Customer Reviews

Frommer's Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands (Frommer's Complete Guides)

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

 

 

NOTE that the previous reviews on Amazon are for the 2007 edition, a different guide, not for this new July 2009 edition. They should be deleted by Amazon. Yes, Mr. Eliot Greenspan did write both this edition and the 2007 but I found this guide 2009 to be accurate, informative and a wealth of information. Note: that no travel guide is current. None. If a guide is released in 2009 it was researched and written in 2007/2008... If you want the most current information look on a Travel 2.0 webpage like Tripadvisor or Yahoo travel. That said, I found Mr. Greenspan's hotels and restaurants recommendations to be reliable and solid.

IF Frommer's places a star (or 'finds' or 'value') next to the name of hotels and restaurants it is worth checking out... I liked Mr. Greenspan's description of his selected hotels and restaurants. For the restaurant `Mia Culpa' in Quito, he wrote that it is one of "Quito's grandest restaurants... main courses include everything from pastas and steaks to pork tenderloin in a raspberry sauce to an ostrich filet flambéed in brandy served with a maple-soy-apple reduction."

This Frommer's is superbly laid out guide. In the "Ecuador in Depth" section you get a review of Ecuador today, then a brief history, as well as a list of films, books & music that reflects the ethos of Ecuador. I was especially impressed by both the "Suggested Ecuador Itineraries" section and the "Active Vacation Planner." If this is your first time to Ecuador these sections can be immensely helpful. Then there is the "Best of Ecuador" which help you plan your trip.

The guide is not perfect though. Its downside is the lack of maps. Maps that help you locate the accommodations and restaurants guide are absent, except for the larger cities like Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca. This is a shortcoming on the part of the publishers.

Overall this is a very good and reliable travel guide that I strongly recommended. 4.5 stars

The guide covers most of the key places but lacks in indepth research. In my opinion, it does include all of the best places to stay and visit, and overestimates some mediocre places.

This book is very good at providing the information to help with a trip to Ecuador. The reviews for the hotels and restaurants that we used were right on. Would have liked a little more detail on directions of getting to places.

Amazon's service, as usual, was wonderfully fast. Frommers book is for people who want to do Ecuador on $150 or more dollars a day. None of the reasonably priced hotels or restaurants were included. I won't be taking this book with me on my trip.

I've not read the entire book just yet, but it certainly seems to be all inclusive. I like the ideas for things to see and do within a specific time-frame, like three days or a week. I'd been a bit reluctant about my planned trip there, but this book makes me feel better about the whole thing and know that I stand to gain a lot. It also amazes me that the author could know so much.

This book is everything a travel book should be. Logical reading, with good explanations of what to expect. I especially like the suggested itineraries section. If you want your travel to be easy and fun, this book will get you started. We plan to carry it with us as we travel.

Having used Frommer guides for years, I was especially disappointed in this edition of Ecuador. Restaurant recommendations were extremely poor, recommending places that shouldn't have been and leaving out some of the best in the city. He left out the best place to visit for he equator experience. Poor insight into shopping.