About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Frommer's is the largest selling series of guides in the US and 2007 was the 50th anniversary of Frommer's first guidebook. Frommer's London intends to be suitable for cost-conscious travelers at every level.



Pros

• Includes a free foldout street map of central London that can be removed.
• Extra ratings icons, such as 'Most Overrated', are really helpful.
• Good recommendations.

Cons

• Map only covers a very central area so may not cover your hotel area.

• No restaurant websites listed.
• Needs some thorough proof-reading before the next edition.

Description

• Free foldout map is on 'tear-proof' paper so will last for your whole vacation.
• There are helpful maps throughout to illustrate the chapters. The maps are not full-color but they are clear.
• The shopping guide is great as it explains the areas and then gives some recommended shops from A-Z of goods.

Guide Review - Frommer's London - Review

This book would benefit from some vigorous proofreading as there are some silly mistakes which undermine the basically sound information throughout. The mistakes include:

• Heathrow to central London by tube is not £14, it's £3.50-£4
• 999 is the telephone number for the emergency services from all of the UK, not just London (See: Using Telephones in London)
• VAT is 17.5%, not 19.5%!

The accommodation section has some good recommendations and I like the 'Best' ideas: Best Historic Hotel, Best for a Romantic Getaway, Best for Families, etc. There are some good restaurants recommendations with 'Best' ideas too.

The recommendations are grouped by price but do note that Inexpensive does not mean budget. Ratings are given from zero to three stars with some extra helpful icons such as 'Most-Overrated' and 'Special Finds'. It's these points that make the book most useful to the individual. The honest reviews make entertaining reading.

Even though Frommer's London is updated annually, do remember that information can change so phone ahead if you are keen to dine at a particular restaurant.

Most of the hotels have a website listed, but there are no websites listed for the restaurants. This is a shame as most restaurants do have websites these days, especially the top end ones in this book.

It's also a shame costs are kept down by only having a few pages of full-color photos at the start as the book would benefit from more pictures.

Frommer's London is good for your first trip to London and will still be used on further trips as it's easy to use and comprehensive. You'll be planning future trips at home with this enjoyable read. I just hope they employ some fact-checkers for the new edition next year.