Frommer's Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island: With Newfoundland & Labrador

I am planning my first trip to Nova Scotia for October 2002 and have been haunting the book stores in Boston for good guides. Near the end of my book search, I came across the 2002 (4th) edition of the Frommer's guide and it has been a regular companion for me as I plan the details of my trip.Let me make a few things clear here. There are still NO good maps in the book. And there are still NO nice sidebars filled with local tidbits. But then again, this is NOT that type of book. This Frommer's guide is the nitty-gritty, the essence of what you would want to know for each of the major areas in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The guide does a good job of giving you information on at least a few places to stay (if there are any in that area), places to eat, tours, and any major landmarks or places to visit in a number of cities and towns, even the smaller ones. And the price range is mostly geared for low-budget to mid-range values. The book is also a smaller size, allowing you to easily carry it around or stash it when you travel. The format is easy to read, and the layout is clean and uncluttered.I know other reviewers have complained about the guide. To get over these complaints, I suggest augmenting the Frommer's with the official Nova Scotia travel guide (a behemonth, comprehensive thing) that has great photos, maps, and the like; request it for free from the tourism office. (Why would you buy only ONE guidebook for a place you've never been to before?!) There are also some other good guidebooks on the market that will fill in some of the (small) gaps of the Frommer's. And please!--anyone with access to the Internet can easily do web searches for websites that have tons of info on Nova Scotia, including the official Nova Scotia website.Give it a try. At the very least, if you get it and don't like it, you can return it. I look forward to making my trip and then verifying the info I've gotten from the Frommer's guidebook.

The strength of this guide is the reviews of accommadations and restaurants, since they include everything from budget to plush. Unfortunately, the information given isn't always represented on the maps. A few times, towns listed next to attractions don't appear on the map! There is ONE full color map, the rest are pink/red and not very detailed. However, I do believe this is the best guide for the region simply because the information is very accurate and the book is well-organized.

Very informative, readable, portable and current. I particularly appreciated web references which led to a wealth of information I had previously been unable to find . However, I was frustrated in being unable to locate exciting places and trips mentioned in the text on the maps. Often I had no idea at all of the general vicinity of an attraction not to be missed. A more detailed map of Nova Scotia would have made planning our trip much easier. Also there was little information on the provincial parks.