- Paperback: 820 pages
- Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 12th Revised edition edition (1 Aug 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1741043077
- ISBN-13: 978-1741043075
- Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 13 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
159,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #31 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Thailand
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Product Description
Product Description
Includes an Environment & Natural Wonders chapter in colour, a dedicated chapter on practical ways to travel responsibly and sustainably, and snapshot of Bangkok life written by a Bangkok resident that gives the lowdown on contemporary issues in Thailand.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having been to many countries and used many lonely planet guides. It is fair to say that this is not one of the better editions.
The Good:
*The additional sections are fairly interesting and there are great pictures to keep you occupied for a while.
* Maps and transport links are a lot better than similar travel guides, although they do suffer from inevitable timetebles changes etc.
* Covereage is relatively good for places off the beaten track
The Bad: The main problem with carrying around an LP, is that virtually every other backpacker in Thailand will have one too ( and theres a lot of them.) This means that any hotel with a recommendation can be expected to fill up quickly, to the detriment of other hotels that may be a lot nicer, but are not in the book. Also, once hotels have a mention in LP, standards often deteriorate as they know they are guaranteed custom. This is especially true of very toursity places such as the beaches and Bangkok.
Theres a lot of suspicion regarding how LP chooses its hotels, often they are fine, but often I was wondering why on earth anyone would stay in such a hell-hole. LP has a tendency to be way too optimistic about everything. Also, having seen some old editions, its clear that they have been recycling the same old blurb for almost a decade.
Essentially, this LP has some decent points, but restaurant and hotel listings, take with a pinch of salt.
The Good:
*The additional sections are fairly interesting and there are great pictures to keep you occupied for a while.
* Maps and transport links are a lot better than similar travel guides, although they do suffer from inevitable timetebles changes etc.
* Covereage is relatively good for places off the beaten track
The Bad: The main problem with carrying around an LP, is that virtually every other backpacker in Thailand will have one too ( and theres a lot of them.) This means that any hotel with a recommendation can be expected to fill up quickly, to the detriment of other hotels that may be a lot nicer, but are not in the book. Also, once hotels have a mention in LP, standards often deteriorate as they know they are guaranteed custom. This is especially true of very toursity places such as the beaches and Bangkok.
Theres a lot of suspicion regarding how LP chooses its hotels, often they are fine, but often I was wondering why on earth anyone would stay in such a hell-hole. LP has a tendency to be way too optimistic about everything. Also, having seen some old editions, its clear that they have been recycling the same old blurb for almost a decade.
Essentially, this LP has some decent points, but restaurant and hotel listings, take with a pinch of salt.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I usually go with Lonely Planet rather than the Rough Guide since I tend to feel it has the edge on accuracy. But the Thailand guide is a little disappointing. The Bangkok and Chiang Mai chapters are fine and full of useful and correct information. But chapters covering the smaller provincial towns - Phrae, Nan, Lampang - are less reliable. Particularly, the maps just don't look like the towns, sometimes I've ended up walking for the best part of an hour to cover a distance that looked like a kilometre according to the scale on the map. Also, lots of important streets are merely drawn, not named on the maps. The combination of these two failings means you can get lost very easily.
I'm not going to complain, like a previous reviewer, that the book assumes you can speak and read Thai. The authors always warn you if a particular restaurant has no English menu or sign, for instance, so if you can't read the language, you know to choose another restaurant. I do think, though, that the authors should take into account that prices tend to be much higher for lots of commodities - taxis and tuk-tuks, above all - if you happen to be a non-Thai-speaking foreigner. I've set out a couple of times on a journey which Lonely Planet has assured me will cost 30 baht by public sawngthaew (pick-up truck), only to arrive at the bus stop as the only customer and find drivers insisting that I charter the vehicle for 500 baht. You would need good spoken Thai and good haggling skills to avoid these sort of situations. Of course if you travel to a country where you don't know the language things are bound to be difficult at times, but I think Lonely Planet should take those difficulties into account.
Of course the chapters on Southern Thailand will now have to be updated in the light of the recent tsunami tragedy, not to mention continuing unrest in the Muslim-majority provinces in the far south. But no guide book can keep pace with events such as those.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wouldn't recommend spending money on this guide. I found that it was out of date and many of the hotels/restaurants it lists no longer exist. I also expected the guide to be more honest so you know what you are expecting when you go somewhere e.g. it describes some of the loudest and busiest club venues as "beach bars". It failed to warn you about extra costs e.g. extra fees when arriving on an island. It's descriptions were all pretty vague. In the end we didn't really use it and left in our room in Thailand because it was just an unnecessary weight to carry.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Thailand
I have used the Lonely Planet books many times and always found them useful if not something I would treat as Gospel. This is of the normal standard and can be very useful.
Published 3 months ago by Nopalaver
Thailand lonley planet
I bought the lonley planet for my next trip that will be im x-mas
It have got a lot of info witch it will help me alots.
I think that it is great
A.
It have got a lot of info witch it will help me alots.
I think that it is great
A.
Published 5 months ago by ana m amores
Over Rated, Frustrating
Previously Lonely Planet guidebooks have been great, but with their increasing popularity I think they are letting their standards slip. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J
Everything you need to know
Excellent informative book on Thailand. A great help in organizing our itinerary and booking hotels. Looking forward to the visit already.
Published 7 months ago by Davanport Ltd
Excellent condition
This book has been very helpful in planning our next trip. its informative and comprehensive. It arrived in excellent condition.
Published 8 months ago by LisaLoo
No travels without Lonely Planet
A great book. If you are planning to go to any country - in this case Thailand you can not be without this book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by NimmerSoft
Intresting Information
This book is full of very interesting information but untill I have actually been I can't say how accurate that information is. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Dellboy
Lonely Planet Thailand
Excellent book, very helpful in planning my holiday to Thailand.There is information on virtually everything you can think of for all types of holliday. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Sandy
Fantastic
I was extremely happy with my product, the price,delivery time and quality of it were all fantastic, and the book itself has provided me with valuable insights and information for... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Fainche
Useful to a point
We've gotten a lot of use out of LP. The Thailand guide was no exception. The guide prepared us for what we could expect to face and enjoy in every corner of the country. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Nancy Chenier
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