South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (Lonely Planet Regional Guides): Amazon.co.uk: Rebecca Blond, Jane Cornwell, Mary Fitzpatrick: 9781741041620: Books

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Product Description

This thorough guide features the most up-to-date information on South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

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Whichever way you look at it, Cape Town occupies one of the world's most stunning locations. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

3.3 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, 10 Mar 2008

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Slow reader (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: Country Guide (Lonely Planet Country Guide) (Paperback)

I have been a fan of lonely planet books in the past and own quite a few of them. However, having just returned from a trip to South Africa where used this one heavily to plan the trip, I was pretty disappointed. In general there seemed to be too heavy an emphasis on the backpacking traveller and people who have lots of time for their travels (lots of details of 5-day hikes and things) as opposed to the general holiday(ing) traveller. I also think that there were just some significant misjudgments in their recommendations. There were several towns described as "choc-full" of activities that then proved to be pretty dull and others that were described as "historic" or "quaint" which had little to look at.

Finally, I also think that there was too much "worthiness" creeping in as well. I think there was an appropriate emphasis on township tours and the complex social situation in South Africa (the section on history was very good) but there was then also sideways digs at places the book perceived to be "tacky" or "artificial" when in some cases these were actually pretty well run tourist attractions. I am sure with more time and with a slightly hardier spirit I could have gone for some of the more "authentic" options the book outlined, but short of time and looking for some ease of travel I actually rather enjoyed some of the "artficial" places the book was so disparaging of.

Like I say- not one for the holidaying tourist- this is strictly one for the backpacker or gap year traveller.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised at negative feedback - Was invaluable for me., 25 Aug 2008

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pishpish "wellyboot" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: Country Guide (Lonely Planet Country Guide) (Paperback)

I am surprised at the negative feedback here. As a consistent user of Lonely Planet guides, I have to say that this ranked as one of the more useful country guides i have come across. Writing guidebooks must be a very tricky business - it is necessary to include such a vast quantity of information, while trying simultaneously to capture the feel and mood of a country in such a way that people know what to expect back home. This particular guide does an excellent job in this respect.

I spent one month travelling from Pretoria to Cape Town, taking a winding route through Swaziland and Lesotho. I had no schedule and went where I wanted when I wanted. And perhaps it is for this kind of travelling that this guide is most suitable - it doesn't necessarily tell you how best to combine two or 3 attractions for a short holiday, which is a travel agent's job, but rather it gives a very involved lowdown on most places of consequence in which you might find yourself.

The information was detailed and correct, with pleasingly accurate (both on facts and on less tangible factors - atmosphere, attitude, etc.) descriptions of places and accommodations, and some fantastic recommendations for restaurants, especially in and around Cape Town.

I can't imagine which towns the other reviewers are referring to when they talk about misplaced or underdone praise. I felt that the passion with which the authors wrote the book was well apportioned.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful guide but not the best, 2 Jun 2008

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Darren Simons (Middlesex, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: Country Guide (Lonely Planet Country Guide) (Paperback)

As Lonely Planet guides go, I must admit this one was a little disappointing. Certainly the usual details of history, maps, accomodation, sites and restaurants are included. But somehow the guide doesn't really pick up on what South Africa's about... The details of game reserves was very disappointing and certainly much of the area that I visited was not covered in as much detail as I'd have liked. For a country with the scenery of the Drakensburg, the beauty of Cape Town and the wonder of the game reserves that's really rather surprising.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely useful and up-to-date
I bought this book to accompany me on my 3-month trip to South Africa. The book packs in a lot of information, and I didn't come accross anything that seemed out-of-date or no... Read more

Published 15 months ago by S. E. Hartley