Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete) ReviewLet me start by saying I own several guide books from Frommer's and usually really like them.
But I feel this particular guide is rather disappointing.
For one thing a lot of the information is outdated (most of it seems to be from 2008), for example the schedule for several free shows on the Strip (Bellagio fountains, Mirage volcano, statues at Ceasar's Palace...) as well as almost all restaurant and show prices (they are generally higher by about 5-10% than what the guide says).
Three of the "highly recommended" (***) restaurants we tried were unsatisfactory. In one them the food was not nearly as good as Frommer's made it sound, another one had great food but dismal service (it took almost two hours to eat just a main course and split a dessert, and the check was wrong not once but TWICE!) - and the last one was out of business!
I'm aware that Las Vegas is a fast-moving environment, but it was still disappointing.
More sticky points follow:
- Frommer's only includes hotels ON the Strip or downtown. For example the Gold Coast Casino, just 2 blocks from the strip, was not even mentioned.
- The included maps are not very useful. They are either too large of a scale scale, or else cut off right at the Strip (in other words, there is no single map extending to several blocks East and West of the Strip in satisfying detail). There is no fold-out map.
- The guide layout is confusing. It arbitrarily divides the Strip into North, South and Mid sections, but the location of each "section" is not very clear (plus they vary between the "Where to stay" "Where to eat" and "What to see and do" sections!) They also add East and West of the strip to make the confusion complete. Why not have just two sections, East and West and then list the hotels/restaurants/attractions North to South?
- Some attractions are listed in the "What to see and do" section, others (for example the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian) only under "Where to stay". Just from reading the guide, you'd never guess that the Venetian has free attractions inside!
- One thing that would have been hugely useful but was not included is FLOOR PLANS of the big Strip casinos.
Try to navigate for example the Venetian, Caesar's Palace or Paris Las Vegas if you've never set foot there!
- Frommer's devotes a whole chapter on gambling, but it doesn't include much interesting information.
For someone who has never played table games, their directions make them sound much more intimidating than they are. For example craps - the guide lists all possible bet combinations without explaining the odds and completely muddling the issue. Would it have been that hard to put a "hint box" for newbie gamblers directing them how to stick to the Pass Line and Odds bets, which are easy to make and have a low house edge?
Or Blackjack - they helpfully include a strategy table but it's a bad one. Include the true Basic Strategy table already! That would be much more useful than full-color layouts of a roulette and craps table, without explanation of what the various betting fields mean.
There is in general no mention of the different house edges and/or expected player loss values for the games. Frommer's makes it sound as if they were all equally risky or rewarding, from the almost-neutral Baccarat banker and craps pass/odds bets to the sucker bets on the Big Six wheel. A serious odds table like those found at the Wizard of Odds or Vegas Click would have been appreciated.
Are they maybe sponsored by the Casinos?
If you are going to Vegas and don't know anything about gambling, do yourself a favor and read about the basics even if you don't think you'll gamble much. Amazon won't post allow me to post URLs, so just google for example "vegasclick" or "wizardofodds" for some much needed, serious and free advice. In a nutshell: don't be intimidated by the table games, they are much more fun and besides offer often better odds than the slots! I learned that lesson too late...
All in all, a rather confusing and outdated guide. One hopes they will seriously update it for the 2010 edition.Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete) OverviewAmerica's #1 bestselling travel series
Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer's Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.
More annually updated guides than any other series
16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design


Want to learn more information about Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides) ReviewI've been a fan of Bob Sehlinger, the author, ever since I first discovered his other book, The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 (Unofficial Guides). Since I was planning a trip to Las Vegas, I decided to buy this guidebook even though I'd been to the city many times before. Partly I was curious to see if this would live up to his WDW book, and partly because I wanted input on planning which shows to see, which restaurants to visit, etc. I've broken my comments on each major section of the book into separate paragraphs below.
Hotels: This section is kind of an odd grab bag of information. The author has an extensive list of covered hotels and offers a write-up of each one. Yet the information covered is often more of a general description than a true critique that would help the average traveler. For example, the Wynn Las Vegas receives three full pages of text but in all of that, there is virtually nothing said about the rooms. When reading these entries, it's more similar to how a novelist would set a scene than how I would expect a travel writer to critique a hotel. There is a chart that shows an overall rating for the hotel as well as a room rating, but no details are offered.
Restaurants: There are far too many restaurants in Las Vegas for any guide to review them all in depth but the author does a good job of breaking down your options at the major hotels. Beginning with summarized lists that show favorites by category, coverage then shifts to more detailed write-ups for each location in alphabetical order. Each restaurant receives ratings for quality, value, and an overall score. In addition, there are helpful comments. This section is very helpful.
Entertainment: There is a chart that ranks all shows in order of entertainment value followed by detailed write-ups of each show with ratings broken down by age group. This is by far the best coverage of shows that I've seen in any of the Las Vegas guides. Given the cost of tickets to these extravaganzas, this section alone is worth the price of the book as it can steer you to a great experience or help you avoid a less worthy show that you might have been considering.
Nightclubs: This section is not as comprehensive as those listed above, but it is still quite good. There are no ratings, but there are detailed reviews and tips for each of the major clubs. I don't spend a lot of time on this because I'm not a clubber, but this is at least as much coverage, and probably more, as I've seen in the other guides.
Gambling: This is the only Las Vegas guidebook that I have seen with a whole section devoted to teaching the basics of gambling. I'm not sure how seriously to take the advice since I definitely feel they overstate the difficulty of playing blackjack. Overall, it's nice that they included this, but it's no substitute for a good book on the subject.
Other: The Unofficial Guide does a decent job of covering all the miscellaneous bases. Attractions such as the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton get solid reviews that will help you decide whether it's your cup of tea or not. The Liberace Museum, however, is almost buried in the back with a single paragraph of coverage. All in all, I would say that these items are covered better in the Frommer's guide and if they are a big priority to you, it will be something of a black mark against this book.
Overall, it's easy for me to recommend this book. I spent quite a bit of time going through Frommer's Las Vegas 2009 (Frommer's Complete) and Fodor's Las Vegas 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides) and this is much more comprehensive. It does have some weaknesses, however, and they are worth considering. The worst flaw is the nature of the hotel coverage. While a good many pages are devoted to it, detail on rooms gets short shrift. Still, this is Las Vegas and people generally don't come here to spend a lot of time inside their rooms so maybe you really do care more about the casino, lobby, etc. on which a lot of the author's prose focuses. A more minor quibble is the coverage of miscellaneous attractions but this is still pretty solid for the most part. If The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas isn't quite up to the level of the author's Walt Disney World guide, that's not really a crime. The key is how well it stacks up to other Vegas guides and the answer is very well indeed. I give it four stars and a strong recommendation. I'll hold the fifth star for the edition where hotel coverage is strengthened a notch.The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides) OverviewMore than 4 million copies sold! This series is the only one that offers evaluations based on reader surveys and critiques, compiled by a team of unbiased inspectors.
• Hotels, attractions, and restaurants in all price categories
• Extensive information on shopping, nightlife, and sports
• Easy-to-use, two-color design
• Detailed, 2-color maps

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World®"A Tourist's Best Friend!"-Chicago Sun-Times"Indispensable"-The New York TimesFive Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide®:* Over 100 hotels and casinos rated and ranked - the most offered by any guidebook - plus proven strategies for getting the best rate* Complete detailed descriptions of each casino and casino hotel* In-depth critical reviews of Las Vegas' 60 best shows and 30 top nightspots - the most offered by any guidebook* Detailed reviews of more than 100 restaurants - a complete dining guide within the guide, plus the best buffets rated and ranked* Fifty pages of gambling tips from how to play, recognize sucker games, and cut the house advantage to the bone


Want to learn more information about The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2009 (Unofficial Guides)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete) ReviewItem arrived in excellent condition and was worth the purchase. It helped us on our trip quite a bit, as the information was helpful. Thanks to the seller. The following comments are for Frommer:As always, sometimes the prices where a little off, on both sides, sometimes they where a little higher and sometime a little lower. I would recommend to Frommer to research options for getting to and from the hotel in Cancun as when we arrived at the airport this June 2010 you have many taxi options to get to your hotel. And all the services are barking out their services. Options such as riding in a shared van that drop off passengers at different hotels vs. getting an individual taxi are a better option, and how to get around the hotel via the local air conditioned tourist bus vs. the hotel taxi is an option that will save the tourist a lot of money for trip activities. Also using the local ADO bus instead of a bus tour will also save a lot of money.Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete) Overview
Frommer's Cancún & the Yucatán 2010 with Tabasco & Chiapas

With Foldout Map
Get up close and personal with the ancient Olmec in Tabasco.See chapter 9.
Foldout map, plus detailed maps throughout

Exact prices, directions, opening hours,and other practical information

Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants,plus sights, shopping, and nightlife

Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas

Insider tips from local expert authors


Want to learn more information about Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2010 (Frommer's Complete)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...