Frommer's Guatemala (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Eliot Greenspan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007 | Series: Frommer's Complete Guides (Book 309)

• Listen to a free Guatemala podcast at Frommers.com

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go -- they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Frommer's Guatemala brings you the best of the country's Mayan sites, unspoiled landscapes, and sensitively developed ecological and adventure travel opportunities. Personally researched by a longtime resident of Central America, it's the only truly up-to-date guide that gives you such in-depth coverage of this fast-developing country, with recommendations to suit every budget.

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.

• Discover Guatemala's diversity, from the colonial city of Antigua to the rich history of the Maya at the Tikal ruins. Plus, resources for active travelers and detailed itineraries for families and archaeological buffs.
• 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.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

About the Author

Eliot Greenspan is a poet, journalist, and travel writer who took his backpack and typewriter the length of Mesoamerica before settling in Costa Rica in 1992. Since then, he has worked steadily as a travel writer, freelance journalist, and translator, and has continued his travels in the region. He is the author of Frommer’s Belize, Frommer’s Cuba, Frommer’s Costa Rica, and Costa Rica For Dummies, as well as the Venezuela chapter in Frommer’s South America. When not traveling or writing, Eliot plays mandolin, sings, and performs with Los Flying Borracho Brothers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Frommer's; 1st edition (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470047305
• ISBN-13: 978-0470047309
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,676,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > Guatemala

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Superficial, impractical, and insufficient, July 19, 2007

By 

dashuaige - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Guatemala (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Given that this book was published so recently, I figured it would be the best buy for my May 2007 trip to Guatemala. My trip involved Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Tikal, and Guatemala City, so I had a good chance to use several sections of the book. Unfortunately, the book disappointed in many areas. For one thing, the book caters mainly to the very affluent tourist looking for comfort. (As a disclaimer, I should explain that I'm a young budget-traveling student.) The book features only the most gringo-rific hotels and restaurants (which happen to be the most expensive), and their "budget" options are not nearly the most budget-friendly options available. Their recommended tourist agencies are mainly Western-owned companies that charge Western prices, while locally owned travel agencies charge a fraction of the price for reasonable service. (e.g. US $30-50 for a trip to climb Volcan Pacaya from Atitlan vs. $5 from one of the many reasonable agencies near the main tourist area.) In the end, I ended up relying much more on word of mouth from friends in the area (and their guide books) for advice on lodging, dining, and transportation rather than the Frommer's Guide.

The Tikal section was another disappointment. The "suggested tour" covers only a fraction of the sites available there, and the map is so poorly labeled that it is impossible to do the tour without a guide. The night before I explored the ruins at Tikal (which are fantastic!), I was reading my guide at my hotel restaurant. A woman sitting at a nearby table asked me what I thought of it. When I told her I had found it very disappointing, she nodded in agreement. "Good luck finding your way inside with that book," she told me, shaking her head. She ended up being right -- had I not met a group of travelers with a better map, there is no way I could have navigated the park with that guide.

These are just a few of the problems with the book I had I can think of off the top of my head. Bottom line, this book is so superficial that it is much more of a brochure than a travel guide. It also caters mainly toward affluent travelers looking for luxury. Buy another guidebook that might not be as pretty, but makes up for it with content.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 28, 2007

By 

smalice420 (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Guatemala (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

While this book touches on a lot of the sights worth seeing, the rest was lacking. The restaurant and hotel prices list were substantially lower than actual costs. The restaurants felt like total tourist traps- overpriced, mediocre to terrible food, and bad service. I was better off looking for restaurants on my own.

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, August 15, 2011

By 

MtMuchacha - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Guatemala (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

Given that a few years ago Frommers led me on a great trip through Italy, I decided to try them again. I was sorely disappointed at the overall lack of information. After spending 5 weeks in Guatemala I feel almost more qualified to have written a guide than the 2011 edition. The maps of cities were unusuable as they were too small, the information provided on tours/activities was so limited it was obvious the author had not taken the tour, and the number of listed hostals, hotels, and restaurants was so few that I was unable to offer my travel companions any input when planning our get-aways. My travel companions had the Rough Guide and Moon, and both had so much helpful information for each city and even for hostals that we used these instead of my Frommers. Either step it up Frommers or stick to Europe!