<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Lets not Go with this book
Review: Backpacks are heavy enough, don't waste your strength lugging this around. You NEED a travel book while exploring the Middle East, but get one that is acurate. This book got us lost in Egypt, stranded in the Golan Heights, and kept us constantly searching for places and streets that don't exist. Only about one out of every 5 directions or addresses were correct. Buy a book, but don't buy this one.
Rating:
Summary: AVOID THIS GUIDE-BOOK!
Review: I have travelled extensively now for about 10 years, and have encountered scores of bad guidebooks as well as some excellent ones, but never have I seen one quite as abysmal as this edition of Let's Go. There is nothing, absoultely nothing worse than a bad guide book when, for example, you are arriving late at night in a foreign town where you do not speak a word of the local langauge and need not only an accurate map but detailed information on where to find a place to stay. In Acre (Israel) I arrived around midnight and had made bookings at a youth hostel so thought i was all-set until I openend this guidebook to check the map and found that the main bus station was not even listed on it, and neither was the hostel where I made the booking, even though I found its phone number in this guide. So taking a big gulp and looking around me disorientedly, having no idea where i was and how i could get to my hostel, with no cabs in sight, and with no Hebrew or Arabic on my tongue, and all shops closed, I wandered lost for about an hour, sweating with all my luggage until a kind local with a car had pity on me. This is simply ONE incident of this guide becoming an obstacle at every turn through Egypt and Israel. Without a doubt, this is the worst guide book I have EVER used, and I am not even thinking of the bad sense of humor and the facile commentary on monuments--at the practical level, this guide will make sure you get lost, spend hours waiting in situations where you do not have to, give rave reviews to absolute grungy flea pits, and generally make sure your travelling burden is 10 times worse than your back-pack. If anyone suggests you buy this, flee the other way. Take it from me who learned the hard way, this guide will make for a truly difficult trip that does not have to be so difficult.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't leave home without it
Review: I highly recommend this book to those travelling through the Middle East. I initially brought a backpack full of travel guides for my three month trip around the region. After just a week of travelling, I had already thrown out all the guides except my Let's Go. Let's Go had all the information I needed. It was also fun to read, offering cultural insights as well as practical advice. This book is the only thing you need to insure a successful trip to the Middle East.
Rating:
Summary: Really great stuff
Review: I've used the Let's Go series for a long time, and I like it a lot, but this is one of their strongest books, and is far and away the best book I've seen for traveling in the Middle East.
Rating:
Summary: You need this book!
Review: If you're going to be traveling in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, or the Palestinian Territories, buy this book! If you're not traveling anywhere, buy this book anyway! I went for a two month trip around the region, and this book saved my ass, man. It's got witty and informative prose, with comprehensive coverage of the best budget lodgings, and an insightful eye for the attractions and culture that make this part of the world really special. Funny jokes, too. Funny jokes. BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY
Rating:
Summary: Two words: Lonely Planet
Review: The author's of Lonely Planet are far more qualified and thorough in their writing than Let's Go authors. I have been in countries where I had given up on trying to get info out of the Let's Go books and ended up throwing them away (since it was merely extra weight in my backpack). When I was in Europe, I found myself borrowing other traveler's Lonely Planet books, as they had FAR more ACCURATE information. If you don't mind missing the culture of a particular area in a particular country, and you don't mind being a "tourist", then Let's Go will suffice. I believe Let's Go should just stick to their Europe edition. Take the time to go to bookstore and compare a Lonely Planet publication with its' Let's Go counterpart and see for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Great in 98
Review: The Let's Go books tend to improve every year, so it's not surprising that some things in this version are out of date. If you are planning a trip to the Middle East, buy a more up-to-date version of the book!That said, I used this book in 1998 to travel around Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, and I found it useful, insightful, and (yes) funny too. The Let's Go authors share more interesting observations, pay closer attention to detail, and express themselves more clearly than the authors of most other travel guides I've used (and I have used many). The maps in the book were definitely a weak point. I suggest taking along a supplemental map or two, especially if visiting the big cities.
Rating: 
Summary: The best travel guide to the area
Review: There are a zillion Egypt travel guides, and I've at least flipped through most of them. The Let's Go is the best, most up-to-date, and most practical. I have also found the sections on Jordan and Syria, though fairly small, to be more useful than whole other guides devoted to those countries. The Lebanon section is rife with errors, probably because it is new. I expect it will get better over time. My biggest complaint about this series is the sometimes inappropriate use of humor. Humor is welcome, of course, but the 1992 edition led a (admittedly somewhat gullible) friend of mine to the remote fishing village of Abu Qir in search of the International House of Pancakes Let's Go said was there. Many people seem to memorize the Cairo drivers' "honking dictionary" that appeared in the 1998 edition, when this was either a joke or the product of a serious lack of understanding on the part of the authors. All in all, though, a very good book and the one to buy if you're coming to the region.
Rating:
Summary: Hate this book - let me count the ways
Review: Where to begin - inaccurate maps, not enough maps, hotels with no address or phone number, bad advice, novice travel perspective...I could go on all day (ask my husband who tired of my whining about this book as we travelled the MidEast). Would you take advice from a 20 year old student who's only qualification to write a budget travel guide is that they are on a budget? I've used 13 guidebooks in the past 10 years and this is easily the very worst. Don't make the same mistake I did - avoid this book!
<< 1 >>
|
