Product Description

Put the Best of London inYour Pocket

*A compact guide on getting to and enjoying the best of London.

*Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

*Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.

*Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

*The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer's, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1256284 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 203 pages

From the Back Cover
Put the Best of Londonin Your Pocket

*

The lowdown on top museums and galleries, theater ticket discounts, and "The World's Greatest Pub Crawl."

*

Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.

*

Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.

*

Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

*

The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.

And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer's, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices.

Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com

About the Author
A team of veteran travel writers, Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have produced numerous titles for Frommer's, including best-selling guides to Italy, France, the Caribbean, England, and Germany. Porter is also a noted Hollywood biographer, and his recent releases include Howard Hughes: Hell's Angel and Brando Unzipped. He is a newspaper columnist on popular culture as well as a radio commentator, with broadcasts heard in all 50 states. Prince, formerly of the New York Times Paris bureau, is the president of Blood Moon Productions and other media-related firms.

Customer Reviews

COULD IT BE... THE WORST GUIDE BOOK EVER?
Actually, that distinction would probably go to a guide book I read as a teen that stated that Windsor Castle was in walking distance from Buckingham Palace (heads up: it's NOT!). Still, this volume, with its clunky editing, moribund writing style, and questionable recommendations should easily win Worst of Show for 2007.

What in the world has happened to Frommer's, the usually reliable arbiter of travel, which in past years has written series after series of well-researced guides on which travelers routinely depended? The recently released 2007 Portable Guide series is truly awful in virtually every area that matters in a guide book- style, information, and reliability of recommendations.

The London volume, however, may be the worst of the lot. One wonders how the hotels and restaurants were selected for inclusion. Missing are hotels of renown, hotels of character, hotels of historical significance, hotels of charm, and hotels of interest. Those chosen for mention are a hodge podge which truly redefine "electic". When luck guides the author to a hotel which might kindle a spark of genuine interest, the slice 'em, dice 'em prose which summarizes the property gives the reader little on which to base an informed decision.

If the hotel recommendations are eccentric, the restaurant recommendations are maddening. This volume will have the traveler walk past two restaurants of genuine acclaim or just great food to reach the one eatery included, which has neither. Odd to baffling!

This guide also has a great many facts that will fascinate travelers to London. For instance, were you aware that the currency in London is the Pound Sterling? Yes, it's true. And how about that the major airports are Heathrow and Gatwick? Yes, indeedy! Here's one that will stop the presses: The Queen frequently resides in Buckingham Palace. Why, that's almost as good as having Her Majesty's private mobile number, isn't it?

This writer apologizes for the condescending tone of this review, but after trying so hard to find a way to tell Frommer that its baby isn't ugly, and finding none, we can only share with the prospective buyer of this volume one final thought: Whether in Dollars or Pounds Sterling, purchasing this tiny volume will be as egregious a waste of money as is possible on Amazon.com.

Great Compact Guide
If you're looking for a compact general guide to London this is a good bet. While it's not pocket sized it can easily fit in a purse or jacket pocket. The book gives a good guide to the neighborhoods and I felt oriented after reading it. The "Where to Stay" and "Where to Dine" sections are quite abbreviated, so you might want to buy an additional guide just on Accommodations or Food (I recommend "Cheap Eats"). The "Exploring London" section easily gives enough information for a couple week trip, detailed but concise. It also gives "insider tips" on many of the most popular sites. There are also sections on Nightlife (including Theater) and Shopping (especially helpful).
Overall, highly recommended!