67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of the Alaska travel guides, January 4, 2004
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.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book., May 21, 2000
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of Frommer's, February 12, 2007
This review is from: Frommer's Alaska 2007 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)
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!!!!
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