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Readers' Comments about Manatee Press Guides
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Useful for residents and visitors alike, Barbados Travel Companion, our new travel app to Barbados, supplies comprehensive information along with pictures, maps and links to hundreds of videos and relevant websites. There is an Android version and an iTunes version.
St. John Visitors: Please check out Explore St. John, our new travel app to St. John, which supplies comprehensive information (useful for residents and visitors alike) along with pictures, maps and links to hundreds of videos and relevant websites.
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As co-author of the sixth edition of Lonely Planet Costa Rica, acquaintances often ask me which guidebook I recommend, now that my own is out of date. Explore Costa Rica is the perfect choice for independent-minded travelers interested in learning more about the country from travel writer who has been covering Costa Rica since at least 1992. Just try finding that kind of continuity from major-label guidebook companies, which are often forced by tightening budgets and schedules to hire authors using criteria other than expertise. Even in a solid field of small-publisher guidebooks, however, Pariser's work stands out. A detailed field guide of flora and fauna will help you appreciate Costa Rica's fabulous national parks, while useful advice on "Picking a Tour" is accompanied by listings that include everyone from slick, international package-tour operators to scruffy beachtown-based independent guides, some of whom I also know and recommend. Hotel and restaurant listings span a wide range of prices and expectations, and descriptions tend to be more detailed than in thinner guidebooks - at 621 pages, there's plenty of room. Transport schedules have been meticulously updated (I checked!), and helpfully detail confusing routes to more remote regions that might require multiple bus changes. I especially appreciate events listings; you just haven't lived until you've attended a loud, guaro-soaked Costa Rican fiesta, and Pariser makes sure you know what's on while you're in the country. My only quibble is with the maps - they're accurate and useful for towns and cities, and are more than sufficient for travelers using public transport. If you're planning to drive, however, be sure to ask for a free country map from your rental car company or any tourist office. Regardless, this book gets five stars because it is accurate, updated and insightful, and most of all because doesn't cut corners.
Paige R. Penland |
| The book on Costa Rica is the best travel book I have ever seen. It covers everything for a traveler. I normally don't even bother purchasing a travel guide because all of the Travel/Adventure guides that I have ever seen have had generic information in them. They have had very little useful information in them. I can't say enough about your book on Costa Rica. I wish there were more authors out there producing work of this calibre. This book is a must have for anyone traveling to Costa Rica. —. reader John Smoot |
| Review of “Explore the Virgin Islands,” by Harry S. Pariser Travelers to the Virgin Islands will find Harry Pariser’s book “Explore the Virgin Islands, Sixth Edition,” a valuable resource, both in planning their trip and using the guide daily while there. He writes short, succinct paragraphs about each and every activity one might wish to experience. The descriptions of hotels, guest houses and resorts, while brief, is complete and gives an complete overview of what is available, leading to further investigation if one is interested. Descriptions of activities and features on the islands are very good and accurate. Reading “Explore the Virgin Islands,” before reaching the islands will encourage the traveler to try local restaurants and island activities they might otherwise overlook. Other little known tidbits about the islands are included in sidebars and furnish a fascinating short look at the islands culture, history, and maps of important locations and historical sites. The section dealing with hitching a ride is priceless. Can you tell who is a tourist and who is a local by the way they hold their thumb or forefinger? Read the book and you will know, and get more rides Captain Conrad Brown |
| Dear Mr. Pariser and Manatee Press, Just a note to thank you for Explore Puerto Rico, which I recently purchased on vacation. I found your 5th edition for sale in the El Morro bookstore midway through the trip, and quickly replaced our Frommer's with it. This book gave me much more of what I wanted to know about understand the island's history and cultural. You took some political positions, and my travel companion and I both appreciated it. It made for a lively and interesting read, even when we weren't trying to get anywhere! Thanks again. Robin Sitten Clinton, MA |
| Mr. Pariser, It's a pleasure to have read your book, it's been extremely informative! I am a student at Occidental College in L.A. and I've just received a fellowship to travel to Costa Rica this summer to study the environmental impact of ecotourism. |
| Take the advice of those readers who know & love the islands, and
who are residents - buy this book before you come --and -- even if you live
here and think you know it all -- buy the book and discover familiar places
in a new light, and new places you were unaware of. Harry Pariser knows these islands, likes the people and has hiked the trails. Let him tell you about island food, island lingo and island etiquette while you explore, shop, wine and dine using this neat book as your guide. From the Author This is not like any other guide to the Virgin Islands because it gives you a great deal of background information on history and culture as well as the information you need to plan your trip. There are many photos, charts, web sites, and e-mails. Maps include dive sites as well as attractions and beaches. Online updates are also available, as is a message board.-- caribbeaninspired.com |
| Explore the Virgin Islands By Harry S. Pariser Matatte Press (2004) Reviewed by Juanita Watson for Reader Views (1/06) This is a fantastic guidebook. Harry S. Pariser covers everything you need to know about the Virgin Islands and more. Condensed into a small, lightweight purse or backpack sized book, there is no compromising in quantity of information. Included are all the essentials – accommodations for all budgets, various choices of transportation, and endless ideas for entertainment, shopping, and restaurants. It covers every type of traveler. Do you lean towards a more natural experience? There are choices such as ecotours, hiking trails, secluded beaches, dive sites, National Parks and even horseback riding. Maybe you prefer a more refined experience. Pariser provides information on art galleries, villas, formal dining, sailing, and yachting. How about an island wedding? Many ideas are included to help you plan that perfect day. Find out about golfing, bowling, bird watching, deep sea fishing, car rentals, tours, taxi fares, banking, internet access, island hopping and more. This guide really does have it all. I especially appreciated the easy to follow maps, relevant charts, and inspiring photos. I feel this book would allow any traveler to easily plan a memorable vacation experience. Pariser also includes many websites, email addresses, and phone numbers to help you get direct and timely additional information. All that said, what I really think sets this guidebook apart from many others is the wealth of additional information. A lengthy section, and various excerpts throughout the book, detail history, archaeology, flora and fauna, native foods, music and more. I personally have a fuller and deeper travel experience learning about the local culture, and this book provides just that. Not only is Explore the Virgin Islands a highly informative travel book, but a genuinely interesting read too. |
Explore Series
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| Preface by Eduardo Galleano (Spanish Version) |
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Read about why this parody is being unfairly censored. Download ai.pdf version (Adobe Acrobat Reader) of this cartoon. |
