Reviewers' Corner

Here are a few of the latest travel-book reviews written by ITN readers.

“Fodor’s Paris 2006,” edited by Andrew Collins and Jennifer Paul (2005, Fodor’s, LLC. ISBN 140015480 — 372 pp., $17.95 paperback).

This guidebook has a layout similar to that of most, with chapters on essentials, eating, hotels and what to see and do.

One of the highlights is the “Exploring Paris” chapter, with suggested itineraries and walks with maps and detailed directions as well as suggestions for cafés and other places to stop for a break.

Each itinerary tells the reader what to see, listing and describing the main sights, but it also has off-the-beaten-track and “Fodor’s Choice” recommendations to make the day more interesting. This section is what sets Fodor’s apart from other Paris guidebooks I have seen. Throughout the book, these “Fodor’s Choice” suggestions as well as “Close Up” boxes give more helpful ideas and assist the reader in getting more out of Paris.

At the start of the book, there is a chart listing some of the “Fodor’s Choice” restaurants, lodgings and things to see. However, I found this chart very frustrating because it doesn’t tell where the places are or where to find more information about them in the book. It would have been helpful to reference the page numbers, at least. To find out where a mentioned restaurant is described, the reader has to find it in the restaurant section or look it up in the index.

Fodor’s offers lots of restaurant and hotel choices in all price ranges and gives the nearest Métro stop for each. On the downside, I felt that the hotels section was too long, almost 50 pages. Although it’s nice to have hotel choices, carrying along 50 pages worth of hotels is kind of a waste.

The pullout map is not very useful. It gives a general overview and has major streets, but the small maps throughout the book are more detailed and useful. The free map I got at my hotel was much better for getting around Paris. There is a good Métro map on the inside of the back cover.

“Fodor’s Paris 2006” is a reasonable choice for someone planning to spend more than a few days in Paris.

— MARTHA BAKERJIAN, Lower Lake, CA

“Fodor’s Thailand with side trips to Cambodia and Laos,” ninth edition, edited by Carissa Bluestone (2005, Fodor’s Travel Publications. ISBN 1400014786 — 508 pp., $22.95).

Most travelers are familiar with the Fodor’s series, and this guidebook follows the usual pattern, aiming at the mid-budget traveler but with a few reports on high-end hotels/resorts and more than a few items for the low-budget or backpacker reader.

There are excellent maps on each region and many cities with the highlights of each chapter clearly marked on them.

Most helpful are two pages at the beginning of each chapter, one titled “Fodor’s Best of” and the other, “Itineraries if you have 1-3-7 days.” This should help, for instance, if you are tackling Bangkok for the first time. Reading this and prioritizing helped us regionally, as the lists of sights, temples, parks, etc., is extensive and sometimes overwhelming.

Helpful at the end of each section are explanations of regional foods, with suggestions on what to order and how to eat it; safety reports on each city and area, and honest reports on which spots have become “too touristy.”

For the WWII buff there is an excellent report on Kanchanaburi, the site of the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai and the city’s two WWII museums.

For beachgoers, divers and snorkelers, there are up-to-date reports on recovery from tsunami damage.

I have only a few small quibbles with the authors, such as their using local names when the better known would have helped. It took me several chapters to figure out Mae Nam Klong was the Mekong River!

Cambodia and Laos are adequately covered, eliminating the need for a separate guidebook.

Frequent good tips, such as an explanation of beating Bangkok’s severe traffic congestion by use of the new elevated sky train, the subway and inexpensive river taxis help make this a good choice if you are carrying “only one” guidebook.

— LINDA BEURET, Santa Barbara, CA

“Travellers’ Wildlife Guides: Peru” by David L. Pearson and Les Beletsky (2005, Interlink Publishing Group. ISBN 1566565456 — 492 pp., $27.95).

This is a great book for the ecologically minded, with many beautiful color illustrations of animals found in Peru.

I think it would be especially attractive for birders. It includes 120 pages of pictures and descriptions of birds.

Included also are brief descriptions of Peru’s geography, habitats and parks.

I can recommend this book.

— G. VAUGHAN PARKER, Santa Barbara, CA

“Cadogan Guides: Vienna, Prague, Budapest” by Mary-Ann Gallagher, Sadakat Kadri and Matthew Gardner (2005, Cadogan Guides/Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 1860111874 — 282 pp., $18.95).

Usefulness: high.

Quality of content: fair to good.

Value for money: good.

Advantages: good writing. Amusing comment. Web addresses for sites provided.

Disadvantages: descriptions too brief. Tube stations not provided for sites.

Recommendation: lukewarm.

The Cadogan Guides generally are aimed at a relatively affluent, mature audience (unlike Lonely Planet guides and Rough Guides), but they have a general appeal and a good reputation and are relatively inexpensive. However, this book is NOT a favorite of mine.

I find the listing of sites complete, but the descriptions are brief and disconnected from one another. Transportation information is provided (maps of subway systems, information on obtaining tickets, etc.), but subway stops nearest sites are not included in the descriptions of the sites.

There are comprehensive but brief listings of where to eat, stay, drink, etc., as well as brief but detailed accounts of the history, art and culture.

The guide could be helpful in getting you around a city, although I find that descriptions on cities such as Vienna, Prague and Budapest cannot adequately be shortened to fit a book of this size. I tend to use it to plan outings and, having planned them, soak in the atmosphere on my own.

— VICKI SCHELL, Pensacola, FL