Travel to Tahiti

Lonely Planet Tahiti & French Polynesia (Lonely Planet Tahiti and French Polynesia)

Format: Paperback
Author: Becca Blond
ReleaseDate: May, 2006
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

Good, but needed more
I got the sense much hotel information was pilfered from Web surfing the basic info, rather than first-person investigation. I've used many Lonely Planet (LP) guides and found this one to be lacking their usual detail. While still a good book to take, next time (and there will be a next time because Tahiti is wonderful) I'll be sure take another guide along with it, and to thoroughly read actual travelers' online reviews. I'll also know the questions I need to ask before booking. My sense was that the reviewers weren't seeing things through the fresh-eyes of a first time traveler. The details, such as directions accommodation features were often lacking.

One thing I've always liked about LP is that they will list small locally owned budget places - that are occasionally hidden gems - whereas many other guides only list "approved" chain-type accommodations. However, in this book key information about lodging was missing. For example, it's very uncommon to find window screens in Polynesia despite a lot of mosquitoes, yet it is not standard for the book to say if there are screens or mosquito netting at each location (sometimes there are neither). Screens would be a big selling point for me. In Lonely Planet's India guide - which I was quite happy with - they deliberately note whether hotels have air-conditioning or not; in this guide this rather important information (for the tropics) is randomly added. Sometimes we'd get there and they'd have AC and sometimes they wouldn't. A more specific example is a pension primarily described as "friendly" - which it was in spades - with no mention that there's one bathroom shared with 8 people and that doesn't have hot water. With what prices are in Tahiti, poor information is very costly. One "resort" (our over-water bungalow splurge) was merely described as "competitive with other luxury resorts. " Come to find out it had bedbugs and no air-conditioning.

If level of detail can be evidenced by pages numbers, note that LP's Hawaii guide (five main islands) is 615 pages, while their Tahiti guide (50+ islands/atolls, with ten commonly traveled) is a only 287 pages.

Outdated!!!
It also reads like a text book, no passion, no flavor, very boring. I was expecting more from lonely planet but aside from the maps, the book is obsolete. The sections on each area are not very big at all. .

Excellant Guide book
We have now been there three times to three difference islands, and each time it preformed well. This book did a wonderful job of not only preparing us for the journey, but help us get around. Although with all travel books they get out to date in a year or two, you should always call a head to verify critical information.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Tahiti travel books.

	Tahiti & French Polynesia Guide, 4th Ed. (Open Road Travel Guides Tahiti and French Polynesia Guide)
	Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands
	Hidden Tahiti and French Polynesia: Including Moorea, Bora Bora, and the Society, Austral, Gambier, Tuamotu, and Marquesas Islands (Hidden Tahiti)
	Insight Compact Guide Tahiti & French Polynesia (Insight Compact Guides)