Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Guatemala Belize & Yucatan (Lonely Planet Belize, Guatemala & Yucatan)

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

 

 

This book is more than disappointing...
I used to have a lot of respect for Lonely Planet, as they took pride in sharing information for the average traveler about places that were usually off the beaten path.

However, I did not realize that they have stopped actually visiting these destinations.

I live on Caye Caulker, Belize.

The NEW book, which is their first reprint in over 4 years...has not been updated. They mention a grocery store that has been closed since 1999. They mention a deli that has been closed since 2000. The do NOT mention one new business....besides one restaurant. It is obvious Lonely Planet did not send one writer to Caye Caulker, Belize.

If they didn't take time to visit Caye Caulker ONCE in over 4 years, I can only assume the rest of the book is absolute garbage as well.

For a real Travel Book for Belize, check out Rough Guide by Peter Eltringham. He actually sends scouts out to every location before he visits. He does this to ensure that every place has a fair shot...and that they write about a real experience, not one based on a hotel or restaurant putting on a show for a known writer. Peter's writers do not announce they are writers.

That is what a real travel book should be.

Lonely Planet needs to quit relying on their name to sell books. Their information is completely outdated, and not worth your money.

Wendy Casson
www.belizecayecaulker.net

If your travel are solely to Guatemala and the Yucatan this guide is for you. But if your planning on traveling in Belize (Central America's best country) this guide seriously lacks in Belizian facts and data. That is why I only gave it 2 stars. I would guess if your going to Guatamala or the Yucatan the book is spectacular but for Belize there are many better guides.

This is possibly the worst Lonely Planet guide I have encountered in 20 years of global travels, mainly using LPs. I bought this guide expecting it to deal with Belize thoroughly, as the title of the guide was "Belize, G and Y..."; however if you look at the actual Belize contect it just amounts to a hundred pages or so out of 600. Vast parts of the country were absent, and though northern Guatemala was a little better there were several ruins missing compared to my partner's Rough Guide to the Maya World. I have always wanted to visit the Peten ruins of Piedras Negras on the Usumacinta river, but the LP did not even cover the site. All in all I have this book was weak, certainly compared to other LP titles I have used over the years.

I agree with the other two reviewers...as far as Lonely Planet guides go, this book was a disapppointment for the areas of Belize and Yucatan I was visiting. There was barely any information for Cozumel, which is a popular destination these days, although maybe a little "upscale" for the average backpacker. Belize is a country with so many more things than what were highlighted in the book...best to find another guide before going off to explore on your own.

This Lonely Planet travel guide is valuable but flawed. Like the best Lonely Planet books, this November 2004 edition is concise, readable, and puts vital travel information at your fingertips. There's much information for budget travelers on local customs, possible hazards, changing currency, low-cost accommodations, transportation, getting to and from airports and bus terminals, etc. But this edition has a few weaknesses, which is not what you need when far from home. Several reviewers have noted that this guide has much out-of-date information on Belize. The book falls short in the maps department as well. A couple tiny maps could be added to show small towns near popular destinations to help travelers avoid getting off their bus at the wrong stop. The only map of Guatemala City doesn't show Zona 13 south of the airport where many hostels and cheap hotels are located. Also, the book warns about colder nights in the highlands but doesn't specify temperatures - a windbreaker was sufficient for a June visit.

Lonely Planet is usually a top-notch choice for backpackers and budget travelers, but this one falls a bit short in some areas.

I was sorely disappointed in this LP travelbook! They are usually fantastic, but this one really misses the mark. We planned to hit Belize and Guatemala for our trip and thought this volume would be perfect. In total argeement with the first reviwer, this guide really lacks some important Belizean information.

I recently traveled through Central America and southern Mexico for two months and found this book absolutely invaluable. I don't know how I would have managed without it. It provides good information on everything, especially on how to get from point A to point B. Before leaving for my trip, I checked out a number of other guides, and none of them even came close to matching the usefulness of Lonely Planet. Almost all travelers in this region use Lonely Planet guides. I highly recommend this book.

One other note: the Let's Go guide to Mexico is a joke.

I flew into Belize, took the bus up to Chetumal, Mexico on the border, then took the bus all the way down south into Guatemala (by boat). This book is ragged from me using it so much. Others borrowed it also. I wish it were a little more up to date.

Lonely Planet guides are my favorite because they are thorough, informative, give lots of good info for reasonably priced traveling, and identify tons of both customary and adventurous things to do and see. This holds true for this edition however, I found that the prices were significantly higher than the book stated, the water taxi times had changed, and a car rental company mentioned did not have service in Belize-not too accurate.

I recently traveled through Central America and southern Mexico for two months and found this book absolutely invaluable. I don't know how I would have managed without it. It provides good information on everything, especially on how to get from point A to point B. Before leaving for my trip, I checked out a number of other guides, and none of them even came close to matching the usefulness of Lonely Planet. Almost all travelers in this region use Lonely Planet guides. I highly recommend this book.

One other note: Let's Go Mexico and Let's Go Central America are both jokes. Let's Go Central America is so bad that I wouldn't even recommend flipping through it.