City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet

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.Vietnam (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Nick Ray

August 01, 2007
I am reviewing the L.P.2007 guide. Note: most of the other reviews are for older editions, ie. Pre-2007. I was in Vietnam January-February 2007 and used this guide.

The guide has maps that are superb and easy to use. Both the accommodations and restaurants I chose from the guide's recommendations were good to very good. The cost for accommodations are listed in dollars, instead of the insipid icons that other guides use. Kudos!!! The restaurants cost quotes are in Dong. Caveat! Because the dollar is in a free fall against world currencies, you will need to add at least 20% to the quoted price for hotels, maybe more.

Vietnam is a country of paradoxes: Communistic-Free Market. Traditional-Progressive. Etc. ... Read More:
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.Nepal (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Bradley Mayhew

September 01, 2006
I really only used the info regarding Kathmandu since that is the only place I visited but the information given was accurate even the warning about the electricity going out all of a sudden for hours in the city. That was fun to experience and thankfully we read it in the book. The best recent book I could find on Nepal.
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.South America (Shoestring)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Danny Palmerlee

March 01, 2007
I am writing this review after visiting Peru, and using this book as a guide.

The book is very thick, but actually contains very little useful information. Most pages are simply full with senselessly long lists of restaurants, hotels, and other contact information. Such things are better found on the internet, or by simply walking around the city. Moreover, a lot of that information was already out of date a little more than 1 year after publication. So, about two thirds of the book is immediately utterly useless weight.

Instead, a good guide book,
1) would have a lot of pictures. There are none in this book!
2) would have a lot of maps. A few are available in this book, but are not sufficiently detailed, not well-prepared, ... Read More:
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.Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Danny Palmerlee, Carolyn McCarthy, Michael Grosberg

August 01, 2006
Basically the layout and info is good, though some important stuff was outdated,ie current location of the terminal terrestre (bus station) in Quito (This created some testy, but fun conversation with the taxi driver). One thing to beware of---the map symbols and numbers are miniscule. Granted, I am 50 andy eyesight isn't what it used to be. But if there is any one most important info in a travel guide,it's the maps. Grow it please.
Nice size overall for lightwgt travel.
Narratives on history and background just right.
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.Italy (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Damien Simonis

February 01, 2008
I did a multiple country tour across Europe and I will preface my review with the disclaimer that I only ended up seeing Venice while I was in Italy so all my comment pertain to the Lonely Planet's section on this city.

The section on Venice was not as helpful as other Lonely Planet guides that I have had the pleasure of using with my travels. The maps, while accurate and useful for approximate locating, will need to supplemented with another map (either the Lonely Planet's or one purchased when you get there).

The hotel reviews were good, but I would also use the internet more as I found a nice cheap hotel not listed in their guide just walking through the city. Their review of the usefulness of the Venice Pass was also spot on - ie you will ... Read More:
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.Central America (Shoestring)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Robert Reid

November 01, 2007
Everywhere we went on our month long blitz of Central America, we saw other travelers using this book. Anyone that wasn't looked on jealously. It was commonly referred to as "the Bible". The information on border crossings and buses could've been more extensive, but that's what other travelers were for. The recommendations on hostels were great, as were the highlights of things to do in each country. It's a heavy book, but a necessary item in your pack.
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.Brazil (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Regis St. Louis, Kevin Raub, Gregor Clark, John Noble, Gary Chandler, Robert Landon, Mara Vorhees

January 01, 2008
I've been consistently impressed by the Lonely Planet series. These books allow you to navigate a new country and culture like a pro, and find all the hidden spots that a tour guide probably wouldn't take you to. Worth every penny!
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.Bhutan (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Richard Whitecross

April 01, 2007
Full of good ideas, good list of tour groups (must go on a tour) especially locally owned. Good information on what to do, costs, etc.
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.Morocco (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Anthony Ham

February 01, 2007
This is yet another informative and useful travel guide from Lonely Planet. Almost all the descriptions are very detailed and accurate. I recently came back from a rather short, but power packed tour of Morocco and this guide helped me plan the trip very well.
The supplemental information about the food, sweets, history and culture is very helpful.

It only seems to lack in providing a list of tour companies that can arrange trips into Sahara. It is very difficult for a solo backpacker to plan a trip to the desert without being ripped by the travel agents and the so called faux guides.

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.Israel & the Palestinian Territories (Country Guide)
City Travel Guides > Books > Lonely Planet
by: Michael Kohn

March 01, 2007
Although Lonely Planet guides are generally good, this one was a major disappointment. It has a very, very one sided pro-Arab and anti-Israel spin to it. Many Jewish areas are glossed over and not given enough detail. Jewish sites in the territories are completely ignored. Much time, space, and detail is given over to Palestinian areas and which Palestinian charities to contribute to, etc. and where to buy Palestinian handicrafts that will benefit refugees...etc, etc. ad nausuem, ad infinitum. Israel is a Jewish country and that is what should be emphasized in a guidebook. Sadly this was not the case. Incidentally the previous edition of this book by Andrew Humphries was better. Maybe I should write my own book?
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