Lonely Planet Panama (LONELY PLANET PANAMA)

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable!!!
Review: We spent 7 days in Panama and the LonelyPlanet Panama book was our bible. I don't know what more we could have wanted from a guidebook, this one seems to have it all. As impoverished college students we were primarily looking at the cheapest way to do things and this book was deffinitely oriented around that type of travel. I really don't understand what some of the other reviewers are talking about when they say this book is written for people with lots of money to spend, that was not our experience at all. We went everywhere by bus and taxi and we saved so much money on transportation and lodging that we felt free to splurge in a couple of places. This book has just the right amount of detail so that your trip doesn't lose the element of surprise. I appreciated the range of accommodations described in this book allowing us to pick our own priorities in terms of how much we wanted to spend to stay somewhere or do something. I also appreciated the background and historical information that made the whole trip that much richer. This book is ubiquitous among the english-speaking tourist crowd and we saw people toting it around everywhere. It was a great conversation starter.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely necessary for travel to Panama!
Review: We spent New Year's Eve in Bocas del Toro on the Island of Colon. There was no information available except for The Lonely Planet Guide bought by a Canadian couple and shared with thirty or so lost travelers. The Lonely Planet Guide got us through del Toro, back to David and to the border of Costa Rica without a hitch. An absolute necessity for anyone traveling in Panama!

Rating:
Summary: panama guide lacks substance
Review: while this guide is accurate in terms of what hotels and restaurants exist, it is only relatively good with prices. Be forwarned that bus scedules in the guide are only a rough estimate, do not rely on Mr. Doggett's schedule as gospel. Also, Mr. Doggett leaves out much needed detais and descriptions about the FEEL of each place, and what a stay there will actually be like. for example, the market in el VAlle is described as the best in the country, so we literally planned our entire trip around being there on a Sunday. Only, Mr. Doggett fails to describe it in the grander scheme of markets. In comparison to markets in Ecuador, El VAlle was a great disappointment. Before you go to Panama, talk to someone's whose been there. Also, be warned that fruits and vetables are virtually impossible to come across out of the city.