Buenos Aires & the Best of Argentina Alive (Buenos Aries Alive & the Best of Argentina Guide)

Rating:
Summary: More Travelog Than Guidebook
Review: There are other guides to Argentina, but this is the one I will take on my next visit. The author has visited Argentina more than 40 times, obvious from the wealth of information he gives you.

Rating:
Summary: Wealth of information
Review: There are other guides to Argentina, but this is the one I will take on my next visit. The author has visited Argentina more than 40 times, obvious from the wealth of information he gives you.

Rating:
Summary: More Travelog Than Guidebook
Review: This book will generate yearnings in the traveler for a guidebook like the Frommers series or Rick Steves individual country guides. That is, a book that "guides" the traveler to lodging, major sites, transportation options, interesting side trips, brief restaurant recommendations and brief shopping suggestions. At times I felt that I was reading Conte Nast. Conte Nast is not a guidebook -- it is a travel magazine. There is an important difference. What a traveler needs are the facts.

This book also lacks complete information demonstrating a lack of investigation of details on the part of the author. For example, a small chapter is devoted to Iguazu Falls. The book states that Aerolineas Argentinas has several flights daily for approximately $370. This is true. It does not mention other cheaper airlines. We were able to get a package deal from a local travel agent using LAPA airlines. The package included round-trip air, four nights at a four-star hotel in Brazil which included breakfast and dinner, and transportation to and from the hotel in Brazil and the airport -- all of this for $297! Also, the book never mentioned that U.S. citizens must have a visa to enter Brazil. The travel agent and the U.S. Embassy confirmed this. The book also stated that travelers should leave sweaters in Buenos Aires. It was 40 degree F. when we arrived!

Another weak point in this book is the woefully inadequate index. This is unforgiveable in any book considering the publishing techniques that have been available for over a decade.