Rating:  Summary: Comprehensive, easy-to-read, informative, and entertaining. Review: This was a terrific orientation to Cuba. Christopher Baker gave a thorough overview of the political and historical climate of the country, and his descriptions of the people and culture were always on target. He really demystified the labyrinth of getting into, around, and out of Cuba. We read the book as intently on our last day as we did before we arrived, always finding some new insight on every page. After looking at all of the other Cuba guidebooks, this is clearly the only one anyone could need.
Rating:  Summary: A GUIDE WORTHY OF THE NAME Review: We just returned from Cuba, using this guide and one by Knopf which we found useless. This Moon guide was accurate, broadening, perceptive, comprehensive, and funny. Actually, we left the guide in Havana, and on the way home my wife said she'd have to buy another once we got home; she had not finished the extensive and very good "history" section.
Rating:  Summary: offended by put-downs of Cuba Review: We see what we're prepared to see, I suppose. Another reviewer noted the "pro-Castro" perspective of this guide. I saw just the opposite. I left it at home because i did not want to carry to Cuba the attitude of the author, which I thought was disrespectful and sometimes snide. It's somewhat more thorough and easy to use (tho bulkier) than the Rough Guide. I recommend taking some pages from this one along with the RG, or (better), buy the RG & check the website for updates. I'm sorry I bought the Moon Handbook.
Rating:  Summary: offended by put-downs of Cuba Review: We see what we're prepared to see, I suppose. Another reviewer noted the "pro-Castro" perspective of this guide. I saw just the opposite. I left it at home because i did not want to carry to Cuba the attitude of the author, which I thought was disrespectful and sometimes snide. It's somewhat more thorough and easy to use (tho bulkier) than the Rough Guide. I recommend taking some pages from this one along with the RG, or (better), buy the RG & check the website for updates. I'm sorry I bought the Moon Handbook.
Rating:  Summary: "Cuba Handbook" -- Superb! Review: Well written, informative and entertaining. The best travel book I've read. Far and above any LP Guide I've purchased. Covers Cuba today and a provides valuable historical information in an unbiased manner. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:  Summary: The definitive guide to Cuba -a must have for Cuba travelers Review: When I was in Havana, I brought this, and five other guide books on Cuba. The five star rating for these gudes goes to this prolific author Christopher Baker and his superb guide.Christopher Baker is an accomplished "tell it like it is" writer. He has a flowing writing style that keeps you engaged even during the dryer parts of a guide book. His condensed (38 pages) history of Cuba is one of the best I have yet read in any travel guide. Regarding his sections on Government, Economy, Society and the People, Christopher Baker's writing overshadows the other guides. After using his guide to investigate, and select,accommodations, food and sights to see in Cuba, I found only one case where the information was not current and that was with a restaurant that had closed. His reviews of accommodations and restaurants were informative, selectively bias and up to date; these are the most important characteristics of a good guide book. He has included superb imbedded blocks of pertinent subjects (i.e., Earnest Hemingway, Chi Guevara, Fidel Castro, the Cuban missile crisis, the special period, sex & tourism etc.), good black & white photos, scores of side bar topics that are full of informative caveats, a good selection of maps and the beginning of web site and Internet addresses. You owe it to yourself to get the best guide available before you visit Cuba: Get Cuba by Christopher Baker. Highly recommended
Rating:  Summary: This is the book to get! Review: While traveling in Cuba, I had more than one traveler spot my book and then ask to borrow it. Chris Baker obviously knows Cuba quite well. Lonely Planet and Roughguide do not even come close to the thoroughness that he offers in the Cuba Handbook (our group was carrying a copy of each of these as well.) When the worst struck and all of my travel partner's belongings were stolen, the book was INVALUABLE - it contains a complete listing of all of the help services out there and ways to negotiate the Cuban police system and government offices. A few critiques: in reality prices tended to be lower than reported in the book (a nice change!), the book did not address the "low income" traveler as much as I would have liked, the maps of Havana are not detailed enough. Guess I should have gotten the Havana Handbook too!
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