Product Details
Moon Costa Rica (Moon Handbooks)

Moon Costa Rica (Moon Handbooks)
By Christopher P. Baker

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Product Description

Award-winning travel writer Christopher P. Baker knows the best way to experience Costa Rica, from surfing the beaches of Golfo Dulce to hiking in Corcovado National Park and dining in upscale Escazú in San Jose. Baker includes unique trip ideas like The 21-Day Best of Costa Rica, The Offbeat Experience, and Seven Days for Active Vacationers. Packed with information on dining, transportation, and accommodations, Moon Costa Rica has lots of options for a range of travel budgets. Every Moon guidebook includes recommendations for must-see sights and many regional, area, and city-centered maps. Complete with details on the best beaches for surfing and a variety of opportunities to get outdoors, Moon Costa Rica gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. With expert writers, first-rate strategic advice, and an essential dose of humor, Moon guidebooks are the cure for the common trip.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #22386 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-09-28
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 650 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Earlier this fall Moon released two updated guides to Costa Rica. The 6th edition of the handbook to Costa Rica was written by veteran travel writer Christoper P. Baker, an expert on both Costa Rica and Cuba. Baker won the 2006 Lowell Thomas Award for best guidebook for a previous edition of this book. At 650 pages, the latest version is bursting with valuable tips about traveling through this tropical jewel. -- Gadling, October 29, 2007

Customer Reviews

Stick with Lonely Planet3
I bought both Lonely Planet and Moon to be able to get a nice perspective on my trip to Costa Rica. Unfortunately the Moon handbook was not as useful as Lonely Planet. In fact, by the middle of the trip I buried this book at the bottom of my backpack. The only thing I found useful in Moon's guide was its maps. Other than that, I would stick with purchasing Lonely Planet.

Most informative5
We have three current travel books on Costa Rica - this one is by far the best. It provides a full range of options from budget to luxury. He gives detailed reccomendations,insights, and cultural background. And it just seems to provide more complete coverage than the other books.

A weak alternative to LP2
I just returned (7/08) from a trip to Costa Rica. My sister and I had the Moon guide as well as the LP. Although LP's guide bears an older copyright date, it was the Moon guide that seemed out of date, and it contained many errors, ranging from incorrect phone numbers, to badly out of date prices, to outdated hotel descriptions, to listing no-longer-existent tour and transfer companies. It basically became dead weight in the baggage.

An example: the Moon Guide discourages individuals from visiting the Aviarios del Caribe sloth rescue center, near Cahuita, alleging that it now only welcomes cruise ship groups. In actuality, my sister and I were warmly welcomed and given a wonderful tour -- a highlight of the trip. (And: the admission fee was much lower than what Moon listed.) Travelers following the Moon guide advice would miss out on a wonderful experience.

I don't know the author's actual research methods, but I sometimes had trouble believing he had personally visited many of the hotels and restaurances he describes; I suspect heavy reliance on user feedback.

Costa Rica is certainly changing fast -- in general, prices were significantly higher than either Moon or LP listed, and hotels tended to have been upgraded. Towns listed as not having banks, in fact do. I can't believe, though, that all the changes we saw had happened just in the year or two since the Moon guide was supposedly updated.