Rating:  Summary: Don't Depend On This Information Alone! Review: This book touts itself as being the most comprehensive up-to-date with exact information and prices. Not so! It may have been published this year but we found many of the places reviewed had closed, moved or were renamed & under new management. Several other places of interest to travelers were totally ignored: for example, the coverage of the botanical gardens in Christchurch fails to give any information at all about the Carter Observatory located there. And don't think that all those "free" museums are really without cost! Several had suggested "donations" posted at their turnstile entrances that would take a lot more chutzpah than I possess to bypass without paying. Frommer's idea of moderately priced facilities would give most travelers a heart attack and the restaurants reviewed are hit or miss. For example the highly praised Saugero Mexican Restaurant in Queenstown puts broccoli and carrots in their chicken burritos which is only to be discovered after a shocking first bite; neither the menu nor the guidebook gives warning to these unusual ingrediants. Do yourself a favor and consult several guidebooks to give yourself more options and always trust the locals over anything your travel books may say.
Rating:  Summary: Frommer's New Zealand Review: This guide is an excellent introduction to New Zealand for the first-time traveler. The organization is helpful and the area details are of great value in planning self-guided itineraries.We were able to focus our two weeks in the country on areas of particular interest because of this guidance.
|