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Women's Fiction
Maine: An Explorer's Guide, Eleventh Edition

Maine: An Explorer's Guide, Eleventh Edition

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $13.57
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 0 stars
Summary: Who says "you can't get there from here"?
Review: I brought this new edition of Maine: An Explorer's Guide with me on a recent weekend jaunt to Boothbay Harbor for a wedding, and was thrilled by its depth and quality of information. My favorite "find" was the Boothbay Region Lobstermen's Co-op, where my husband and I devoured three lobsters, two ears of corn and one order of onion rings...for brunch!! I'm happy to say that with this book, you CAN get there from here.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: I travel a lot -- both nationally and internationally and I use travel books often. I took my first trip to Maine this summer and was excited to see that a book so highly rated was coming out with a new edition shortly before my trip. Unfortunately I found this book disappointing time and time again. If you like the way that Lonely Planet presents information (town maps, opinionated recommendations, and historical information) then stay away from this guide book. It offers very few of any of those things. It is more of a guide to available restaurants and lodgings with little or no real concrete information or opinions about those places.

For example, we traveled to Campobello and needed to stop for dinner. One of the restaurants they listed was "known for its fish and chips". Such a description doesn't reveal whether their fish and chips are actually worth the stop. We did stop and found the fish and chips to be VERY average and the microwaved fish chowder to be very bland. A B&B we stayed at was described as having "furnishings reminiscent of a simpler time". What does that mean? We found out but that description told us very little. The vague descriptions were frustrating when we were calling from one area of Maine to make reservations in another. We weren't sure what we were going to find. One more example: We were in Acadia driving the park loop and I reached for the book in hopes that it would give a brief description of the different sites on the tour. There was a sign for Bubble Rock and I wanted to know what that was in reference to. The book was of no help.

The book is also awkward to use. The key to their symbols are buried in the book. Their reference section is also awkward and lacks a "when to go" section among other useful information. Considering the fact that much of Maine consists of small towns whose streets are too small to show up on maps of Maine, it would have been such a help to have had small town maps in the book. I think there were a couple but nothing near what there should have been. This may be the best that is out there but if that is the case, then there is room for some one else to write a much more comprehensive and useful guide to Maine.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: I travel a lot -- both nationally and internationally and I use travel books often. I took my first trip to Maine this summer and was excited to see that a book so highly rated was coming out with a new edition shortly before my trip. Unfortunately I found this book disappointing time and time again. If you like the way that Lonely Planet presents information (town maps, opinionated recommendations, and historical information) then stay away from this guide book. It offers very few of any of those things. It is more of a guide to available restaurants and lodgings with little or no real concrete information or opinions about those places.

For example, we traveled to Campobello and needed to stop for dinner. One of the restaurants they listed was "known for its fish and chips". Such a description doesn't reveal whether their fish and chips are actually worth the stop. We did stop and found the fish and chips to be VERY average and the microwaved fish chowder to be very bland. A B&B we stayed at was described as having "furnishings reminiscent of a simpler time". What does that mean? We found out but that description told us very little. The vague descriptions were frustrating when we were calling from one area of Maine to make reservations in another. We weren't sure what we were going to find. One more example: We were in Acadia driving the park loop and I reached for the book in hopes that it would give a brief description of the different sites on the tour. There was a sign for Bubble Rock and I wanted to know what that was in reference to. The book was of no help.

The book is also awkward to use. The key to their symbols are buried in the book. Their reference section is also awkward and lacks a "when to go" section among other useful information. Considering the fact that much of Maine consists of small towns whose streets are too small to show up on maps of Maine, it would have been such a help to have had small town maps in the book. I think there were a couple but nothing near what there should have been. This may be the best that is out there but if that is the case, then there is room for some one else to write a much more comprehensive and useful guide to Maine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very useful book for exploring Maine
Review: My husband and I re-located to Maine in 1995. We have used this book extensively to plan day and weekend trips around the state. There are so many wonderful places to explore and this book always gives us some good tips and starting points. We currently have the 10th edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very useful book for exploring Maine
Review: My husband and I re-located to Maine in 1995. We have used this book extensively to plan day and weekend trips around the state. There are so many wonderful places to explore and this book always gives us some good tips and starting points. We currently have the 10th edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: required reading for any visitors to the Great State of ME.
Review: Roundy and Tree's Explorer's Guide (Maine) is absolutely must reading for travelers to the State of Maine; research is fresh every two years; book is highly respected by travelers and in-state operators of tourism establishments, just a great guide to a great state. Required reading for all who want to enjoy all Maine has to offer. Focuses especially on dining and lodging establishments, but also strong on outdoor attractions, historic places, and significant events. You cannot enjoy all that Maine has to offer without having a copy of this book at the ready. If you do not get this book, no point in coming to Maine. Buy it and use it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: For the tourist office version of Maine this is your book.
Review: The book offers a fairly comprehensive collection of lodging, activities and places to eat in Maine. The prices quoted are in the ball park but I found them to be somewhat low. The weakness of the book is that it lacks strong and clear opinions about what place is worth visiting and what places I should avoid. There is little in the book that is critical. As a result, it reads too much like an official brochure from Maine's tourist office. This is fine and helpful. But for the price, I was hoping for a few more useful and honest opinions from writers who are supposedly experts on the area.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent travel guide,from an insiders view.
Review: This book is the best Ive seen. It reviews Inns, b&b's, campgrounds, places to stay with kids, or without. We vacation in Maine every year and use this book as our guide. It has never let us down.We try new places in Maine every year.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is one of the most helpful travel guides I've owned.
Review: This is a terrific guide book. It's personal but thorough, and - like Maine - it has character and characters. It's written with an eye out for the personal experience and the hidden treasure. Maine is a beautiful place with a quirky side. Thanks to the Explorer's Guide for helping me get to know it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Maine an Explorer's Guide
Review: This is a terrific guide, detailed accurate,judgemental when called for, funny and user friendly. The author clearly spends a lot of time traveling around Maine keeping in touch with changes and updating information. A new addition is virtually another, better book. So,I'm surprised that Amazon.Com listed the new 10th edition as No.3, behind two earlier editions.The two older editions certainly contain useful information and are more deeply discounted.However, when you're spending a lot of money on a trip or vacation it makes sense to have an up-to-date guidebook.


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