Lonely Planet Dominican Republic (Country Guide)

The new Lonely Planet book for the DR is not so great. Quite a few things are already out of date - maybe things change really rapidly here, but I also found some of the recommendations were really disappointing, even irresponsible.

I bought this book for a trip I'm going on next week. While I have not used it 'in country' yet, I have traveled to many other places, using a Lonely Planet guide as my bible. I find them better than the competitor's guides primarily for their organization, and ease of finding the information you need, fast. The 'Sleeping' sections allow you to easily choose the best hotel option that fits you and your trip, and the 'Getting there & away' section not only tells you where transport is located, but the price, and importantly, the duration. Having this book in my hand next week will allow me to make easy, quick decisions, and concentrate on the most important thing - having fun.

I did not even buy this edition based on the Amazon reviews. I bought the previous edition with Joyce Connolly's fine information that got me through my trip to Port-au-Prince. I hope Lonely Planet is able to correct their error and return Haiti back to good standing.

Excellent book for those planning to visit the DR but shun the resorts and want to see the actual country and people and do so inexpensively.

Lonely Planet has earned my loyalty through a lifetime of travel, but this guide is a glaring exception to their usual quality. Although it may be useful as a background read, it is so fraught with misinformation that it is worthless as an actual travel guide.

In addition to pervasive map inaccuracies, misquoted prices, misprints, and overly generous descriptions, the book's major shortcoming is that the country has changed so much since this edition was released that many of the businesses reviewed no longer exist and newer businesses aren't mentioned.


Do not buy this book until they come out with a new edition.