Customer Reviews

Michelin THE RED GUIDE Italia 2001 (THE RED GUIDE)

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

 

 

The Red Guides are the "Consumer's Report" for dining and lodging in various geographical locations throughout Europe. Red Guides stress the independence and impartiality of their "professional inspectors." Accommodations and restaurants are "visited anonymously" and each inspector "always settles their own bill." Each selection is revised annually. The "Michelin Red Guide Italia 2001" lists more than 4000 hotel addresses, ranging from hostels to exceptional luxury hotels. There are more than 3000 restaurants including 209 with stars (fine quality cooking). Each listing details the facilities, prices and sometimes includes a very terse comment. Impressive was the listing of email addresses for the majority of the hotels. And their web site provides you with all of the Michelin products that are available .... Their maps are superb.

Using this guide reminds me of my first computer, an antediluvian machine that ran on "dos". That computer could accomplish a task, and occasionally did, but not without much frustration, irritation and the occasional "who in the #%^*! designed this thing?". First off, this guide is NOT in English (only the legion is). It is written in Italian, and my Italian is nonexistent (remember dos?). The guide gives you a price listing for hotels and restaurants that is quoted in liras. Thus, if you wish to convert it to dollars, and most North American travelers will, all you have to do is divide the posted amount by 2164.5 and presto, you have the rate in dollars. NOT. There is no index, or table of contents, which makes navigating the guide an obstacle. As far as I figured you just have to flip through 900 pages until you get to the area you want, then wrestle it out from there.

This is not a travel guide. Rather, it is a restaurant and hotel evaluation report that when used with other guides, can be useful and reliable. Also, I used the city maps often while driving Italy. However, I have never been so frustrated using a directory as I have with "Michelin Red Guide Italia." It has the ability to be valuable and useful, but the work that you have to put into it negates much of the worth that you get out (sic. my old computer). Conditionally recommended.

For years Michelin has been unparalleled in providing travelers with current and discriminating ratings on Hotels and restaurants. I used my first Red Guide to France over twenty years ago. The consistency and reliability was amazing then and is no less so with Red Guide Italia 2001.

Not much has changed. The format is nearly identical except for a few enhancements. For example, where available, e-mail addresses are provided along with all other pertinent contact information. Adequate instruction in the preface is provided in numerous languages, including English. Of course, the text in the ratings is in Italian just as Red Guide France is in French. But, the pattern of each review is identical; so, it doesn't take long to figure them out - even for those with no foreign language skills.

The individual property ratings are jammed packed with information. They include everything one could possibly want to know before making a reservation, condensed into mostly symbolic terms, which are easy to read at a glance.

Red Guide Italia and a good map are all one needs to plan a great trip to Italy!