The Unofficial Guide to Bed & Breakfasts in California [Paperback]

Mary Anne Moore (Author), Maurice Read (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2000 | Series: Unofficial Guides

The Unofficial Guides are the Consumer Reports of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate how each place stacks up against the competition. Plus, all the details are pulled out so they're extremely easy to scan.

The Unofficial Guide to Bed & Breakfasts in California takes a refreshingly honest, critical look at the best B&Bs in the Golden State. Instead of just saying nice things about every inn, as some guides do, it actually rates each B&B, looking at factors like value and quality of rooms, and offers truly comparative descriptions. Includes a photo insert of our top-rated inns and lovely illustrations of 50 properties.

Five Reasons Why This Is the Best B&B Series You Can Buy:

1. Complete Coverage: Profiles and evaluations of 300 top inns and B&Bs in all price categories, from budget to deluxe, plus a directory of 250 other great places to stay
2. Critical Evaluations: Objective ratings and rankings of each B&B (other B&B guides read like promotional brochures)
3. Personal Inspections: Each B&B is personally inspected by independent travel professionals (most other B&B guides are written by the innkeepers themselves)
4. Honest Selection Process: Each B&B chosen on its own merits; no fees are accepted (most other B&B guides charge innkeepers to be included)
5. Ideal for Families & Pet Lovers: Only the Unofficial Guides identify pet- and kid-friendly places, and recommend the best rooms

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide^® to Walt Disney World^® Five Reasons Why This Is the Best B&B Series You Can Buy:

1. Complete Coverage. Profiles and evaluations of 300 top inns and B&Bs in all price categories—from budget to deluxe—plus a directory of 200 other great places to stay
2. Critical Evaluations. Objective ratings and rankings of each B&B (other B&B guides read like promotional brochures)
3. Personal Inspections. Each B&B personally inspected by independent travel professionals (most other guides are written by the innkeepers themselves)
4. Honest Selection Process. Each B&B chosen on its own merits; no fees are accepted (other guides charge innkeepers)
5. Ideal for Families & Pet Lovers. Identifies kid- and pet-friendly places, and recommends the best rooms

Find us online at www.frommers.com

About the Author

About the Authors and Illustrator Mary Anne Moore and Maurice Read are freelance writers and editors who have contributed to a number of travel books, including Northern California Best Places (two editions), Northern California Cheap Sleeps, and Northern California Budget Traveler. They have written articles on a variety of subjects for magazines and newspapers such as California Magazine, Parenting, the Sacramento Bee, and the San Francisco Chronicle. They are now branching out into cyberspace, writing reviews of products and places for various dotcoms. In her non-writing life, Mary Anne is a legislative consultant in the California State Capitol, spending her off-hours traveling the globe in search of great getaways, first-class restaurants, idyllic jogging trails, and the world's best bookstores. Maurice is a Sacramento-based lobbyist and a gourmet cook. He tours California with his Australian shepherd looking for dog-friendly lodgings, great fly-fishing streams, and memorable meals. Born and raised in New York City, illustrator Giselle Simons received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University. She currently lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where she works as an illustrator, architectural design drafter, and graphic designer. She is caretaker to a dog, two cats, an increasing number of fish, and her husband, Jeff.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028632672
• ISBN-13: 978-0028632674
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,044,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last ! A comprehensive guide to B & Bs in California, October 20, 2000

By 

Audrey Tsuruda (Sacramento, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Bed & Breakfasts in California (Paperback)

This guidebook was an eye opener for someone whose previous impression of B&Bs was that they were usually in a small, refurbished Victorian home operated by a friendly couple. Quaint, forced conviviality, no real privacy, and certainly not for me.

Well, that's all changed. The authors' entertaining and informative style made me feel like some particularly knowledgeable (and trusted) old friends were sharing their candid comments about B&Bs all over California. They've covered a full range of accommodations, styles, and prices. It's obvious that the authors are well travelled and have given a great deal of thought to each listing. Since I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest places to stay and yet want my money's worth, I particularly like the Room Quality and Value ratings.

In addition to providing all the information I needed to plan my next trip, this was a good "read". The colorful descriptions made me want to visit some of the areas just to visit that B&B! This book is a must for anyone looking for unique and interesting places to stay while travelling through California.