Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau (City Guide) [Paperback]

Andrew Stone (Author)

Book Description

Series: City Guide | Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Discover Hong Kong & Macau

Have your fortune told, Chinese Taoist style

Discover the site of a maze-like walled village, where prostitution and gambling (and illegal dentists) once thrived

Savor the finest Portuguese egg-custard tarts in Macau

Spot your hotel room from the twinkling heights of the Peak

In This Guide:

Two local Cantonese authors, one food critic, endless bowls of fortifying noodles

Fully revamped Macau coverage

Interviews with a political activist, property developer, seminal club owner, and one chef extraordinaire

Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights

Editorial Reviews

Review

…these smart and exhaustively researched guides have become the gold standard for serious, independent travelers.' --San Francisco Chronicle

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: 432 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 13 Pap/Map edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741046653
• ISBN-13: 978-1741046656
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Travel > Asia > Macau
  • #62 in Books > Travel > Asia > Hong Kong

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a useful guidebook for a bustling city, July 28, 2008

By 

David Rhenish - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau (City Guide) (Paperback)

I have visited both Hong Kong and Macau over the years and always turn back to this guide for a reliable reference, particularly for the maps and transport info, as their are many transport options here. There are some mistakes--some significant--as other reviewers have pointed out, but 99% of the content is useful and accurate, with insightful background information and great restaurant, sights, and outings recommendations.

All guidebooks are a snapshot in time--this book is no exception. Hong Kong and Macau are fast-paced and therefore always changing (part of the allure...), so the accommodation and eating sections are bound to change.

The pullout map has a few errors, but can generally be relied upon for getting around central HK when you want to leave the book in your hotel. Hopefully next edition's map will be better. A previous reviewer noted troubles finding the Peak Tram. The Admiralty map is downright incorrect--use the map of Central HK map instead. About the tourist bus: trust me, it's quicker and more enjoyable to walk.

The guide is particularly useful for information on accessing the long hiking trails around HK. I have used this info extensively.

About Macau: It's a small place and this has most of it, with great coverage of the restaurants and sites. There are too many good restaurants in Macau for all to be included...more to discover for yourself!

Overall, I highly recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful guide to a complicated city, April 9, 2010

By 

kwaichang (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau (City Travel Guide) (Paperback)

I'm a fairly well seasoned traveller, especially around Asia. Lonely Planet has always been my first choice although I only tend to delve into them for 'help' reasons.
First time in HK, I was surprised to find that there was so much I could have missed unless I hadn't read this book from cover to cover on the long flight from USA. Without wishing to bore anyone with what I did each day, my advice is that Hong Kong is glorious, secretive and complicated at times. I definately maxed out with my sightseeing and ate possibly the most interesting food I've ever tried. The quality of writing is superior to other guides I have used and really explains the quirkiness of the city well. Didn't get to Macau, so I can't judge. However, to offer a free map, they could easily have pushed the boat out a little and provided more detail as I soon disposed of it after I realised its inaccuracies. That said, it really enhanced my trip to HK.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated and misleading, November 24, 2010

By 

kugelfisch - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau (City Travel Guide) (Paperback)

As opposed to other Lonely Planet guides, this one is shoddily researched and edited. Its central problem is that it's outdated by years, even though it's dated March 2010: its subway plan doesn't even show the East Rail Line, which has been there for years; the Alan Chan shop is listed as in the Peninsula Arcade, where it hasn't been in a good many years, and the guide doesn't list the Elements Mall, one of the most important newer malls in Kowloon. Because of constant mistakes like that, I wasted time and ended up in the wrong places several times during a visit to Hong Kong in November 2010.

The book is also simply not carefully edited. On p. 138, it has the sentence "They can also be hired from two bike kiosks" - but there's no earlier sentence that "they" or "also" refers to. You have to figure out from the term "bike kiosks" that its bicyle rentals they're talking about. This is the kind of stuff that a copy editor should catch. A minor problem, perhaps, but it reflects the incredible shoddiness of research that characterizes this guide as a whole. A big disappointment for me, since I've had better experiences with other guides in the series.