Rating: 
Summary: Too many factual errors and too much questionable advice!
Review: There were, unfortunately, a great number of factual errors in the 1st edition that I can only hope have been corrected in this later edition. After several of these seriously affected our travel, we tossed the book and bought the Lonely Planet, which was only marginally better. There was also so much questionable advice -- like the description of a hotel as "perfectly serviceable" when in fact it was walled in with barbed wire, the lock didn't lock, the sign out front squealed all night, the mattress was stained and had no sheets, there were large mammals living in the shower which was an electrocution hazard, and the dog across the street howled ALL NIGHT LONG. (Yes, I know the dog wasn't the reviewer's fault, but the rest could have been noted by the reviewer.) We also went to a park described as "no place could be easier to get to!" -- Famous last words. We hired a cab, which got lost. We then hiked several miles uphill on roads that were nearly washed out with mud. We found the park and it was closed that day. We snuck in anyway, and it was greatly worth it, but knowing it would have been tough to get there would have been fair warning. Costa Rica is spectacular -- it's a good thing we took this as a sense of adventure, and recommend you do too!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent with other books...
Review: This is an absolutely wonderful guide and yes, It's chock-full of details! I think every paragraph may introduce a new idea but it's so well written, and the specifics so supportive, that you tend not to notice just how much information is here. For another dense book on the country, try out Costa Rica the Last Country the Gods Made, a big-ass book that introduces soooo many concepts that it's dizzying! Why did it take so long for cultural historians to realise that distinct culture of Costa Rican's Pre-Columbian ancestors? What did the Spanish settlers prefer poverty in the city to lucrative farming? What were the surprisingly liberal politics of the "Olympic Generation" 0f 1889 that lay the groundwork for Costa Rica's liberal politics today? Do rainforest ant really feed randomly? Is morning a good time for pirates? And on and on! The chapters are self-contained, so you can read them in any order you want. Plus they're fairly short, which is a good thing since as I mentioned the material is dense. But I like dense, which is why I love thiese two books!
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful on our trip but combine with 2nd book
Review: What I like best about the Rough Guides is that they give critical reviews. They will point out the tourist traps and will give negative reviews. I find that Frommer's and Fodor's rarely point out the negatives to a particular hotel or site. The rough guide is very critical and is a great balance to these other guides. I would balance your trip to Costa Rica with a Fodors (or Frommers) book because the maps and illustrations are often better and there are more higher-end hotels listed.
This book will help you decide where is best to spend your vacation in Costa Rica. There are clear critical descriptions of all the regions and great general info on getting around in Costa Rica. If you aren't interested in "roughing" it and staying in lower priced hotels. The guides are still very useful in rating attractions, and areas in which to stay... but you will need another book to look at more moderate and luxury hotels (there aren't that many in Costa Rica). I would definitely read this book before going to Costa Rica.
Rating:
Summary: Too many factual errors and too much questionable advice!
Review: When I travelled there, my travel partner dubbed this book "the bible" as we took what it had to say as gospel. And it was right! What I love about these guides are that they are written for people who don't need to stay in super-cheap flea bag hotels, but don't want to stay in the sanitized American chains. The points of interest are interesting, and well represented. I am brand loyal to few things in this world, but Rough Guides are one. This is the one that got me started on them!
Rating: 
Summary: My "bible" in Costa Rica
Review: When I travelled there, my travel partner dubbed this book "the bible" as we took what it had to say as gospel. And it was right! What I love about these guides are that they are written for people who don't need to stay in super-cheap flea bag hotels, but don't want to stay in the sanitized American chains. The points of interest are interesting, and well represented. I am brand loyal to few things in this world, but Rough Guides are one. This is the one that got me started on them!
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