Reviews (3)

Cool but the colors are missing
Very good and complete information on Alaska. It would be better if there were maps in color and pictures.

Best Places-Alaska
Haven't made the trip yet but the information contained is both helpful and informative. It has given us many new ideas of place and things to see.

Fantastic Guidebook with great stories
A fantastic guidebook describing some of the off beat places in Alaska. If you want the true Alaskan experience, get this book. It contains over 200 restaurant and lodging reviews and stories of the 'best' places in Alaska. One of the three must travel books (Milepost, Discovering Denali, and Best Places Alaska) if you are going to the Last Frontier.
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Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    3. Reference - General    4. Restaurants    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. Travel Guides - U.S.    8. United States - Pacific - Alaska    9. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (1)

Offering one to three-day sample itineraries by region
Now in a thoroughly updated fifth edition, Matthew Poole's Best Places Northern California compiles the reviews of Northern California natives - locals who know best! - to highlight top quality establishments ranging from vineyards in Sonoma to nightclubs in San Francisco and much more. Offering one to three-day sample itineraries by region, designed to allow one to take maximum advantage of time and money. The special feature of Best Places Northern California is that it only lists the the very best and even a one star rating location is a delight, while inferior institutions simply deserve no mention here. Maps, contact information, and brief but vivid descriptions round out this excellent and confidently recommended travel resource.
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Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - Midwest - West North Central (General)    5. United States - Pacific - California   

Reviews (5)

Best Places Baja: The Best Restaurants, Lodgings, and Outdoor Adventure (Best Places Baja)
Book arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition.

Very useful-outstanding info
My wife and I drove to southern Baja for the first time this winter.This book was invaluable for helpful tips, places to stay, good and inexpensive restaurants, and local info.It also provided info on how to avoid getting ripped off and some safety tips for driving.The quality of our trip was greatly improved because of this book.I found it to be better than other similar books I have used for travel in other areas.I highly recommend this book for Baja travellers.

It's a Baja Bible
This turned out to bethe perfect guidebook for driving into Baja. The border crossing-tourist card process set us up in the necessary lanes to make it into the correct parking lot. The "Baja road rules" were an eye opener. Who would guess that a left turn signal means, "It's safe to pass me!"Read more

Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - General    5. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. North America    3. Pacific Coast (Or.)    4. Travel    5. Travel - United States    6. United States - Pacific - Oregon    7. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (5)

A perfect travel companion
Unlike alot of travel books this one is laid out more like a novel with more explanations and full descriptions. This can get a little confusing if you need to find something in a hurry but it certainly provides you with more information. I visited Vancouver back in August for 5 days, so decided to buy the book and be prepared before hand. The restaurent section is superb.I found various small resaurants that felt untouched by any tourist. I felt like a local after being there only a few days. The only thing it lacks is more photos and nice paper stock. I also bought the lonely planet Vancouver book, and each had there own qualities. If the two books were combined it would make for an unbeatable guide.

Excellent recommendations no maps
The Best Places books are outstanding for recommending the best sites to see and I particularly like the restaurant reviews.The hole in these books are the lack of maps.There's a double sided fold out map at the back of the book but that's it.There are no neighborhood maps.The books should do more to help me find a restaurant in a town I don't know than just list the address.Until they figure out maps, you'll need a streetwise map to go hand in hand with this series.

Extremely Helpful and Well-Organized
We just came back from a trip to Vancouver and Victoria and had a very relaxing and rewarding experience with the help of this book.The portion relating to Vancouver was great with a helpful discussion of navigating your way around the city and its various neighborhoods.The restaurant/cafe recommendations were very helpful, and we thought, quite on the mark.Lodging recommendations were also on the money (even though we weren't thrilled with what we ended up with, but based on what else was available at that level of rating, the book's rating seemed to be right on).Finally, the section on Victoria and Whistler were especially helpful given our quick 'sojourns' to these areas.Oh yeah, we did a quick cross-reference of the ratings in this book with Zagat's and they were pretty much in line with each other.There were also lovely discussions in general about shopping in Vancouver (quite plentiful) as well as the parks and the top 20 attractions.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (4)

Great Book On Seattle
BEST PLACES SEATTLE is a great book on where all the good stuff is in the Seattle area. However, it doesn't tell you what to avoid, so it is a bit slanted. Even so, the book is well-written, and I highly recommend it.

I would recommend other guidebooks
I think this is a pretty awful guidebook.After doing going onto Seattle Citysearch, we found a lot of recommendations that weren't even mentioned in the book.Ivar's, Crabpot, that had raving reviews, and even mentioned in the city's free brochures weren't mentioned.It didn't really tell me what they thought about each place.I don't want a babbling description of a place, but more of "great food!" or "don't miss!" or "it might not be worth the money"
Great book for visitors
We keep a copy of this book in our guest room.Lots of people who have stayed with us have used it and have been very happy with the information it contains (short trips to take or activities to do in and around the Seattle area).Read more

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - Midwest - West North Central (General)    5. United States - Pacific - Washington   

Reviews (2)

A Great Guide To Portland
BEST PLACES PORTLAND is a great guide to the Portland metro area. It shows the Portland region to be an open-minded area, much more so than the rest of Oregon (with the exception of, perhaps, the Eugene-Corvallis-Salem corridor), and also provides great ideas for day trips to other parts of the state. Some of the formats listed for a few radio stations have recently changed, but that's a minor quibble, because this book is remarkably well-written, making it equally essential for the vacationer and the person who's moving to the area.

A superb resource for business or leisure travelers alike
Now in an updated sixth edition, Best Places: Portland is a handy travel guide to the best restaurants, lodgings, sights, shopping, and more to be found in Portland, Oregon. Icons for "editor's choice", "good (monetary) value", "family", and "romance" allow for quick and easy selection of Portland features to suit one's needs. Best Places: Portland prides itself on only mentioning the best of the best; even one-star establishments will be a cut above. Suggested day trips and three-day itineraries will aid the reader in maximizing enjoyment on minimum funds. Best Places: Portland is not a catch-all travel guide; it focuses specifically on listing "must-see" places along with brief descriptions, addresses, websites, and so on. A superb resource for business or leisure travelers alike.
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Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - Oregon    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)    7. Western & Pacific Coast states   

Reviews (4)

Not as full of information on the major cities
I purchased this book to accompany me on a roadtrip from Portland, Oregon through Seattle to Vancouver, Canada. I was mainly staying in the three major cities and was looking to find accomodations, restaurants and things to do while there. The book has a brief section on the three cities which left me wanting more information. I think if you plan on spending time in the places in between, it is a great introduction to the Northwest. However, if you are just looking for specific information on a few (in my case, 3) it was not extremely informative. It gives you the best of the best. Just not much more than that.

Entire Trip Planned from this One Book
I planned an entire 11 day trip to Seattle and the San Juan Islands with this book. We stayed at an absolutely wonderful 65 room hotel right near the famous Market in Seattle, then we took the ferries (read about in the book) and stayed at a cabin on Orcas Island near the shore where we could use the canoes and explore the sea life. Then we stayed at great B&B on San Juan Island that also had a yacht you could sleep on, then another B&B on the olympic penninsula that specialied in French cooking. All theses places... were from this book! Fantastic. Still the best guidbook out there
We've been using the "Best Places" books for travel in the Northwest for a number of years, and this year's edition is further proof that this is the best guidebook series going.The information is unfailingly reliable as well as encyclopedic, and the editors' discernment shows through in all aspects: lodging, meals, touring, siteseeing, etc.Certainly the best choice for anyone visiting the area, whether a first-time visitor or a happy returnee. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - West - Pacific (General)    6. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Editorial Review

If you're on the lookout for the ultimate places to smooch with your sweetie, look no further. Laura Kraemer and Linnea Lundgren have found, through diligent research--well, someone had to--more than 800 pucker-worthy places throughout Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Using privacy, ambience, and location (or view or setting) as their criteria, they rate each spot for its romantic appeal, and include that more pragmatic, if not very ardor-inducing, factor of price for the restaurants and lodgings they include. Read more

Reviews (5)

Not a bad guide
On checking the local listings, I had already been to every place listed in this book and the winery listings are very out of date.The Jewel this book listed for Prosser, ,WA is probably the ugliest winery in the Yakima Valley.
Dumbed Down Best Places Guide
If you read Best Places: Northwest you do NOT need to buy this book, which is far inferior.Many of the same locales are covered, but the author chooses to stick to the same term throughout:"romantic."Seldom does she choose another adjective.It didn't inspire me to kiss my new husband any more; it angered me that I had bought a dumbed down version of the Northwest books I already have. Best Places - Misses Kisses
As the contributing editor for "Oregon" on Suite101,com, I'm always on the lookout for great books about Oregon. Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest is great for what it includes and should probably be broken into three separate books so that more places in Oregon, Wasington, and British Columcia can be featured.Read more

Subjects:  1. Love & Romance    2. Special Interest - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - California    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Subjects:  1. Love & Romance    2. Special Interest - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - California    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (3)

NOT TOO BAD OR PARTICULARLY GOOD
as a VERY basic introduction to some of the more popular spots in northern california,this book does its job o.k. i felt that not enough information was given,i was craving more.the author writes with a sense of humor which is fun to read,but just barely touches on the different places,attractions,parks,etc..

Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know....
I was very disappointed in this book.I am a native to Northern California and wanted to learn more about our Coast, since I live within an hour's drive of many beaches.The author skipped over most of the smaller beaches and just gave incredibly short summaries of the most popular places - I did not need a book for this information!The authors majored on restaurants and lodgings, however, since they only gave listings for the more popular sites, none of the information was helpful to me.I was planning a trip to Pacifica, and there wasn't a single entry on that entire town!!There are probably 3 hotels (at least) and many, many restaurants and beaches there.But there was not even a paragraph about any of it. Northern California given justice
Finally, a book regarding the best places in Northern California!This book was easy to comprehend, delightful to read, and very informative.As a high-school student I am happy to know i have decades remaining to visitthese places. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    2. Parks & Campgrounds    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - California    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (1)

Arid Oasis
Having been to the Palm Springs area on vacation and business, I decided to make a longer visit this year. Iwas therefore delighted to discover that this new guide had been published on the desert communities and eagerly looked forward to some good in-depth, insider information. My delight was shortlived, however, on seeing the book, which I found to be a rather arid compilation and rehash of information put out by the local tourism offices: all-the-usual-suspects restaurant choices & skim-the-surface places to stay and sights. The guide is not badly done, is well organized enough, and could be a useful starting place for the first-time visitor; but I found it did not offer much value-added beyond the good quality information I received in the mail from the visitors center itself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. United States - Pacific - California    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Hotels, Inns, etc.    6. Restaurants   

Reviews (1)

Selective, not comprehensive
This guide is for the experienced traveler. Judith Wylie is a good writer and she makes the places and attractions she describes come alive. On a recent trip to the West Coast I bought this book and found its recommendations which I followed to be accurate.Read more

Subjects:  1. California    2. Guidebooks    3. Pacific Coast (Calif.)    4. Travel    5. Travel - United States    6. United States - Pacific - California    7. United States - West - Pacific (General)    8. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Subjects:  1. Love & Romance    2. Special Interest - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - California    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (1)

A Must Have
I've had the older edition of this book for years and brought it on every road trip we've ever taken. Certainly it doesn't have every wonderful place you've ever stayed at -- but it has so many that are good it would be foolish not to follow the recommendations it provides. Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. HotelsInnsetc.    3. Quantity Food Production And Service    4. Restaurants    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. Travel Guides    8. United States - Pacific - Oregon    9. United States - Pacific - Washington    10. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    3. Reference - General    4. Restaurants    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. Travel Guides - U.S.    8. United States - Pacific - California    9. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (2)

Expand your eating horizons!
My husband and I keep this book in our car so that whenever we're in Portland we can grab it quickly. In addition to the alphabetical listing and descriptions of 200 reasonably priced restaurants, the book has an excellent index.You can look up restaurants by section of town or by the type / style of food you want.Cheap Eats has given us the opportunity to sample many different restaurants that we would never have found without it.Instead of picking the same places over and over, you can expand your choices...and eat well inexpensively.

Great book for budget-conscious restaurant-goers
My husband and I like to eat out at least three times a week, so this book has been very helpful in finding places that won't break the bank.We stay primarily in SE, but it includes restaurants all over town.Highlyrecommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Regional & Ethnic - American - Northwestern States    3. Restaurants    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - Oregon   

Editorial Review

Escape from the pressures of the mainland and visit the Pacific Northwest's San Juan and Gulf Islands. This Read more

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. United States - Pacific - Washington    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (1)

Poorly organized and contains incomplete information.
If you are used to the logical organization of the more prevalent guides such as Eyewitness, Frommer's, Routard, etc., you will be very frustrated by this guide.For instance, restaurant descriptions in Frommer's are first categorized by neighborhood and then by cost.This book contains a list of top restaurants by neighborhood and cuisine (only names); however, for descriptions/cost, you have to thumb through an alphabetical list to find the restaurants listed.It gets extremely frustrating and annoying.After spending money on this book, we left it at the hotel and decided to use websites and other travelers' recommendations rather than use this book - we travel about five or six times a year and this is a first.
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Subjects:  1. HotelsInnsetc.    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - California    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)