Insight Guides Puerto Rico

Beautifully binded, full of colorful photographs and drawings, and informative, this guide allowed me to explore more towns, sites, and places that are usually off the beaten track for a normal tourist. Their coverage of Puerto Rico's satellite islands: Vieques, Culebra, and Mona, was very interesting, and I was happy to see Mona in photographs, because it is rarely captured in photographs.

The chapters on Old San Juan, Ponce, and the Karst Country were also all informative and refreshing, making my trip much more entertaining. From the island's plethora of important rum distilleries (world's biggest producer of rum) to a brief discussion on local dialect, the editorial staff at "Insight Guides" did an excellent job of representing this beautiful Caribbean island in all its' splendor.

If you are looking for the best travel guides to Puerto Rico, this book and "Lonely Planet's Guide to Puerto Rico" are the two best travel books to this island. Don't forget to pick them up before your next visit to the island.


Just returned from Puerto Rico   September 9, 1999
 16 out of 20 found this review helpful

We just returned (9/8/99) from our first trip to Puerto Rico and enjoyed using this tour book. We are especially pleased to have read their section on Karst County (page 181) and made it a point to travel in that area. Their section on Old San Juan was especially informative.


It is a very good illustrated guide to the island   May 22, 1999
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

As a Puerto Rican that has literally been there and done that, I believe that this book is the best illustrated guide to the Island I have seen so far. Some descriptions, nonetheless, seem to under-rate some of the attractions, while others seem to over-simplify the process of getting there or the risks involved. In some cases I thought it was being too poetic and less realistic, and even though this is a refreshing approach to a tourist guide, more facts or useful tips would have been welcome. On a positive note, the illustrations are very beautiful and it portrays the people with respect. If I had to buy a book for a colleague or friend in the States about my country, this book would be one of my first options.


It is a very good illustrated guide to the island   May 22, 1999
 42 out of 42 found this review helpful

As a Puerto Rican that has literally been there and done that, I believe that this book is the best illustrated guide to the Island I have seen so far. Some descriptions, nonetheless, seem to under-rate some of the attractions, while others seem to over-simplify the process of getting there or the risks involved. In some cases I thought it was being too poetic and less realistic, and even though this is a refreshing approach to a tourist guide, more facts or useful tips would have been welcome. On a positive note, the illustrations are very beautiful and it portrays the people with respect. If I had to buy a book for a colleague or friend in the States about my country, this book would be one of my first options.