Frommer's South Florida: With the Best of Miami and the Keys (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Lesley Abravanel (Author)

Book Description

Series: Frommer's Complete Guides | Publication Date: September 22, 2010

• Author Lesley Abravanel lives and works in Miami as a gossip columnist for the Miami Herald, so she knows the Florida scene, what's hot and what's not, which restaurants the celebs frequent and sometimes own (and which establishments you might avoid for that very reason).
• Lesley covers Florida's highlights from a resident's perspective: the South Beach club scene, the best restaurants, hotels at every price point, dive sites in the Keys, baseball spring training, theme parks, the Everglades, the Gold Coast, the Treasure Coast, world-class golf courses, and beaches, water sports, and lots of beach bars.
• Miami plays host to several major festivals each year, including Art Basel Miami Beach, the Miami International Boat Show, and the Miami Book Fair International. Ten new hotels opened in 2009, with five more slated for completion in 2010.
• Includes a full-color foldout map.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Stroll Miami's South Beach, and enjoy retro-chic Art Deco buildings considered ultra-modern in the past. See chapter 8.

• Free pocket map inside,plus easy-to-read maps throughout

• Exact prices, directions, opening hours,and other practical information

• Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants,plus sights, shopping, and nightlife

• Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas

• Insider tips from local expert authors

About the Author

Lesley Abravanel is a freelance journalist and a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication. When she isn’t combing South Florida for the latest hotels, restaurants, and attractions, she is on the lookout for vacationing celebrities and covers them in her weekly nightlife and gossip column, "Velvet Underground," in the Miami Herald. She is a contributor to Business Traveler, Time Out, all three illustrious supermarket tabloids, and is the author of Florida For Dummies, Frommer's Florida, and Frommer's Portable Miami.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 7 edition (September 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470632356
• ISBN-13: 978-0470632352
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Florida
  • #36 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > South

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars South Florida Savvy, October 18, 2001

By 

Liz Wolk (Fort Lee, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's South Florida including Miami & the Keys 2002 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

This book was better than any tour guide. I drove from Jupiter all the way to Key West stopping in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Ms. Abravanel's advice was unbiased in an otherwise jaded market (she is the only Miami Beach travel writer I have read, to claim the Delano Hotel overrated...which it is!!!). Her restaurant recommendations were more helpful and insightful than any Zagat guide could have been. And mostly, her witty writing style made reading a pleasure. I look forward to more Frommer's with her at South Florida's helm.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Enjoyable writing style sets this guide apart., January 4, 2003

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's South Florida including Miami and the Keys (Paperback)

Tourism generates over {$$$$} billion annually for the Florida economy, which is more than twice the entire GNP for Cuba. That is why there is a fierce fight for the Florida travel guide market. Frommer's is one of the best guides available.

This South Florida guide is somewhat more expanded than "Frommer's Florida" Guide (see my review). If you are going to visit just MIAMI, the EVERGLADES, PALM BEACH, FT. LAUDERDALE or the KEYS, then you will find this guide more compact, lighter and a bit cheaper.

The same great writing style that is in the Frommer's state guide is found in this more compact companion. The accommodation and dining recommendations are reliable and on the money. This guide lists the best restaurants that South Florida has to offer. A lodging and restaurant index would be a definite plus for this guide. As it stands now, if you have a restaurant you want to look up, you have to go through all the listings in the city you are in until you stumble across the name you seek or miss seeing it completely.

The rating system is labored and difficult to understand. The explanation of the "new star rating system" is buried in the book and not indexed. It was by quirk that I found it. Strange.

The Internet web site addresses provided for hotels could be more comprehensive considering that this is a 2003 guide. In today's world of "connectivity" you can visit the hotel sites and see the accommodations and rates prior to making reservations. And, website/email addresses are restricted to the lodging listings even though many of the restaurants now have their own websites with photos and menus and email to makes reservations.

However, there are two significant areas in this guide that could use improvement: maps and hotels/restaurants.

Regarding the maps: the maps in the guide are lackluster. More and better maps would greatly help the user.

What put this guide on top of the competing guides is the clear and enjoyable writing style of the review. The introductions of the regional areas are the best of the guides I reviewed. You will do well if you have to chose just one South Florida guide and you select Frommer's.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Gremlins and better than E.T.!!!, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's South Florida including Miami and the Keys (Paperback)

Well, not really, but i've lived in south florida for 13 years and this book is a must have for anyone who lives down here or is thinking about visiting. Everyone thinks they have a true grasp of the miami scene, but this author actually does.