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The Rough Guide to Cuba (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
 
 

The Rough Guide to Cuba (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

by Fiona McAuslan (Author), Matthew Norman (Author) "Although Cuba is becoming more firmly established on the Caribbean tourist circuit, there are still not as many direct flights as one might expect ..." (more)
3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 592 pages
  • Publisher: Rough Guides Ltd; 2nd Revised edition edition (27 Feb 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1858289033
  • ISBN-13: 978-1858289038
  • Product Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 258,193 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #29 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Caribbean > Cuba
    #47 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > Central America & Caribbean > Caribbean Islands > Cuba
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk
The popular image of Cuba as a tourist destination has fluctuated wildly over the years, and there is no question that this fascinating corner of the globe has enjoyed visitors of wildly disparate expectations -- from the hedonistic revellers of pre-Revolutionary Cuba (when it was essentially America's playground) to the many travellers who have visited for ideological reasons, seeing Fidel Castro (however controversial a figure) as a symbol of opposition to American global hegemony. As this guide demonstrates, a more balanced view of this remarkable country may be achieved. And of the many tourist guides to Cuba over the years, travellers who know their stuff will realise that the Rough Guide to Cuba is most likely to give a clear, authoritative and enthusiastic vision, recording all of Cuba's glories without drawing a veil over its less savoury aspects. Despite the country’s isolation from the West in general and its hostile relation to the US, Cuba has undoubtedly emerged (in the last 50 years or so) as one of the principal tourist destinations in the Caribbean. And Cuba has never lost its image as the home of sun, salsa and rum, along with an engagingly laid-back attitude that quickly communicates itself to visitors.

This is one of the more ambitious guides (as befits the subject), coming in at over 600 pages, and the range of information here is truly impressive. And what a range of fascinating destinations Cuba offers, from its sultry beaches to its lively, noisy entertainment venues. If you’ve long nourished a taste for all things Latin, it's probably time to pick up this guide and head for Cuba. And whatever your attitude to Fidel Castro -- pro or con -- it hardly matters; you're hardly likely to run into him on the sun-baked streets. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review
ROUGH GUIDES HAVE AN ESTABLISHED REPUTATION AS OFF-BEAT TRAVEL BOOKS

The Observer, London

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First Sentence
Although Cuba is becoming more firmly established on the Caribbean tourist circuit, there are still not as many direct flights as one might expect. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Rough Guide to Cuba (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
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The Rough Guide to Cuba (Rough Guide Travel Guides) 3.1 out of 5 stars (9)
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect - but as good as you're likely to get, 10 Feb 2004
By A Customer
I've just used this book to help me in my travels round Cuba and while it's not perfect, it was invaluable. The potted histories and local insights are all as well written as you would expect from the Rough Guides.

The book's usefulness is, admittedly, limited by the rapidly changing nature of much of Cuba. Paladars (the privately run restaurants) open and close all the time, musicians spring up here and there and then vanish again apparently without warning. And such seems to be the way of things in Cuba at the moment - all part of the charm. You just have to go with the flow and sometimes you strike gold, other times you find that the gold has moved on.

This guide contains accurate maps (better than many tourist maps available in Cuba - one good reason to buy it) and fair assessments of the more stable attractions such as museums, hotels etc, and that's about as good as you can hope for in a rapidly changing country.

To my knowledge the Rough Guide is currently a more recent edition than offered by its main competitors which in my opinion is a big selling point, given the changing nature of Cuba. If you're going, I recommend it. Don't rely solely on local maps and guidebooks which aren't plentiful and also tend to be slanted to emphasise what the Cubans think we tourists want to see and what they want to show off.

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A Rough Guide not quite up to usual standard, 3 Sep 2003
By Mr. Timothy Woffenden (Sevenoaks, Kent) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This guide book is not as reliable as others in this normally excellent series. It tends to over-rate some of the sights - such as the comically old-fashioned Camilo-Che room in the Museum of the Revolution, and the restaurant recommendations are often wayward. The text often contradicts itself, and among the unmissable recommendations at the beginning of the book there are sights which are hardly remarkable.
This being said it is the most thorough guide book for Cuba, and is awash with listings.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as other Rough Guides, 20 April 2008
By Jonathan (Chester, UK) - See all my reviews
We used this guide to travel around Cuba independently for two weeks. It's not as good as other Rough Guides we've used in the past (Kenya, Egypt).

While it isn't particularly bad, there are a few issues:

The maps of Havana are worse and smaller than in the previous (2005) edition of the guide, and there's no map of the area between Centro Habana and Vedado - you have to flick between two maps and there are no street names on the overlapping area. We ended up carrying the DK Eyewitness travel guide for Cuba just to have a half-decent map.

The writer(s) seemed to get bored of Cuba and there's a thread of cynicism and sarcasm that, while generating a smile at first, does become very tedious as it threads throughout the whole book.

Also, there are no bus timetables included.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars It would be hard to write a perfect guide to Cuba but this does a very good job.
Having read the other (very mixed) views on here I have to say I found the Rough Guide to Cuba one of the best country guides I've used. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Frost

2.0 out of 5 stars Not great
I have just used this guide on my recent 18 day visit to Cuba. I chose this as it was more recent than the Lonely Planet. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Herbie

2.0 out of 5 stars Not one for backpackers
Despite being the most recent edition (August 2007) the book remains seriously out of date. A good example is a train in Trinidad that hasn`t been working for four years being... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ms. T. E. Keeley

2.0 out of 5 stars A travel guide missing the point of travelling
In short, the rough guide to Cuba was a sincere disappointment to me.
Of course it was not all bad, the almost 700 pages certainly contain loads of background information... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jon

5.0 out of 5 stars Really, Really Useful and Up-to-Date

We have just returned from a 2-week holiday in Cuba - including Havana, Santiago,Trindad, Camaguey and Guardalavaca. Read more
Published 20 months ago by K. Smith

3.0 out of 5 stars Important errandum
I have yet to test this book in Cuba, although thus far it seems to be as thorough as any other rough guide I have used. Read more
Published 22 months ago by elcrypto

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