Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36906 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781598802108
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Moon Handbooks has recently published a new Belize guide by former resident Joshua Berman. The 347-page paperback provides all the detailed information that makes Moon handbooks among the best in the business. In addition to such basics as sights, activities, restaurants and accommodations, the book offers interesting sidebars, bits of historical information and good details for those planning a trip to this small country just south of Mexico. The book has 43 detailed maps, a 24-page color section, sample itineraries and suggestions on viewing nearby Mayan ruins, diving sites, bird watching and ranches. --The Salt Lake Tribune, September 15, 2009

The newest edition of Moon Belize really is a gem. With over 40 maps, a colorful front section of suggested itineraries, readable and informative guide, and amazingly detailed background information, Berman produced a true traveler's notebook. --Gadling, November 11, 2009

About the Author
Joshua Berman writes an online travelogue called the "Muy Tranquilo Traveler," which he began during his Peace Corps service, and which he continues to update from the road. In addition to Moon Handbooks Nicaragua, Joshua is co-author of Moon Living Abroad Nicaragua and contributed text and photos to the fourth edition of Moon Handbooks Honduras.

Customer Reviews

Essential reading for anyone contemplating a trip!
Inspired travel-writer Joshua Berman lays Belize out like a fine banquet table in this indispensable guidebook. Contemplating Belize as your next port of call? Get this book. I liked it in my armchair, and loved it in the bush. Joshua's wonderful photos and exposition set the standard for Moon, a terrific publisher, but his practical advice is what really justifies the purchase. I'd wanted to stay on a budget, treating myself right on the occasional night, and I found Joshua's advice to be gold. I ended enjoying the trip so much I bought his Moon Handbooks Nicaragua (Moon Handbooks). Not sure if I'll two-peat to Central America for my next trip, but it's amazing how an unfamiliar place can feel like home with the right guide. Highly recommended.

More like a fan book than a travel book
I have used Moon guides in the past and have found the editorial approach, quality of writing, and level of content to be excellent (the Cuba guide is a particular gem!) The Belize guide is sadly not in this category. It reads more in the tone of a Chamber of Commerce report- everything is great, fascinating, the best, delicious, and comfortable. Anyone who has travelled anywhere outside of a luxury resort knows that simply isn't true, and it isn't true for Belize either.

The Moon guide also does not appear to be geared toward budget travellers, leaving out important information like how to get to and from the airport while avoiding the $25 tourist charge. The shortchanging of budget information is a particular problem in a country that is substantially more expensive than its neighbor Guatemala.

The guide also leaves out the city of Flores, Guatemala, but includes Tikal. Getting to and from Tikal (except on an expensive guided tour) almost always involves travel through Flores, and competing guides (like Rough Guide) include it, making them more useful than this guide.

The guide has a lot of detail- but if you are a budget traveler, you won't be able to afford much of it. This guide is really geared more to the well-heeled tourist who is driving around Belize either in a rental car or on a guided tour. Moon could, and should, do much better.

A Skinny, Droll, Top-of-the-Charts Guide to Belize
Josh Berman, who calls himself a "Jewish Hillbilly," has delivered a truly useful travel guide in his MOON HANDBOOKS: BELIZE. His sense of humor is unobtrusively on display on nearly every page. (For laugh-out-loud funny, check his translations from Kriol. Yes, that's how it's spelled. Look in the index.) His relaxed style make this book a joy to read.

The book itself, as my title indicates, doesn't weigh much. You can fit it in your backpack or purse without dislocating your shoulder. Other guidebooks try to cover everything in depth and, as a result, gives the reader no clear idea of why he or she ought to visit the country in the first place.

Josh covers Belize district by district. In addition to providing general information about each district's major towns, he also includes sidebars that provide a reader with quick, accurate, and often very funny verbal snapshots. Under the heading Belize District, for example, he discusses the town of Crooked Tree, its wildlife sanctuary and nearby Maya ruins. He ends his account with info about how to get to Crooked Tree, and where to stay and eat once you've arrived. And on p. 62, there's a fascinating sidebar about Crooked Tree's annual Cashew Festival. Who knew!

As someone who once lived in Belize and has gone back several times to visit, I put Josh's book to good use on my last trip when I ventured inland to Belmopan and braved the expats on Ambergris Caye. I found it to be a helpful and funny travel companion. If you're Belize-bound, buy this book!