Rating: 
Summary: If you are going to Nicaragua, buy this book.
Review: Hands down the best Nicaragua guide book out there. I have searched high and low and this one is way above the few others out there. I can't wait to use it next month when I go down there.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful for the first-time traveller
Review: I found this guide helpful on my first trip to the country. It is full of valuable info. Obviously a lot of research went into this guide. I do think some of the filler material could be eliminated to improve the quality of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just Another Travel Guide
Review: I have been a great fan of Moon Handbooks and my family and I use them when we are able to in plannning our travels. This book is very readable and informative. We are planning a trip to Nicaragua and will write a follow up after our trip, but now we have the incentive and information to go to spots we would have never thought of and in fact never knew existed. The book seems to impart a comprehensive amount of "local" knowledge, which is not strange given the background of the authors. The picures and maps are helpful and entertaining. The amount of detail as well range of information is extensive, especially compared to the few other current resources available on Nicaragua. I rank this book as one of Moon's best efforts to date and we look foward to our trip.
Rating:
Summary: Nicaragua's Best Guidebook
Review: i have lived in nicaragua for 3 years working at The Bearded Monkey in Granada and have waited for a decent guidebook to come out. i am waiting no longer. this is the best guide by far. the attention to detail is second to none. it goes beyond the hot spots where every backpacker goes. any book will tell you where to stay in san juan del sur or leon, but this book will give you accurate details on places farther afield such as greytown and san juan del norte. it's obvious that these guys have been everywhere they have written about and they don't pull any punches. buy it and check out this incredible country.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Guidebook on Nicaragua
Review: I used to use the Lonely Planet Guidebooks for my travels in Central America. As good as they are, Josh Berman and Randy Wood's "Moon Handbooks: Nicaragua" is the class of the field.
The two have done an excellent job of researching, exploring almost every nook and cranny of this amazing country. It is very thorough and factually correct.
Beyond that, it is written with great respect for the land and its people, giving them the respect they deserve. They tell of the heroic struggle the Nicaraguans pass through every day, just to survive--and survive they do. The authors give the reader ample information the civic self-help organizations the people have created for themselves and their neighbors--and how to volunteer to help.
If you want to know the real Nicaragua, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: You know you want it...
Review: If you're going to Nicaragua then you have to bring this book. That's the simple truth --read the other reviews if you aren't yet convinced. The book is really well done, fun to read, interesting, much deeper and more insightful than any other guide book I've ever seen. I found myself reading it cover-to-cover, and I am not some kind of Guidebook Reading Guy.
Thanks Joshua and Randy for putting together this fantastic resource.
P.S. To whom it may concern: Go to Nicaragua and take a Spanish class. It is absolutely THE way to see this fantastic country. You'll learn Spanish, you'll get to know really interesting people (which really are the best part of Nicaragua), you'll have anm experience you cherish the rest of your life.
Rating: 
Summary: No contest: the best Nicaraguan guide
Review: It has been a source of constant frustration and for me over the years when browsing throught the Nicaraguan guidebooks available to note how innacurate and misleading they have been..... until now. I have been living in Nicaragua for 15 yrs and reveiewing the guidebooks all this time I had pretty much and despaired that I would see in print a fully fledged top notch guidebook. Sure I could nitpick about one ot two minor issues but this book is light years ahead of the other so called guides. It is the only one worth considering
Rating:
Summary: Impressively thorough.
Review: Joshua Berman & Randy Wood have not left a pueblo unexplored nor a beach missed. IF you are going visit only Nicaragua, this is the guide to take with you. If, perchance, you will visit other countries as well, then my first choice is "Footprint's Cental America Handbook" Every city, town and beach I visited in Nicaragua was covered. I found their recommendations for accommodations, food and other service in the guide to be "right on". In our technology connected world the authors have the web addresses and/or email addresses for most hotels (not the hostels). Great. Very important for those planning to study Spanish in Nicaragua, this guide has a great rundown of most of the schools in various cities. This section is a must read before selecting a school (I speak from experience). I do need to point out the poetic license that is taken by the authors. The authors describing place with magniloquent words, that when the guide is held up to the reality of the place it is not half as wonderful as they say. Their writing on Leon is a great example. They write that being in Leon can give you an "exotic feeling" like the "one gets by walking down the cobble stone streets by colonial buildings". If and when you visit Leon you will be there a long, long time looking for that feeling and that street of cobbled stones. Maybe they meant "asphalt streets with pot holes". Although the guide is copyrighted 2003 I found that information regarding new hotels, restaurants and bars stopped at or around 2000. However, the authors introduction section (economy, government etc.) is through 2001. Do note, the upper priced hotels (over $100) only get the mention of their name And how do you make a very good guide - GREAT!? Well, more maps and better maps, especially of Managua, would be a great place to start. The guide has information about many sites of interest with corresponding maps to help you navigate. Also, there is NO section that recommends books or videos. There is no list of foreign embassies to help a traveler locate their embassy in Managua. Finally, the crime is rising in Managua, but only in Managua, and the guide does not address this. These things said, I still strongly recommend this book. This guide and the excellent 'In Focus - Nicaragua' (see my review) should be in your hand before you go.
Rating:
Summary: Impressively thorough.
Review: Joshua Berman & Randy Wood have not left a pueblo unexplored nor a beach missed. IF you are going visit only Nicaragua, this is the guide to take with you. If, perchance, you will visit other countries as well, then my first choice is "Footprint's Cental America Handbook" Every city, town and beach I visited in Nicaragua was covered. I found their recommendations for accommodations, food and other service in the guide to be "right on". In our technology connected world the authors have the web addresses and/or email addresses for most hotels (not the hostels). Great. Very important for those planning to study Spanish in Nicaragua, this guide has a great rundown of most of the schools in various cities. This section is a must read before selecting a school (I speak from experience). I do need to point out the poetic license that is taken by the authors. The authors describing place with magniloquent words, that when the guide is held up to the reality of the place it is not half as wonderful as they say. Their writing on Leon is a great example. They write that being in Leon can give you an "exotic feeling" like the "one gets by walking down the cobble stone streets by colonial buildings". If and when you visit Leon you will be there a long, long time looking for that feeling and that street of cobbled stones. Maybe they meant "asphalt streets with pot holes". Although the guide is copyrighted 2003 I found that information regarding new hotels, restaurants and bars stopped at or around 2000. However, the authors introduction section (economy, government etc.) is through 2001. Do note, the upper priced hotels (over $100) only get the mention of their name And how do you make a very good guide - GREAT!? Well, more maps and better maps, especially of Managua, would be a great place to start. The guide has information about many sites of interest with corresponding maps to help you navigate. Also, there is NO section that recommends books or videos. There is no list of foreign embassies to help a traveler locate their embassy in Managua. Finally, the crime is rising in Managua, but only in Managua, and the guide does not address this. These things said, I still strongly recommend this book. This guide and the excellent 'In Focus - Nicaragua' (see my review) should be in your hand before you go.
Rating:
Summary: A Great New Guidebook
Review: Just finished this guide after moving to Nicaragua. It really was a huge help when I was exploring the country. I recommend this guide along with "Living and Investing in the New Nicaragua" and "Footprints" for anyone thinking of wintering or living full-time in the country. Don't leave home without them.
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