Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands [Paperback]

David Stanley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Moon Handbooks | Publication Date: August 26, 2003

Retrace Captain Cook's travels; escape to the Marquesas, inspiration to Gauguin and Survivor number four; uncover the mystery of Easter Island's fascinating monuments. With the fifth edition of Moon Handbooks Tahiti you'll find all the essentials to discovering this tropical paradise. David Stanley, a renowned travel expert on the South Pacific, brings Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the Cook and Easter Islands within reach of travelers who, on any budget, are looking to experience the full bounty of these incredible islands. The most current information on sights, recreational activities, accommodations, and restaurants, as well as custom maps, color photographs, fascinating sidebars, and complete coverage of the region's political and cultural history are included in this comprehensive guide. Moon Handbooks Tahiti covers anything a traveler could want to know and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Moon Handbooks exude a road-wise, close-to-the-ground authority.

About the Author

David Stanley has spent much of the past three decades on the road. He has crossed six continents overland and visited 213 of the planet's 245 countries and territories. His travel guidebooks to the South Pacific, Micronesia, Alaska, Eastern Europe, and Cuba opened those areas to budget travellers for the first time. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 5th edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566914124
• ISBN-13: 978-1566914123
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,434,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > Tahiti

More About the Author

David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks South Pacific, Moon Fiji, and Moon Tahiti, published by Avalon Travel Publishing of Berkeley, California. Over the years he has visited 179 of the 193 United Nations member countries. If you'd like to get in touch, use the "Contact Us" button on Stanley's website SouthPacific DOT org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great choice for visiting Tahiti and/or the Cook Islands, December 9, 2003

By 

JRK "jkunz" (N.H.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands (Paperback)

I have enjoyed Moon Handbooks guides in the past, and this updated 5th edition of Tahiti is no exception. There are obviously other choices out there on the marketplace such as Lonely Planet, but I've always felt that David Stanley's Moon Handbooks are a step above the competition because the guide is written by someone who has actually lived there long enough to really know the in's and out's of each place. I've used guidebooks to find some highly recommended restaurants and had a terrible experience there, and I've found hole-in-the-wall places that aren't covered by the guidebook and had a wonderful experience. I think this is a result of a guidebook writer having only visited each place once and basing a recommendation on one experience, rather than really settle down and get to know each place. The latter is the sense I received when I bought and read Moon Handbooks Tahiti.

Much like the Fiji Moon Handbooks guide, considerable attention is given to the history, culture and people of the area. While this history may appeal to only certain people, let's put it this way... other areas are not spared in exchange for this information, so consider it a bonus over other guidebooks. The real structure of the book, such as the places to stay, places to eat, and activities on each of the islands is as good if not better than I've seen in better-known guidebooks. Furthermore, the maps are unsurpassed starting at entire islands right on down to city centers.

I often take more than one guidebook on a trip to a destination anyway, but if my budget or my backpack only allowed one, this would be the one for Tahiti. Hope my review helps you plan for your trip. Bon voyage!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A name you can trust, December 20, 2007

By 

Dan Gordon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moon Tahiti (Moon Handbooks) (Paperback)

My wife and I are frequent travelers to the South Pacific. Every time we have relied solely on Internet web sites, travel brochures and some travel handbooks we have been consistently disappointed in our accommodations. David Stanley's travel books have always steered us in the right directions. The new Tahiti handbook is full of clear maps, and pictures. This book is full of well researched practical information and advice. Most importantly it is information you can trust.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Tahiti & a recipe for the Cooks, December 28, 2003

By 

Ian (Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands (Paperback)

David Stanley's Moon Handbook, Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands, is one of the most depressing books I have read. As a travel writer myself I picked up the book to help prepare for an upcoming trip and this guide is so good, the world certainly doesn't need another one from me. However, having lived in Vanuatu and traveled many times to Fiji, I'm familiar with David's other guides and I anticipated excellence.

It is a comprehensive guide on what to see, where to eat, how to get around and where to stay (for all budgets), which is what you expect from a good guidebook - but it's David's personal stamp that makes it so rewarding. It's informative, honest, and sometimes opinionated with a deep understanding of Polynesian history, culture and lifestyle. There are excellent practical tips on things like health & safety, where to get internet access and even toilets where you should take your own paper - but it's more the personal tips on how to make the transition from `tourist' to `traveler' that I appreciated...
"A wise traveler soon graduates from hearing and seeing to listening and observing. Speaking is good for the ego and listening is good for the soul."

This book is a shortcut on the road to becoming a wise traveler. This doesn't mean it is all about getting off the beaten track. Tracks become beaten because there are worthwhile things to experience and they should be taken. David provides the `must see' highlights as well as information for those willing to explore further. Being a wise traveler is more about attitude than itinerary. As David says, "If things work differently than they do back home, give thanks - that's why you've come. Take an interest in local customs, values, languages, challenges and successes."

Another undercurrent is David's realism and commitment to the environment. He pulls no punches, whether they are aimed at the countries who used this region for nuclear testing (particularly the French) or at those who pillage the Pacific for piscatorial pleasure - "spearfishing (is) like shooting a cow with a handgun."

Allow a few extra dollars in your travel budget for this book and it will be an investment. The reward you will gain from your travels to this wonderful part of the world will be enhanced immeasurably.