Frommer's Costa Rica 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Eliot Greenspan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Frommer's Complete Guides | Publication Date: September 9, 2008

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Costa Rica features gorgeous color photos of the lush rain forest, the amazing array of wildlife, and the spectacular beaches that await you. Personally researched by a longtime resident, it's the only truly up-to-date guide that gives you such in-depth coverage of this fast-changing country, with recommended accommodations in every price category. You'll visit rugged wilderness preserves and sleepy beach towns, spectacular orchid gardens and mineral hot springs at the foot of a steaming volcano. There are adventures here to suit all ages and abilities: swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, taking a dip in a jungle swimming hole, spotting playful spider monkeys as you hike through lush foliage, windsurfing on Lake Arenal, or watching endangered sea turtles nest on the beach. With Frommer's in hand, you'll experience the wonder of Costa Rica's amazing biodiversity, as we point out the best places to see hundreds of unique, colorful species of animals and plants. You'll even get a color fold-out map!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

• Expert advice on the best bird-watching, diving, surfing, and other adventures to get your adrenaline pumping.

• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.

• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; Revised edition (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470285532
• ISBN-13: 978-0470285534
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful resource, January 2, 2009

By 

Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's Costa Rica 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Frommer's is generally known for producing guides that are up-to-date and reasonably comprehensive. For the most part, this one is no exception to that trend. The book follows their standard format for Frommer's with "Best of" lists detailing some of the top attractions followed by general information and suggested itineraries. After that, we get into more detail for each region of the country beginning with San Jose and working through each area of the country in turn.

I was primarily interested in information regarding the natural attractions that Costa Rica has to offer and I found exactly what I was looking for. There are numerous descriptions of the beaches, rain forests, volcanoes, and hiking opportunities. The hotels listed tend to lean toward the more expensive options but that may be due partly to the cheaper ones not meeting the minimum acceptable standards that Frommer's sets. It's also fairly obvious that a guide for even a small country like Costa Rica can't possibly cover every single hotel and restaurant.

Overall, the book is helpful for trip planning and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a visit to Costa Rica.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best fit for my type of travel, January 13, 2009

By 

aMeta4 (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Costa Rica 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Not enough budget recommendations. Lonely planet was more my speed.
Frommer's would be a better fit for folks traveling with families, or for people who don't like to travel beyond the safety of the walled gardens.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very pleased..., June 23, 2009

By 

Mark Foster (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's Costa Rica 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

We bought this book with high hopes... We'd flipped through it in a bookstore and it looked promising. Unfortunately, the good feelings didn't last. Before we even left on the trip, the book binding started falling apart- the first chapter was just loose pages by the time we left (after only a few days of very gentle use).

While we were in Costa Rica, we found ourselves barely opening this guide. The LP guide we had also brought had information about more places, and more information about each place. The Frommers had some great "Best of" lists at the beginning, and some good sample trip itineraries, but that was about it. It also lacked budget recommendations.

My advice: skip it.