Lonely Planet Panama

Average customer rating:

left some things out
Not too impressed
Fantastic Companion for any trip to PANAMA - 5/5 STARS
Very Out of Date & Inaccurate
Not Up to Par for Lonely Planet Guides

Lonely Planet Panama
Regis St. Louis
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

At once wild and sophisticated, Panama lures intrepid travelers with teeming rain forests, hundreds of jewel-like islands and the ultra-hip nightspots of its salsa-infused capital. Find your own sun-drenched beach, mingle with the Kuna Indians or dance until dawn at a frenzied fiesta - Panama offers adventure at every turn. Grab your hat and let our bestselling guide show you all the facets of Central America's undiscovered gem.

• GET OUT - our outdoor activities chapter gives you the scoop on surfing, snorkeling, hiking, birding and more

• GET BELOW THE SURFACE - informed and insightful features on history, culture and contemporary life

• EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY - frank, in-depth dining and entertainment reviews, from ceviche to merengue

• FIND YOUR WAY - 73 easy-to-use maps, more than any other guidebook to Panama

• LEARN THE LINGO - earn smiles from the locals with our handy Spanish language section

Customer Reviews:

left some things out.......2006-11-06

I agreed with other reviews in the sense that it left out alot. Maybe it was to out of date like others had suggested. We backpacked through the stretch of the pacific side of panama in a few weeks. The book left out parts of places we found, cabanas on the beach and so forth and roads that were supposedly non existant. Panamanians were extremly nice and helpful. Other books could probably tell more.

Not too impressed.......2006-07-09

I've been a "lonely planet" traveller for quite some time, and have a whole bookshelf of their guides. However, Lonely Planet Panama was fairly inadequate. Luckily, we also purchased the Moon Handbook and were much more impressed with it. The LP guidebook was outdated, uninspired, inaccurate, and lacking significant detail. If you're heading to Panama, buy the Moon Guide instead.

Fantastic Companion for any trip to PANAMA - 5/5 STARS.......2006-06-10

I found this guidebook to be very useful during my time in Panama and I can't see what the problem is with the other reviewers here. LP guides are all different, I was just in Mexico using another LP guide and found it just as useful as the one for Panama.

The book contains plenty of maps and information to help you plan a thorough trip around the country. I found the information to be quite detailed and to the point. Very good tips on restaurants, where to stay, etc... prices do vary a bit and I would not expect an empanada or a tortilla to cost exactly what is stated on the book. Prices do go up all the time.

Conclusion: Lonely Planet PANAMA is a keeper!
I also recommend the MOON GUIDE to PANAMA, and if you are into birdwatching, you should get yourself the bible: The Birds of Panama.

Very Out of Date & Inaccurate.......2006-05-19

I travel quite a bit (for business and vacations) so I have purchased and read over 30 Lonely Planets. Of all of them, this one has more errors and is more out of date than any I can recall - much more out of date than the publishing date suggests, which makes me think the latest addition was not a thorough update. Over half of the restaurants they recommended, which I tried to visit, were either out of business or not in the location they listed in the book. Prices in general for everything from taxis to hotels were inaccurate. Some of the maps were inaccurate as well. Whole streets in Bella Vista were omitted. Sometimes this was a minor inconvenience, and other times it was a disaster (trying to get the ferry to Isla Toboga for instance - one of the ferry companies listed is out of business, and the docks from which the ferries leave moved nearly two years ago, but the old address and times are stilled listed in the LP - thus we missed our ferry). This guide is one of the only LPs (the LP Trekking in Nepal being the other) that I felt it was actually a hindrance to rely on because it was often so inaccurate. Unfortunately, this negates any positive aspects of the book.

Not Up to Par for Lonely Planet Guides.......2006-03-20

In all fairness, the copy I have was published in 2004, so much of the pricing and other info is outdated. Nevertheless, I was disappointed in the overly-opinionated editorializing instead of useful and insightful traveller's facts that I expect from Lonely Planet guides. I think I will start giving a closer look to other travel pubs such as the Rough Guide series, which is a shame, as I have been a fan and loyal customer of LP since "SE Asia on a Shoestring" which was published the early 80s. This Panama guide needs updating, more detail and a cleansing of the overly-political content.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Guide, but Politicized and Ethnocentric.
Tourism or Colonialism
Helpful Guidebook but Not a Bible
Useful... if you don't have anything else
Breadth of information is amazing

Lonely Planet Panama
Scott Doggett
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1864503076

Book Description

Beyond the spotlight cast on Panama's famous canal awaits a sophisticated capital, lush rainforests and pristine beaches. This in-depth guide shows you where to go salsa dancing all night, glimpse resplendent quetzals or relax at a secluded mountain retreat. <ul>

accommodations for any size wallet, from rustic bohios to elegant resorts </li>

thorough coverage of places to eat, including capsule reviews of Panama City's cosmopolitan restaurants </li>

the rundown on local festivals - Carnaval, anyone? </li>

42 detailed maps of cities, parks, beaches and surf sites </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Guide, but Politicized and Ethnocentric........2003-10-13

Lonely Planet, probably has the most up-to-date, comprehensive, practical guide for Panama, currently available. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Unfortunately, Lonely Planet, failed to edit the author's crude, narrow-minded, self-righteous, self-serving commentary. The author also glosses over or totaly ignores pertinent information. Personal politics and self-aggrandizement have little, if any place in a travel guide, and when it exists in such a publication, it suggests a lack of empathy for, and or understanding of, other people and their cultures. The shortcomings of Lonely Planet's guide, noted above, mar an otherwise excellent publication. For the typical "Ugly American" wanting to "Do" Panama, the Lonely Planet guide should prove more than adaquate. If on the other hand, you are an open-minded traveler capable of independent thought, you might consider, also obtaining, "Getting to know PANAMA" by Michele Labrut, a former press attache to the French Embassy in Panama. Written with class, mature intelligence and a sense of respect for Panama and it's People, "Getting to know PANAMA", not only fills the gaps in the previous guide, it is also an excellent travel guide in it's own right and an outstanding source for unbiased information.

Tourism or Colonialism.......2003-05-19

Having traveled for 3 months in Panama, I found the guide to contain many opinions and to be extremely judgemental. It is actually offensive in some parts with it's colonial nature. Also very ego heavy. The author believes his opinions to be golden.

A big dissapointment.
The Panama yellow pages is a much better book.

Go buy the Ulysesses guide.

Helpful Guidebook but Not a Bible.......2002-09-27

As the owner of a first and only backpackers hostel in David City,Panama (The Purple House) .... I see many people carrying this useful book around and it seems to be a great help to many. My only complaints about the book (not the writers' fault) is that 1) we are not in it yet because we weren't open at the time of his research. 2) the city of David is not made to sound attractive as a place to visit. There are lots of things to do here that aren't listed. Of course, that too is Not the writers fault, he can't possibly visit everything the way a person like me can. I have lived here for more than 3 years so I have been able to collect alot of information over that time.

As with any guidebook, it should be used as a guide and not a bible, definitely worth buying and carrying, its the best book for Panama.

Useful... if you don't have anything else.......2002-02-01

I spent six weeks in Panama last summer (2001): 4 weeks on Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro (and surrounding areas) and 2 weeks traveling around the rest of Panama. This book is a useful reference if you don't have anything else - especially if you don't speak Spanish. It provides a lot of valuable information on hotels, both budget hotels and very expensive ones. However, I often got the impression that Doggett is somewhat of a yuppie traveler. For instance, in the chapter on Bocas del Toro, he spends a paragraph or two trashing the bat cave found between the town of Bocas and Boca del Drago. I imagine he was so busy whining about the smell of the cave and the shriek of the bats that he did not stick around long enough to discover that there is a SECOND bat cave, very close to the first. This second cave contained an astounding variety of biodiversity, including a giant boa constrictor. Hands down, this cave was one of the most incredible natural wonders that I saw on my entire trip. If you are a traveler who is more into roughing it and seeing lush primary rainforest (even if it means tromping through rainforest with mud up to your knees), then this lonely planet guide may not be adventurous enough for you. Fortunately, in spite of the differences of opinion I had with this guidebook, I still had an amazing time in Panama. The rainforest left me speechless, the people were always friendly and helpful, everything is much less expensive than in the U.S., and there are fewer tourists in Panama than in Costa Rica. Still, I would recommend looking for a different guidebook before you settle on this one.

Breadth of information is amazing.......2001-12-13

I only used this book for Panama City and Bocas del Toro, but it was an invaluable asset for both. How can Doggett write knowledgably about so many hotels and restaurants, cultural issues, how to buy authentic jewelry, etc? Seems like he spent decades there. It would have been helpful if he wrote about how to bargain with taxi cab drivers for half day and full day rentals. Most one-way fares are pretty much fixed, but it is much nicer to have a driver show you the sights in P.City, which are spread out. My recommendation: Buy the book, and explore the places outside of Panama City.

Average customer rating:

Lonely Planet Panama
Matthew Firestone
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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