America's Wonderful Little Hotels and Inns: The Middle Atlantic (Three Inn Guidebook Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although this book is now several years old. I bought it used when I got it. I still like reading the reviews. I find them very helpful in deciding where to stay. I especially like that this book covers Little Hotels and Inns - rather than Bed and Breakfasts. If you are looking for places to stay, other than chain hotels, here is the guide for you. It's another way to spend your money in the local economy rather than at a large corporate chain. Sandra's Soule's reviews will give you a history of the inn, a little about the owners, and comments from visitors. The facilities in this guide did NOT PAY to be reviewed or listed so I feel they are more honest. You will find something for every budget and Soule also suggests things to see and do in the area of the lodging. I only wish she would come on with an updated version. Since this version was printed in 1995 you'll need to verify that the Inn is still operating and check hours and prices, but it still a great guide and worth purchasing used as I did.

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Full descriptions of more than 300 unique inns, hotels, and B&Bs in Delaware,Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, andWest Virginia.

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A Place to Stay: 30 Extraordinary Hotels Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is available in Europe now (prior to US release). I read it in Paris and have stayed at most of the hotels mentioned. I always find I am at odds with lists like these, such as Conde Nast's Gold List, etc: there are usually too many third rate hotels that make the cut. Not so here. These are all really great suggestions and the properties themselves are beautifully photographed. This book makes a nice coffee table or a reference.

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Deciding where to stay is one of the most important parts of planning a trip. The beautiful hotels in A Place to Stay will come as a revelation to travelers who are tired of faceless resorts or corporate institutions. Modest or grand, large or small, modernist or traditional, the only thing these hotels have in common is that each is an unforgettable original. These hotels cater to all tastes, in countries around the world-from the Ice Hotel in Arctic Sweden, where everything is carved from ice, including the bed, to the contemporary chic of the Mercer in New York, or the ordered tranquillity of the traditional Tawaraya Inn, Kyoto. Complete with more than two hundred lush color photographs, A Place to Stay will inspire travelers of every stripe.

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Hotel Tiberias: A Tale of Two Grandfathers Review

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(More customer reviews)In Hotel Tiberius Sebastian Hope describes his long and circuitous search for family. The first half of this engaging investigation treats the grandfather he knew: Sir John Winthrop Hackett, a decorated and distinguished general in the British Army, who read Greats at Oxford and, while campaigning in the Middle East, wrote a dissertation on Saladin's campaign against the Principality of Antioch in 1188. At the age of sixteen, Hope discovers that Hackett was his adoptive grandfather. In the second, more painful part of the volume, the author gathers information on his newly-discovered but long-dead real grandfather, Fritz Grossmann. The Palestine of late Ottoman and British rule described in part one is well-known. In part two this familiar Palestine is displaced by the unfamiliar Palestine of German colonization. The German Society of Templers, a pietistic Christian group emerging from German Lutherans, sought to facilitate the Second Coming by living in Christ-like simplicity in Palestine. They established colonies in Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem and elsewhere in Palestine late in the nineteenth century. The industriousness and enterprise of the Germans made their communities models for the later Jewish settlements. The Germans were also among the first to establish European-standard hotels in Palestine. The book's title names one of these, the Hotel Tiberius, established in 1894. The narrative traces the hotel's and its German proprietors' fates through World War I and II--involving internment, exile, expropriation. Hope does not succeed in answering all the questions that he has about his genealogy, but he does manage to find what he missed most in his childhood--the sense of belonging to an extended family. Hope's exposition of the tragedies of his family and of their Palestinian homeland is honest. The German nationalism of most the colonists and the Nazi affiliations of many are acknowledged and examined. The unfair and politically expedient treatment of the colonists by the Israeli government and by some of its academics is also documented. The author's disgust at the recent idiocy of American military intervention in the Middle East is also clear. Perhaps that is why this book is so difficult to find on Amazon.

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Part history, part travel journal, and part autobiography, this is a journey of many layers and resonances, as Sebastian Hope follows the tumultuous story of his family's hotel in Palestine. In 1900, Thomas Cook, who had been running tours of the Holy Land since the 1890s, financed the building of a hotel in Tiberias, the largest town on the Sea of Galilee, which had long been a stopover point for Christian pilgrims. The hotel, built, run, and eventually owned by Richard Grossmann, was situated in the Sanjak of Acre, part of the Ottoman Empire, and after World War I found itself in the British mandated territory of Palestine, prospering under British rule until World War II, after which the hotel was eventually confiscated by the fledgling state of Israel in 1948. With the hotel as the pivotal point in the story, Sebastian Hope researches the story of his grandmother, Margaret Frena and her two husbands, Fritz Grossman (Richard Grossman's son), who shot himself dead in 1938, the year Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland, and John Winthrop Hackett (General Sir John Hackett) who served with the TransJordan Frontier Force. Journeying through Rhineland Germany, Turkey, and the Middle East, his research takes him to some strange places as he weaves a wonderful, strong family story into a rich, sweeping backdrop of both time and place. Just as he unravels the tumultuous history of the area, Hope digs deep into the history and layers of his own family, and discovers how family histories have an archaeology too.

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Hotel Sarajevo Review

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(More customer reviews)Hi, I'm a 15 yr. old young woman, and I'm currently reading this book for the third time. My mother purchased it for me a few years ago, and at first I was just like, "Oh like this will be interesting." I was only into Baby-Sitters' Club and that sort of thing. Then I finally did read it, surprized that I enjoyed it very much, (MUCH more interesting than the Baby-Sitters' Club any day!) At the time I didn't even understand all of it, but I felt Alma's pain and realized what a powerful story she tells. Plus, everytime I read it over, I understand more, and it makes me cry everytime. I also learned more about the hardships of war than I'd known. I can definitely relate with her on many levels throughout the story and one of the most amazing elements I found about this book is that it was written by a man! If you've read it you know what I mean, and if not- go read it today!

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Hotels Like Houses Review

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(More customer reviews)These are predominantly love poems, of one sort or another, some disappointed, some enthusiastic. The overwhelming majority are pulled off with wit and panache, some are perfect anthology pieces which should be around for a good while....The difference lies in the fact that where, for instance, Wendy Cope's humour is underlain with grief, Sophie Hannah's project reveals itself as you go further into the book to be one of all but metaphysical, ethical exploration, and her metronomic heart is that of a scientist, weighing probabilities, possibilities. This book moves from an account of how certain lovers DID behave to how they SHOULD behave, to a questioning and analysis of possibilities of emotion. In this the ruling spirit is one of wit and common sense, and beneath the homey and day-to-day properties of her stage I think she is related to those seventeenth century courtiers whose loves were always transacted in a world of costs, odds, likelihoods. ...There are occasional poems about craft, about the tunneler from prison camp who does not want to give up the tunnel merely because of liberation, and the occasional more opaque and open-ended moral piece like "The Man Who Wouldn't Share His Garden with a Wolf", and if I saw a flaw to point to it would be that Hannah's talent seems at this point to be (as Kafka noted of himself on his death-bed) "still going in two directions at once" - there are the immensely polished and ready to lap up at one reading/hearing tour de forces and then there are quieter, less certain, more exploratory and, perhaps, more thoughtful pieces - but the steady canter of the polished pieces makes one's ear less inclined to stop and re-adjust to the stranger music - it is as if John Lennon suddenly went from "She Loves You" to "Imagine" in one breath (and I don't know that Hannah is that good, I'm just drawing an analogy). I don't believe she'll have to choose between the two manners but, for me at least, the collection could have been arranged to better highlight the odder pieces, which are probably her future avenue of growth, the escape route should delivering what's expected of her become oppressive.
The other criticism is that her language, while finely hewn, is transparent - I'm not sure if I'll recall a phrase that I could use to define some of my own emotions when next I am in one of the situations she describes. (Exception: "when his back turned in the bed makes one bed feel like two" stuck in my mind.) So her metaphors are apt and incisive, her patter funny, her intelligence unceasing and her experiments thoughtful - there's no knowing where she might go from here.

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This collection provides a range of romantic ironies. Sophie Hannah's poems move beyond satire to the heart of modern matter: loves, lusts, losses, and the foibles of contemporary life.

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The Millennium Hotel: The Rider Quintet, vol. 2 (Wesleyan Poetry Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Again, a must; Mark Rudman continues to write some of the most daring poems today. The juxtaposition of prose with verse forces the reader to ask how poetry should be read--what constitutes a line of poetry? The lyrical beauty inherent in the poems included in the second installment of Rudman's anthology defies any simple answer, and makes for a compelling read.

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The Bluffs, Bay Head, New Jersey - The Story of a Hotel at the Jersey Shore Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a beautiful book. As a member of a family that summered at Bay Head in the late '50's and early 60's, it brought back a host of memories. The summer culture at "the shore" was truly represented.
I enjoyed all the small copies of the Bluffs Hotel trivia. It was fun to read. I only wish I had been older when we summered there, so I could have seen the Bluffs in it's hayday.

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Standing on a high dune overlooking the sandy beach and Atlantic Ocean, The Bluffs of Bay Head, New Jersey was one of the last great, old Jersey Shore resort hotels. For more than a century, this Victorian landmark was the summer destination for the affluent from Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey as well as the year-round meeting place for the "locals." Francine LaVance Robertshaw began summering in Bay Head as a child in the mid-1950s, eventually moving there in 1967. She worked at The Bluffs from 1979 through 1986, first as a desk clerk and then as assistant to Kathleen Johnson Spies, manager and daughter of owners Alfred E. (Sonny) and Martha Johnson. This is Francine Robertshaw's inside story of The Bluffs. Through her research, interviews, experiences, photographs, and documents, you will meet the owners as well as many of the employees, hotel guests, and bar patrons who made The Bluffs unique and charming over the decades. You'll meet the "regulars" and the "eccentrics" and be taken inside The Bluff's social scene as well as behind the scenes of the hotel and bar, including details of how it functioned as a business. Rarely has there been a book that has documented in such detail the story of a hotel. This beautifully-crafted volume contains more than three hundred historic photographs, documents, and facsimile reproductions as well as more than a dozen paintings by artists Dick LaBonte, Ludlow Thorston, Robert Loder Jr., Al Barker, M. E. Whitehill, Rodell C. Johnson, Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh, and E. J. Meeker. The book is divided into three chapters: The Hotel, The Bar, and The Memories (written by dozens of Bluffshotel guests, bar patrons, and employees), plus an Appendix of documents that includes twenty pull-out facsimile reproductions featuring a 1936 map of the area, a circa 1910 Bluffs booklet brochure, historic restaurant and bar menus, hotel rate schedules, vintage postcards, and more. The Bluffs is gone forever but held in the hearts of many who had the privilege to cross its threshold. This unique book will transport the reader back into its world, preserving The Bluff--and a now lost way of life at the Jersey Shore--in memory and for generations to come. Our heirloom editions are beautifully printed and bound, with many features not found in most books... Oversized (9 1/4" x 12 1/4") to enhance the reading and viewing experience. Features 20 pull-out facsimile reproductions of historic documents. Luxurious embossed kidskin Kivar 7 case. Precious gold type and accents are stamped on the cover and spine, adding distinctive, classic beauty. Superbly printed on archival quality, acid-neutral paper that will not yellow with time. Sturdy hand-sewn binding (Smyth-sewn), inspected at every stage, ensuring strength and durability throughout the years. Bound in satin ribbon bookmark

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A Chicago Tradition: Hotels And Hospitality Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this book on a resent trip to Chicago. It has wonderful pictures and the history of four of Chicago's great hotels -- The Palmer House, The Drake, The Chicago Hilton, and the Peninsula Hotel. I have always enjoyed my stays at the Palmer House and loved that there was a beautiful book of the history and human interest stories. We tried the Palmer House brownie recipe over Thanksgiving and all agree that it is the fudge of brownies. According to Miss Greene's book, the brownie was invented by Mrs. Palmer, the original owner of the Palmer House.
The book is beautiful and would be a great gift for anyone who travels to Chicago or lives in the city. There are several recipes in the book including the delicious Bookbinder's Soup from The Drake Hotel.
Miss Greene is an excellent storyteller. I will be watching for more books in this series, and am giving several as Christmas gifts.


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Ever since Chicago's 1873 World's Columbian Exposition, the city has been welcoming visitors with unparalleled gusto. Chicago offers delicious cuisine, great sports teams, inviting museums, elegant shopping, diverse neighborhoods--and some of the most opulent hotels in the country. A Chicago Tradition: Hotels and Hospitality is a tour of The Palmer House, The Drake, The Stevens, and one of the town's newest hotels, The Peninsula, and its restaurants.The Palmer House was built in 1871, only to burn down thirteen days later in the Great Fire. Two years later it was rebuilt as America's first fully fireproofed hotel, and the first hotel in Chicago to have electric lights. Every room had a phone, and elevators were considered a "perpendicular railroad." The Palmer House makes one of the best chocolate fudge brownies going. The Drake burst on the scene on December 31, 1920, as a magnificent resort hotel, right on Lake Michigan, and for years attracted top celebrities to its Gold Coast Room. The famous Cape Cod restaurant is known for its Bookbinder Soup. The Stevens, now the Hilton Chicago, opened in May 1927, with 3,000 rooms with baths, an in-house hospital, a five-lane bowling alley, a private library, and a host of other amenities unusual for the time. Renovated in 1984, it is a delightful fusion of historic luxury and contemporary amenities, including its Baked Alaska. The Peninsula opened in 2001 and is already rated the number one hotel in America by Zagat's. This glamorous, lavish sanctuary offers a $485,000 weekend for couples, along with delicious tomato soup.Joan Greene presents many more historical details and asides, providing a wonderful accompaniment to the images-and recipes-of four gracious, inviting, and grand hotels in America's heartland.

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Fodor's upCLOSE London, 2nd Edition: The Buzz on Shopping, Restaurants and Royals, Doing the Town, What's Worth It, W hat's Not, Top Hotels Review

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(More customer reviews)The Upclose travel guides are my favorites, but their maps really leave something to be desired. If you want to explore a city without spending a fortune, these guides are for you.

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Fodor's upCLOSE London"Good writing and a sassy attitude." -- Chicago Sun-Times"Takes you places locals love and tourists don't know about." -- American Way magazine"Perfect for finding bargains." -- Shape magazineDesigned for people who want to travel well and spend less: With candid reviews and a fresh outlook, Fodor's upCLOSE points the way to authentic experiences that will take you away from the crowds and close to the culture -- without having to spend a fortune.Great places to stay that don't cost a fortune -- From Georgian-terrace row houses to the coolest hostel in town.The best places to eat, drink, and play with the locals -- From Shakespeare and experimental theater to perfect pub-grub.On-the-money insights into local culture, history, and sights.Great side trips and adventures beyond the obvious.Packed with savvy tips and practical information -- From airfare deals to tips on losing the crowds.Clear, readable maps

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Hotel Paradiso Review

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(More customer reviews)"Hotel Paradiso" caught my eye a while back, and I must confess that it had the misfortune of being buried in my "to-be-read" pile for quite a while. I wish I'd gone to it earlier than now.
Despite a somewhat slow start (the only real negative thing I can say about the book), "Hotel Paradiso" is a rather unique reading experience. David, our main narrative voice, has come to Pigeon Cay to get away from the rotten relationship and rat race that Montreal represents. In Pigeon Cay, he is running the only bank on the island in a world where drug running, back-room dealings, and white-collar crime walk hand in hand with racism, beatings, murders and voodoo.
The book, however, reads nearly lyrically. The passages where David describes the slow pace of the world around him are nearly meditative, and when the action begins, it garners your attention all the more for the sharp change of pacing. The myriad plots and deals and secrets of Pigeon Cay are a marvel to unravel, and definately a worthwhile reading endeavour.
Despite the slow beginning, I'd definately reccommend this one. And, as always, it's a pleasure to read strong writing from a Canadian author.
'Nathan

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Gregor Robinson's debut novel charts a season in the life of 30-something David Rennison, a disillusioned banker fleeing a failed relationship and the rat race of Montreal for the warmer climes of the Bahamian port of Pigeon Cay. A fair-weather expatriate, he has come to the subtropics in search of exotic escape, but stumbles upon genteel corruption, white-collar crime, racism, and murder. Amid the turmoil of illegal Haitian refugees, voodoo rituals, and the powdery trail of drug smugglers, Rennison peers into the lives of those that both create and inherit his purgatory. His botanist handbook gradually assumes the voice of a confessional diary, betraying details of a burgeoning affair capable of remedy or poison.

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Ghost Hotel (Arthur Slade's Canadian Chills) Review

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(More customer reviews)Coteau Books' motto is Amazing stories, Amazing kids. This series by Arthur Slade lives up to that motto. I have now read two of the three and they are great stories. Walter the 'Wart' Bigger Bronson and Cindy his best friend witness a ghost in their school and they follow it to the historic Bessborough Hotel. While there, they are transported back in time to 1936. Walter and Cindy are twelve year old detectives and they investigate the paranormal.
This book is a ghost story that is both intense and humorous. Walter states early in the book: "The main reason this time travel and ghostly otherworldly stuff happens is because I live in Saskatoon. The problem with Saskatoon is that no one believes it exists. Oh sure, the people who live here, Saskatonians (or Saskatoonians or Tooners), they know the place is real, but step outside the city limits and no one believes there is, or ever was, such a place as Saskatoon. ... Saskatoon is the Bermuda Triangle of the prairies. It's the ghost capital of Canada." So after encountering a ghost who led them into the past they must now figure out what is bothering the ghost and how to settle its spirit.
Ghost Hotel and the whole Canadian Chills series studies the world of the mysterious, the unknown and attempts to answer questions. It helps readers explore questions and 'what ifs' that often arise in life. Wart and Cindy have a great friendship and the characters are believable, and as they delve into the mystery they must find inner strength and character in order to get through this mystery together. It is a great story in a great series.


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Arthur Slade's newest title combines his comic genius and his ability to make your heart freeze with terror. Walter Biggar Bronson (a.k.a. Wart), and his friend Cindy meet a ghost one night after school. The small, mournful boy leads them across the Broadway Bridge to the gracious Bessborough Hotel. After a strange incident in the elevator, they find themselves still in the hotel - but back in 1936.
Some spooky things are going on. The room numbers are all mixed up. The library on the mezzanine is filled with hundreds of copies of the same book. And out on the street, the cars are all the same - vintage Studebakers.
Back in the present, Wart and Cindy follow their motto - "Gather, Identify, Solve" - until they crack the case, with help from Wart's distinctively odd parents, and the loan of his mother's time-travel-proof cellphone.
For all the humour in Slade's gentle spoof of the detective genre ("A good detictive always knows what time it is"), there is a serious ghost story here. Young Archie Tortle, drowned along with his parents in 1936, has not been able to accept his death. He has created his own world in the hotel, where everything serves his needs. Only Wart and Cindy can help him come to terms with his loss and stop him haunting the hotel.

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A Collection of Plays by Mark Frank: Bend, Hotel 5, I, Figaro A Purrfect Life , He's Harry, But Aren't We All, Torn Review

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(More customer reviews)I specifically enjoyed the play "Bend" because it had a "Sixth Sense " type of feel to it. The characters were original, (although some of their barriers of sexual abuse and alcholism were described in a stereotypical and predictable way.) This is a great play for anyone who is dealing with a limited budget, there is really no need for elaborate scenery or costumes. I found the character of the rodeo clown particularly interesting and loved how all of the characters slowly melted into different aspects of the main character and her barriers in life.
I also enjoyed "Purrrfect"... a very fun use of illiteration with creative insights into the feline world.
The other plays I found to be "strange" for "strange sake" and relied on shock value to carry the story with no real point or direction. None of the outlandish behavior (or language) made the plot travel. It reminded me of drunken conversations you have at happy hour that seem witty at the time but sound stupid when we joke about them the next day at work.
Overall, some new and original monologue opportunities for auditions in "Bend" and some fun reading and acting challanges in "Purrrfect". The other plays you can skip over... and pick up some "real" Absurdist Theatre by Pirendello. If you want repetition ("Figaro", "Harry") review a copy of "Who's on First?"... Mr. Frank, have you ever seen listened to "The Barber of Seville" or "The Marriage of Figaro"? Or are you drawing your research out of the Bugs Bunny version?

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THIS COLLECTION OF ABSURD PLAYS BY MARK FRANK ENTER THE WORLD OF THE BIZARRE AND TEETER ON THE VERGE OF THE ILLOGICAL. A MIND BLOWING GOOD TIME!

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Secret at the Breakers Hotel: A Palm Beach Mystery Review

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THE SECRET AT THE BREAKERS HOTEL
Wally Tupper isn't exactly a bona fide detective. She'll tell you that herself. But hey, she's got one criminal justice course under her belt, time on her hands, and one of the richest pieces of real estate in the land on which to nose around when her friends need help with more than the latest social event.
We're talking murder and mayhem in the glittering town of Palm Beach, of course, all of it cleverly stitched together in Cain's debut mystery novel. The story itself pivots around a wonderfully crafted plotline: Self-serving (and deserving) rich guy winds up dead in a swimming pool. No one weeps, but plenty of people care. After all, there's a gala ball coming up soon, and no one wants a dead guy stealing the show when the spotlight should be on Versace gowns and Tiffany pearls. That's just the beginning, though, and Wally has to tread carefully. It's one thing to violate protocol in a place like Palm Beach; it's another thing altogether to put your own life in jeopardy and Wally finds herself doing just that.
But enough of the story. From my perspective, the heart of the book is its humor. You can count on a smile with every page. You'd best prepare yourself for belly laughs on about every third or fourth page. See, Carolyn Cain doesn't just know Palm Beach -- and make no mistake, this author's got a lock on what makes that island town tick -- she's got a grip on wit that's as engaging as her characters.
My bottom line? Author Carolyn Cain ought to be locked up until her next book is done and on bookstore shelves.

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Money can buy anything--except an invitation into Palm Beach high society. But belonging to the "in crowd" isn't enough for heiress Wally Tupper. She is bored to tears with parties, gossip, and the dull life of Florida's filthy rich. When LaLa Ewen asks Wally to spy on Booth, LaLa's wayward husband, Wally reluctantly agrees. She doesn't count on finding her pal's hubby floating dead in a swimming pool during a social gala. Is it an accident? Or murder? The situation is complicated with the appearance of several suspicious eccentrics. They include two ladies contending for the "title" of Palm Beach Society Queen, a wife sent to a home for wealthy women unable to handle reality, a florist with a blackmailed lover, and a newcomer who seems to know too much. Just when Wally thinks she is about to discover the identity of the killer, poor LaLa is arrested for Booth's murder. Now she'll miss the Breakers Hotel Centennial Ball for sure! At least Wally isn't bored anymore. But can she unmask the real murderer before all her privileged friends attend a party to die for? Literally? Find out in this witty, engaging, whodunnit.

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The Man Who Robbed The Pierre: The Story of Bobby Comfort and the Biggest Hotel Robbery Ever Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this a most enjoyable book to read. Having grown up in Rochester, NY and having had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bobby Comfort it was a pleasure to read about his earlier days. I was only in my twenties when I met him, but, had heard the rumors about his earlier days. I can tell you that the book portrays an easy going man who seemed more of a family man than a masterful robber. He was the typical neighbor every one waves to when you go out to get the morning paper. Little did anyone know of his expertise. His book is both true to life and easy reading - making it a joy to read. The flow of the novel is consistent. I found it hard to put down. I would recommend this book highly.

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Duets 2-In-1 (68) (Naughty Or Nerdy?/The Husband Hotel) (Duets, 68) Review

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(More customer reviews)I loved the first story, _Naughty or Nerdy?_. Judd Turner lived his college years looking nothing like a hunk. Unfortunately for him, he was in love with Lucy Walker, who happened to be dating a hunk. After college, Judd became a P.I. and revised his image. He's looking forward to going to his 10-year reunion and showing off his new sexy self to Lucy, who he still thinks about. It's too bad he's got to lose the sexy look in order to bust Lucy's fiancee for embezzlement... One of the things I really liked about this book was that Lucy was attracted to Judd even when he looked overweight and nerdy. There were a few scenes that were really hilarious. This is one of the best stories I've ever read in a Harelquin Duets book, and I recommend reading it.
The second story, _The Husband Hotel_, is not nearly as good. Jay Overman, the inventor of the Impeccabra (a really good bra), has been given the job of keeping likely suitors away from Tara Patterson by her father. Her father believes she's the manager of the hotel in order to find herself a husband, and he doesn't want her to get married until she's 30. I couldn't like Jay, because, out of embarassment at being known as the Bra Prince, he tended to overcompensate with "manliness". I wouldn't have been surprised if, at some point in the book, he started grunted, bared his teeth at any males present, and dragged Tara off by her hair.

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The Rough Guide to French Hotels & Restaraunts 2003 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)Do you dream of renting a car and roaming France wherever a tree-lined road takes you? Of being able to be captivated by the flowers and stones of a quiet town and wish you could stay one night? This book is the English translation of the Guide Routard, relied upon by the French for their vacations with dead-on descriptions of hotels and restaurants most of us can afford. With this book you can confidently soujourn so far off the beaten path that you may well be the only American that hotel will see this year -- or at least maybe this week.
The hotels listed are the best of the two stars, meaning that you'll find character if not always the firmest of mattresses. The restaurants are truly the best that France has to offer for the local night out and the family Sunday lunch. I wouldn't hesitate to stop at any of their suggestions and I know I won't break the vacation budget.

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INTRODUCTIONThis is the sixth edition of the Rough Guide to French Hotels & Restaurants, a translation of the Routard guide, the best-selling French guide to good-value restaurants and accommodation in France. Revised every year, French Hotels & Restaurants is up-to-date, comprehensive and opens up the country in a way that no other guide does. Its listings include everything from simple hostels and family-run bistros to high-comfort rural retreats and city-centre three-stars. All selected are reviewed by Routard's team of locally based writers, who re-assess the entries for each edition.The hotels and restaurants selected tend to be small, independent establishments – look out for the Routard stickers on their front doors. There may also be a Logis de France sticker, too – a fireplace symbol with one, two or three fires to indicate the level of facilities provided. This denotes membership of a scheme that promotes family-run hotels, often in rural locations well away from major towns.THE GUIDE'S LAYOUTThe Routard/Rough Guide is divided into twenty-two chapter regions, each with a regional map. The regions are listed alphabetically and within each chapter the main towns (marked by black circles on the maps) are listed in alphabetical order, their names appearing in a dark heading that also shows the postcode:QUIBERON57170Small towns and villages within a radius of 30km of a larger town are included after the entries for that town (and marked by white circles on regional maps); these places are listed in the order of their distance from the main town, and their names are displayed in a light heading:NEARBY LEVERNOIS 21200 (4km SE)Within each town hotels are listed first, followed by restaurants, and both are listed in ascending order of price. Note that stars indicated are the official ratings of the French hotel industry and not of this guide. After the address of the establishments, tips on how to get there are given wherever possible, plus phone number, fax number, email address, closing times and a summary of facilities where relevant.In addition to regional maps, certain key cities are covered by detailed city maps. Hotels and restaurants in these places are given a two-part map code (eg MAP B2-13) comprised of a grid reference and the establishment's number in the map key. Sometimes city establishments are located outside the area covered by the map; these are marked Off map and correspond to an arrow pointing in the direction you'll need to travel in order to get there.SYMBOLSThe following symbols have been used: Hhotelkrestaurant%discountThe discount symbol indicates that an establishment offers some sort of benefit to readers of this guide. In the case of hotels, it's usually a discount (generally 10%) on the price of the room. You are usually obliged to stay for a minimum of two nights to qualify but sometimes the period or the amount of the discount can be different. The benefit can also be limited to certain periods of the year. Where possible these conditions have been indicated in the text. In some instances, the concession consists of a free breakfast or free garage space; many restaurants in this guide offer a free coffee, house apéritif or house digestif, but you qualify only when you order a complete meal and, more often than not, the choice of drink will not be up to you.All establishments will insist that you are entitled to the benefit only if you are carrying the current year's edition of this guidebook. In all cases, show your copy when you check in at the hotel or before you order your meal in a restaurant. Hotels and restaurants are familiar with the French Routard guide, and should you have any difficulties claiming the benefits with this translation, point to the front cover where the Routard logo is clearly displayed.

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Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I fell in love with Oddhopper Opera and bought it before my son was even conceived. I recently discovered Hotel Deep and ordered it sight-unseen. It is yet further proof that Kurt Cyrus is a fabulous artist and a brilliant poet. This is now my 2.5-yr-old's favorite book. He asks for it by name ("Read Toe Deep?"), and goes around quoting it. His favorite page is where the lone sardine finally reunites with his school ("Sardines! Sardinessardinessardinessardines...!") But his favorite poem is the one about the stonefish. Apparently he is able to pick up on the idea of the fish pretending to be what it isn't, and he walks around saying, "Not a stonefish, no indeed!"
A young child needs to have his hand held and be shown how to appreciate these Kurt Cyrus books, but there is so much there for both him and us to enjoy. My husband and I don't get tired of reading this one!
Okay, I have to amend this review to say that my son (still 2.5) knows the ENTIRE book by heart. He can recite the whole thing one line ahead of us. He loves to point to the sardine on every page (except the deep-sea page, where he says, "Don't see sardine!" every time), and he can find and identify each of the 28 fish named and pictured on the back page of the book. Parental bragging aside, I consider this a tribute to the book's brilliance. A 2-yr-old can enter into it wholeheartedly, but as an adult I can tell you that there are fresh details that emerge every time through. My children won't outgrow this one.
Oddhopper Opera is a fun romp, but Hotel Deep is just pure art.

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