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Rating: 
Summary: Good Choice
Review: A good choice for a practical guide. Information is current and accurate. Maps are great. Never got lost!
Rating:
Summary: Good Choice
Review: A good choice for a practical guide. Information is current and accurate. Maps are great. Never got lost!
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable
Review: A true guidebook from our favorite travel publisher, we ended up using this book more for its information about Ecuador and its capital city, Quito, than we did for the information on the islands. While I doubt that anyone actually reads a travel guidebook from front to back, what we do like to do with the Lonely Planet guides is to concentrate on the two text sections called "Facts about the Country" and "Facts for the Visitor." These sections help travelers gain some insight into the place they are about to visit, including cultural clues (for example, it is generally not acceptable to wear shorts in Latin American cities, even if you are on vacation) and suggestions for places to go and things to see.Make sure you get the most recent edition of the guidebook if you plan to use the restaurant recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as other Lonely Planet Guides
Review: Having used Lonely Planet guides in Africa, Australia, South America, and Asia, I expect a fairly high level of quality within the confines of their "backpacker" emphasis. I was disappointed in the Ecuador guide; it seems not to be as in-depth or accurate as other Lonely Planet guides. For example, I noticed some street name misspellings--probably not disastrous--open hours incorrect, maps not quite right, etc. Not fatal, but enough to be annoying and to make me question the validity of all the rest of the information presented. (In contrast, the Lonely Planet guides for Chile and Bolivia seemed to be uniformly excellent.) This guide is still quite good--better than most of the competition, although I thought the Ecuador chapter in the South American Handbook (unwieldy to lug around if you are just going to Ecuador) was better and more consistently dependable. I give it four stars ONLY because of the dearth of good competing offerings for Ecuador.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as other Lonely Planet Guides
Review: Having used Lonely Planet guides in Africa, Australia, South America, and Asia, I expect a fairly high level of quality within the confines of their "backpacker" emphasis. I was disappointed in the Ecuador guide; it seems not to be as in-depth or accurate as other Lonely Planet guides. For example, I noticed some street name misspellings--probably not disastrous--open hours incorrect, maps not quite right, etc. Not fatal, but enough to be annoying and to make me question the validity of all the rest of the information presented. (In contrast, the Lonely Planet guides for Chile and Bolivia seemed to be uniformly excellent.) This guide is still quite good--better than most of the competition, although I thought the Ecuador chapter in the South American Handbook (unwieldy to lug around if you are just going to Ecuador) was better and more consistently dependable. I give it four stars ONLY because of the dearth of good competing offerings for Ecuador.
Rating: 
Summary: Great All Around Source Book for Travel in Ecuador
Review: If you have used some of the more popular travel guides like Frommers or Fodors, you will be pleasantly surprised by the depth and coverage of Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet guides are marketed for backpackers, but my wife and I spent two weeks traveling throughout Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and this book served us well. We stayed in Quito in both a hotel and hostel, ate in some of the classiest restaurants and some of the best value restaurants, and traveled to several towns and cities. We had a fantastic time, due in large part to the planning we were able to conduct from this book. For example, while on a four-day cruise of the Galapagos, we were able to use the book's Galapagos wildlife section to identify many of the birds and other animals we spotted. With full color photos and short descriptions of each species, we could catalog all of our sightings on the handy checklist provided. Given that my wife is an avid bird watcher, the book did not have the same level of detail as a standard birding guide. However, considering that this is a travel guide, we were glad that we didn't need to carry several books to identify animals, as well as find our way around some of the more obscure places in Ecuador. Because of the tips included in the book, we enjoyed many of the nuances of the country. For instance, the author recommended that it was cheaper to rent a taxi for a day to travel to surrounding markets, then to rent a car and drive. Driving risks accidents, getting lost, and incurring costs for fuel and insurance. As a result of the author's suggestion, we split the taxi fee for the day with a couple from Venezuela and traveled to the market in Otavalo, San Antonio de Ibarra (famous for wood carvings), and another small village that sold leather. My wife and I were able to get great quality leather jackets, a woodcarving, and some tapestries as part of a wonderful day of touring the country north of Quito. We would not have had as good of an understanding for what to do and see without this book. If traveling to Ecuador or the famous Galapagos Islands, I highly recommend Lonely Planet. The book is specifically geared toward hikers and mountain climbers, but we found it extremely useful due to its depth and richness of ideas. Well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Pick of the litter
Review: This book was recommended by a friend who had been to Ecuador, and for good reason. The descriptions are give just enough information without missing the key points. I tried some of the more obscure places that were recommended by the Guide and found all of them to be worth the trip. The comments were pretty good and accurate, so if the authors tell you not to miss something, don't miss it and vice versa. The historical notes are accurate. Combine the book with a trip to the US State Department websites to get a good, rounded background. I also visited the Galapagos, and the book was too skimpy and rudimentary. The animal pictures are fine but quite incomplete. Don't rely on this guide if you are going to the Islands. Overall, a handy book. I read or skimmed a few other books in preparation for my trip and this one was equaly to or better than the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Pick of the litter
Review: This book was recommended by a friend who had been to Ecuador, and for good reason. The descriptions are give just enough information without missing the key points. I tried some of the more obscure places that were recommended by the Guide and found all of them to be worth the trip. The comments were pretty good and accurate, so if the authors tell you not to miss something, don't miss it and vice versa. The historical notes are accurate. Combine the book with a trip to the US State Department websites to get a good, rounded background. I also visited the Galapagos, and the book was too skimpy and rudimentary. The animal pictures are fine but quite incomplete. Don't rely on this guide if you are going to the Islands. Overall, a handy book. I read or skimmed a few other books in preparation for my trip and this one was equaly to or better than the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Helped plan travel at El Cafecito in Quito
Review: While I was living in Ecuador, I helped plan other people's travel experiences in Ecuador. For maps and information, this is the best book out of all that I have seen with people. The ones with the whole continent do NOT do Ecuador justice. Ecuador can take up to 1 MONTH for the BEST traveling. If you have 4 months...spend 1 in Ecuador and use this book.
Rating:
Summary: Helped plan travel at El Cafecito in Quito
Review: While I was living in Ecuador, I helped plan other people's travel experiences in Ecuador. For maps and information, this is the best book out of all that I have seen with people. The ones with the whole continent do NOT do Ecuador justice. Ecuador can take up to 1 MONTH for the BEST traveling. If you have 4 months...spend 1 in Ecuador and use this book.
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