Guatemala Guide

Rating:
Summary: Another take on Glassman's book
Review: Glassman's guides to the hotels is crucial to some tourists and business people, especially if you're not planning to stay in a downscale establishment and might actually expect to find a working shower, private bathroom, and a restaurant.

Though many people coming to Guatemala aren't interested in upscale establishments, they do exist, and Glassman outlines them in a relatively no-nonsense fashion. For example, Pension Bonifaz in Quetzaltenango is the best hotel in town. It's is also where anyone flying in and out of Xela must go for pickup to the town airport.

There are other guides, but I wouldn't dismiss Glassman's guide out of hand. We live in Quetzaltenango, and run a Spanish language school there.

Rating:
Summary: Other Guides Are Better
Review: I just bought last week the newly revised Paul Glassman *Guatemala Guide* that is part of the "Open Road" series. I was very disappointed --particularly because I had been waiting for its release date since January. It has larger print which translates to less info per page than the "Rough Guide" or "Lonely Planet" series. It was more superficial in terms of presenting/explaining history, culture, traditions, sites, and in fact, omitted places discussed in the "Rough Guide" or "Lonely Planet" books. Glassman apparently lives in Antigua, but it didn't feel like an insiders guide to me. He does, however, list some hotels that were not mentioned in the other guides--nonetheless I don't think anyone goes to Guatemala for the hotels. My advice, invest in another guide book.