Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Cambodia

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to be a little different when I went to Southeast Asia. Instead of taking the Lonely Planet Books which I had done to past trips to China, and England I went with the Rough Guide. What a mistake. Such a mistake that about 1/2 through the trip, somewhere in Thailand I think, I threw the book out and picked up LP guides to Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Cambodia book is great. Great information, easy to follow guides to Angkor what else could you need. LP really tells it as it is. Cambodia is a place changing everyday. Fortunately for the last year or two its been relatively calm and tourist friendly. How long this will last is anyone's guess. I hope stablity have finally come to this country with such a tragic history.

Angkor is a unbelievable place and the LP book will get you through it and teach you a lot.

Get this book before you go!

Very practical and quite a useful book to have when travelling to Cambodia. I found it useful myself too with information regarding Cambodian history, past, present and maybe the future of the country's outcome having came out of the shadows of the Killing Fields. The book covers everything you need to know about travelling to Cambodia. The best place to eat and what are the popular sites to visit... in Phnom Penh and the famous jungle ruins of Angkor. This 3rd edition contains wonderful photos of the Khmer people in many aspects... Even though the country had been ravaged by war yet their souls are still proud like before much like their ancestors who built a wonderful civilization that ruled mainland Indo-China. Also there is a page for those who want to learn basic Khmer which is easy and enjoyable...

Now that Cambodia is opening up the outside world the book gets a little bit thicker which I find is interesting since now there are many areas to visit in Cambodia like the hill tribes living in east of Cambodia and also the temple of Preah Vihear in the north of Cambodia which sits on the Dangrek mountain range overlooking Thailand. Great book to have and I hope soon in the next edition more information will be added. Don't travel to Cambodia without one!!!

Planning a trip to Cambodia is not easy. The country is still not very accessible although much has been improved in the past years, in particular available flights.

If you plan to go, read the guide very carefully. It gives you enough background to do it on your own. However, I would still recommend to go for local assistance ( with the exception of Siem Rap when visiting Ankor Wat)

The country is beautiful and the people are very nice. If you have time and sense of adventure it is definitely worth a trip.

Pnom Penh should be the centre of the visit and the guide is at it's most helpful here with good background on the Tol Sluen Prison or the Killing Fields as well as on the nicer things like the Palace and the Silver Pagoda. A tip: try to take a good hotel. PP can be a bit depressing, particularly after a visit to the fields, and also is not a very safe place to go out at night without guide or transport. If you have transport you should eat of course in the Foreign Correspondent Club.

Angkor Wat is a must, although the guide maybe overdoes it a little. I find that you must be a real "culture buff" to use more than one day for a visit. In Siem Rap there is nothing, so don't fall for the trap of a four day visit.

In general, I find the guide giving good information and,as in all the countries here in SE-Asia, if you want to travel alone, you HAVE to take it with you.

I have been in Cambodia now a couple of times and each time I find it a good adventure, not in the least because of the help of this good guide.

So I thought that investing in the most recent edition of this book would behoove me, but upon looking up one of the "author's picks," for lodging, I discover that he and Lonely Planet have not updated the book for the hotel's *price.* This is really important to me, as I work in non-profit and can't afford expensive digs when travelling.

The author and Lonely Planet state that Renakse Hotel in Phnom Penh costs $25-50/night. I understand that hotel prices change over time, but prices I bought this book fresh off the press last month. Prices at Renakse are now a whopping $76-100/night and they have been since the end of 2004.

The author's writing style is great, but you may want to pick up an older version of the book (4th edition seems just the same as this one when I read it before getting this one) and save the extra bucks.

Nick Ray's Cambodia is a practical, invaluable guide for commercial or recreational travelers wanting to explore the sights and wonders of this exotic land. From the majesty of Angkor, to Phnom Penh nightlife, to the wild and remote Cambodian countryside, this reliable, detailed, and authoritative travel guide offers 30 "user friendly" maps; up-to-date health and security information; vital transport details (including river trips and overland travel); special features on the temples of Angkor; a useful chapter on the Khmer language; and much, much more. If you are planning a trip to Cambodia, begin with a thorough reading of Nick Ray's Cambodia!

I spent about a month total in Cambodia in 2002 going from Siem Riep to Phnom Penh and then Phnom Penh to Banlung and back again by motorcyle. My friends and I had an LP Guide and it was very helpful for Angkor Wat and lodging info in Phnom Penh but we found for everywhere else we went that Adventure Cambodia and Rough Guide were what we looked at. Getting off the beaten path seemed to be better covered in these books, especially Adventure and I would strongly recommend that book if you are planning on doing motorcycle touring on your trip!

Lonely Planet Guides are always the best sources of info for pre-trip planning and to take along, but the Cambodia LPG has an added feature that really impressed me, and that is the maps and diagrams of the temples and temple complexes, and the great details in the descriptions that go with them. I'm absolutely delighted to have this information to help me plan my photo sessions. In addition, LP has a service on their website where you can get updates to a guide between old and new publications. Also try the Thorntree feature to get questions answered or to contribute info for others. Lonely Planet has done it again. Best guidebooks and best services for travelers. Thanks LP!

This is the book I took to Cambodia. For me the important thing was that it had the phone numbers of the various guest houses and hotels. Only 4 stars because Anything other than Phnom Penh and Angkor was given skimpy coverage.

In the group I was traveling with we had both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet guide and we consistently found the Rough Guide superior to the Lonely Planet in terms of narration, history, accuracy, ease of use, and better maps. We traveled extensively throughout the country including many outlying / "off the beaten path" areas where there was not a tourist to be found. Neither book was entirely comprehensive but the Rough Guide was a must have to point you in the right direction to find more info.

The majority of the reviews listed for this guide are out-of-date - I am reviewing the updated 2008 edition. Lonely Planet has changed a lot over time and for the good.

For a month (Feb. 09) I stayed in Cambodia, extensively using Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. I traveled to Phnom Penh, the coastal areas of Sihanoukville, Kep (Kampot) and then up to Angor Wat (Siem Reap). Lonely Planet guides are known for their no-nonsense, off-the-beaten-path advice and this 2008 Cambodia guide continues that tradition.

The 'History' section of this guide is much improved but the `Cultural' section is not as informative or hard pressing as it is in Rough Guide. Nothing is written about the surge in political and police corruption, nothing about the tragic selling of ALL of Cambodia's islands to European & Russians speculators. Nor is anything said about the injustice to the Cambodia people who have been thrown off their land and watched their houses bulldozed down. Nothing is written about the rising crime that is surging through places like Phnom Penh. What you get is mainly tourist brochure pabulum. Rough Guide's take is more realistic and critical.

One of the strength of Lonely Planet is found in its "our picks" of places to stay and eat -- these always very good and reliable. Kudos. Caveat: in our changing world it is always best to check out tripadvisor.com to confirm the latest traveler's opinions. There are new places opening faster than any guide can cover. Check out the new, great bargain priced hostel in Kampot - `Mea Culpa'.

L.P. guides usually have great tidbits about a country buried in sidebars... this guide has none. Sad. Also, normally, LP has excellent, easy to use maps; this guide does not. Specifically, the map of Phnom Penh is crowded and hard to use. Sad. The health section is not Cambodia specific; rather it is a compilation of what you can find in any guide. Sad.

This is a good guide that still needs tweaking. If you are going off-the-beat-path then there is only Rough Guides and Lonely Planet. Of the two, my choice is Rough Guide. 3.5 Stars.