Customer Reviews
Fine if you're a rich yank - By: Michael Blanche, 19 Nov 2008 
200+ pages on the USA, 2 pages on Sri Lanka. Lots of expensive 5 star hotels, resorts & expensive paradises that are fine if you're an ageing, moneyed American but do not even begin to scratch the surface of the country you are in.
If you are rolling in dollars & travel first class from Four Seasons to Four Seasons, buy this book. Otherwise there are a hundred other books out there that are better to inspire you.
1000 places to see before you die, most of which are in the US - By: Muppet, 14 Aug 2008 
Like some of the other reviewers, I was disappointed that there was so much of the book devoted to the US at the expense of some truly magical places in the world.
I agree that the photography is quite old fashioned (but that's not what the book is about) & I was disappointed by the heavy bias towards fancy hotels - if you're in a fancy hotel - you could quite possibly be anywhere in the world so there's little point in travelling there! The fancy hotels that have a bit of history / literary connections are quite interesting & if I'm ever in the vicinity she might have convinced me to pop in for a (cheap!) beer.
Having said that, I did love that she picked up on some reallly random must do's (e.g. Newark Antique Fair, Nottinghamshire!!!) that I've never seen anywhere else. Sometimes when you're heading to foreign climes, there are so many must do's that it's difficult to a) choose or b) fit them alll in. I use this book just to give me some ideas - if she suggests that I ought to see a fancy hotel in say, Thailand, before I die, I tend to ignore her, but she does come up with some "gems" (to quote a previous reviewer) which are often worth visiting.
As for the indexing... I didn't find it at alll offputting, it's divided into continents - but to be honest it's the sort of book that you don't mind getting side-tracked by.
To be used as a different viewpoint when undertaking some lonely-planet-esque travel research rather than as a resource on it's own, or if you're doing the Grand Tour - a good place to find alll the 5* hotels (I guess) & therefore how to avoid experiencing the "real" must sees (miaow - sorry couldn't resist).
Buy or not buy... hmm overalll I think I would say buy - but caveat emptor... read alll the negative points first before you buy so that you know what you're getting.
Check out the list at the library - By: ML, 08 Jan 2008 I travel extensively, so I actuallly use this book when heading out to note some highlights. It is useful for this. It is completely useless for organising a trip, creating viable itineraires, viewing maps, etc. It simply wasn't created for this use. Hotels are alll 5* * (with few surprises), restaurants are on the high end & there is no useful information about the sites like opening times, maps, etc.
Having said this, the places listed range from the obvious to some genuine gems. It is simply that, a list of places to see with a short description. If you are a frequent traveler, I would recommend the book. If you are looking for some guidance on your annual holiday, skip it or take a look in the library or bookstore. There are generallly a handful of places in each country or state, so you can make some mental notes.
Very materialistic...for the rich & somewhat conventional traveller - By: Ms. K. F. Tetley, 20 Aug 2007 I was reallly dissappointed with this book. There are over 1000 amazing natural places to see on this planet...I cant quite understand how half of this book is filled up with "prestigious" hotels. Thats certainly not what I think visiting other places is about! Definitely for the traveller with oodles of money & for somebody who isnt too worried about getting off the beaten track. Uninspiring & pretty poorly researched in my opinion.
Interesting and exciting - By: Wendy Jones, 30 Apr 2007 
I know this book gives you only a brief insight into each place mentioned, but it is only intended to whet your appetite. It has certainly done that for me & has made me want to travel even more than I do. I realise that there are hotels mentioned, but some hotesl are experiences in themselves, such as the Ritz for afternoon tea or afternoon tea at the peninsula in Hong Kong as mentioned in the book. I have done both of these & intend to tick them off at the back of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone one who gets excited about new places & new ideas, I hope. like me, it will make you want to try yet more ideas, for the experience rather than merely ticking them off a list.
