Rating: 
Summary: Best book for seeing the best of the Iberian Penninsula
Review: Here's my response to reviewers complaining about lack of detailed information ... well, DUH! It's the whole purpose of the book to be selective, instead of data-dumping 2000 pages of hotel listings for villages that 99% of the tourists never go to. If you want that other kind of travel guidebook, or if you're traveling to the one-oxcart villages, then go buy one of those books. (We also bought a Lonely Planet book, esp. for the cultural and historical background info.) But you were fully informed and warned that this book is SELECTIVE. From the back cover: "Most travel guidebooks try to impress you with massive amounts of data. My philosophy is...[to] present you with only the best" From the second paragraph of the introduction, page one: "This book breaks Spain and Portugal into their TOP big city, small town, and rural destinations. It then gives you all the information and opinions NECESSARY to wring the maximum value out of your limited time and money. If you plan A MONTH OR LESS in Iberia, this LEAN AND MEAN little book is all you need." [emphasis added by me] Once again, you were fully informed that this book is selective, so why do you complain about that selectivity? Personally, I found this book was absolutely indispensible in planning our trip to Spain. It solved our biggest problem with the trip: it was our first time there, we wanted to see the best that this amazing country has to offer, but we only had 2 weeks. We also did not want to buy a package tour for budget reasons and because you don't get to see as much of the "genuine" country. Rick Steves' book saved the day. It helped us pick the top places to visit, and the top sights in each city. The recommended hotels were also real finds -- some of them were easily worth twice as much as they were charging, and the book lets you know which of the expensive hotels are really worth the splurge and which are just stuffy tourist traps. Phone numbers, email and web addresses, hours, and train/bus info was also very accurate (obviously some of the info is going to change, but it was maybe 95% correct), with new updates and helpful info available.
Rating:
Summary: Best book for seeing the best of the Iberian Penninsula
Review: Here's my response to reviewers complaining about lack of detailed information ... well, DUH! It's the whole purpose of the book to be selective, instead of data-dumping 2000 pages of hotel listings for villages that 99% of the tourists never go to. If you want that other kind of travel guidebook, or if you're traveling to the one-oxcart villages, then go buy one of those books. (We also bought a Lonely Planet book, esp. for the cultural and historical background info.) But you were fully informed and warned that this book is SELECTIVE. From the back cover: "Most travel guidebooks try to impress you with massive amounts of data. My philosophy is...[to] present you with only the best" From the second paragraph of the introduction, page one: "This book breaks Spain and Portugal into their TOP big city, small town, and rural destinations. It then gives you all the information and opinions NECESSARY to wring the maximum value out of your limited time and money. If you plan A MONTH OR LESS in Iberia, this LEAN AND MEAN little book is all you need." [emphasis added by me] Once again, you were fully informed that this book is selective, so why do you complain about that selectivity? Personally, I found this book was absolutely indispensible in planning our trip to Spain. It solved our biggest problem with the trip: it was our first time there, we wanted to see the best that this amazing country has to offer, but we only had 2 weeks. We also did not want to buy a package tour for budget reasons and because you don't get to see as much of the "genuine" country. Rick Steves' book saved the day. It helped us pick the top places to visit, and the top sights in each city. The recommended hotels were also real finds -- some of them were easily worth twice as much as they were charging, and the book lets you know which of the expensive hotels are really worth the splurge and which are just stuffy tourist traps. Phone numbers, email and web addresses, hours, and train/bus info was also very accurate (obviously some of the info is going to change, but it was maybe 95% correct), with new updates and helpful info available.
Rating: 
Summary: No North?!?
Review: I am planning a driving trip from Lisbon through northern Portugal and Spain to Bilbao. I purchased this book looking for guidance. Well, there is absolutely NO information on any of these areas. Not a word on the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (one of the greatest architectural achievements of the 20th Century).... Nothing on Santiago de Compostela a U.N. World Heritage Site and one of the most wonderful cities in Iberia.... Silence on the Basque homeland and the Rioja wine region. Any guide to Spain and Portugal should at least cover the basics of these places. What a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: terrible mistake
Review: I brought only this book (previous edition) when visiting Spain two years ago, and greatly regretted my choice. The problem is that the book covers the "big places", but has very little in the way of smaller towns, or less visited areas. So, you can go to Barcelona, but find almost nothing on the large number of small villages and towns near there. Spend a few dollars more and get a "full" tourbook and use this as a back-up if you like his style, but don't use it alone.
Rating:
Summary: Portugal and Spain are not the same
Review: I consider travel guides on of the most useful books. When someone likes to travel like me, it is an opportunity to experience deeply local issues thatb other wise would tend to be hidden from the first time around tourist.
For this reason I totally disagree on the fact that the author tends to summarize Portugal and Spain, two of the oldest countries in Europe, therefore with totaly different aspects and much to say about, in one single book.
On the educational side, it is misleading for most people does not know where Portugal is and considers it part of Spain. I hope the author could appreciate the completly different realities when in Portugal and in Spain..
Rating:
Summary: Excellent well-organized over-all guide book
Review: The one thing I think I might enjoy more than traveling is planning a trip. The problem with most trips is that I never have enough time to see all of the things I'd like to see. Consequently, I generally end up buying or borrowing a bunch of books, then planing obsessively. I really like Steves' book because it gives a great overview of each region of the country and makes it easy to figure out how to get the most out of the limited time I have available to me. It is clear that Rick Steves knows a great deal about the country, and he is able to organize and present that information in an interesting and very understandable way. He also makes suggestions about where to go and what to do based on his experience. I found myself trusting in his opinions and making my plans without the normal qualms: "Do I really want to spend two days in Ronda and Arcos? Maybe it would make more sense to go to Gibraltar."
In addition, he provides a lot of great information on affordable places to stay. Most of the guides seem to focus on the expensive, world class hotels (DK guides) or the less expensive, student hostel type of places (Lonely Planet). This guide fills the gap. While it identifies expensive "splurges" that have something really unique to offer (beyond mere luxury accomodations) and also identifies some great bargain hotels and hostels, it also provides a wealth of information about those hotels that fall in the middle. Since I'm a public defender, I don't have the bucks to stay at the Ritz, but I'm too old to sleep in a bunk-bed (plus, I think my wife would object to staying in dormatories -- for some odd reason, she likes to be in the same room with me). This guide has given me the information I need to find a place with character that will not break the bank.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent well-organized over-all guide book
Review: The one thing I think I might enjoy more than traveling is planning a trip. The problem with most trips is that I never have enough time to see all of the things I'd like to see. Consequently, I generally end up buying or borrowing a bunch of books, then planing obsessively. I really like Steves' book because it gives a great overview of each region of the country and makes it easy to figure out how to get the most out of the limited time I have available to me. It is clear that Rick Steves knows a great deal about the country, and he is able to organize and present that information in an interesting and very understandable way. He also makes suggestions about where to go and what to do based on his experience. I found myself trusting in his opinions and making my plans without the normal qualms: "Do I really want to spend two days in Ronda and Arcos? Maybe it would make more sense to go to Gibraltar."
In addition, he provides a lot of great information on affordable places to stay. Most of the guides seem to focus on the expensive, world class hotels (DK guides) or the less expensive, student hostel type of places (Lonely Planet). This guide fills the gap. While it identifies expensive "splurges" that have something really unique to offer (beyond mere luxury accomodations) and also identifies some great bargain hotels and hostels, it also provides a wealth of information about those hotels that fall in the middle. Since I'm a public defender, I don't have the bucks to stay at the Ritz, but I'm too old to sleep in a bunk-bed (plus, I think my wife would object to staying in dormatories -- for some odd reason, she likes to be in the same room with me). This guide has given me the information I need to find a place with character that will not break the bank.
Rating:
Summary: Broken Dreams Of Castles
Review: The same old thing - Spain is one thing,that includes Portugal, neither country deserves an entire book to itself. Can you imagine a book about Ireland and Iceland (well, there's only a letter between them),it's really a very tiny difference?
Generalization apart, aren't you a little suspicious of people who are willing to be your special friend when they can oversell you their farmhouse so you can pretend you're buying into the REAL FRIENDSHIP with the pure Latin.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Guide
Review: This book is well organized and was very helpful in planning my trip to Spain. This guide book helped me prioritize my trip. I actually stayed at one of the recommended hotels,which I booked myself,with the help of books reservation worksheet. It worked out great, the hotel was cheap but room was fantastic-I could not believe it!!!It is a great guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Use it for sightseeing, not for eating
Review: We took this book on a 2 week tour of Spain. While informative for the larger cities, we found Rick's book simply lacked a lot of information that, looking back, would have made our trip a hundred times better. Rick's hotel choices gave sparse details, and he failed to stress the necessity of air conditioning-- something we found well worth an extra $5. Do not go to Spain in the summer and get a hotel without a/c - even keeping the windows open was not an option for us with the city noise. While we were usually happy with Rick's sightseeing choices, we found his restaurant decisions were poor. The places we tried that he recommended were pleasant but had no interest in tourists (even the back door kind). The places we found on our own - off-beat family-run types - were much better. There we had kitchen staff coming out to "practice their English" on us, we were given free samples of Spanish cuisine that we hadn't ordered, and basically felt like we were interacting more with the staff and therefore experiencing more. None of those places were in Rick's book. If I were going to Spain again, I'd rip out the sightseeing parts and take them along with a different book for eating and sleeping. Just my 2 cents.
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