Book Ends Essay, Research Paper
Book endsZagat 2002 Guide to US Hotels, Resorts and Spas£8.99Probably the only hotel guide to have 20,000 reviewers,
Zagat’s guide is based on surveys issued to frequent
travellers. The average respondent stayed at hotels for
more than 30 nights per year, and Zagat funnels their
expertise into a handy guide with plenty of useful
indexes and cross-referencing.The guide is always a good barometer of hotel trends,
and apart from the obvious downward sweep of prices,
some quirky fashions emerge from this year’s survey.The most interesting is that Las Vegas, the heart of
trailer-trash America, is moving upmarket with the
opening of the highly rated Bellagio (described as ‘a
class act for the senses’ by one visitor) and the Four
Seasons, which receives praise for everything from its
‘elevators that smell good’ to the relief it inspires in
people delighted to find a hotel with no casino.The explosion in fine hotel dining is also tipped as a
hot trend. The Bond St Lounge in Miami’s Townhouse
Hotel serves ‘ultra-stylish sushi’, while the star chef
Geoffrey Zakarian attracts crowds of foodies to Town at
New York’s Chambers Hotel.The spa reviews are required reading for the comments
alone; The Greenhouse in Arlington, Texas, is ‘like a
sorority for well-pampered women of a certain age’ in
the words of one cynical visitor.The Rough Guide to Thailand’s Beaches and Islands£8.99As the writers admit in the introduction, ‘despite myriad
cultural attractions, sand and sea are what most
Thailand holidays are about’, so Rough Guide has risen
to the challenge with a book devoted to the country’s
sands and islands.The guide’s strength, particularly in a book aimed at
fast-forwarding straight to the hedonism of beach life, is
its full colour ‘22 things not to miss’ section. Each
‘thing’ has a page reference to help you make the most
of the book. Beautiful pictures tempt you to, among
other things, the Full Moon party at Hat Rin, Ko Pha
Ngan, described as ‘ Apocalypse Now without the war’
and the town of Songkhla, ‘a great all-round base, with
miles of sandy beach, some fine restaurants and
accommodation’.As well as the standard Rough Guide fare, there are
detailed boxes accompanying each area, from
sea-kayaking around Krabi (paddling in lagoons called
‘hongs’, home to flying monkeys) to the importance of
amulets in warding off evil spirits. It’s not all
Rough Guides know their audience well and while
pointing out that Ko Samui is still paradise in many
respects, it describes the development behind the
beaches as speeding along ‘in a messy, haphazard
fashion’ due to the massive influx of visitors to the area.The Best Bed and Breakfast 2002£10.50If the thought of British B&Bs makes you shudder – all
that smelly lard wafting up the stairs in the morning, or
waiting in a cold corridor for the loo – then this is the
guide for you.Inspectors from the Worldwide Bed and Breakfast
Association (which was set up 20 years ago) review a
selection of the best B&Bs in England, Scotland and
Wales. They’ve found more than 600 to choose from.The guide lists the more colourful advantages to each
family home (nearby trout fishing, Cordon Bleu-trained
landladies) and not, like some other guides, just the
number of trouser presses and coat hangers.Prices vary from ?15 to ?85 per person per night,
including a hearty morning feed – across manor
houses, Tudor cottages, sixteenth-century coaching
inns, Georgian town houses and Victorian hotels from
Parsons Green to the Isle of Skye. There is something
for everyone who wants to avoid the impersonality and
cost of hotels.By focusing solely on B&Bs, the WWBBA inspectors
(who will have visited each property anonymously at
least every 18 months) can be less criteria-driven in
their judgment.They are not into ticking boxes for facilities provided,
more into giving a feel for the place.Skiing and Boarding£16.95American skier, snowboarder, author and journalist
Peter Oliver has written this exuberant book about 20
of the world’s finest skiing locations – with the
emphasis on back-country, or off-piste areas. He
provides facts on conditions and guide services,
photographs and colourful pen-pictures of these thrilling
alpine destinations. It is clear that he is a true
enthusiast as well as an accomplished skier.Skiing and Boarding includes popular destinations
such as Aspen, Whistler, Chamonix and Val d’Is?re,
and lesser-known resorts such as La Grave in France,
before moving on to Alaska, Greenland and Antarctica.Oliver also describes the apr?s-ski scene and reveals
the philosophy behind the more radical forms of skiing
and boarding.This book will appeal to the aficionado, the occasional
skier or or any snow virgin who is willing to be sucked
into this thrilling world.