Puerto Rico Books

The respected Frommer really falls to the bottom of the pile after this book. We took our first visit to Puerto Rico last month and we looking for what the reviews promised. Well, unless you want information about San Juan and Old San Juan, forget about it. There was NO info about our resort - The Copamarina - which, we've learned is in another of Frommer's books as a recommended spot. We were staying in the southern portion of the island and there's little info in the book for that area. We were particularly interested in purchasing the masks worn at Carnivale...the shops recommended in the book no longer exist. The Fox-Delicias Mall in Ponce is completely closed and empty for renovation.

This pocket-sized guide was the only thing I needed to carry on my trip to Puerto Rico. With tips on the best beaches, wild life attraction, and restaurants, we were able to get the true authentic experience. Prices were exact and current, ratings and highlights were easy to find, and the cost was low. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to get the most of their vacation without a big, heavy book.

Not terrible, but don't rely on it for finding anything special.

Taking a cruise to San Juan? Fine book. You will get off the boat, go to some reasonable shops, eat a good (but not cheap) meal, and do fine.

Interested in a fun week outside of San Juan? Not so great. Did a fine job (although far from complete) on where to stay. Especially Paradors (gov't run hotels) were a great contribution from the book.

Looking for a place to snorkel? Or for a special beach? The treasure-hunt attitude of the book ("nearby, you will find super beach with incredible snorkeling") is useless. How about some directions and physical location? "Nearby" seems to encompass everything from driving down unmarked roads to hiking trash strewn trails where you sincerely hope the end of the trail is a great beach, and not a mugging. Maps were also incredibly inaccurate.

This is NOT the map to buy for your trip to the island. Its old, and many of the roads have changed - new roads aren't on the map! Don't waste your money.

Compact, durable, and handy are the three words that come to mind when I purchased this map for my trip to Puerto Rico. Produced by the staff of Insight Guides, this laminated map comes in a handy, foldable format, that allows the user to carry around in such places as a purse and pocket. Besides covering the island, there is a small inset map of the capital city of San Juan, and relevant information on things visitors should know when on the island (e.g., currency used, language, voltage standards, etc.).

Just like the popular Insight Guides travel guide series, the "Insight Map Puerto Rico: Fleximap Plus Travel Information" is a great resource to have when visiting this beautiful island. I highly recommend!

While this map is nice because its laminated, don't count on the information! Many roads are mislabeled and/or missing altogether. Don't waste your money here - the best Puerto Rico map is the one sold in the gas stations and drug stores on the island.

The Bacardis along with other elite Cuban families bankrolled Castro's rebel forces for years, and in the case of Bacardi provided sponsored a visit for Washington officials to demonstrate Fidel Castro's democratic credentials in 1957.

Why isn't that dark chapter mentioned in this so-called tell all book. The Bacardis have a consistent history of being anti-dictator both in the case of Batista and of Castro. I wonder how the author could leave out their support of a violent, thuggish, ex-patriate who wandered around Miami raising funds for waging unconventional warfare against Cuban nationals. But in that case the expatriate (or exile if you prefer) was Fidel Castro, and the tyrant was Fulgencio Batista.

"In the spring of 1957 Washington had sent an official fact-finding mission to the island to learn more about the rebel leader. ... The American delegation found that the rebels had appealed to a desire in many Cubans, from all classes, who were tired of the Cuban dictatorship. The tour itself had been sponsored by the owner of Bacardi rum as a way of easing American anxieties about the Castros."

From "ONE HELL OF A GAMBLE" KHRUSHCHEV, CASTRO, AND KENNEDY, 1958-1964 by Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali

Hmmmmm....I wonder how they could miss something this big? Half truths?

This book explores the murky world of the Bacardi Empire. Bacardi has had dealings with the CIA and the extreme right-wing National Cuban-American Foundation (CANF) as well as links with both political and violent attempts to overthrow the Cuban government. This began almost from the Revolution in January 1959 and has continued to the present day. As the prologue puts it, the book: "raises fundamental issues about the relationship between multinational corporations and imperialist politics, about the instrumental use by the state of private corporations to serve state-directed terrorism."

Bacardi has sought to use US laws to put a stranglehold on Cuban trade. This includes sponsoring the Helms-Burton Act that tightens the 40-year blockade. The author comments that "the text is so severe and over-arching that doubtless not even the laws and treaties imposed on African colonies by the European powers have contained such a degree of arrogance and lack of respect for a sovereign nation."

Bacardi lawyers were also heavily involved in writing the new trade laws that mean Cuban brands are no longer recognized in the US. Havana Club rum's French partner Pernod-Ricard (the major competitor to Bacardi) has convinced the European Union that such moves are an infringement of fair-trading laws.

Bacardi and others are aiming not just to remove Castro from power but establish Cuba as a colony of the US with chosen front men running the place.

As a Puertorrican Architecture student, who has been working on the documentation and investigation of this book, I disagree on how Jopling adjudges some of the architectural styles to the Puertorrican houses. Personally I think that she should have undergo a more extensive investigation and have taken better photographs. Thank you.

The author makes a study of Puerto Rican houses throughout history. The book is well documented and includes "a lot" of nice pictures and drawings. The only problem with the book is that is difficult to follow. The lecture makes reference to the pictures and drawings so the reader can visualize better the different house types. Many times the pictures are located one or two pages later from the descriptive paragraph. Because of this I was caught flipping back and forward the pages throughout the book. This makes it a little hard to read. Aside from that the book is a good reference and have a lot of valuable information. A must for architects and anthropologist interested in Puerto Rico.

Although this very short almost pamphlet is not much of a cookbook, the few recipies look good and easy to prepare.

I was expecting this book to have more traditional recipies such as mofongo, arroz con gandules & pasteles. Instead the recipies featured were more of the hotel touristy-type food that I know an average puertorican would not prepare in their home. I purchased this book in Old San Juan & the salesperson recommended another book, I should have taken her advice. I have since purchased the other book and that has exactly what I was looking for. Besides I heard a rumor the author was a vegetarian, how can you write a cookbook containig meat recipies and not eat them?

This is a good guide for seeing the cultural sights of Puerto Rico, especially in San Juan. The book is geared towards travellers only moderately concerned with budget. A few pieces of information are outdated, such as bus numbers and changes in price, but the numbering system (up to three stars) is useful for the first-time traveller with little knowledge of the country. Detailed descriptions of the sights in San Juan help visitors get a sense of the city's history while the walking tour takes them around to key spots. There is a comparable walking tour of Ponce, along with a description of the Museo de Arte de Ponce which prevented me from missing out on this fine museum. Ponce is the only place where we tried one of the listed hotels. Although the book described Hotel Belgica as "roughing it," we thought the accommodations were fine and enjoyed the unusual atmosphere of an old-style hotel. The book is full of useful tidbits. For example, en route to Parguera (which should get two stars, not one), the name of the road changes several times along the way (101, 116, 315, 305, 304). No wonder people get confused. Additional information: The book should include a warning that the $5 boat trip to the Phosphorescent Bay near Parguera doesn't let you see much, so it's best to go with the friendly folks at Paradise Scuba Center (the address is listed). Additionally, the Rio Camuy Cave Park sometimes sells out of tickets by 9am (especially on weekends), so it's best to get there early. Finally, good snorkeling is available in San Juan on the west side of the Wyndham Hotel (Condado).

This book is crazy. I live in Puerto Rico and there are bunch of things that are downright wrong. They lie in general about the people, food, and best places to go. Another problem is this book is for 'rich prissy' travellers who just want to live in a hotel the whole time. You don't even need a travel book if thats what you want to do. If you want a good book, try Let's Go Puerto Rico which is by far the best guide to a free-spirited traveller on this island.

I keep forgetting how much I don't care for Frommer's guides and wind up buying another one.

1. Frommer's has next to no pictures.
2. I think somebody went to a couple of random restaurants and beaches and decided to call them the "Best of".

For example, Frommer's says there is snorkeling at Luqillo beach, but there is none (unless all you want to see is sand). Luquillo is a great beach for swimming, but the snorkeling sucks.

Another example is the restaurant in the southeast part of the island called Tulio's. While it is a nice restaurant and our food was good, it is not cheap. At least I don't consider $20 a plate cheap.

I've used this guide for three PR vacations, and each time I want to throw it across the hotel room. But I can't because the other guides are even worse or even less comprehensive. What's the problem with this one? The lack of description: it gives you no feel as to what makes each beach/hotel unique. Invariably every second beach is summed up vaguely as 'one of the best beaches on the island,' even if one has brownish sand and no snorkling while another "best" beach is pristine white, loaded with fish, and secluded. It's the same with hotels, too, except there's no explanation of what the mood is like there, what kind of people stay there, what the view is like, what the rooms are like, if there's a bar to hang out in after dinner, how close the beach is.... It's almost comic, except when you're trying to figure out where to spend your precious time and money.

Another frustrating problem is that no one took the time to edit this guide. One beach or hotel will be mentioned in two (or three) places in entirely different tones, so it's hard to guess whether a place is just wacky or dirty (or, in the instance of La Parguera, too polluted to swim in one mention; just fine in another). Also, uninspired writing means a breathtaking mountain retreat like the Casa Grande Hotel in Utuado comes across as completely unremarkable and possibly worth skipping. Can't the writers come out and say "This place is great" or, if necessary, "This place is a dump?" A reader might wonder if these guys visited anything but bloated resorts at all. PR deserves better and I certainly expected better from Frommer's.

Some maps in the guide don't reflect current reality eg the pull out map shows a major highway on the SE coast. However construction projects for many sections of that highway (Rt 53) have not yet commenced.

In general we had problems navigating because every map we picked up from guidebooks and tourist brochures was wrong, each in its own special way! If driving, do yourself a favor and buy a very detailed and up-to-date map before you head out.

I just got back from a vacation to Puerto Rico, and prior to the trip I purchased this map as I would be driving all around the island. Besides being out of date (though Amazon says it was published in January of 2003, the copywrite date on the map itself says 1998), it was not nearly as inclusive as I had hoped it would be. It is missing a lot of principal roads, and even the orientation of the map is frustrating. The island is cut in half and put on both sides of the map. But when you flip the map over to see the west or east (you never seem to be looking at the side you need), it is always upside down from the side you were just looking at. I had a better time with the free maps I got from a tourist information stand and the rental car place. Do not buy this map. It is worthless. I should have read the other reviews...

This map has just not kept up with the times! There are errors throughout - you just can't trust it. The only map really sold on the island is from Metrodata and its updated every year. I wouldn't trust any other road maps of Puerto Rico.

This map is another bad map of the island. I bought several before I spent the summer there, and I threw this one away. It must be over 10 years old. I bought one from a local gas station on the island which was cheaper, and much, much better.

This map is easy to use. It folds and unfolds easy and isn't difficult to manipulate like paper maps. The level of detail on this map is a lot better that the level of detail provided on maps provided by Puerto Rico hotels and Car Rental agencies.

On the negative side, the map I received was a 1998 edition. I didn't realize that I wouldn't be receiving a current map. Because of this some streets and highways were not on this map. This was a big problem for the city map of Ponce.

This novel about several Puerto Rican people who (are supposed to) have something in common is not well written mostly because of the author's mediochre grasp of English, and because of a disjointed plot which doesn't come together well. For better Puerto Rican literature try the "Boricuas" anthology.

este libro de texto limita la historia de Puerto Rico, y esconde muchos datos que son ricos para una real concpecion de lo que fue y es Puerto Rico. El maestro que utilize esta edicion debera enriquecer el curriculo con material adicional, puesto que el libro carece de muchos elementos importantes.

We found this map to be unreliable around the West coast in Cabo Rojo. The highway numbers were incorrectly marked and we could not always trust it.
As a side note, don't expect your GPS to work in PR, ours only worked in San Juan, and even there it was not that great.