Description:
Sandra Gustafson is a woman who takes her work seriously--traipsing annually through Europe, eating at scads of restaurants, and visiting innumerable pensions, hotels, and inns. Though she currently calls San Diego home, she's spent much of the past 25 years abroad, living in Paris and Prague, and traveling about to research her ever-expanding Cheap Eats, Cheap Sleeps line. Her guidebooks to Paris are now in their eighth edition, but this is the first time she's written up Prague, and it's a welcome addition. Prague is fast regaining its status as one of Europe's premier cities. In addition to its historic castles, bridges, and squares, it has an increasing number of chic places to stay--and it's great to have Sandra Gustafson's candid lowdown on the merits of its inns and hotels, as well as those in Vienna and Budapest. Gustafson is a woman who believes in personally visiting every place she writes about. She takes no bribes, accepts no freebies, is beholden to nothing but her own good taste, and tells it just as she sees it. And while the series' title accents "cheap," she's not hunting down fleabag flophouses. She seeks out places where you can get a modicum of charm and personality, ambiance and comfort, without dropping your life's savings in return. Gustafson groups her hotels by area, tells whether English is spoken, and cites the nearest metro station (since she believes no hotel, regardless how spiffy, is worth traveling to if it's far from public transportation). She lists the rates, tells whether breakfast is served--and best of all--gives her honest opinion of it all, from amenities and atmosphere to location, noise, and staff. You need to trust a guidebook because, after all, you're going to be a stranger in a strange land. You may not agree with everything Sandra Gustafson has to say, but you can always trust the integrity of her opinions. --Stephanie Gold
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