Book excerpt: Want a lively vacation? Here's a series that is sure to meet your needs. Alive! Guides tell you what's hot, and what's not, with plenty of suggestions for daytime activity and nighttime fun. The authors offer hundreds of restaurant and hotel profiles in all price ranges, including the best places to stay and eat if you're looking for pampering, adventure, nights in the city or value. Every one has been inspected first-hand, which means you get a true feel of what to expect.Beyond where to stay and eat, Alive! Guides focus on the things that make each destination unique -- hiking in the rain forests of St. Lucia; fabulous diving off the coast of Bonaire; unbeatable fall foliage along the Delaware River Valley. Full details on local celebrations throughout the year are given, along with contact numbers for help in trip-planning. "Sunup to Sundown" sections cover hiking, watersports and organized excursions and offer a thorough listing of the best beaches. Road trips and walking tours that lead through rural villages and historic townships are accompanied by town and regional maps. "After Dark" sections give the lowdown on hot nightclubs, romantic bars, high-class casinos, movies and local theater productions. An "A-Z" reference at the end provides a comprehensive list of useful contacts, including ATM and bank locations, doctors and medical facilities, tourism offices, religious services and websites.Doylestown, Lambertville, Princeton, New Hope -- the book spans the region surrounding the Delaware River in both New Jersey & Pennsylvania. The area thrives with cooking schools run by master chefs, wineries and brewpubs, talented artist communities, antique stores, cinemas showingoffbeat films, romantic inns and great restaurants. This guide unveils the treasures, as well as local adventures, from ballooning and mule-barging to shad-fishing.