Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Mexico, 7th Edition

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

 

 

I reviewed this book a while ago and didn't like it one bit. I just got back from three week road trip driving from Mexico City to Huatulco and back. I brought three books with me: a borrowed copy of LP Mexico, my out-dated copy of Joe Cumming's Mexico Handbook (Avalon / Moon), and Bruce Whipperman's Oaxaca Handbook (Avalon / Moon)... The trip reconfirmed what I have always said about LP: they are over-used, under-researched, and too many people rely on them as if to travel without LP is a sacrilege. Some LP titles might be very good, but LP is now a huge multi-million dollar publishing house with hundreds of titles, not all of which are of equal quality. This is not to say that Avolon's huge, 2 inch thick super Mexico handbook is great either. There is too much brevity in the Mexico Country Handbook... too much editing and cutting. For Mexico I have come to the conclusion that you cannot write a 5 star guidebook and try to cover the whole country. There is simply too much to cover in one book. I live in San Diego and so I appreciate the other reviewer's comment that not including Puerto Nuevo and Rosarito in the LP book is a MAJOR oversight. The best book by far was Bruce Whipperman's Oaxaca book: it was incredibly detailed, covered the entire state, and left practically no stone unturned. I have some criticisms of that book as well (see my review), but if you are going to Mexico, unless you plan on covering the entire country, buy Avalon's Moon Handbooks for specific regions (Oaxaca, Pacific Coast, Mexico City, etc). They are much more accurate, newer, and more complete in terms of the number of attractions covered and the details about each one. The only problem is that there are not enough regional titles to cover the entire country. good luck!

I have just returned to Norway after backpacking around in Latin America for a year (of course accompanied by the Lonely Planet book). I do not claim to be an expert, but I do know what I am looking for in a travel guide.

The Mexico guide is a good, complete guide. Filled with information, history and beautiful pictures about almost every corner of this gorgeous country. Reading the whole book gives you a good update on your history and geography knowledge! (Something to do if you are trekking around by bus like I did!)

I have always been satisfied with the LP guides. The information given is good, just what you need to get around. The only negative with this book (and the reason I give it 4 and not 5 stars) is that it was completely outdated on prices etc. Another thing (that goes for most of the travel guides) is that many of the hotels that are listed in the book has gotten so much (too much?) business so that the service is down to a minimum. This we found especially in Isla Mujeres where the price was the double of what the book said, and really lousy customer service, if any.

This is a great book, don't get me wrong.
I've been living in Mexico for over 15 years and I've been using this book in all my travels ever since I got it. The problem is that this edition is from 2000, and things in Mexico change a lot. The prices are all wrong (much, much cheaper than they actually are), the directions on getting to places are outdated (there are over 1000km. of new highways and the conditions change drastically from season to season), the hours are not always right (museums, archeological sites, churches, etc.).

This book used to be a great source for the budget traveler as well as the a-little-more-money one, unfortunaltely it has not been updated in a long time. Now I use it only as a reference on interesting places and things to do wherever I may be going. If you're interested in getting "off the beaten track" this book has little to offer, it's main focus is on the "touristy" Mexico.

Lonely Planet makes great books, they just should keep them updated more frequently. Hope this helps.

I have a backpacker lodge in Mexico City and there I have had the oportunity to check most of the travellers guides for Mexico, in french, spanish, english and some in other languages. I can tell by my own experience, because I travel a lot in Mexico and use the LP guide, and by the by the experience of those guys staying at our lodge, that this guide is the most complete, acurate and updated of all guides. There you might find data that not even in the mexican tourist information centres could be found. The maps are excellent.

I have only limited contact with the contents of this book - borrowed copies and people I have run into on the road who are using this book. What little I read is enough to make me want to pick up one of the many excellent Moon Handbooks on my next trip to Mexico. Some of the other reviewers site the fact that this book is terribly outdated. I would add that it is over-used... and the hotel owners and waiters whose establishments are listed in the book know it. If you are new to independent travel and have never heard of Taxco or Guanajuato or you want to feel like you are really beating a new path but still want your restaurant menus in English, maybe this book can help. Otherwise, consider one of the amazingly well-researched and up-to-date Moon Handbooks, such as Pacific Mexico, Archeological Mexico, or Colonial Mexico.

Very uninteresting guide to Mexico. I was shocked to see that Rosarito Beach and Puerto Nuevo were not even in the book.

Seems kind of thrown together and not very well organized. Graphics don't stand out well, and info was very hard to find.

I don't recommend this book.

OK, you'll get tons of practical information with this one, with pages of hotels sandwitched between listings of restaurants and yellow pages of bus lines. But beyond that, this book definitely lacks depth. If you want to learn about Mexican sights and understand their historical or cultural significance, you may want to look at Bruce Whipperman's guides or Alexandra's Travelogues serie.

(From Planeta Journal) - The seventh edition of this guidebook is better than ever. One of the most popular country guides, this book provides detailed information for readers who want to visit destinations beyond the tourism resorts. It includes up-to-date information on Mexico's national parks and reserves. This is a great resource for any independent traveler -- for hikers and art lovers alike! A plus -- it features a 24-page handicrafts section and 161 detailed maps. It's hard to get lost in Mexico if you have this book!

I have a house in mexico and travel there 1 or 2 months per year . I also speak spanish less than fluently. I have found the lonely planet guides to be very useful. As with any guide there are mistakes and shortcomings. But overall, these are the best guides for those who whish to travel on a low to medium budget.

(From Planeta Journal) - The seventh edition of this guidebook is better than ever. One of the most popular country guides, this book provides detailed information for readers who want to visit destinations beyond the tourism resorts. It includes up-to-date information on Mexico's national parks and reserves. This is a great resource for any independent traveler -- for hikers and art lovers alike! A plus -- it features a 24-page handicrafts section and 161 detailed maps. It's hard to get lost in Mexico if you have this book!