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Rating: 
Summary: Steer clear of this unreliable guide.
Review: Don't be fooled by the witty writing; the writers are either ill-informed or malicious. 2 of 3 hotels they recommended were downright seedy. The Miramar at La Ciotat (three stars, "a classy, updated old hotel amid pine groves, by the beach") turned out to be a nicotine-saturated, dimly lit dive that charged our credit card before we arrived (we didn't stay). Pine groves? The hotel sits shadeless on an ugly stretch of tarmac. The "pine groves" were a few trees in the parking lot behind the hotel. There are many good guides to Provence; choose another.
Rating: 
Summary: We found it spot on!
Review: Having been to Provence about ten times in the last twenty years, I've read plenty of guides, and none have gone as directly to the heart of the matter as this one. There are plenty of posey guides out there, but if you want to know what makes the region tick, warts and all, I recommend Facaros and Pauls. The others seem shallow in comparison. And these guys make me laugh, an added bonus!
Rating:
Summary: We found it spot on!
Review: In planning a trip for my wife and I to Provence, I bought several guide books for assistance. This one stood out. The authors have clearly walked the paths, stayed in the lodgings and eaten at many of the resturants they write about. Since they were bound to cover the entire area, it seemed I could tell when they had not actually been there, but these parts were few. Their style gives a really good feeling about a place, and the practical matters of sight seeing, hiking, biking, sleeping, eating and especially resting are well done. Not every place gets a good review; I especially liked the comments on what to miss. I found this all too often lacking in competing guides, that read more like they were edited by the local Chamber of Commerce. Another plus - Cagodan Provence was published this year, making it one of the most current available. My recommendation: If you're going, buy it.Disclosure: I've never met or heard of the authors or their book before finding it on Amazon.
Rating: 
Summary: "Been there" Style Instills Confidence and Excitement
Review: In planning a trip for my wife and I to Provence, I bought several guide books for assistance. This one stood out. The authors have clearly walked the paths, stayed in the lodgings and eaten at many of the resturants they write about. Since they were bound to cover the entire area, it seemed I could tell when they had not actually been there, but these parts were few. Their style gives a really good feeling about a place, and the practical matters of sight seeing, hiking, biking, sleeping, eating and especially resting are well done. Not every place gets a good review; I especially liked the comments on what to miss. I found this all too often lacking in competing guides, that read more like they were edited by the local Chamber of Commerce. Another plus - Cagodan Provence was published this year, making it one of the most current available. My recommendation: If you're going, buy it. Disclosure: I've never met or heard of the authors or their book before finding it on Amazon.
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