Amazon.com Review
Per Frommer's usual convenient design, the inside flap of the front cover displays a color map of New England--so you can see the whole region at a glance--and the rest of the guidebook continues the pattern of thoughtful, practical, helpful travel information in a portable, accessible format. Chapter 1 summarizes the best of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine: the best small towns, best country inns, best restaurants, best shopping, best family destinations, and best places to see the fall foliage. Wayne Curtis then introduces the various regions, their history and geography, literary legacy, and contemporary style. Curtis provides trip-planning details, such as climate information, a calendar of events, how best to get there and get around, and where to check on the Web for New England sites. Then come the comprehensive state sections, each with recommended places to stay and eat, a discussion of outdoor activities, and interesting snippets on the Ben & Jerry story, the history of maple syrup, ferries to Nova Scotia, and the debate over Maine's North Woods. Excellent maps accompany each section, as do lists of useful phone numbers, tourist information offices, and suggestions of what there may be to do at night, resulting in a smartly compiled guidebook with lots of useful information and no excess fluff. --Stephanie Gold