Lonely Planet Fez Encounter [Paperback]

Virginia Maxwell (Author), Helen Ranger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008 | Series: Encounter

What Will Your Fez Encounter Be?

…wandering along Talaa Kebira in the crisp morning air as the medina comes to life
…listening to an orchestra of coppersmiths hammering their wares in Seffarine Square
…escaping the midday heat in the leafy courtyard of a traditional riad
...losing your heart to a pair of leather slippers made by an artisan
...submitting to an invigorating scrub and massage in a tiled and steamy hammam
...watching the light fade on the ivory walls of Fez from a rooftop terrace bar

Discover Twice The City In Half The Time

...full-color pull-out map to help you navigate the medina with ease
...our resident author recommends the best sights, restaurants, shops and entertainment
...unique itineraries and highlights to make the most of a short break in 'the new Marrakesh'
...local experts reveal Fez's secrets: from Si Mohammed el-Amrani on medicinal herbs to Dr. Armand Guigui on Jewish heritage in the Mellah

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sherman's Travel, April 2007
'...Encounter guides...discreet in size, but generous enough on page count to provide a fuller city experience minus the hefty guidebook load.'

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
*We update our guidebooks by visiting thousands of places in person to get the details right and tell it as it is.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travelers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 1 edition (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741792584
• ISBN-13: 978-1741792584
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Travel > Africa > Morocco

More About the Author

I wasn't born an African, but became one after years of living in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2004 I moved to the other end of the continent and now live in Fez, Morocco. I'm a freelance travel writer and have contributed to:
Fez Encounter (Lonely Planet)
South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland 8 (Lonely Planet)
Cape Town City Guide 6 (Lonely Planet)
Africa 12 - the Madagascar chapter (Lonely Planet)
Morocco 10 (Lonely Planet)
Arab Almanac 2011 (A&C Black)
Oddizzi - the Cape Town component (www.odizzi.com)

In a former life, I also wrote:
Everybody's Aromatherapy (Tafelberg)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent guide, but could have been better, July 23, 2009

By 

ken in the city - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Fez Encounter (Paperback)

Ok, the pros:

1) Book is consistent with other "Best of" by lonely planet. It's small and compact. This is a huge plus because I hate lugging around a large heavy book. It fits easily in a purse and even in a pocket of cargo shorts, etc.

2) It includes a fold out map which you can separate from book.

3) The book is relatively up to date. It was re-printed in early 2008 but fortunately Fez is the type of city that does not change that much and much of the information in the book is still timely.

4) It's a good high level synopsis for what to hit in the city (i.e., tanneries, mosques, museums, etc)

Now the cons:

1) Doesn't have a lot of detail on recommendations for sites, etc. But then again, it's a small compact book and won't have all the history and description of a larger book.

2) Navigating the medina is complicated and the book simply doesn't help that much with that. For example, it would have been nice if the map had what types of shops were in certain areas of the medina(e.g., brass works, leather, etc). Though the medina is almost impossible to navigate, even with a map!

3) Its structured as a list of top 10s (e.g., restaurants, sights, riads, etc.) and not so much as a guide with suggestions of itineraries.

Overall, I'd say its a good high level primer on Fez and certainly better than the Fez sections of a general Morocco guide. Also, there are several Marrakech city only guide books but this was the only one I was able to find that was only on Fez (again I hate lugging around a big Morocco book). If you've only got a few days in the city, this will help keep you busy.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone..., May 22, 2011

By 

Mannum balum-Assur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Fez Encounter (Paperback)

This is a nice little guide.

It is small, which makes it convenient to take it with you. The provided maps are in colour which makes them easy to read and of course every restaurant, shop or sight that is worthwhile is mentioned.

So why the low rating?

The guide leaves the reader almost completely to its own when it comes to accommodation, give only a poor description of what is available with a handful of options. In general the book is not very helpful when it comes to an estimation of the costs. Moreover it only has a incomplete lists of day excursions, and those that are included have only been given meagre details of the sights or proper information how to get there. A map of Meknes is certainly not to much to ask.

This is all cool if you have chosen your accommodation beforehand (on the internet) and have a car (and a guide) for your day excursions. If not, you will need the LP of Morocco to give you the additional information, taking away the need of this guide.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Map missing, February 25, 2011

By 

Dre - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Fez Encounter (Paperback)

As i told the seller, the book was great, but it was supposed to have a removable map which was missing. I understand that this is a used edition, but then it should be stated that the map is missing. It's a travel book, which makes the map essential. Had I known I would not have purchased it.