Product Description

Fully revised and updated, this practical and comprehensive guide provides detailed listings and informative background information on the best of this colourful country. From the historic towns to the dunes, beaches and islands of the various regions, there are candid reviews of the best places to stay, eat and drink, from bars and coffee shops to luxury hotels and restaurants. Finally, the "Contexts" section provides an informed discussion of the art, literature and history of the Netherlands.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #489629 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

About the Author
Martin Dunford and Jack Holland were part of Rough Guides' founding team in the early 1980's, after both graduating from University of Kent. They have since co-written several other guides in the Rough Guides series.

Customer Reviews

Unworthy of this great series
I'm the biggest Rough Guides fan there is - they knock Lonely Planet into a cocked hat and I have an extremely wide range of grubby books bearing the livery.

However, I was very disappointed with the Dutch version. Amsterdam forms a large part of the book which is understandable, but other destinations have been given short shrift.

Five pages on Rotterdam! OK - not the world's most romantic destination, but at a time when modern architecture is experiencing something of a rehabilitation in the public consciousness and former urban wastelands are rapidly becoming the most happening places worldwide (eg. Menilmontant, Hoxton, Alphabet City), the city deserved much better.

The reclaimed polders of Flevoland constitute some of the most mysteriously beautiful landscapes I have ever travelled across - but this simply isn't evoked. Groningen - a lively university city with countless great bars and fascinating buildings is also given almost footnote status.

I can see the economics of tagging along cursory mentions of the rest of Holland to an already existing Amsterdam guide, but please let's have a more considered job next time.

A disappointingly narrow minded view of Holland
Despite the reputation of The Rough Guide series, I found this book very disappointing. As a first time visitor to The Netherlands it provided little help for the day to day business of travelling in Holland. Whilst the language and food reference guides were useful, it failed to identify the the attractions that I found made Holland a great place to visit. The book seems to have an obsession with ecclesiatical architecture which, although churches are usually the centre point of Dutch towns, is not the be all and end all of a trip to Holland. More open minded and varied research could well have led to a book suitable for all tastes. Whilst this book may suit some, it fails to provide the reader with a guide to the many different attractions available in Holland.

This book is for historians not families
The book became the butt of many jokes on holiday as it would appear from this book that those that visit Holland are only interested in architecture and historical sites. My teenage sons laughed everytime I used it as it bore little resemblence to the places we visited, as it would seem that the only thing that the authors felt were of any interest in a particular village or town would be its museums or church. The book contained little or no information for a family holiday ie swimming pools, adventure parks, good cylcle rides or walks. I am only glad we did not beleive all that was written in this book. Often towns were described as characterless when in fact they were vibrant and interesting. We visited the lakes in Freisland which have many amenities for swimming and sailing but little or no mention was made of this very beautiful area. If you are planning a family holiday to Holland do not take this book, just explore this beautiful underated country.