Travel to Central America

Adventure Guide to Costa Rica (Adventure Guide to Costa Rica) (Adventure Guide to Costa Rica)

Format: Paperback
Author: Bruce W. Conord
ReleaseDate: 15 September, 2005
Publisher: Hunter Publishing (NJ)
Rating:

You Need THis
This enriched the trip we had already taken, which is most unusual for a travel guide. Pocket Adventures' Costa Rica from Hunter Travel Guides by Bruce and June Conord: Having gone to Costa Rica before having this book, we wished we had used this guide before we went the first time, and it makes us want to return soon! Even though we had aleady experienced some of the places and activities we found described in this book, it gave us greater insights that we had missed in the visit. The books outlines the twenty top spots in Costa RIca and has divisions by areas of the country. The first half of the book tells about the eating and culture of what to see in the capital city San Jose, and the second half gives specifics about the other sections of the country, telling what to see and do and where to stay and eat. Whatever your specific interests and focus for your trip, you'll find where you need to make your reservations. There are even discussions of cosmetic surgery and legal prostitution. So whether you have already been to Costa RIca or plan to go or just want to learn about the Costa Rica, this book is a wonderful guide and worth buying.

Skip this book!
There is very little mention of the different regions; However there is extensive information on every lodging place in the country. When one reads a "Guide" Book, one should not have to read nearly 100 pages to find something negative; After all, it is a foreign country and what to avoid is actually more beneficial than the "Oh,it is all wonderful" descriptions. How this has received 4. 5 stars is certainly a mystery to me. Evidently from reading "Trip Advisors" on the internet; everyone in Costa Rica has the Lonely Planet guide on Costa Rica!.

A great city walk in an adventure guide!
(The numerous quotes struck me as tangential, but I really liked the design ephemera, including the original luggage tag from Hotel Europa, CR's oldest hotel, a nice touch!) Now, on to the good stuff:

First off, Bruce & June Conord's "alternative accomodations" was imaginative and indispensable for me, and of course, in the true spirit of "adventure. I took off a point for the pedestrian writing and the sub-standard photos. " Secondly, of all the rough-and-tumble excursions they present, my favorite was their walking tour of historical San Josý. On foot is really the only way to see Costa Rica's one and only capital city.

I would agree with a previous reviewer concerning the low-quality pictures. But to be fair, that is not what this exhaustively-detailed book is all about. Fortunately, I also bought the book Costa Rica: The Last Country the Gods Made, a luscious and amply photographed book that takes you on an envious visual tour of many of the places the Conords discuss.

For example, Last Country features 9 (much better) pictures of downtown San Josý, one in full two-page glorious panorama. In addition, the Conords cover Irazý Volcano in one page (with a few mentions elsewhere), while Last Country has 2 VERY unusal views of Irazý: page 93 pictures the description of the sloping farmlands benefiting from Irazý's volcanic soil as described on page 6; and page 16 pictures something that no other guide book I've ever read on Costa Rica mentions-wild horses roaming the calderas of the volcano!

As for my city-centricity, I further recommend On the Plaza: The Politics of Public Space and Culture by Setha Low, about the social implications of San Josý's two city squares, the Parque Central and the Plaza de la Cultura, which turns out to be more on topic than you think.

All 3 books are delightful for anyone who plans to travel to any of the rich coast's storied country sides in pages or in person!
.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Central America travel books.

	Waterproof Costa Rica Map
	Costa Rican Wildlife: An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press)
	National Geographic Traveler: Costa Rica (National Geographic Traveler)
	The Rough Guide to Costa Rica - Edition 4
	The New Key to Costa Rica