Product Description

Escape to the Philippines! The Philippines boasts a string of coral-fringed islands, white-sand beaches and pristine strands of virgin rainforest. From diving to connecting with the locals, Lonely Planet will help you unlock the adventures to be enjoyed in this archipelago of natural wonders on the frontier of Southeast Asia.

We've Got It Covered – find everything from the rice terraces in the north to the fertile volcanic plateaus in the south.

Jump In With The Expert – from getting started to finding the best dive sites, our special diving chapter shows you the ropes.

Rest Easy – accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets, from rustic nipa huts to luxury resorts.

Get Around with the help of over 95 maps to cities, islands, and everywhere in between.

Talk The Talk – chat with the locals with the help of our indispensable Language chapter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89228 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

Review
“Lonely Planet guides are a must-pack” --Toronto Star, February 2006

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers 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.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; 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.

Customer Reviews

book review lonely planet guide to phillipines
I read this book cover to cover anticipating my trip so far it has given me a good geographical and planning ideas I can not say how it would turn out once Iam there.It appears though the authors are mostly europeans and canadians intent on giving their point of view rather than an american point of view.

The best option for those planning a first trip to the Philippines
I have read lots of criticism of the Lonely Planet Philippines guidebook but I feel much of it should be disregarded by the first-time visitor to the Philippines. When one is planning a trip to the Philippines, especially if the traveler has not been there before, what one needs is qualitative advice, help in figuring out where it's worth going and where not to bother with. In this, Lonely Planet is excellent, perhaps the best of all the guidebooks. It will give you good advice about which places are worth visiting and which are not of much interest. If you've never been to the Philippines, you need frank advice about these things. As you spend time in the Philippines (I live there full-time) you may make your own judgments, but I have found Lonely Planet's advice to be quite good.

There is no question that Jens Peters' Philippines Travel Guide offers far, far more detail than does Lonely Planet; many more detailed maps, more complete listings of accommodations, transportation details and so forth. No other guidebook comes close.

I live in Iloilo City. I believe Lonely Planet's well-written Iloilo City narrative conveys the spirit, paints a true picture of the place in a way that allows the trip planner to decide if he or she should even include a visit to Iloilo City. For the trip planner this is more important content than extensive details about bus terminals, ferry links and so forth. Once you're here you may wish for the detailed information that Jens Peters' book gives.

That's why, in my opinion, there really is no single best Philippine guidebook. For the person on their first trip, Lonely Planet offers plenty of information and advice in a compact format. It is in need of an update.

I'm an American and have read complaints of my fellow citizens that the Lonely Planet guide is "anti-American". I suspect it may seem so only to those who are not familiar with some of the sadder episodes in the history of American involvement in the Philippines; the brutal crushing of Philippine independence, imposition of decades of unfair trade rules, our unwavering support for the Marcos regime so we could keep our Philippine bases and so forth. It would be better if the Lonely Planet's jabs should inspire some reading and soul searching rather than flag-waving. Stanley Karnow's "In our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines" would be a good start.

Mediocre Travel Guide
I have owned several editions of the Lonely Planet Guide for the Philippines since 1997. The earlier editions I owned were written by Jens Peters. I believe that those earlier editions were even superior to the 2006 edition written by the current authors. I used those past guides for traveling in Boracay and Baguio--I found them to be excellent even if they were written years after I visited the place.

I had the chance to browse Jens Peters Philippines Travel Guide written in 2005 and I found it much better. However, I could only find a browser's copy of the book which was pretty beaten up.

I purchased this LP Guide because I wanted to visit Puerto Galera. However, its Puerto Galera section is terribly inaccurate because the phone numbers for the resorts have changed a lot. Out of 4 numbers I called, only 1 was correct. Now how's that for a travel guide supposed to be published only 1 year ago?

This current guide does not compare with the depth that the Jens Peters guide explores the country. It has lost some of the distinguishing features that LP guides have. Typical LP guides have segmentation of Places to Stay from the low end to the high end. It's missing in this guide. I find it very much of a let down because this book costs a lot in the Philippines (PhP1,299=US$28.26)