Fodor's Belize 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

 (12 customer reviews)

I have always considered Fodor's travel books to be the best. They covered the highlights of each country in terms of a brief history, what to expect, places to visit, restaurants and where to stay. Their reviews were concise, accurate and covered a range from moderate to expensive. Most refreshing was an absence of the pretentious attitudes that often characterized other guides. (Frommers being the worst offender.)

I've visited Belize before, but since it had been a few years, picked up Fodor's Belize 2007 guide. First thing I noticed is it is now one complete book devoted to the country, where in the past it was grouped under the title of "Central America". In this case, more does not translate into better. Much of this book is irrelevant filler.

Most disappointing however is that the writers seems to have "phoned it in" while lounging by the resort swimming pool. In short, if you love expensive hotels or trendy restaurants, this is the book for you. If...Read more

My husband and I just returned from a 16 day trip, and this book was definitely worth the money!! It is the most up to date Belize guidebook you can buy right now, and almost all of it's information was right on. We also bought the Belize Moon Guidebook, and comparing the two, I would say that Fodors is more upscale. Usually, it's assuming you're going to rent a car and hire guides for your trips (both of which cost $$$), and it does a better job of describing more expensive hotels and restaurants. This is great if you have the money, but we were on a budget, so this info was useless for us. The Moon book did a better job covering places and topics for a budget traveller (like what to do if you get a GI bug--something no one wants, but when it happens, you're glad it's covered in the book!). That said, Fodor's was still really helpful because it's the most up to date, so it's maps, attractions, restaurant, and lodging recommendations could usually be relied on (Kudos for the Fodor's...Read more

Fodor's provides reliable, fairly accurate information on places to visit, eat, and stay in Belize and also nearby Guatemala (Tikal). We traveled throughout Belize, visited Tikal, and dived off of Caye Caulker, using the Fodor's guide extensively. The bits of history, culture and background information added to the experience, and the practical recommendations on food and lodging were spot-on.