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Rating: 
Summary: Neither fair nor accurate
Review: Admittedly, the Rough Guides are known for evaluating destinations as much as describing them. Regardless of the wisdom of that practice, one can only hope that Rough Guide evaluations are based on fair and accurate information before presenting strongly-worded conclusions. Unfortunately, this book contains substantial bias and misinformation. The author has strong ideas about what he likes and dislikes about the region, and those ideas lead him to summarily dismiss entire metropolitan areas that appeal to numerous residents and visitors. Even worse, the extreme conclusions presented often reflect woefully out-of-date information, including listings for restaurants that have closed long ago. Amazingly, the obsolete information from the printed book persists on the Rough Guides Web site, making it appear that the author visited certain places once, reached a negative conclusion, and never bothered to update information or reassess opinions.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Overall Guidebook to the Southwest
Review: I travel in the Southwest frequently and have a diverse collection of guidebooks to the region. Rough Guide is my favorite, with the intelligently written descriptions and opinions. The other guidebooks are drier or shallower in comparison (Moon, Lonely Planet, Let's Go, DK, and Frommer's).
Rating:
Summary: Best single guide for the American Southwest
Review: I usually carry multiple guidebooks on my vacations, but during my recent trip to the American Southwest I relied exclusively on this book. One of the reasons I recommend this book is that it covers the Southwest as a single region, so it includes New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorodo, southern Utah, and Las Vegas. Most other books are State-based, so it would take multiple books to cover the entire region. Another reason to pick this book is that it is opinionated. It lists top ten sites in various categories (national parks, museums, etc.), so that you can plan your time effectively. The auther even recommends against some things, unlike most guidebooks. I am picky about maps, and the maps in this book were uniformly accurate and reliable. Driving tips and recommended routes were quite useful. You will also find this book compact and light. While some other books are loaded with pictures, I find these books best enjoyed at home, before and after my trip, because they are too heavy to lug around during my trip. Finally, I stayed in 5 hotels, all recommended by this book, and they were all safe choices. If you are looking for a splurge, I recommend Goulding's lodge at Monument Valley, especially for fans of old movies. To my surprise, I enjoyed the museum on site. Also, I used the inroom VCR to watch Stagecoach, and this was the perfect setup for my Monument Valley visit the next morning. At Canyon do Chelly NM, I would recommend not staying at the overpriced, dreary lodge. It's cheaper to stay at one of the places just outside the park. In Santa Fe, the El Rey Inn is convenient, friendly, and has a Route 66 feel.
Rating:
Summary: Best single guide for the American Southwest
Review: I usually carry multiple guidebooks on my vacations, but during my recent trip to the American Southwest I relied exclusively on this book. One of the reasons I recommend this book is that it covers the Southwest as a single region, so it includes New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorodo, southern Utah, and Las Vegas. Most other books are State-based, so it would take multiple books to cover the entire region. Another reason to pick this book is that it is opinionated. It lists top ten sites in various categories (national parks, museums, etc.), so that you can plan your time effectively. The auther even recommends against some things, unlike most guidebooks. I am picky about maps, and the maps in this book were uniformly accurate and reliable. Driving tips and recommended routes were quite useful. You will also find this book compact and light. While some other books are loaded with pictures, I find these books best enjoyed at home, before and after my trip, because they are too heavy to lug around during my trip. Finally, I stayed in 5 hotels, all recommended by this book, and they were all safe choices. If you are looking for a splurge, I recommend Goulding's lodge at Monument Valley, especially for fans of old movies. To my surprise, I enjoyed the museum on site. Also, I used the inroom VCR to watch Stagecoach, and this was the perfect setup for my Monument Valley visit the next morning. At Canyon do Chelly NM, I would recommend not staying at the overpriced, dreary lodge. It's cheaper to stay at one of the places just outside the park. In Santa Fe, the El Rey Inn is convenient, friendly, and has a Route 66 feel.
Rating:
Summary: An inside guide for any outsider
Review: On our recent trip through the grand circle of national parks in the four corners area, we carried several paperback guides, but quickly discarded the others in favor of this excellent book. We started reading it out loud as we approached each new town because of its wry observations, but quickly came to trust its preview of each new stop. We were never disappointed when we chose a non-chain motel from its recommendations, and we never got a bad meal wherever it said the food was good (and this was a budget trip). It isn't perfect -- things change too fast. For instance, there are many new motels within easy distance of the Grand Canyon, easing the squeeze many travelers have experienced, and more are under construction. And they didn't warn us to avoid the grossly mis-named Kodachrome state park. But wherever I travel next, a Rough Guide will be with me, you can be sure.
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