About six months prior to my husband's and my trip to Vermont, I purchased Tree & Jennison's book and poured over its contents, intrigued by all that the New England state could offer these Texans. Because the authors had taken the time to visit the various locations noted in the book, I had no worries about the trip. Once in Vermont, I used the book as a bible, knowing what to expect in each village. I met many of the people that they had mentioned, and each had glowing remarks about them. Without this book, my vacation would not have been as organized or enjoyable, and we even went during Mud Season! I recommend this book wholeheartedly because the information is well researched.

This book captures, for me, something close to the heart of Vermont--it's clean, simple, direct, truthful, and deeply entertaining. I have done a lot of travelling in the state over the last 18 months, and found the Explorer's Guide reflects with accuracy and cultural compassion the experience of living and wandering here. Some people will buy it for the inn and the restaurant listings, but its real strength is in its quiet delineation of the regions and their differences. If I were allowed another star, I would use it.

We did not know much about Vermont but the book got us on our way quickly. The different sections are clear and get straight to the point.Wide variety of things to do, places to stay, eat and shop. A very satisfying purchase.

I am originaly from Greece and I loved this book. There is no better way to demonstrate the love of family and heritage than from the eyes of a child. The olive tree is one of the most powerful symbols of the Greek culture. Under the warm mediteranean sun, its products have provided the foundation of the Greek diet for thousands of years. It has a very special place in the heart of every Greek. If you are Greek you may cry when reading this book. If you are not Greek you will definitely be touched. Besides the beautiful story the illustrations are beautiful, extremely well done. If you want to give a present to a Greek, of any age, I can thing of nothing better than this book. By the way, I planted my olive tree when I was six years old and I plan to show it to my child as soon as he is old enough to understand.

I Have an Olive Tree is a simplistic yet poignant childrens' book about the symbolism of family and love. I use it in my fourth grade class to discuss culture and families. The illustrations are also powerful and upbeat. I am buying several to give as gifts!

I travel a lot -- both nationally and internationally and I use travel books often. I took my first trip to Maine this summer and was excited to see that a book so highly rated was coming out with a new edition shortly before my trip. Unfortunately I found this book disappointing time and time again. If you like the way that Lonely Planet presents information (town maps, opinionated recommendations, and historical information) then stay away from this guide book. It offers very few of any of those things. It is more of a guide to available restaurants and lodgings with little or no real concrete information or opinions about those places.

For example, we traveled to Campobello and needed to stop for dinner. One of the restaurants they listed was "known for its fish and chips". Such a description doesn't reveal whether their fish and chips are actually worth the stop. We did stop and found the fish and chips to be VERY average and the microwaved fish chowder to be very bland. A B&B we stayed at was described as having "furnishings reminiscent of a simpler time". What does that mean? We found out but that description told us very little. The vague descriptions were frustrating when we were calling from one area of Maine to make reservations in another. We weren't sure what we were going to find. One more example: We were in Acadia driving the park loop and I reached for the book in hopes that it would give a brief description of the different sites on the tour. There was a sign for Bubble Rock and I wanted to know what that was in reference to. The book was of no help.

The book is also awkward to use. The key to their symbols are buried in the book. Their reference section is also awkward and lacks a "when to go" section among other useful information. Considering the fact that much of Maine consists of small towns whose streets are too small to show up on maps of Maine, it would have been such a help to have had small town maps in the book. I think there were a couple but nothing near what there should have been. This may be the best that is out there but if that is the case, then there is room for some one else to write a much more comprehensive and useful guide to Maine.

Roundy and Tree's Explorer's Guide (Maine) is absolutely must reading for travelers to the State of Maine; research is fresh every two years; book is highly respected by travelers and in-state operators of tourism establishments, just a great guide to a great state. Required reading for all who want to enjoy all Maine has to offer. Focuses especially on dining and lodging establishments, but also strong on outdoor attractions, historic places, and significant events. You cannot enjoy all that Maine has to offer without having a copy of this book at the ready. If you do not get this book, no point in coming to Maine. Buy it and use it.

When we travel, we usually get several guide books for the area we are going to, and then hit the road. We used this book more than any other and found that we consistently agreed with the authors reviews . We had a terrific time exploring the area and became very confident that what we read in this book would actually be the way it was described.

The greatest thing this book did for me was to turn me on to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Overall, the book is great, with good directions and a great selection of lodging and activities. There's a lot to Massachusetts besides Boston and Cape Cod!!

I used this book to pick out a couple of places to stay in Vermont, and regretted it. I should have been tipped off by the fact that every single review in the book is glowingly positive; a dead giveaway that the book is not independent. It seems very likely to me that this is one of those guides where the inns and hotels pay to be included, and may even write their own reviews.

The book is divided up by types of place, so there's a "Country B&B" section, a "Romantic Getaway" section, a "Lakeside" section, and so on. We booked one of the "Gourmet Getaways" and one of the "Farms"; the former was a disaster, but the latter was OK. The gourmet place, a fancy inn in Ludlow, was described as providing "sumptuous feasts" for breakfast, with "excellently trained and most personable" staff, and the option of picking up a "sophisticated picnic lunch". It's hard to imagine the editors actually ate at this place: the staff clearly hated the management and were close-mouthed and unfriendly (and we overheard the owner loudly berating one of the waitresses); the cooking was very good, but not extraordinary, and the picnic was ridiculous--for $25 a head we each got a nice little ash bucket with a quarter bottle of very cheap champagne, a chunk of cheese, and a hunk of bread.

The farm was described a little more accurately--the views were truly incredible, and the cooking was home-cooking, wisely not praised in the guide book.

At the gourmet place, in Ludlow, we met up with a couple of friends from Britain. They'd booked on our recommendations, but had bought a guide book anyway, and we were alarmed to discover a much harsher evaluation of where we were about to stay. In the end, we enjoyed ourselves enough--good company and Vermont scenery can overcome most ills. When we shop for a vacation now, though, we always look for a guide book that seems willing to criticize.

This book has been an invaluable source for my business - New England B&B Reservation Services. What I like most is that many of the places I have called out of this book have been gracious and professional. I have to make a lot of "cold calls" in this business when I get requests for areas outside of my listings. It is nice to know that my call will be received well. We only carry those hosts who offer exceptional hospitality, so if I don't have a good conversation with the bed & breakfasts and country inns, then I cannot recommend them to my clients. The descriptions set forth in this book are generally true and honest. When I visit the places personally, I already know what to expect.