Customer Reviews

Frommer's Costa Rica 2008 (Frommer's Complete Guides)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I went to the bookstore and looked at Fodor's, Lonely Planet, etc and ended up buying this one. This is the most recent up to date version, but not as detailed or as well written as the LP version. Better than Fodors in my opinion. I used Fodors on my last trip to CR. Will use Frommer's this time.
When travelling, I'd rather have up-to-date more so than better details.... but if you've got money, always buy two guides. The best trips come from a collaboration of opinions and perspectives.

I went to Costa Rica in 2001 for five weeks and took an older version of this guide (that was co-written by the same author as the current one). I found this invaluable and constantly referenced it for both daytime activities and accommodations. It is very well-written for the active traveler and I highly recommend it.

I did not give it 5 stars as there were a few omissions that I was surprised to find. For example, the vans that tourists can take between the main tourist cities that are a LOT more convenient and safer than the buses.

Although the information in this book is accurate, I ended up replacing this book with Lonely Planet's Costa Rica book. I do not recommend Frommer's book for backpackers who are trying to paying under $40 per night for lodging, who rely on maps for walking from a bus station to their lodging. This Frommer's book lacked a map for La Fortuna and non-touristy towns. It had very little information on inexpensive hostels. Also, unbelievably, there was no information on border crossings to Panama or Nicaragua; if this information was in the book (and I doubt that it was), it was difficult to find from the index.

We brought two guides with us to Costa Rica -- this one and Explore Costa Rica (Fifth Edition) by Harry S. Pariser. We found this to be a useful guide. It had plenty of information on basics. However, it lacked the detail found in Explore Costa Rica which has many places and much information not found in other guidebooks we looked at. We really enjoyed the author's sense of humor, as well as the extensive background information provided. For example, we learned a great deal about the rainforest and other ecosystems, history, culture, and economy. We also were able to find some great local restaurants as well as several ecolodges that we did not find elsewhere. The book contains thousands of website URLs and e-mails and this was a tremendous help in planning our trip, as was the additional tips and online update found on the publisher's website. The color photos are great also! If you are interested in getting off of the tourist track, then Explore Costa Rica is a better guide to bring along.Explore Costa Rica, 5th Edition (Explore Costa Rica)

This book is everything you need to research and book your trip to Costa Rica.

I used this book for the 2 years I lived in Costa Rica, and it was fantastic. It had everything I needed, presented clearly, with great recommendations. You can't go wrong with Frommer's.

The Lonely Planet guide occasionally gives outdated information and never really strays from the beaten path. I'd get Frommer's instead.

this is the one to buy. It is well organized. It tells you how to get where you are going and how long it will take. Costa Rica is a tough trip to plan because two towns can be 20 km away as the crow flies but there is no road. Frommers is organized and it helps you figure out how to plan a trip that makes sense. It is a bit out of date. You no longer have to wade a creek to get to Manuel antonio park,etc. Good advice and insights.

I bought this for a 70 yr old friend who had suddenly taken an enormous interest in Costa Rica, and who was seriously thinking she wanted to go there. So I surprised her with this as a gift. I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive: at her age and level of physical abilities, I believed she would not be able to participate in all the loveliness and would likely find such a trip too much for her to enjoy. But I did not want to deliver that disheartening message.

She read thru the book and thoroughly enjoyed it but realized on her own that other places and trips would be better for her to consider. Sad but true, so the book did it's job. Frommer's can always be counted on to deliver a good product, even if as in this case it ends up turning away a potential visitor.