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Frommer's Portable London 2007 (Frommer's Portable) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince
Publisher: Frommer's
Category: Book
List Price: $11.99
Buy New: $0.55
You Save: $11.44 (95%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1640102
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 203
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0470037407
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.2104859
EAN: 9780470037409
ASIN: 0470037407
Publication Date: November 20, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Frommer's Portable Guides offer all the detailed information and insider advice of a Frommer's Complete Guide but in a concise, pocket-sized format. Perfect for the short-term traveler who insists on value and doesn't want to wade through or carry a full-size guidebook, this series selects the very best choices in all price categories and takes you straight to the top sights. Get the latest on hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, sports, shopping, and nightlife in a nutshell in these lightweight, inexpensive guides. Frommer's Portable London 2007 gives you all the most important information and reviews from Frommer's London 2007. We'll show you the city's best, including the world-class theaters and pub scene. You'll get insider tips on shopping on Oxford Street, enjoying an afternoon tea at the Ritz, rowing on the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, and dining on pheasant at Rules, possibly the city's oldest restaurant. You'll find candid reviews of a huge selection of accommodations in all price ranges, from chic boutique hotels to homey B&Bs. It's all accompanied by detailed maps, the latest trip-planning advice on everything from bargain airfares to rail passes, money-saving tips, and a complete shopper's guide.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great Compact Guide September 24, 2007
If you're looking for a compact general guide to London this is a good bet. While it's not pocket sized it can easily fit in a purse or jacket pocket. The book gives a good guide to the neighborhoods and I felt oriented after reading it. The "Where to Stay" and "Where to Dine" sections are quite abbreviated, so you might want to buy an additional guide just on Accommodations or Food (I recommend "Cheap Eats"). The "Exploring London" section easily gives enough information for a couple week trip, detailed but concise. It also gives "insider tips" on many of the most popular sites. There are also sections on Nightlife (including Theater) and Shopping (especially helpful).
Overall, highly recommended!
 COULD IT BE... THE WORST GUIDE BOOK EVER? December 16, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Actually, that distinction would probably go to a guide book I read as a teen that stated that Windsor Castle was in walking distance from Buckingham Palace (heads up: it's NOT!). Still, this volume, with its clunky editing, moribund writing style, and questionable recommendations should easily win Worst of Show for 2007.
What in the world has happened to Frommer's, the usually reliable arbiter of travel, which in past years has written series after series of well-researced guides on which travelers routinely depended? The recently released 2007 Portable Guide series is truly awful in virtually every area that matters in a guide book- style, information, and reliability of recommendations.
The London volume, however, may be the worst of the lot. One wonders how the hotels and restaurants were selected for inclusion. Missing are hotels of renown, hotels of character, hotels of historical significance, hotels of charm, and hotels of interest. Those chosen for mention are a hodge podge which truly redefine "electic". When luck guides the author to a hotel which might kindle a spark of genuine interest, the slice 'em, dice 'em prose which summarizes the property gives the reader little on which to base an informed decision.
If the hotel recommendations are eccentric, the restaurant recommendations are maddening. This volume will have the traveler walk past two restaurants of genuine acclaim or just great food to reach the one eatery included, which has neither. Odd to baffling!
This guide also has a great many facts that will fascinate travelers to London. For instance, were you aware that the currency in London is the Pound Sterling? Yes, it's true. And how about that the major airports are Heathrow and Gatwick? Yes, indeedy! Here's one that will stop the presses: The Queen frequently resides in Buckingham Palace. Why, that's almost as good as having Her Majesty's private mobile number, isn't it?
This writer apologizes for the condescending tone of this review, but after trying so hard to find a way to tell Frommer that its baby isn't ugly, and finding none, we can only share with the prospective buyer of this volume one final thought: Whether in Dollars or Pounds Sterling, purchasing this tiny volume will be as egregious a waste of money as is possible on Amazon.com.
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