Customer Reviews

Let's Go Spain & Portugal with Morocco: The Student Travel Guide

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

 

 

I purchased this book because I was going to Spain, Portugal and Morocco and thought I'd save space and weight by getting this book instead of 2 or 3 others. I spent 6 weeks combined in these countries and was very dissapointed in the coverage of this book.

Before I continue with this review I should tell you about myself. I am 26 and my travel style is to take longer trips, stay in cheap hotels and travel slowly. My travel companion had "Lonely Planet Spain" and "Lonely Planet Morocco," which for us were much better books.

Things I didn't like about the book:

1. After several days it became apparent that the maps in "Let's go" are harder to follow. For example, in Lonely Planet all hotels, restuarants and sights are described and the corresponding number-letter coordinates to the map are given so finding them on the map is a breeze. "Let's Go" does not usually do this so scanning the map to find your landmark can take some time.

2.There were a few times things were on the wrong spot on the map and only after walking in the neighborhood around where they were supposed to be did we find them.

3. The "Let's go" crew did not have maps for many medium and smaller towns which makes you dependent on finding the tourist info center (assuming there is one) in said mapless towns.

4. The coverage on Portugal was spotty.

5. I can not hold this against "Let's Go" as there is the qualifier of "with Morocco" in the title, but if you have not previously been to Morocco and don't speak french or arabic the coverage for Morocco is not adequate. Morocco is very different and overwhelming. A supplementary guide book for Morocco is a must.

Things I liked about the book:

1. The cheap accomodation listings were slightly better than "Lonely Planet's."

2. The coverage of Madrid was good.

If your plans for Spain, Portugal and Morocco are to visit the large cities only and want to go to dance clubs every night, and sleep in cheap hotels this book is for you.

I found Let's Go: Spain & Portugal with coverage of Morocco to be indispensable during my recent trip to Spain. Seville in particular offers tourist traps around every corner - and Let's Go helped me navigate to find THE authentic flamenco bar in a town full of overpriced "authentic flamenco." Let's Go S&P helped me find hostels and nightlife where I met other students - both locals and travelers. The guide is light and pack-able, full of excellent maps, and the listings are honest with a touch of sarcasm. I cannot recommend Let's Go highly enough to young backpackers or those studying abroad in Spain.

Very disappointing. Let's go team has been sitting on their laurels. They don't even bother to check if the information they publish is still valid year after year. I was in Seville in 2008 and the book mentions a campsite near the airport, well according to the gypsies who took over the site, the campsite has been closed for more than three years. How come the information hasn't been revised. Let's go team is asleep at the switch. There are many many errors and inaccuracies, don't buy !!!

This book is packed full of information. It's also large. However, the maps it provides are both truncated and not in color. The layout of the articles on each city are not as well formatted and readable as other guide books. The "Rough Guide to Spain" is by far a better buy.

I hate to add to the list of reviewers who keep saying that "It used to be better", but I'm afraid that it is true. When I backpacked around Europe in the 1990s, my companions and I used to call Let's Go "The Bible". The 2011 edition, however does not deserve such a lofty title.

Many of the reviews and information I used were accurate and helpful, especially in Madrid and Sevilla. However, there was very little information on the smaller cities in Spain. I know Spain pretty well, but was looking for places to stay in Segovia, for example, which was not listed at all. These are the very cities where local Spanish culture and history is likely to be found. If you do not speak Spanish, however, nor intend to leave the major cities, I would still recommend this title, which provided great locations to stay and visit. The information on admission fees to various sites was generally accurate.

Best supplemented with Lonely Planet and frequent stops at the information desks at most train stations, which have proven to be helpful.

I definitely like this book. I've been buying and recommending Let's go for a long time. For me it's the best travel book