Customer Reviews

Frommer's Texas

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

 

 

I reviewed the previous edition of this book and thought I should see how the new one (the 2009 edition) stacks up. To provide some background, I live in Houston and I like to use travel guides like this to find new places to visit, restaurants to dine in, etc. - I've made a lot of nice finds so far. What follows is my detailed take (hopefully not too much so) on what it gets right and wrong...

Most of what I said before still applies... the previous edition was spot-on in its coverage of the big Texas cities but a bit lacking in details for the less-traveled, more scenic destinations.

Lo and behold, they actually have expanded those sections a bit (especially West Texas) and re-organized them to boot. I still say the Hill Country deserves its own chapter (and made mention of the spring bluebonnet blooms and certain personal faves like Natural Bridge Caverns and Lost Maples State Park), but the guide hits all of the high points. I also still wish they mentioned some of the more spectacular day hikes in Big Bend - The Window and Lost Mine Trails - and had more details on Big Bend State Park (at least it's mentioned this time), but those are minor issues - and coming from a total outdoors freak such as myself.

The other few minor quibbles I have is on some restaurant choices (no Taco Taco Cafe in San Antonio? Loma Linda is _still_ in there, for Houston?). The choices are certainly not bad and all the essentials seem to be there, but especially for Houston it would've been nice to see some of the more exciting new eateries that have sprung up the last several years (Feast, a British-style "tail-to-snout" eatery that I'd venture to say is unique in the entirety of Middle America; award-winners such as Reef, Cova, and Catalan; Danton's for Gulf Coast eatin' and its jazz brunch; Max's Wine Dive, Textile, Bedford, T'afia, Tony's... and this is just for Houston!). Here I actually give a tip of the hat to Fodor's. I could go on and on, but this review is already too long; I am sort of a food fanatic though, so take all that with a grain of salt if you're not. The hotel listings, on the other hand, seem adequately up-to-date.

In the end, though, I realized it's amazing how much is in this guide while at the same covering the vast, diverse hugeness that is Texas. It's hard for me to think of a guide describing the state much better without becoming absurdly huge, and there are really no glaring omissions that I can think of. Plus, they do a good job of giving you a feel for each destination. For the majority of travelers (even picky ones such as myself), this guide will be more than adequate - 5 stars.

This is one of the few guidebooks one can find on Texas that is from a reputable company(the other is the lonely planet guide). I found this book wholly inferior in giving accommodation and restaurant choices in West Texas, particularly from Midland to El Paso and the Big Bend Area. Although some choices were provided it seemed that the book passed over many fine dining establishments. Nevertheless the book does have a wealth of information on Texas but it seems it needs some updating. Many of the phone numbers need new area codes. A marginal travel guide but one of the few choices.

I found this guide to be quite thorough when it came to the major cities, granted it is not exactly a Rick Steves guide to Texas, but it did hit upon the most popular attractions and it got Dallas and Houston about right and I am very familiar with both cities, I really know very little about West Texas so I'll defer to the other reviewer on the guides shortcomings on accomedations and such out there, but if you are going to Austin, San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas-Ft. Worth, I think you will find this guide helpful, and easy to read.

We are planning a long weekend trip to Houston and found that this book provided more than enough detail on where to stay and what to see. It's well organized and has a sufficient level of detail.

I know Dallas pretty well, and skimming that section hit all of the high points I remember and made several suggestions for newer attractions that I did not know about.

The book has a good introduction to get familiar with Texas and its different parts. It has a very pragmatic approach to describe what is worth seeing and what is not. It is not hiding the fact that Texas has less touristy attractions than other states.

I recently made the mistake of buying this edition. The reviews are totally outdated. Also, Frommers is not good about giving specific addresses of attractions, etc. They give intersections and cross streets instead of the actual address, which is not the most convenient option if you are using a GPS.