Lonely Planet Guatemala [Paperback]

Susan Forsyth (Author), John Noble (Author), Conner Gorry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Guatemala | Publication Date: January 2004

Details on finding Mayan archaeological sites off the usual tourist path, great coffee and hot showers are included in this guide, as well as activities, and a Mayan and Spanish glossary of terms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...reliable and informative..." -- Pittsburgh Tribune Review, April 17, 2005

From the Publisher

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

What We Do
* We offer travellers 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.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; 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: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 2 edition (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 174059293X
• ISBN-13: 978-1740592932
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > Guatemala

More About the Author

Conner's first foreign adventure was to Vieques, Puerto Rico at age 8, partly explaining her attraction to Caribbean islands that subvert the dominant paradigm. Between getting a BA in Latin American Studies and an MA in International Policy, she volunteered in Cuba (during the nastiest part of the Período Especial). Along the way she has learned to 'resolver' as a tourist, TV talent scout, film festival juror, writer, reporter, and food critic.

She has lived in Havana, Cuba since 2002 where she is a journalist and Managing Editor for MEDICC Review. Anyone who has visited the island knows "no es fácil" and Conner's tales of triumph, woe, and challenges to stay happy and well fed are compiled in her blog Here is Havana: www.hereishavana.wordpress.com.

COMING TO CUBA? Check out her iapp Havana Good Time, the most up-to-date, insider info available to this most enigmatic of cities.

http://sutromedia.com/apps/Havana_Good_Time

Beginning with South America on a shoestring over ten years ago, Conner has written heaps of Lonely Planet books to far flung places, mostly in Latin America and Hawaii. Her newest title is Guatemala Great Destinations, published by Countryman Press.

To learn more:
www.connergorry.com
www.lonelyplanet.com
www.countrymanpress.com
http://sutromedia.com/apps/Havana_Good_Time

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is spot on., January 22, 2006

By 

Jennifer Sugg "jennknowsbooks" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Guatemala (Paperback)

I traveled to Guatemala for two weeks in the summer of 2005 and used Lonely Planet the entire time. It was my first trip there, so I needed and wanted extensive detail and maps, which this book provided. I found it to be right on about everything from restaurants and hotels to ATM locations. I appreciated the small bits of cultural and historical information as well. The transportation sections were the most helpful. On several occasions I had people ask to borrow my LP to look up bus connections. Overall, I thought it was excellent and recommend it highly to anyone traveling to Guatemala.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars useful, but disappointing, February 4, 2006

By 

jeninparadise (los angeles, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Guatemala (Paperback)

on every backpacking trip, a lonely planet was always one of the must-haves because they are always so on it when it comes to accuracy and reliability. well, i was disappointed by this guatemala edition. the author raved about the country: antigua, tikal, the people...so i had all these warm fuzzy expectations. that was mistake number one.

antigua was described as this beautiful "magical" colonial city. i spent over two weeks there to study spanish and magical wasnt at all what i experienced. nice, yes, but not MAGICAL. ever been to oaxaca, mexico? now, thats lively and magical. antigua shuts down pretty early, so if youre looking for food say at 10pm or later, youre out of luck. if you like bars (i dont), well, then your IN luck. the buildings in antigua were colorful and you can find old landmarks all around, but again, it did not have that "magical" atmosphere like the author described. im not alone on this.

tikal was not a must-see. at least not if youve already seen all the ancient sites in southern mexico. i was not impressed, but the author of the lonely planet (and apparently by some travelers) raved about how amazing it was. maybe the view from one of the temples was breathtaking, and oh yes, the howling monkeys can give you a startle if you didnt know they were just monkeys, but other than that, i was not impressed.

and as for the people, i didnt find them to be all that warm and friendly. they know youre a tourist, and they treat you like one. i stayed with a family for two weeks and still didnt experience that sincerety and warmth. i surmised somehow, that the toursim altered that experience of genuine friendliness. i found that especially true in antigua. the locals really take advantage of the tourist. theyre like robots repeating the same whiny phrase, "que compran?" when you walk by. sometimes, they dont even look at you when they say it.

i guess the author was enamoured with guatemala (he has been many times)...but i didnt find his bias to the country to be all that accurate. its the first time that ive been disappointed by the info in a lonely planet, after having used at least six or seven of them for my other travels.

buy this one for its maps and how-to-get-around and logistics like that. just watch out for the biased reviews of places. judge for yourself and ask other travelers.

3.0 out of 5 stars Use it as a general Guide, May 12, 2010

By 

AY "AY" (SD CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Guatemala (Paperback)

I purchased an older version of LP to Gua.
I used it as a general reference guide, taking into consideration prices changed.
However- not only priced changed (dramatically), but also data, places and related info..... that's what I found.
As before, I also found many of the data or essays of writers as invalid, out of touch with reality, and somehow to poetic for a ref guide book....
Bottom line- OK as a ref book, with a grain of salt (or many grains...)