Customer Reviews

Michelin THE RED GUIDE France 2000 (THE RED GUIDE)

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

 

 

Two years on since my last review, (Michelin THE RED GUIDE 1998), and the guide only gets better. Because the book works on a system of symbols that describe the various facilities available to the motorist, and other tourists in France, it is easy to use with confidence. At the front of the book these sybols are fully explained in both French and English so why do so many people complain about the book being "in French", a star is a star is it not, even if it is une etoile. Having said that, this years improvement is a descrptive passage for many entries and this is in French, but hey, give it a go, it's not that difficult. I have always found that the French are more receptive and more friendly if you try to communicate in French, no matter how poorly, so it's worth the effort. And this book will take a lot of the effort out of deciding where to stay, where to eat and how to get there. One hundered years old and still going strong.

Filled with accurate details, Michelin Red Guide is the equivalent for Rolls-Royce cars. You can hardly hear the noise of the engine. Everything is smooth, yet precise, secure, beautiful. You know you can build a journey's success on such a partner. Some people under 40 will find this book old fashioned. Others will thank Michelin to keep traditions alive. By the way, if you visit Jardins du Palais Royal, pay a visit to Grand Vefour, the place where Napoleon used to date Josephine. It is now rated three-stars. While others (we will not detail names here)came down to 1 star. In Nantes, chateau de Bois-Briand, Loire-Valley, our hosts appreciate classic food and traditions, as almost everywhere in France. This is why we will invest, this year again, in Michelin Guide Rouge. Do like us, keep your old versions of Guide Rouge. They will sell well in Amazon Actions!

For lodging and dining and France, this book is the very Bible. To my mind, the Red Guide is indispensable to any traveler who wants to get out and explore a bit, and doesn't want to rely on canned packages for hotels and restaurants. It is very complete, with lots of places listed in out-of-the-way small towns as well as well known destinations. It is very reliable and very complete; there is nothing better, and nothing even in its league. In addition to restaurants and hotels, it has maps of many medium sized and smaller towns, which would be very difficult to obtain elsewhere, as well as a brief list of local highlights and distances to other nearby towns. (The restaurants and hotels listed are located on the maps, which is really helpful.) For the tourist, traveling for pleasure, watch for hotels marked in red, which means they are especially pleasant and attractive. Detailed information about facilities and their quality, rates and ambiance are given for every place listed, along with restaurant specialties, and every place listed is at least quite acceptable; places given the highest ratings, either restaurants or hotels, are superb, and of world class quality. However, attention is given to including a full range of facilities, with restaurants offering especially good value specially noted.

A note about the format, which is outstanding. Asides from names and addresses, most information is given by means of icons, which are keyed in four languages in the front of the book, including English. It doesn't make a great deal of difference what language you speak, or do not speak: this book is accessible. For some places, very brief (a phrase or two) elaborations of noteworthy features are given in French, besides the appropriate icon. (Examples might be the details of the outstanding view, or the nature of exceptionally pleasing ambiance.) A minute or two with a phrase book ought to be adequate to decipher them, since the editors make a real effort to make this book useful to speakers of all languages. If a reader really can't deal with the language barrier to using the Michelin Red Guide, it might be signal that perhaps he ought to think about whether he will be comfortable traveling anywhere but large cities, or with a guide or tour group, in France.

Although a cross index of cities by region would be useful, with the Michelin guide you can't go wrong. The red guide combined with the green guide make for a most pleasant vacation every single time.

ATTENTION POTENTIAL BUYERS. A very detailed, useful book. The only problem - the main information you want is in French! Had I know this I would not have ordered this version. Surely in comes in an all English version.

Michelin has long been known as the source for the best information for fine dining. This guide, newly updated for the year 2000, is no exception. The information is extensive and detailed, including such things as local maps. The use of symbols allows users to obtain information about each establishment at a quick glance. This is the best culinary investment any visitor to France can make!

I missed that little blurb about this being the French language version. This book is absolutely worthless to me.