you can do there.

3) The author lists URLs for everything/every place that has a URL. This is handy for updates, more information, and photos. A very nice touch.

All in all, I have found this guide to be superior to Fodor's when it comes to outdoors adventuring (hiking, kayaking, flightseeing, skiing, etc.); and while it is better also than Lonely Planet for the same reason, Lonely Planet does have some useful and valuable information for the traveller/adventurer as well. But unlike Fodor's, the lists of hotels and restaurants is not as comprehensive. However, for the adventurer/traveller, this book is the best one out there, hands down. It lists numerous outdoor equipment rental companies, large and small; it lists most of the companies that offer expeditions into the Alaskan wilderness; and it has exact prices at the time of publishing, with URLs to visit to get updates.

Again, I recommend this book over Fodor's if you are going to Alaska for adventure. If you are going as a tourist (cruise ship tourist or just short-on-available-time tourist), this book is also useful, but isn't as thorough when it comes to touristy stuff. I do recommend Lonely Planet for outdoor adventuring as well.

Of all the travel books we have used, this one of Frommers is the best. Its appeal, however, is for people who like recommendations of the best items - like best places to visit, best B&B's, etc. We find it saves us a great deal of planning time to FIRST focus on the section at the start of the book when we start organizing a trip. Later, we add items which we want to do which may not be as popular with everyone.

I actually used the 2006 version for my travel to Alaska last year. It was absolutely invaluable. I also own Frommer's Caribbean, NYC Pocket guide, Florida and Walt Disney World and Orlando. This book is by far the best of all those guides. The author lives in and loves Alaska, and this shines through the writing. It's very helpful when trying to decide what to see and do in such a large state with so many natural wonders.

He also includes very practical information and does everything he can to ensure that those of little or high means can manage their dream trip to Alaska. He is very candid and meticulous throughout. We've found his recommendations to be right on the money. Might I also suggest picking up the "milepost" magazine from Alaska for more in depth (though dry) info on all your drives. It helped us to see a lot that we wouldn't have otherwise seen on the drive to Denali. We will definitely go back!!!!

This book is a great resource for planning an Alaskan adventure. Area by area recommendations and descriptions are given to help the reader determine how best to meet his/her vacation goals.

Especially helpful are the web addresses for individual services and locations, as well as the recommendations for the slightly-lesser known and (in the author's opinion) less crowded activities and the corresponding suggestions for how to beat crowds and how to plan ahead to have the experience you want.

The general over-view information of each area also helps give the reader a good impression of the area and what the overall experience of the area would be like.

A very thorough book.

The Best of Alaska chapter (Chapter 1) helped my family decide which sights and activities we were most interested in for each port of call. The phone numbers, websites, prices, business hours, and detailed descriptions were extremely useful in booking and planning our daily activities. The mile by mile outline of points of interests in The Seward Highway: a Road Guide (Chapter 8 Section 2) and Out from Anchorage: Turnagain Arm & Portage Glacier (Chapter 7 Section 8) made our rental car drive from Anchorage to Seward one of our trip's highlights. I used Frommer's Alaska 2006 everyday on my trip and am so glad I had this book with me on my Alaskan cruise.

This is a good summary book to have. I found it informative. Although this book by itself is not enough for planning a trip to Alaska. It gives highlights but I found myself needing additional information.

A good buy

Great reviews on places to go throughout the state. I always like to visit the restaurants that the locals go and Frommer lets you know where they are at. If you are going to Denali National Park, make sure you pick up a copy of Discovering Denali.

I read this book cover to cover. The best resource guide I used for planning what I really wanted to see on a 10 day Alaska trip using a rented RV out of Ankorage. Very valualbe guide and opinions on everything from sites to see and resturants to go to. Used this book and Milepost to plan my trip.

This book was right on! It led us to just the right restaurants on our vacation that we would have never tried on our own! So glad I studied up to make it the trip of a lifetime!

This book is all you really need to go to Alaska. If you are a fan of Frommers products you will not be dissapointed. It's a thorough and accurate overview of all the basics needed when planning an Alaskan getaway.