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Lonely Planet California's Best Trips (Travel Guide) Paperback – February 1, 2013
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Fall is a great time to travel, and Lonely Planet's California's Best Trips is the perfect guide for adventurous and budget wanderers alike." (Campus Circle 2013-10-10)
"Lonely Planet authors Benson, Nate Cavalieri,and Beth Kohn do justice to the plethora of treasures throughout California with descriptions that evoke the vibe of the places and people." (Library Journal 2013-06-14)
"Lonely Planet authors Benson, Nate Cavalieri,and Beth Kohn do justice to the plethora of treasures throughout California with descriptions that evoke the vibe of the places and people." (Library Journal 2013-06-14)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
Tom Brody
VINE VOICE on March 2, 2013
Format: Paperback
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CALIFORNIA'S BEST TRIPS, published by LONELY PLANET, and authored by Benson, Cavalieri, and Kohn, is a 383 page guidebook printed on good quality non-glossy paper. At least every other page has a full-page color photo, quarter page color photo, or color map. The book has 35 chapters within the following three sections. The three sections are color-coded in green tabs and graphics (northern California), red (central California), and blue (southern California). Each of the chapters has one or two pages on motels and restaurants. But the emphasis in this attractive book is on the natural landscape. Accordingly, this book is almost like a biography of my life, since I have visited most of the places described, e.g., 50 trips to Point Reyes; ten trips to Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley; 8 trips to Yosemite; 18 trips to Joshua Tree National Park; six trips to Death Valley; one trip to Mono Lake; two trips to Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta; about ten trips to the town of Jenner and up to Fort Ross, and so on.
PHOTOGRAPHS. The most striking photos include the following:
Yosemite Falls or Half-Dome (pages 6, 15, 204);
Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley vineyards (pages 8-9, 78, 90);
Redwood trees or sequoia trees (pages 12-13, 41, 119, 124, 211);
Golden Gate Bridge (pages 14-15);
The legendary Route 1, with scenes of nearby cliffs (pages 16-17, 106, 114, 152);
Joshua Tree National Park with scenes of boulders (pages 20, 340);
Alabama Hills with Mt. Whitney (page 23);
Victorian houses in San Francisco or in Eureka (pages 26-27, 45);
Point Reyes (pages 30-31, 73);
Chinatown in San Francisco (page 48);
McArthur-Burney Falls (pages 144-145);
Missions (pages 294; 299);
Death Valley sand dunes (page 330).Read more ›
PHOTOGRAPHS. The most striking photos include the following:
Yosemite Falls or Half-Dome (pages 6, 15, 204);
Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley vineyards (pages 8-9, 78, 90);
Redwood trees or sequoia trees (pages 12-13, 41, 119, 124, 211);
Golden Gate Bridge (pages 14-15);
The legendary Route 1, with scenes of nearby cliffs (pages 16-17, 106, 114, 152);
Joshua Tree National Park with scenes of boulders (pages 20, 340);
Alabama Hills with Mt. Whitney (page 23);
Victorian houses in San Francisco or in Eureka (pages 26-27, 45);
Point Reyes (pages 30-31, 73);
Chinatown in San Francisco (page 48);
McArthur-Burney Falls (pages 144-145);
Missions (pages 294; 299);
Death Valley sand dunes (page 330).Read more ›
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
Goldengate
TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on April 5, 2013
Format: Paperback
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Despite my review title, I would recommend this book... but only as a supplement to other guide books / internet sources. If I had a RV and were tooling around the Golden State, I'd have this in the glove compartment and use it to answer the "Honey, where are we going and what are we doing today?" I don't have a RV but that's what I imagine people in RV's saying. These are road trips, not in depth guides to areas, so by the very nature of this book it scratches the surface of each area as you drive through... a few restaurants, a few places to sleep, some interesting tidbits, and LOTS of color pictures. I mean LOTS. All printed on non glossy paper.
I plan to put this in our guest room so guests to the Bay Area can use it to explore our gorgeous surroundings... and I plan to use it myself as I think of a few road trips in my California Dreamin'.
Overall a great supplement to other guides if your main interest is being on the open road and exploring our great state.
I plan to put this in our guest room so guests to the Bay Area can use it to explore our gorgeous surroundings... and I plan to use it myself as I think of a few road trips in my California Dreamin'.
Overall a great supplement to other guides if your main interest is being on the open road and exploring our great state.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Kristin Belko
on December 1, 2013
Format: Paperback
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I wanted to like this book because the premise is good. However, it skips too many places that aren't of interest to the writers but happen to be places one comes across in going from one place to another. Too many irrelevant details (what magnitude earthquake hit Santa Barbara in 1987) and thus doesn't have space for more information. Might work a little better if you supplement with internet information but that undermines the reason for a travel book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
kstars
VINE VOICE on April 13, 2013
Format: Paperback
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I've rarely missed an opportunity to get one of these books, and I've been reviewing them for several years. I only get the books that have destinations I will actually visit, and I'm a California girl. These books are so up-to-date they are time-sensitive. These books tell you what to tip, how much admission is, and such.
The book is laid out with 35 road trips that are popular in California, but you can look up a certain city. I looked up Santa Barbara, and it said just where we needed to go. It is not nearly an exhaustive list of things to do in Santa Barbara, but, given this book is about road trips in particular, it only covers highlights. We took the train and got off on the street that led to the pier where we went to dinner. It was nice knowing where I was. Usually my husband only does.
The table of contents is divided up into 3 different color codes for Northern, Central, and Southern California. Then it lists them in succession of the three regions. Very handy.
I know about Southern California's "Palms to Pines", because I once lived near Palm Springs, and we just did the aerial tramway to Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains. I've spent the majority of my traveling days trecking the desert and mountains around there, from Orange County to Mexico. I was checking the book for accuracy, and it appears as though I've spotted a drive my father took our family on one of the drives where I saw both - Indian corn grinding stones and other Indian artifacts - and a nice view from a telescope of the Salton sea in all it's glory. I could never figure that out until now. But there is more: Telephone numbers of significant sites, prices of admission, and a little history of Indians and 60's Hippies.Read more ›
The book is laid out with 35 road trips that are popular in California, but you can look up a certain city. I looked up Santa Barbara, and it said just where we needed to go. It is not nearly an exhaustive list of things to do in Santa Barbara, but, given this book is about road trips in particular, it only covers highlights. We took the train and got off on the street that led to the pier where we went to dinner. It was nice knowing where I was. Usually my husband only does.
The table of contents is divided up into 3 different color codes for Northern, Central, and Southern California. Then it lists them in succession of the three regions. Very handy.
I know about Southern California's "Palms to Pines", because I once lived near Palm Springs, and we just did the aerial tramway to Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains. I've spent the majority of my traveling days trecking the desert and mountains around there, from Orange County to Mexico. I was checking the book for accuracy, and it appears as though I've spotted a drive my father took our family on one of the drives where I saw both - Indian corn grinding stones and other Indian artifacts - and a nice view from a telescope of the Salton sea in all it's glory. I could never figure that out until now. But there is more: Telephone numbers of significant sites, prices of admission, and a little history of Indians and 60's Hippies.Read more ›
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Jeanne Tassotto
VINE VOICE on February 28, 2013
Format: Paperback
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I opened this book intending to just thumb through but soon found myself reading every single word and dreaming of cruising through the Golden State. California, particularly northern California is a long time favorite vacation destination for me so I thought I knew most of the tourist attractions but after reading this volume I added many more spots to my bucket list. The focus in this book is not the usual spots (although many of the obvious are included) but the off the beaten path places that probably aren't covered in other travel guides. The trips range from two to ten days with most in the long weekend range (2 to 4 days) although suggestions are included for hooking together trips for extended itineraries.
In addition to describing routes and attractions the guide also includes suggestions for unusual dining and lodging. No mass market chains are included, instead local restaurants and delis are featured as well as boutique hotels and B & B's. In addition campgrounds are also included in the more remote areas. The descriptions are all of necessity brief but with access to the internet it would not be difficult for a reader to locate addition information about specific places. In fact perhaps the best way to use this volume is as the basis for planning a trip, a way to narrow the focus to make organizing a vacation easier.
The biggest drawback that I can see to this guide is that it seems to be skewed to a higher budget than many travelers, particularly those with families have. Most of the eating and lodging selections are in the $10 and up category for meal and $100 and up (often way up) for lodging.Read more ›
In addition to describing routes and attractions the guide also includes suggestions for unusual dining and lodging. No mass market chains are included, instead local restaurants and delis are featured as well as boutique hotels and B & B's. In addition campgrounds are also included in the more remote areas. The descriptions are all of necessity brief but with access to the internet it would not be difficult for a reader to locate addition information about specific places. In fact perhaps the best way to use this volume is as the basis for planning a trip, a way to narrow the focus to make organizing a vacation easier.
The biggest drawback that I can see to this guide is that it seems to be skewed to a higher budget than many travelers, particularly those with families have. Most of the eating and lodging selections are in the $10 and up category for meal and $100 and up (often way up) for lodging.Read more ›
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