Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to The Philippines, First Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm am writing this from Palawan in the Philippines where a friend arrived a few days ago, somewhat confused, with this guide in hand. I have lived in the Philippines and traveled here extensively, and have used the other guidebooks. This one, well, sucks, IMHO.

Several issues. Firstly, the book is unbearably surly. It's tiring. Conscientious criticism is OK, but we're here to enjoy our trip, OK? If the authors hate the Philippines so much they should not be writing a guidebook. Strange how this British publication seems so bent on trashing our American colony....

Secondly, the travel information is just plain unreliable. We tried to use the book's step by step travel information but many times found that the details were lacking - intermediate travel steps were sometimes not there at all. Confusion! Distances noted seem to be right out of the Twilight Zone. How three cities significantly farther along the same route can all be the same distance from Manila is a mystery to me. Beyond that, many of the most desireable and prominent tourist destinations just are not listed at all. Palawan is a prime example, there's not that much here, and the excellent butterfly farm is not listed. Actually, virtually nothing is. And true to form they mention the ones they do only as an excuse to gripe about them, even the most beautiful.

Seedy aspects of some of the Philippines are not mentioned, or glossed over. This is unfortunate. There are many resort areas that are basically brothel towns, which is not pointed out in the narrative. Someone heading to these on a family vacation would be sorely disappointed. In regards to these resort areas, it's like writing a guide about Las Vegas and not mentioning gambling. People need to know what's there, so they can avoid it if nothing else.

I am also surpised - and I found this in the RG for Thailand recently as well - important phone numbers are often not listed. Several times a Filipino had offered to help us call a hotel or bus station and hoped to get the numner from our copy of of RG, to no avail. Seems they had gotten the number from LP before and assumed this guide book would list them as well.

Did I mention the guide is just plain mean-spirited?

They also do not seem to know their audience. I see the "Lonely Planet" crowd as budget travellers with some sense of travel conscience. Yet the guide exclusively recommends a very expensive handicrafts market in Manila that is known for exploiting local artists. There are numerous small shops that are reasonably priced that support local artisans, which don't seem to exist for the Rough Guide folks. Neiman Marcus seems to be the preferred mode.

I find little about this book to like. I have liked other Rough Guides, but for me this one... well, don't bother...

Couldn't agree more with the first reviewer. This is a better guide book to the Philippines than any other and beats LP by a country mile. It's better written, more thoroughly researched - and actually interesting. I used it when I was there last Easter and also found it to be very up to date. But what I liked most was the honesty. It calls a spade a spade, but always remains fair. The destination summaries are spot on. Even Boracay doesn't get away unscathed.

The author must have been sucking lemons while he wrote this book. His attitude toward the Philippines and the things in it is quite poor, and he makes serious mistakes.
Errors in fares & costs are understandable due to the age of the book, but dangerous to the traveler who relies upon them. He appears to confuse sites within Manila (specifically, the Divisoria Marketplace with the Quiapo marketplace). He is quick to tell you where you can get a burger and fries in each town, but seems uninterested in Philippine cuisine, which can be truly delicious.
The author advises shopping for toy Jeepneys, sarongs and "rice gods" as the only good souveniers of the Phils. The only place I found these was in commercial souvenier stores in Manila, or in the airport. I find that many localities have characteristic woven goods (coconut fiber in the Bicol region, for example) that are practical and easy to travel with; freshwater pearls are also easy to find.
The author's attitude toward most country towns seems to be that there is "nothing to detain you" there. Indeed, if you make the slightest effort to get to know the people and the regional specialties, you may prove him quite wrong. There may not be a shopping mall or a first-run movie theater, but then, is that what you really went there for?
In sum, the Philippines is a wonderful place (I just returned froma 2-week trip). Go and have a great time, but avoid this book.

This is a very good book for a low budget traveler! There are a variety of hostel options included,as wellas options for a high-end budget. It is very good at helping you to plan your trip in general.

Hi we have just returned from the philippines. We used the guide to determine which areas to visit, the descriptions and ambience of the places mentioned in the book fit extreemly well with the places we visited. Would def. Reccommend.

good for a first trip, but if you plan to explore one area in depth this wont help much. Many areas are not even covered. But it is quick and easy to use.

I purchased this book in preparation for my first trip to the Philippines. I found the book very resourceful and full of interesting tid-bits. I'm leaving this month, so I will not know how practical the book is until then. However, everyone has picked it up off my coffee table and enjoys looking through it. Compared to other travel books that I have looked at, this one has been the most informative and organized.

I am planning my first trip to the Philippines this September. Actually this will be my first trip out of the US and i am looking for a good guide to help me gather information. I must say i will buy more than one guide but this one is very good. Loaded with more information that i thought i would ever need. This book is an excellent jumping off point if you know nothing about the Philippines. A good buy, but i would recommend getting more than just one guide.

This has given me so many ideas and insights into the Philippines. THANKS!