Customer Reviews

Frommer's Las Vegas 2008 (Frommer's Complete Guides)

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

 

 

Despite having been to Vegas a dozen times over the past ten years, it had been three years since my last trip. Knowing how much changes, I bought this guide to help sort out what was different for better or worse.

For the most part, its packed with solid advice. The narration takes a very skeptical voice, which is exactly what a place like Vegas needs. Its great to see hyper-advertised shows and hotels laid bare, such as with the very balanced review of Danny Gans and the honest perceptions of The Palms. Its also good to see off strip non-gaming destinations get some print, even all the way out to an Area 51 guide! Everything that's worth seeing gets mentioned.

However, that same skeptical narration is also too self aware. Rather than accepting that a person who has paid money for a guide book of Vegas probably has some idea of what they're getting into, the narration belabors the obvious to the point of mocking the reader for drinking the Vegas Kool-Aid. Stating that the décor is "giggle inducing" or that certain shows are simply so overrated that they're unreviewable is about as cynical as reminding us that Mickey Mouse is really just a guy in a suit, so be sure to look with scorn on children lining up to see him. I don't think anyone is going to select a hotel because of a plaster sphinx, but that's part of why you pick Vegas over Atlantic City or Orlando. Above all, a guide book should respect the reader's decision to go to a destination and perhaps future editions will remember that.

The guide spends copious amounts of text describing how things used to be. While the reflections of a veteran casino dealer are interesting, the discourse continues in the hotel reviews. Many of the hotels seem to be judged relative to how they were in the past; not against comparable properties as they are today. Its useful when used to accentuate something that has changed recently, but extraneous when belaboring how things were decades ago. New properties raise the bar, older properties lose their luster. We got it.

Another frustration is the lack of relative comparison between hotels. While the star ratings are accurate, the reasons why you would stay at one property over another with the same rating aren't spelled out very well. Since a wide range of price and quality are available, the nuances are what make an informed decision. With a lot of that glossed over, it would be easy to select a hotel that you weren't happy with because of a detail you felt misinformed about, say pool size or the general demographics the hotel is trying to attract.

Its easy to get disillusioned with Vegas and focus on what's different today as opposed to what makes a trip to Vegas different than a trip anywhere else. If anything, that's what this guide suffers from. Its like that one member of your family that finds fault with everything while you're on vacation; you wish they would just appreciate the fact that you're there and not somewhere else.

I bought Frommer's Las Vegas 2008 even though last year I'd previously purchased and read the 2007 edition. This years is a good update that builds off of last years work. There is updated information- after all everything changes constantly in Vegas. Having never been there I wanted to make sure I was getting the absolute best deal for when I and my friends go.

The hotel I was interested in wasn't even worth mentioning, room wise, last year. but now it's considered one of the best rooms on the strip and I'm greedily content with the good deal I'm getting. Last years book covered the $$$$ hotels a little too much, glorifying them when most of us that are buying the book can't afford to spend $500 per night to stay in them a few days. This year's, I'm happy to say, covers the rooms the rest of us can temporarily call home.

It can't cover every single restaurant and bar, but it does give a decent break down from the ultra trendy and expensive to Crispy Kreme's. Also there is a little more mention of the various hotels spa's, though it's still pretty skimpy and that's one of the areas I wanted more on. But this really is a good over view. Now I just can't wait to go!

What a great guide. Having never been to Vegas I wanted to see many things without wasting time being overwhelmed. I love the breakdown of hotels, resturants, attractions, ect. The price guide was extremly helpful. Frommer's really knows how to make Vegas a perfect vacation.

I have been planning a wedding in Vegas and this book has been my Bible. It has been quite useful when deciding in restaurants, modes of transportation, shows, etc. We took a trip to Vegas a few weeks ago for planning purposes and we carried it everywhere we went because it had contact information right in the book for everything. I am glad I purchased it. I would suggest it for any traveler going to Vegas.

If I could only purchase one book on Vegas, this would be the one I'd choose. It was much more helpful then Las Vegas for Dummies and Fodor's Vegas.

I have found this book to be full of great information! I look forward to utilizing it while we are in Vegas to do things that we normally wouldn't know about or would be less likely to find. Sometimes it's hard to remember where you read about something but I'm excited about checking out some of things I've found while reading the guide.

Good book, although I felt some of the reviews were not accurate. Some things you just need to do to experience all that Vegas has to offer. Definitely recommended to find about about the places you have yet to discover.