Customer Reviews

Moon Handbooks Cancun and Cozumel: Including Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, and the Costa Maya

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

 

 

I used to be a loyal lonely planet buyer, until I got my hands on this book. The maps, detail, and recommendations were spot on, from the restaurants to the accomdations to the activities. The only time that we had anything other than an excellent meal in Cozumel was when we went to a place recomended by someone in the hotel, as opposed to what was recommended in this book. The detail on each location is very informative. I took three guidebooks with me to Cozumel (fine, I admit it, I am guidebook obsessed), and next time I would take nothing other than this one. In fact, based on this trip, I would pick a Moon guide every time I travel. The section on the Mayan ruins was especially informative. I took the book's recomendation to travel to Coba instead of Tulum, and I was not disappointed.

One disclaimer--I only went to Cozumel and Coba, so I can't speak for how good this book is for Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.

This is by far the best guidebook to Cancun and surrounding area out there. The depth is incredible; the authors mention somewhere that they stayed in Cancun for two months, and it shows. It's not just Cancun either - the coverage of Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, the Mayan ruins, and all up and down the coast is excellent. The problem with some guides (Lonely Planet, Frommers, etc) is they "take sides" - they're either too cynical about "gringos on vacation" or totally ignore anything that's not sold in a package. The Moon book really showed both sides: from beaches and nightclubs and five-star restaurants, to museums and Mayan ruins and street food. (Real culture in Cancun - who knew??) There's also good suggestions for people traveling with kids, another complaint of mine about some guides. We got all the R&R we wanted, plus a few things I didn't expect. Moon isn't a well-known name, but this book is worth getting.

I have travelled quite a bit through the years and have always relied on Frommer's and Fodor's, but Moon blows them away! Fantastic insights, great suggestions. I just planned my honeymoon using this book and located a wonderful hotel that the travel agents don't know about! I will use Moon guides from now on!

Can't believe how lousy this book is. We just went to Cancun, and much of the information here is out of date. The "must-see" place claimed by the book such as las Pallapas, is just an empty, run-down, lifeless square in the afternoon. Surroundings of the square looks unpleasing as well. Can't find any really useful tip for Cancun.

I like this guide because of how easy it is to read. Most travel books are arranged by activity (hotels, sights, restaurants, etc.), but this is by area, which makes it very easy to find what you are looking for. Like any travel book, there are things which are out-of-date, but that should be expected; one should never whole-heartedly trust any one information source, especially when it pertains to travel. Used in tandem with another guide book and/or the internet, this is an excellent tool.

This was a very informative book. Though it did not give the info I needed for hotels otherwise a helpful book.