 |
|
Title: The Rough Guide to Andalucia - Edition 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
ISBN: 1843535874
Author:
Mark Ellingham
Geoff Garvey
Publicate Date: 2006-05-29
Publish: 2006-05-29
List Price: $19.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.74
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.76
Amazon Merchant Price: $13.59
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Worse than Worthless
This guide was so bad I ended up ditching it half way through the trip, since it was basically as useful as carrying a brick around.
I had been to Spain before, previously using Rick Steve's guide, and I have usually rely on Lonely Planet - which I used in India - so I thought, since I had been to Andalusia before I would try something different. What a mistake!
a. Inaccurate information - for two nights I had no hotel reservation (because I was coming from Morocco and wanted that portion of the trip to be open ended - I tried using the guide in two cities I was unfamiliar with - Ronda and Alegris. The hotel information for Alegris was vague and the hotel they described as sparkling was literally a roach filled dump. In Ronda, the first hotel I tried to call I got fax number, the second, I was able to make a reservation but the hotel listed in Rough guide under hotel listings was different than the hotel shown on the map - I ended up getting a nice hotel out of that for cheap (turns out there were two hotels with the same name) but through no fault of the guide! Now I can understand one or two mistakes but out the three hotels I tried all three had inaccurate information.
Walking around Ronda, I got the distinct impression the writer had never been there and was simply copying things from other guides - the way things were described was so vague that I simply ended up relying on the nice tourist office, a map provided by them and information from the sites. Ditto for Sevilla and Granada. Often -very often the way things were labeled by Rough Guide was NOT how they were labeled in reality or on the map. I tried the tapas/rest. recs - and found for Ronda they were again vague and inaccurate -'good tapas off such and such square' - that I simply ended up finding a place myself - the same in Granada where the writer described one place as spit and sawdust' when in reality it was cafeteria like!.
b. Self righteous politicizing - I don't like people sticking their political opinions in places they don't belong - especially in places like Spain which has a complex history. The writer(s)'s PC bias was clear describing Isabell and Ferdinand as "liberating" (in quotes!) Granada as if the Iberian people taking back their own land was a bad thing, in Ronda the writer can't bring himself to say that it was Franco supporters who were executed by being flung off the bridge (which drops into a steep gorge) and (again) vaguely says 'the prisoners were executed on this brigde) never referring to who or when. In many ways this is worse than a bad guide since it seems to be deliberately distorting information in between telling us that Gibraltar 'can and should' be returned to Spain without telling us why they think so other than their own warped political views (Gibraltar was won by treaty and the majority of Gibraltons want to stay part of Britian, so much for democracy for PC jobworths)
c. lastly HORRIBLE connection and transportation information. No estimated travel times between major cities like Seville and Granada, no number of trains/buses a day - and as seems to be consistent for this crappy guide, vague often inaccurate information.
I will never use another Rough Guide again. Honestly if you're going to spain for the first time and standard' trip - use Rick Steves - its light but gives you everything you need to know - getting a bit more off the beaten path, use Lonely Planet.
Yes there is some 'good' information in here about sites and such - but it was probably just copied from somewhere else.
|
2: Underwhelmed
After just spending 10 days in Andalucia, I have to say that I wished I had gotten the Lonely Planet guide. This one just did not have enough truly useful information to justify its considerable weight. For example, it would say "a bus takes you from the train station into town," but did not tell you the number of the line. Or it would say "there's a lively market on thursdays on c/ borroso" in Sevilla, but it did not give you any orientation as to where "c/ borroso" was in the city or on a map...and do you know how many tiny streets there are in Sevilla? Also, while it gave numerous restaurant reviews, it did not give them relative cost ratings (e.g. $, $$, $$$). This would have been really helpful, as I often would seek out a restaurant only to find it out of my price range.
That said, if you're not planning on getting audioguides at the historical sites and have time to read the descriptions, you will undoubtedly get more out of this book than I did. And when they had the necessary details, their recommendations of things to do were spot-on.
After browsing through other travelers' Lonely Planets, I think those guides are arranged much more intuitively.
|
3: Top this.
This high-quality guide is 50% thicker than the Lonely Planet guide to Andalucia, yet it's not too big or heavy for a light packer. (But I wouldn't want one any heavier than this.) There's no filler; it's dense with practical information.
The "Let's Go" guides are written by undergrads and have excellent lists of accommodations and eats, but the rest of it tends to be immature and alarmist purple prose. (I'll never forget this comment on Morocco: "But be careful, camels have been known to carry syphilis." OK, how many people do you know that have caught syphilis from a camel?!) I call it "Let's Not Go" because they always try to scare you. Other travelers I've met had similar comments and once upon a train ride we had some laughs swapping ridiculous citations.
Rick Steves is just too political for me. His "guides" read like tiresome negative campaign commercials or anti-American polemics.
This guide is about Andalucia. It starts off with a section called "34 Things Not To Miss" with a nice color photo of each, includes a good index, clear and legible maps, and a section on Gibraltar. All the opening/closing times were accurate for the places I went. Those who enjoy intelligent historical and background commentary will like this.
There's no logistical info on Madrid but that's OK: those who land there can go to the prominent "i" booth in Barajas airport or Atocha (the main train station) for free maps and friendly information in English.
Accommodation prices are absent because they vary by season, but good values are pointed out. The money section should warn about the blue "EXACT Transfer" exchange booths in train stations which charge exorbitant fees (like 25%!) and refuse to cancel the transaction once they have your money. (They display different rates for three amount ranges, but charge the highest rate regardless of your amount; it would be a crime in most places.) Note that prices on everything have skyrocketed since the advent of the Euro: the Ave ("AHH-vay") fast train between Madrid and Sevilla cost 70 Euros each way (!) and taxi fares were what I would expect to pay in the U.S. (Tapas is still a deal.) I also suggest a free glance at the State Department's consular information sheet online --your tax dollars at work.
|
4: Great overall resource
I found this book extremely helpful, if a bit bulky. One shortcoming is that the book does not include prices for the accommodation it recommends. Prices are always helpful if you're traveling on a budget; even though they become outdated quickly, they at least give you an idea.
Including the frequency of bus and train routes was very helpful, but they should also include web sites to check current schedules.
I do recommend this book.
|
5: A must-have for the Andalucian-bound!!!
Keeping in the tradition of the insight, clarity, and usefulness which has made Rough Guide among the best of guide book series, the Rough Guide to Andalucia is the definitive book for any tourist interested in visitng that region.Uncluttered, with honest facts AND opinions about where to eat, landmarks, hotels, hostels, and more, the Rough Guide is peerless in it's thorough usefulness. This book does an excellent job of presenting more than your usual tourist traps. Special needs travelers (pets, children, handicapped) can also get a sense of what may and may not be good ideas for your Andalucian odyssey. All in all, if you're looking for a guide book that presents what you NEED to know without a lot of editorial musings, you will find the Rough Guide to Andalucia not only at the forefront of this genre, but without competition when it comes to giving you all things the "non-touristy tourist" wants to know.
|
|
|
|
|
