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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We had a great time in Spain with Rick Steves!!!, April 2, 2005
This review is from: Rick Steves' Spain 2005 (Paperback)
Rick's book was extremely helpful. We have always bought the Eyewitness travel books in the past. This trip to Spain we had Lonely Planet Spain, Eyewitness Spain and of course Rick Steves's Spain 2005. We "lived by" what Rick said every time. We compared all three books each night as we planned the next day's adventures. Each book had conflicting information. Rick turned out to be the correct one EVERY time. His book was the smallest,lightest and easiest to read of the three. We felt like we were on a tour with Rick. We'd get to place and say, "Okay, what did Rick say about this..." As I read, I felt like I was watching one of his travel shows. We had a great time with Rick!!! Next country I visit, I will only buy one of Rick Steves' books.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Savvy, but not snazzy, January 28, 2005
This review is from: Rick Steves' Spain 2005 (Paperback)
I decided to try this guidebook after years of being a die-hard LP fan. First of all, it's a little slimmer than the Lonely Planet version, which could make a difference when you're lugging stuff around town. I also found it to be a little more honest in its evaluation of the cities. Other guidebooks either seem to totally play up a place, or make you think that you'll be held at gun point about four times a day. This book prioritizes the things you should see on your trip, which is always helpful if you have limited time. However, the hand-drawn maps give you much too little information. What happens if you should happen to wander off one of the main roads? On the upshot you're not overwhelmed with information, but still, a good map is an absolute necessity in traveling. Rick Steves is also a little shoddy on the nitty gritty information. For example, it doesn't give any information about the best way to get from the airport in Seville into the city. The LP guides would undoubtedly cover that kind of stuff. Still these books are updated every year, which is great. I don't know how many times I've shown up to a place and it wasn't there. Thanks LP.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great guide to off-the-beaten-path sights, tastes, and lodging..., August 15, 2005
This review is from: Rick Steves' Spain 2005 (Paperback)
I spent three months in the summer of 2005 working in Madrid, and as a longtime fan of Rick Steves' travel show "Europe Through the Back Door" on PBS, I bought his Spain 2005 guidebook to accompany me on my weekend trips in and around Madrid, as well as on long-distance treks to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.
The book focuses on destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, Santiago, Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and the Costa del Sur, offering a range of dining and lodging options to suit all tastes and budgets. Rick includes walking tours, hand-drawn maps to locate dining and hotel listings, and a liberal dose of humour and Spanish culture.
Nearly all of my reservations on trips were from Rick's recommendations: in Santiago, I stayed at the Hotel Virxe da Cerca ("a wonderful splurge") and enjoyed a coffee on the terrace of the Hotel Costa Vella, Rick's favourite hotel in Santiago. In Toledo, I tried two different hotels that Rick recommends: the budget-priced, centrally located Hotel Santa Isabel (45 Euros/night for a double) and the plush, tranquil Hostal del Cardenal, a former cardinal's palace built into the ancient city wall.
The only hotel recommendation that I found a little off was the Petit Palace Las Torres in Salamanca. Rick's prices are drastically off for 2005 - although he lists a single room as 67 Euros, the summer rate was 100. Rick also lists that rooms with a view cost the same as interior rooms; again, this is no longer true. A room facing the Plaza Mayor runs about 20-30 Euros more a night. However, the Las Torres is in an unbeatable location, and despite the huge crowds and summer festival in full swing on the Plaza Mayor, there was virtually no outside noise. Also, the free Internet came in handy.
Rick focuses on museums, with handy descriptions and walkthroughs that are lifesavers for non-Spanish speakers, since nearly all museums have little or no English posted, or limited information in general. His orientation and transportation information is hugely helpful, down to listing metro stops, where to catch buses/trains to specific destinations, and how to go on foot from bus/train stations to downtown areas, saving in costly taxi fares.
Also, his listings of vegetarian restaurants were a lifesaver: as a vegan in Spain, vegetarian options are few and far between, and Rick made it easy to navigate. I especially enjoyed trying the numerous local pastries and delicacies in each town, such as the ponche segoviano (marzipan cake) in Segovia at the Lima y Menta and the pumpkin-filled toledano marzipan cookies at Santo Tome in Toledo. I wanted to try the crema catalan at the Granja Viader in Barcelona, but even though I arrived before close (as posted by Rick), the shop had already closed.
As expected, many of the museum entrance costs have gone up since the book's publication, usually by no more than .50 - 2.00 Euros. Also, Rick's listed hours for restaurants and museums are not always current; it's best to call using the included telephone numbers to confirm. Rick's handy guide on reserving hotels, a tapas primer, and included glossary, along with a brief Spanish history, make this an invaluable guide for those who want to experience Spain to the fullest. Rick steers you away from American-style hotels and restaurants and tourist traps so that you can "live like a local," and it's far more authentic (and fun). For those interested in visiting Gibraltar and Morocco, Rick includes a short, basic guide to Tangier and an extended tour of Morocco. Well worth the cost, although at this date (August 2005), you'd be better off waiting for the Rick Steves' Spain 2006, due out this fall.
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