Frommer's? Costa Rica 2002

by Eliot Greenspan

"Jam-packed. Besides the usual travel tips, this guide has a "best of" chapter that gives the scoop on beaches, restaurants, scenery, hikes and much more. Regional sections include comprehensive... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764564595
• ISBN13: 9780764564598
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Frommer's
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Frommer's is fantastic

My wife and I greatly enjoyed a week in Costa Rica earlier this month. We are not frequent travelers, and neither of us had previously visited a country where English is not the primary language. Frommer's certainly made our trip smoother and more enjoyable. We foud this guide to be accurate regarding both factual information and perspective. Without it, we would have missed some memorable sights and experiences, including side trips to see the beautiful churches in Zarcero and Las Canas. We rented a small SUV, and had very little trouble finding our way, thanks to Frommer's. Driving in San Jose was a bit of an adventure due to a nearly complete absence of street signs, but Frommer's amply warned us about this in advance. I appreciate Eliot Greenspan's sense of humor as well. We also brought the Lonely Planet guide with us, but I must give Frommer's the nod. I have just one difference of opinion with Mr. Greenspan. The Costa Rican cuisine can actually be quite good. We enjoyed some unique fish and poultry dishes at several hotels and resorts that I would put up against any in the states.

Essential!!

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, this is one of the best travel guides you can buy. Everything you need toi know is packed into this book!

An invaluable practical aid

I just came back from Costa Rica, and I am still amazed at how useful the book was. Everything we planned and did on the basis of the advice from the book turned into a successful endeavor and great memories. The book gives detailed information on which places to see, how to get there (covering all possible transporation means), hotels, good places to eat in the respective location, and local tour opperators to use. For all of these it gives prices, addresses, telephone numbers, business hours, best times to visit, etc - even recommends dishes to try in some of the restaurants. Also, the info is presented in a very organized manner and covers a wide range of budget levels. All the recommendations I used were very good and the information proved to be very accurate. I strongly recommend the book as an invaluable practical aid! An only shortcoming of this book is that it lacks detailed information about Costa Rica, the culture, the history, etc, and does not describe in much detail the places. If you feel the need to know a lot about the places you visit, and have the time to read more, I recommend using this book along with one that is more descriptive of the places, history, etc.

Would be perfect if it included more places

The descriptions of hotels and restaurants in the guidebook are accurate and colorful. Frommer's prepares you for exactly what to expect, and in a few instances correctly identify places that are overrated. In Costa Rica we found that many places were just that: overrated. It seems that places that the most commonly used guidebook, Lonely Planet, raved about had jacked up their prices and become content on coasting on that review, letting the money roll in without exerting any effort (or facility upkeep) to earn the money.It is important to understand that Frommer's does not devote much attention to budget travel; it is not appropriate for people on a tight budget. Additionally, Frommer's is not very comprehensive (only listing a handful of hotels at each location) and Frommer's doesn't give you enough nuts & bolts about how to get to places, which buses to take, how much a taxi should cost, or the real "on the ground" grunt work that you need in a foreign guidebook. Thus, my rating of this book as a 5-star is only as a secondary book. It is not sufficient guidebook by itself. But the information it does have you can really count on. Once you're in the country and a little tired out from travel, and frustrated by inaccurate and outdated info in other guidebooks (LP) you'll really appreciate this book's information.

Excellent guide

I have been in Costa Rica for 2 months now and have one more month to go. I have been using this guide to find hotels, great places to eat, shop, and hang out at night. His recommendations are awesome and, of course, accurate. The only discrepancy has been some of the hotel prices. They seem to be quoted lower in the book by a few dollars even though I am traveling during the low season. His bus schedule times are pretty accurate although with so many fluctuations with scheduling it is best to call ahead. If you want more history on any particular region it would be best to do outside reading as this guide book is more to the point step by step instructions on how to get there and where to stay.