Explore Puerto Rico Fifth Edition

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Summary: Mixed feelings about "Explore Puerto Rico"
Review: This book helped us find lots of great things to do and places to stay in Puerto Rico, and gave us a good overall plan of action for our vacation. However, the writing and editing nearly drove us crazy because of all the errors. Not just the typographical errors and poor grammar in parts (my husband and I both take these things pretty seriously), but the vague and misleadingly simplistic directions through Fajardo to the Hotel Delicias got us lost in a rough part of town at night; the name and descriptions of the Holiday Inn-Ponce and the Howard Johnson near Ponce were mixed up....we called the Holiday Inn to reserve a room, but due to the errors in the book, drove to the wrong side of town to the HoJo. There were wrong phone numbers (and missing digits) for some places, and some of his maps were just plain wrong. As long as you're in full "adventure mode" and willing to be flexible in all respects, this book will be just fine. Just bear in mind that any details (schedules/phone numbers/directions/descriptions) may or may not be accurate. (In all fairness, we did not check the author's website, as listed in the book, to look for updates/corrections prior to our trip....some of these errors may be addressed there.)

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Summary: Very practical guide to Puerto Rico!
Review: This guide focuses on recreational activities and the history, culture, and environment of Puerto Rico. There are listings for accommodations and dining, from budget to four-star in key centers, but that is not all. The heart of the book comprises detailed maps, sharp color photos, and descriptions of sports, sporting events, wildlife preserves, environmental centers and historical and cultural sites, complete with address, phone, e-mail, and Web site contacts. Practical details on each town and area are filled with insightful (and often humorous) tips and tidbits. Pariser's book is well researched, thorough, and an essential ingredient when visiting Puerto Rico." - Gayle Nagle Meyers, Travel Weekly

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Summary: Good book to really see the island with
Review: We found this book to be really interesting and helpful. It's funny the silly things some of these posters complain about! We found it to be one of the better books, and we stayed in many smaller places we found in here. It also helped us find nightlife (although there is not a lot in Puerto Rico, except in San Juan) and get around. We think some of these people writing here should write the author with their suggestions so this good book can be even better. We used the author's previous edition some years ago, and this one is much better.

Rating:
Summary: Nice book, good background information
Review: We really enjoyed using this book. We found few errors and appreciated the frank evaluations. We feel that travel guides all have their good and bad parts. Your impression will depend upon who you are (what type of traveler) and what you are interested in. Lets Go is researched by college students, and, while we found it interesting, it lacked depth. Explore Puerto Rico covered some things better and other things less well in comparison to the Lonely Planet and Lets Go guides. We found mistakes in all of the travel guides we used. Practically every travel guide we've ever used has something out of date or a mistake. The official tourist literature sometimes has mistakes. It's just a fact of life. We did find that Explore Puerto Rico had a pretty good sense of humor. We did find the new update on the publisher's site to be of help, along with the various e-mails posted on the Yahoo! group. The e-mails and websites, which were quite comprehensive, were quite good also. We used a road map for navigation, but it's hard not to get lost in Puerto Rico. Signage is poor, and the regular maps, sold at the gas stations, often have inaccuracies. We didn't see that the Hotel Las Delicias had any directions to it. In any event, we always call a hotel first to ask for directions. Some people are just looking for something to complain about! It doesn't seem as if they have traveled much. It's pretty hard to write a travel guide, and we really appreciate the people who do it. We wouldn't like to have to do this job: it seems pretty thankless.

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Summary: A fine guide to the entire island and out islands
Review: We used this guide both planning a trip and while touring Puerto Rico and found it enormously helpful. It was especially fine for treking the countryside and beachside spots. The book well describes off the beaten track scenic places with surprisingly accurate details on small local sites and restaurants. The maps were a big help as were the color photos, travel tips, and stuff
on history, culture, and nature. I think anyone who likes birding, hiking, watersports will be pleased to get a copy of Explore Puerto Rico.

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Summary: Don't Be Lost in Old San Juan
Review: When I was planning my trip to Old San Juan,I bought this book. It was hard to tell from Pariser's short entries for there what the accommodations were really like. He doesn't give many details, including describing the locations they're in. Unfortunately, he has really shortchanged one of the most interesting places on the whole island, the Gallery Inn, which he calls The Galleria. Pariser must not have seen for himself what an amazing place this is. Jan D'Esopo uses antiques, art, tropical plants and birds, and one of the best views to the ocean to create a space that is unique. He also doesn't describe with helpful detail how many places there are with good live local music. Pariser spends more time on the big hotels run by corporate chains on San Juan's strip. If you want to really see Old San Juan, don't be gypped. Check Lonely Planet's descriptions.

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Summary: not as environmentally sensitive as he claims!
Review: While the author promotes himself as an environmentalist, and sells his book as the best travel guide in large part because of that, I would like to argue otherwise. First of all, the publisher for Harry's books- Manatee Press- is seemingly Harry's personal venture, as it only publishes books by Harry. I think it is a lot easier to publish a book when you do it yourself than when you need a publisher to back your work. So although many reviewers writing in favor of Harry put down the Lonely Planet guide, I have to say that I would trust the credentials of a writer getting a book published by Lonely Planet before trusting someone who is publishing his own work. Second, there are some pretty clear examples of Harry's environmental sensitivity failing him. He suggests a bike path in El Yunque, for example, but doesn't warn readers it is the only permitted one- the interpretation being you could ride elsewhere too if you want. Another entry tells you where you can watch turtles laying their eggs on a beach- but those beaches are off limits to people during egg-laying in order to protect that activity. And he tells you that if you are diving where local fishermen tie up their gear in water, wear a knife to carry those bothersome lines if they get in your way. Mind you, this is the fishing gear of locals making a living, but don't let it interfere with swimming where you want to. Those inconsistencies make me wonder how good an environmentalist Harry really is. Go ahead and read his book, but read Lonely Planet too because it's better than Harry would admit.