Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to Costa Rica, Second Edition

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

 

 

Out of the 3 different guide books that we brought along on our Costa Rica trip recently, the Rough Guide proved to be the most useful, as evident by the tethered condition of the book at the end of the trip. The Rough Guide provided accurate and pertinent information. The bus schedules are a plus since we didn't have a car and relied on public transportation to get around. The information in the guide is fairly well organized. However, a full size fold out map would complete this guide. Hopefully that will be included in the next edition.

The book is okay-one of three that I brought with me on my travels and by far the least detailed. I didn't not any factual mistakes but many things left to vague to actually GUIDE you anywhere. In my mind a great book to look at if you are CONSIDERING a trip down south but if to bring down with you, why not splurge on a fatter book with some more details? Costa Rica is great- the book's not bad just not overly detailed

When I travelled there, my travel partner dubbed this book "the bible" as we took what it had to say as gospel. And it was right! What I love about these guides are that they are written for people who don't need to stay in super-cheap flea bag hotels, but don't want to stay in the sanitized American chains. The points of interest are interesting, and well represented. I am brand loyal to few things in this world, but Rough Guides are one. This is the one that got me started on them!

There were, unfortunately, a great number of factual errors in the 1st edition that I can only hope have been corrected in this later edition. After several of these seriously affected our travel, we tossed the book and bought the Lonely Planet, which was only marginally better.

There was also so much questionable advice -- like the description of a hotel as "perfectly serviceable" when in fact it was walled in with barbed wire, the lock didn't lock, the sign out front squealed all night, the mattress was stained and had no sheets, there were large mammals living in the shower which was an electrocution hazard, and the dog across the street howled ALL NIGHT LONG. (Yes, I know the dog wasn't the reviewer's fault, but the rest could have been noted by the reviewer.)

We also went to a park described as "no place could be easier to get to!" -- Famous last words. We hired a cab, which got lost. We then hiked several miles uphill on roads that were nearly washed out with mud. We found the park and it was closed that day. We snuck in anyway, and it was greatly worth it, but knowing it would have been tough to get there would have been fair warning.

Costa Rica is spectacular -- it's a good thing we took this as a sense of adventure, and recommend you do too!

Hi, I am working at ILISA Spanish Language Institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to let you know that this book help our students a lot by giving them helpful tips and by making any travel plans for the weekends. Thanks!

The Rough Guide was an invaluable resource on my recent trip. It's by far the most useful guidebook I've ever seen.

The Rough Guide was an invaluable resource on my recent trip. It's by far the most useful guidebook I've ever seen.