tamtot

Do you all have a good guidebook you would recommend, other than Fodor's, obviously?

Thanks so much!

shillmac

I like Moon and Lonely Planet.

ShellD

I like Moon as well. I took it with us on our last trip and used it quite a lot while we were there for dining recommendations in La Foturna especially. We also used it for the basic street maps in each area we were in - we rented our own car.

tully

Who says we like fodor's? ha

It's been a while since I bought a guidebook, think the last one was one of those insight guides, cause I like looking at the photos

CarolM

I'll say it! I really dislike the Fodor's guide... I think it's very strangely organized. I like the Moon Handbook also (lots of info on nature, etc.) and I'm a big fan of the Frommer's.

sumi

My 2 cents, for what it's worth...

I've found that they can differ quite a bit depending on the edition.

I originally bought the 2007 Fodor's guide to plan our trip. I generally like the Fodor guides. But after reading the book and browsing this forum as well as TripAdvisor, I noticed that it seemed to be missing a lot of information or what they gave was vague. (For instance, no local map of the Arenal area so you couldn't tell what was where. It also sort of glossed over the ferry from Puntarenas.)

So, I went back to the bookstore and picked up the Moon (6th edition, published Oct 2007.) This book seemed a lot more up-to-date and included all the hotels, tours, etc. that are often mentioned here and on TripAdvisor.

Now, I recently saw the 2008 Fodor's guide and noticed that it has been updated a LOT since the 2007 edition. It had a lot more local maps and many of the newer hotels have been added.

So, if you're going to the bookstore to buy a guide, make sure you read the fine print for when it was printed. It may actually make more of a difference than which company (Moon, Fodor, etc.) you choose.

Keith

When I bought a guide last September, I grabbed all of the Costa RIca guide books at Borders and sat down in one of their chairs and looked at each one.

First I elminated everyone one that didn't have a 2007 copyright. That doesn't mean they update, but I know that one with a 2004 copyright is out of date.

I went through the rest and selected Fodors.

Keith

hipvirgochick

I like those Insight guides, but they're freaka-heavy!

volcanogirl

We're fans of the Dummies guides - no jokes please!

tamtot

You all make me laugh. Thank you so much for the response. I'm already feeling a little more empowered by reading these boards. I'm used to Cruise Vacations, and this Costa Rica thing has me a little intimidated
Thanks again!
Tammy

tully

keith I do the same thing. I went recently to buy a Spain guidebook, found 2 or 3 I loved but had to put them back cause I always look at the publication/latest edition date and they all were 2004 or 2005!

sean420

Lonely Planet has been my favorite for my past 3 trips to Costa Rica

annesherrod

I love the Frommer books! But not their website at all!!!

tripinink

Of course you'll want a guide book but you may want to consider a birding book for Costa Rica also.

MRand

I cast my vote for the Moon guide.

steph270

definitely the moon guide. i like lonely planet too but it hasn't been updated in awhile, at least not in my bookstore...i check the print updates, too

RMAnthony

We just returned from our first trip all the way down the Nicoya peninsula down to Mal Pais. We returned (to our home in Playa Langosta) via the costal roads. We would have been lost many times (and probably lost our car in the many rivers or at high tide) without Moon's excellent directions (along the line of "when you get to the river, don't try to go straight across or you will end up on a muddy bank that goes nowhere, look upriver 100 meters and drive there&quot. The detailed maps were amazing, we have a great map and still would not have been able to get north easily without the excellent information from Moon. I don't think Moon is as good as Fodor's or Frommers in regards to hotel descriptions or variety, but this is a much-needed book if you're traveling the main places, plus even then you'd miss a lot without Moon.

Jim_Boo

The Moon Handbook is excellent!!

Cimbrone

My preferred guidebook for Latin America is Lonely Planet. HOWEVER, I think it does a terrible job with the cities and towns of the Central Valley--Alajuela, Heredia, and Barva. I was led to believe these are interesting places with charm and colonial architecture and set aside a full day to spend exploring them. Ten minutes in each and I'd seen all I needed to see. Blech. And I can usually find something good about anywhere.

Stick to the countryside when you're in Costa Rica is my advice.

CarolM

Cimbrone,
I agree! I thought I was the only one