Insight Guide: The Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed) [Paperback]

Gordon Lesley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000 | Series: Insight Guide Dominican Republic & Haiti

Insight Guides, the world's largest visual travel guide series, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provides more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides capture the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective. Inside every Insight Guide you'll find: .Evocative, full-colour photography on every page .Cross-referenced, full-colour maps throughout .A brief introduction including a historical timeline .Lively, essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people .Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing .Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest .A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings of the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions, as well as practical information on getting around and advice for travel with children

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since 2000. Hammond, American Map, Langenscheidt Dictionaries, Insight Travel Guides, Delorme – the famous names in the Langenscheidt family. These represent the most authoritative, up-to-date, and extensive travel and reference products available. In January 2003, the renowned Berlitz Publishing became part of the Langenscheidt Group. The Langenscheidt Publishing Group, the premier group of map and travel companies, offers over 4,000 North American and international street maps, road maps, atlases, language-learning, bilingual dictionaries, and travel-related products covering countries, cities, and languages in every continent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: APA Publications (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887293573
• ISBN-13: 978-0887293573
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,829,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Travel > Caribbean > Haiti
  • #61 in Books > Travel > Caribbean > Dominican Republic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A travel guide it is not..., March 11, 2001

By 

Michael Smith (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insight Guide: The Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed) (Paperback)

If you are looking for backgrounder on the people, geography, and history of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, this book may fit your needs. As a general travel guide, it misses the mark badly.

First, the positives. The book provides 150 pages of concise overview. The history section is particularly successful. With an investment of about 90 minutes of reading, you come away with a reasonable understanding of how these two nations arrived at their modern condition, and in particular why they are quite different from one another. The photography in this section and throughout the book is superb and inspirational.

Now, the bad news. As a practical travel guide, information is consistently lacking or just plain wrong. A few examples (there are many more)...

1. Want to know what time it is when you arrive in the DR? This book will tell you you're in the Eastern Time zone. (False - you are one hour ahead).

2. Want to know how much cash you'll need at the airport? This book correctly informs you of the $10 tourist card you must purchase on arrival but utterly fails to mention the $10 departure tax.

3. Want to do a little exploring on the Costa del Coco north of Punta Cana? This book will treat you to purple passages like "the charter meccas are left behind glinting like shiny oyster pearls in the sun...", then toss out the names of a few beaches you could have located on the map, and provide absolutley no additional information.

In short, you might find this book useful for some inspiration in planning your trip, but don't expect to rely on it for practical information once you're on site.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic primer on the history & culture of Haiti!, December 12, 2001

By 

"angia-e" (Marion, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insight Guide: The Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed) (Paperback)

I bought this book, not as a travel guide, but as a "coffee-table book" about the country of Haiti. As such, it is FANTASTIC! Sure, there are some typos in this first edition, but the publisher specifically invites readers' contributions & corrections (p. 2) for future editions. The photos in this book are vivid, stunning depictions of life in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There is an introductory section full of photos & illustrations that covers the history of both nations that comprise Hispaniola, followed by colorful, photo-filled sections on people, language, art, religion, cuisine, sports, flora & fauna, architecture, economy & agriculture, geography & demography by regions of each country (including a wide variety of detailed maps), sites to visit and sights to see. All this comprises the first 344 pages of this marvelous book! Only the last 48 pages are devoted to "Travel Tips" -- trip planning, transportation, places to stay, places to eat, tourist sites, shopping, festivals, excursions, and so forth. Indeed, this is NOT A TRAVEL GUIDE! BUT A MARVELOUS AND DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE RICH CULTURE, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, AND INTRIGUING HISTORY OF THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA it is!!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good review of the country, November 28, 2008

By 

Douglas R. Havekost (Medina, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Insight Guide: The Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed) (Paperback)

I've used Insight Books for many many country reviews.
This book is no different - very well organized, and well written.