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59 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Try a different guide, totally misses the point., October 9, 2009
This review is from: Lonely Planet Colombia (Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
I've been using Lonely Planet travel guides for over 15 years. When I read the reviews on LP Colombia, I just thought that the reviewers were being hard on Lonely Planet since it is the predominant travel guide. Since it hadn't let me down in the past, I thought I would give it a try.
I just got back from Colombia and now I know why the reviews are so bad. This guide does a good job giving background information and history but heck, I can get that from Wikipedia. As far as what to see, where to go and places to stay, it totally misses the point. For example, it almost always recommends staying in the downtown of most major cities, even though these locations are often unsafe with little in the way of nightlife and attractions. In both Bogota and Cartagena, there are areas 5 minutes away from the town center with affordable places to stay and plently of sights to see. LP barely mentions these areas.
The book told us that you need a week to absorb Cartagena when it can easily be thoroughly seen in a couple of days. Yet, other jewels like Taganga are barely mentioned at all. The book doesn't even metion some of the best hostels in Colombia including La Bresa Loca in Santa Marta and the Cranky Croc in Bogota. It felt like they hadn't done an update in years. Wish I could get my money back on this. Take a chance on one of the other guides over this one.
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31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horribly innacurate, practically worthless., September 2, 2009
This review is from: Lonely Planet Colombia (Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
After waiting patiently for the new edition for LP's Colombia to come out, I feel horribly ripped off. Locals actually laughed out loud at some of the "statements of fact" in the book and the places to stay that were recommended were hideous, nightmare, fratboy parties full of Americans and Israelis. I thought I'd give LP a chance again after many years because of the timing of my trip. (Brand new edition, trip 3 weeks later). I feel like this was not updated at all. There are several instances of unclear direction and explanations (such as the Colombian street address system) and incorrect travel time estimates (Cartagena to Bogota 7-8 hours by bus??? It's more like 20-23 you jerks).
One of the people that I stayed with in Colombia laughed when I pulled the new LP Colombia out. He said that there had been a scandal because one of the main contributors hadn't even BEEN in Colombia. I'm not sure if this true, but it certainly seems possible given the crap information and general lack of insight provided by the book.
The book also completely blows off two major cities that were slammed by earthquakes, Armenia and Pereira. It basically tells you that they're not worth visiting and not to bother. The main reasoning for this is that they were impacted by earthquakes almost a decade ago. I met a couple in Cartagena who told me they had a wonderful time in those cities, so it made me wonder. I decided to go to both and was amazed at how off and dismissive the Lonely Planet guide was. Did the writers just not want to travel to these cities? What the hell??? It made me also wonder what Lonely Planet's saying about New Orleans? I wonder if it's just dismissing it in whole because of Katrina 4 short years ago???
Do what you want, but if I had a chance to do it all over, I would save the 20 odd dollars and NOT BUY THIS BOOK! Tourist leaflets and the internet were much clearer and more informative.
Never again, Lonely Planet!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bogota information ok, rest of country lacking, August 27, 2009
This review is from: Lonely Planet Colombia (Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
I bought several copies of this guide for use on a business trip to Colombia. While the guide has a fair amount of information for Bogota, it does not have very much for other cities, especially those the writers deem "unworthy," such as Barranquilla. I found Barranquilla to be a wholly different city than the one described in this Lonely Planet. Also, after using this guide, it became patently clear to me that the writers do not and have not lived in Colombia. Everything was written from a visitor standpoint, instead of a local standpoint. I wish that the Moon Guides had a Colombia book, because that's what I would have used instead.
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