Frommer's Nicaragua and El Salvador [Paperback]

I bought this guidebook for a Jan 2012 trip, mainly because it was the newest edition of a Nicaragua guidebook (Nov 2011), so I assumed it would have a lot of up-to-date information. Boy, was I wrong. While I could forgive constant inaccuracies on hours and addresses (let's say these things change, although probably not that quickly), my main problem with this book is an unacceptable lack of detail and inaccurate & severely lacking maps.

Lack of detail: this book has only very brief and general descriptions of only main attractions. This is absolutely NOT a book for a backpacker or traveler who wants more of a trip than just some pretty pictures. How can you learn about your options if a description of a huge volcano with many many hikes is just 1 paragraph? This is how this book is written.

Also close to no information on transportation. Bus stations are not marked on town maps (unforgivable), so the author assumes that readers will take cabs everywhere. Most bus stations in Nicaragua (except Managua) are at a walking distance from town centers / attractions, but you wouldn't know it from this book. Maps have hotels, restaurants, and a few main attractions marked on them, but not one bus station, tourist information, supermarket, or post office. These maps are flat out horrible and far inferior to Lonely Planet, for example.

Regional maps are severely lacking, too. You only get general maps of surroundings of main tourist areas. I ended up transferring chicken buses on the way from San Carlos to Managua (a road less traveled, but still traveled!), and I had no idea where I was on the route, because there is no map of the region in the book!

I will never buy a Frommer's guidebook again. Maybe this is acceptable for someone going on an 100% organized group trip, but if you are in any way an independent traveler, or just like to read more than a paragraph about a major attraction, this book is horribly inadequate.

This guide has some useful information, but is sadly lacking in some main areas. One problem is the handling of maps, which are useless because they cannot be enlarged (the text can be enlarged) enough to be read. One can only travel El Salvador by car or bus, and this guide gives precious little information about the buses, and furthermore does not inform the reader on how to use the bus system. I spent 17 days traveling El Salvador, but found very little help on using that system, which posts no schedules, no routes, etc. Some advice on how to negotiate it would be helpful, especially to those not fluent in Spanish.

One positive area was its suggestions of interesting towns to visit, such as Ataco, Suchitoto, and La Palma. Some information, however was bogus and out of date. I also found that too little attention was paid to adapting the guide to the Kindle. Until it is improved, I would suggest the paper edition or a different guide.

Nicaragua is a new adventure for us, and we weren't sure how to allocate our 10 days there. This guide has helped us determine our itinerary.