Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Dominican Republic (Country Guide)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Lonely Planet has earned my loyalty through a lifetime of travel, but this guide is a glaring exception to their usual quality. Although it may be useful as a background read, it is so fraught with misinformation that it is worthless as an actual travel guide.

In addition to pervasive map inaccuracies, misquoted prices, misprints, and overly generous descriptions, the book's major shortcoming is that the country has changed so much since this edition was released that many of the businesses reviewed no longer exist and newer businesses aren't mentioned.


Do not buy this book until they come out with a new edition.

Excellent book for those planning to visit the DR but shun the resorts and want to see the actual country and people and do so inexpensively.

I had only a brief five day visit to the DR in the Fall of 2006 for a wedding. Even though I was traveling with a local-speaking partner who had been to the DR many times, I still bought the Lonely Planet book and used it to help build an itinerary. I only had a chance to visit the Southeast corner of the country, as well as the city of Santo Domingo. The Lonely Planet guide helped me find clean and affordable accomodations for less than $50USD/night right on the beach where we rented a local fishing boat for two days to go diving and snorkeling in the local reefs. I'm looking forward to going back to explore other parts of the country. Rental cars were inexpensive, but driving in the DR is an experience as it almost seemed like a "free-for-all" at times. The main Interstate is well maintained, but a majority of the local roads are not. The Lonely Planet guide ~as always~ was accurate and helpful.

I bought this book for a trip I'm going on next week. While I have not used it 'in country' yet, I have traveled to many other places, using a Lonely Planet guide as my bible. I find them better than the competitor's guides primarily for their organization, and ease of finding the information you need, fast. The 'Sleeping' sections allow you to easily choose the best hotel option that fits you and your trip, and the 'Getting there & away' section not only tells you where transport is located, but the price, and importantly, the duration. Having this book in my hand next week will allow me to make easy, quick decisions, and concentrate on the most important thing - having fun.

All that you would expect from a Lonely Planet Guide. Well worth buying for making a trip to the Dominican Republic. It will enable you to chose a resort to suite your taste, and to visit places that interest you.

I did not even buy this edition based on the Amazon reviews. I bought the previous edition with Joyce Connolly's fine information that got me through my trip to Port-au-Prince. I hope Lonely Planet is able to correct their error and return Haiti back to good standing.

The new Lonely Planet book for the DR is not so great. Quite a few things are already out of date - maybe things change really rapidly here, but I also found some of the recommendations were really disappointing, even irresponsible.

After a short visit to the D. R., I ordered this book in anticipation of my next trip there. I was surprised and pleased with the detailed information.

Go beyond the all-inclusive resorts to see the 'real' Santo Domingo and let the experts handle the logistics so you can experience the warmth of the Haitian people. Great resource, great research, well-done and easy to navigate.

There is nothing in this book regarding Haiti. Amazon lists the title of this book as "Lonely Planet Dominican Republic (Lonely Planet Dominican Republic & Haiti)" and this isn't correct. Now I have to pay to ship it back to them. Thanks Amazon!