 | | |
| Frommer's New Zealand (Frommer's Complete) | 
 enlarge | Author: Adrienne Rewi
Publisher: Frommers
Category: Book
List Price: $22.99
Buy New: $12.34
You Save: $10.65 (46%)
Buy New/Used from $12.34
Avg. Customer Rating:  (18 reviews)
Sales Rank: 26031
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 532
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0470178353
Dewey Decimal Number: 919.3044
EAN: 9780470178355
ASIN: 0470178353
Publication Date: March 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Good insights from a native February 17, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I thought this book had good coverage of the major locations most Americans would visit in New Zealand. More importantly, the author is a native of NZ and as such, she seemed to have some good insights into the local viewpoint. I had no difficulty finding the information I needed about every location we wanted to visit and every major hotel or restaurant that interested us. This book is probably not well suited to those who want to backpack through NZ on the cheap. It's aimed at the middle-class traveler who wants to stay in an actual hotel and eat in restaurants.
 OK December 19, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This guide is OK if you're rich and want to only hit the big touristy areas. If you don't like sitting on a tour bus and don't mind sleeping at a hostel and want to see the little towns then avoid this one and get the Lonely Planet guide instead. I just got back from New Zealand and basically didn't use this book at all. Not a great investment. Couldn't find most of the small towns in this book at all.
 Good, but not complete November 7, 2006
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I planned a trip to New Zealand in the fall of 2006 using this book and a few other New Zealand travel guides. In the past, I found Frommer's guides to be complete and packed with great recommendations for places to go, where to stay, etc. This book lacked in all of those respects.
The accomodation sections seemed to be a list of the most expensive accomodation for any given area, with no regard for the value of the stay for your money. That the author learned a lot about high-end hotels in researching this book isn't surprising since Frommer's allows their authors to accept complimentary accomodation. But as a reader I expect to get a lot more good recommendations for places in the 'moderate' and 'inexpensive' price ranges.
Aside from leaving out budget accomodation recommendations, some parts of the country aren't covered at all. At first this made planning my trip quite difficult, but fortunately other more complete guidebooks included extensive information about those areas.
If you're only going to get one book to plan your trip to New Zealand, don't get this one. If you're looking to augment your research this could be a great pick, particularly if you're interested in a comparison of well-appointed hotels. Don't expect a book comparable to the "Europe on $XX / day".
 I Don't Need Hotel Recommndations at $1,000+ Per Night June 30, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I picked up the 2006 edition and since I always plan parts of my trips abroad by selecting nice accomodations in an area of interest, I turned to the pages at the beginning on "Best Boutique Hotels and Small Lodges," "Best B&Bs" and "Best Luxury Accomodations) on pp. 12-15. "Luxury" apparently is Bill Gates or Warren Buffet luxury to Frommer, with rates around US $1,500 per night and some up to $7,000. I had to check to find whether these might be weekly rates, but they are PER NIGHT. Many of the B&Bs were US $300-$500/night, and none under around $150. Most of the boutique hotles were US $500-$700/night.
We are fairly affluent travelers, but these prices were so discouraging we wondered whether we even ought to be considering a trip to New Zealand. We don't pay such prices in the USA. Fortunately, prices elsewhere are not nearly so high, I just wish Frommer's could define "best" in a way that is more like "best value"
Handy and useful guide October 28, 2005
27 out of 28 found this review helpful
Frommer's guides don't get a lot of respect from a certain sector, it would seem. They do not invite you to be an edgy traveler, nor do they indulge the conceit shared by some US guide books that your trip must wholly original (never mind that many others will tread the same off-the-beaten path) in order to be fun and worthwhile.
This edition enables you to travel comfortably, adventurously, and happily - without spending a fortune. You will learn a lot and have a great time doing so.
It was a dependable resource for my husband and me as we drove (rental car), sailed (ferry) and flew (Dunedin to Wellington) for two weeks through the wonderful country of New Zealand. We wanted inexpensive ($65 a night, tops) motels that were clean, quiet, cheerful, and well-located, with an occasional splurge. We wanted to have fun but we did not want to surf, bungee-jump, hang-glide, or parasail, preferring cultural and historical sites, endless green meadows, the fine small towns, natural wonders (boiling mud, snow-capped mountains, steaming ponds and streams, glowworm caves and more) in addition to the exquisite and distinctive cities of this great country, and visits to friends.
New Zealand motels are great. They are mostly family-owned and their owners are on-site and try hard. Ours (all mentioned in this book) were consistently clean, comfortable, have mini-kitchens (microwave, electric kettle, small, quiet refrigerator, dishes and utensils and a work space plus coffee and tea) and you get your own little bottle of milk for your coffee or tea the next morning. Coffee is "plunger coffee," NZ for "French press." You make it with an electric kettle and ground coffee, included in the price.
The Pandora's box "mini-bar" has not completely infiltrated New Zealand. This was nice, too.
Several motels had unlimited hot water (in geothermal districts) and huge, fabulous, spotlessly clean two-person bathtubs as part of an inexpensive room.
We got terrific restaurant and other tips from the owners of these motels.
If you are in a hurry, Frommer's supplies you with especially useful "If you have only one day," "two days," etc. ideas. From these compact lists you can get a good idea of what is out there, and pick and choose as you wish. It's inevitable that you'll make your own discoveries along the way.
We tried more than a few of the restaurants, neighborhoods, motels, B and Bs, and historical and natural sights that this book recommended. No misses.
A curious tourist will find a lot that is helpful in this book. It was a handy and helpful resource, down-to-earth but not pedestrian, and I'd recommend it to any friend traveling to NZ.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| | |