Frommer’s Costa Rica 2010 (Frommer’s Color Complete Guides)

Review by K. Salinger for Frommer’s Costa Rica 2010 (Frommer’s Color Complete Guides)
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Costa Rica is one of my very favorite destinations and I likely own just about every flavor of review book on the area. While my husband has always been a big fan of the Frommers series I’ve always had others that I felt were more current and offered the information I value most when traveling. However I have been very impressed with the 2010 edition of the Frommers for Costa Rica and can honestly say that at present it is my favorite guide book for this area.

Typically I’ve been the type to gravitate more towards the Moon books which offers more of the “off the beaten path” type information on things to do, see, places to stay and where to eat. They tended to present a more local flavor and not focus so heavily on the more touristy spots. The one drawback to the Moon series is that it can occasionally get rambly and doesn’t seem to update it’s information as frequently as it should.

This latest edition of the frommers offers the same point of view that I’ve always sought in the Moon books, yet it is very current. I compared the commentary in the book with my own experiences when traveling in the area and found that I agreed with most everything the author wrote as far as destinations, great places to eat, nice places to stay, best places to visit, etc. Granted, I’ve never lived in Costa Rica and I’ve not been to every area of interest in the Country, but on the areas I know well the author is right on.

We are heading to Costa Rica again in a couple of weeks and are taking in a few new destinations and sights, so I will then see if my experiences and the commentary in the guide continue to align. (Update post-trip below…)

All-in-all, whether going to Costa Rica for the first time or on a return visit I feel this guide is a great resource. The information is current, seems very unbiased, and offers a great selection of places to stay and things to do if you’re seeking ideas for your trip.

UPDATE: We returned from our trip a few days ago and I can say my initial impressions of this guide book were right on. This is indeed a great guide for both new and return visitors. The information provided was very accurate. Those activities, hotels and restaurants both recommended and not recommended were in-line with our own impressions, making the guide a great resource for both pretrip planning and in-country last minute plans as well. This is a great Costa Rica guide and I highly recommend it.

Review by Eclectic Booklover for Frommer’s Costa Rica 2010 (Frommer’s Color Complete Guides)
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We are considering a vacation to Costa Rica sometime in 2010. Since it would be our first trip to this country, I thought this travel guide might be a perfect way to learn more about the country and its culture, it’s history, the beaches, hotels etc.

The book is divided into sections:

* The Best of Costa Rica (beaches, hotels, ecolodges and wilderness resorts, B&Bs, best family resorts, places for adventure,nature, and more.

* Costa Rica in Depth: The history of the country past and present, culture, architecture and eating and drinking

* Trip Planning: when to go, calendar of events,getting there and around once you are there, wedding planning, health and safety accommodations , suggested itineraries etc.

* Separate sections about San Jose, Guanacaste (The Gold Coast), Puntarenas and the Nicoya Peninsula, The Northern Zone: Mountain Lakes, Cloud Forest and a volcano.

* Central Pacific Coast (Where the Mountain Meets the Sea, The Southern Zone The Caribbean Coast

* Fast facts guide; Spanish terms and phrases and Costa Rican wildlife info.

Also included is a foldout map plus detailed maps throughout the book, hundreds of color photos, reviews of hotels and restaurants, shopping and nightlife, as well as trip planning ideas for once you are there. The only thing that I was a bit disappointed in was not the book itself, but that many of the featured hotels only had one or two star ratings, even most of the very expensive resort hotels were only 3 stars, so we really need to do a bit more research and talk with people who have traveled here before. RECOMMENDED

Review by Greg for Frommer’s Costa Rica 2010 (Frommer’s Color Complete Guides)
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I used an earlier version of this Frommer’s guide to Costa Rica when I visited there a few years ago, and found it to be the most useful of the three guides I used to plan my trip. When I received the 2010 edition I did a quick comparison between it and the earlier edition to see what might be added or subtracted from my itinerary if I were to plan the same trip today using the newer guide. I find that for our particular trip, not much would have changed, but the updates to a few newer attractions, to pricing, and so forth were welcome.

To my mind the most useful and outstanding feature of Frommer’s Costa Rica guide is the advice on how best to spend one week (if that is all the time you have) in the country. The recommendations are very good, from the San Jose arrival and departure to how to make a big triangle of travel within the center of the country that enables you to see key sights and experience some culture as well as environmental diversity (that includes the coast and the rainforest).

Costa Rica is a wonderful experience, and certainly was one of the most important trips I’ve ever taken, but a guide is essential to getting the most out of it. Planning and preparedness are seldom more important than they are when visiting a country with crime and corruption issues and most importantly, incredibly bad roads. Frommer’s goes some distance to underscore just how awful the roads are, but it can’t be underscored enough. Plan for your travel to be inconvenienced by wash-outs, monstrous potholes, unbelievable traffic patterns, and the like. The pull-out map that comes included with the Frommer’s Costa Rica 2010 guide will be invaluable to you as you plan your travel routes, and most especially, when you plan alternate routes if your initial plans prove unworkable.

One bonus with Frommer’s guides is the exquisite color photography with which the books are amply illustrated. While the photos used tend to draw on the best and prettiest a location has to offer (I didn’t see any pictures of the razor wire used to protect shops and nicer residences in downtown San Jose, for example), when you’re trip is over, the book acts as keepsake of your adventure, reminding you (as this one did me) of your journey. Every few pages there is the equivalent of a postcard, and that’s not only handy in helping you decide where you want to go, it turns out those images make a wonderful souvenir of where you’ve been, as well.

A good value, and I would say a practically essential purchase if you’re serious about a trip to the truly magical Costa Rica.