The New Key to Costa Rica, 18th edition by Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher, published by Ulysses Press, Berkeley, California, October, 2006
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Our 500-page book shows you how to: Find hotels in all price ranges, from cheap-but-nice to luxurious. Find language schools, internships, homestays, and volunteer opportunities. Learn how to get around on inexpensive local transportation. Find restaurants for every taste and budget. Benefit from Costa Rica's excellent dental and health care system while on vacation. Relax at spas and yoga retreats. In addition, it is the most complete guide there is to community-based ecotourism projects in Costa Rica.
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Reader reviews:
"Absolutely the best of the four (you can guess the other three) books we took, because this focuses on the off-beat and the green. Use it to locate the indepth Costa Rica, the one that gets you away from everyone else and makes you feel happy about it." Dennis Myers, April 2006
"We compared this book to Moon, Fodor's and Frommer's and it was by far the most useful and up-to-date. The New Key steered us away from the touristy places and hotels and toward the tasteful family-run lodgings. it is more in-depth with descriptions than the others and is not just a categorized listing of businesses. We relied on it for major decisions every day..." Byron, August 2005
"This book is amazing! Honestly, this book made my trip more memorable. it has detailed descriptions of every place (big, small popular, hidden, etc). Costa Rica holds a special place in my heart because of this book. I learned about the culture, environment, and people. My travel buddies were a little apprehensive about relying on a book, but soon they were demanding to know what it said! Furthermore, Blake's information about safety is impeccable. Pay attention to her view of a town and the beaches. if she says it has a lot of crime, you can bet it does. if she If she says don't miss this, don't miss it. Her information is always right on. It is incredible. Please do yourself a favor and take this book with you to Costa Rica--your trip will be the BEST because of it. --Robin Welch, August 2005
"Hands down, this is the best travel guide I have ever used! Whether traveling to Europe or South Africa, I have not had the pleasure of using a guidebook that is SO easy to read and follow. Whenever a question pops into my mind...I can easily find an answer in The New Key. It's written in a style that feels more like having a conversation with a travel guide, rather than poring through a research book. So glad I found this one, rather than using the basic "chain books." --Happy traveler from Maine, July 2005
"Before my first trip to the beautiful country of Costa Rica, I bought this book. Little did I know that it would be my "bible" once I moved to Costa Rica. After four years of living here, I still turn to the New Key for ideas on places to stay and places to eat...Of special interest, this book is dedicated to ecotourism. Most other guidebooks will tell of places that are off-the-beaten-track, but The New Key goes even deeper. The authors have spent tireless hours in search of small communities that have decided to protect their forests and rivers and allow visitors to see what a unique place Costa Rica really is. This in turn allows these communities to provide a sustainable form of tourism which has otherwise been lost in several of the top destinations. This book is in depth, up-to-date, and a must-have on any trip to Costa Rica. --Bobby Chappell, July 2005
More reader comments:
"One of the all-time best guidebooks!" --Ron Mader, editor, planeta.com
"Thank you for putting together such a fabulous guide book. My wife and I just returned from our 20th wedding anniversary trip. We relied on the New Key throughout and always felt like we were in great hands. We only visited places you recommended and found them all worth seeing." --Phil Barnett
"Great EcoTourism guide! When my family and I decided to vacation in Costa Rica, I bought several guidebooks. This is, by far, the best of the lot. Prices and descriptions are accurate, and I especially appreciated the e-mail and Web site addresses. This allowed me to finalize prices and make reservations without expensive phone calls. We continued to use the guidebook when we arrived in-country. The descriptions and historical backgrounding were accessible to all of us, and our four teen-aged sons often asked me to read aloud the "New Key"; information about our next destination."
"I have just finished a wonderful visit to Costa Rica with the help of the New Key. I found your recommendations to be right on..." --Clark Tibbetts
"Great family guide. We traveled and volunteered for six weeks with a 12 and 14 year old, and found the book invaluable. Everything was accurate and helped us get around on a limited budget. Bus schedules and directions were great. Since we got back, we have compared it to several other books for places we stayed, no other book compared. It has great reviews of the national parks and the country Map includes the National Parks."