Cultured Travel Guide Books - Israel & the Palestinian Territories (Country Guide) |
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List Price: $21.99
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781864502770
ISBN: 1864502770
Label: Lonely Planet
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2007-03-01
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Studio: Lonely Planet |
| Spotlight Customer Reviews: |
Customer Rating:  
Summary: Inaccurate information
Comment: This is the first time that I have used the Lonely Planet series and it may be the last. I found that the restaurants recommended were mediocre, the lodging descriptions were only vaguely accurate and worst of all, the directions for finding the cafes & internet access was both poorly done and at times completely inaccurate. I will admit that the fact that the guide listed internet cafes, etc was quite nice. In addition, I thought that the description of the history and sites was quite helpful. However, if you instead choose the guide by Eyewitness Travel, you will find excellent descriptions and pictures of the sites and, in my experience, better restaurant and lodging recommendations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you're interested in hitting the main attractions as well as some off the beaten path suggestions, this is the guide for you!
Comment: This is the second Lonely Planet guide that I have used and am pleased to report that I was not disappointed. This guide offered a perfect blend of history, culture, and touristy tid-bits. While I only used the Jerusalem and West Bank sections, this book is great for traveling anywhere in the area. Often traveling to interesting places, at least for me, leads to prioritizing the 'must-sees' with a blend of 'I think that would be really cool to sees', and this book helps sorting those out. If you only buy one travel guide, I'd recommend this for serious contention.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Poor quality as a guide. Plus one long political sell
Comment: Forget this book, even if you're going into the territories.
Compared to Fodor's and Fromer's, very few attractions listed for anywhere (1-2 for every 5-6 in the other guides). Descriptions are paultry and mostly political commentary, and have substantial logistical errors in it.
The book is written with distain towards Israel at every corner. Not a mindset I want for anyplace I'm traveling though. People regularly come back from Israel reporting how much they loved it, so this book is missing what almost every tourist can spot! The only time the distain lifts is in the terroritories where it glows. Even there though the glaring inaccuracies and errors made it a no-go. I had plans to go into the territories and wound up borrowing an internet connection to get the details I needed.
Essentially the book is written as one long political statement. I would enjoy the "facts" from a "different" view - except that they are as inaccurate as the attraction descriptions...often even contradicting and illogical within their own wording. Then if you know any history it gets totally strange.
Their description of why it's safe to go into the territories is - to make sure you look like a tourist because tourists aren't targeted. This is true, but they should have expanded beyond one very short paragraph for this third of their book so people could decide for themselves.
It's not a tourguide book and to the extent it pretends to add any guide info, one'd be better off getting the info elsewhere.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reliable, as always
Comment: Preparing a ten days trip to Isarael I find this guide very useful and plenty with living tips.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: As a center for Judaism, Christianity, & Islam I was really excited about reading up on the section on Jerusalem. I'm planning to visit in May but after reading this guidebook, I'm left disheartened. This is the first time I've been disappointed by LP. This book doesn't do a good job of representing the 'Holy Land' traveler. The attitude that the best reason to visit sites with religious significance like the Church of the Ascension & The Mount of Olives are their 'spectacular views' is a let-down. Give me a break! The "Haram Ash-Sharif/Temple Mount" is covered very poorly. And forget about The Dome of the Rock which they didn't cover because it was only open to Muslims that day (probably because it was Friday- so SMART). I was expecting a guidebook on the 'Holy Land' to be a little more sensitive to the religious significance of the sites & would not try to serve as a reader on history tinged with political bias. I was expecting useful info like: what time to go, what is the best entrance, tips & shortcuts. For GOD'S SAKE get a Jewish, Christian, & Muslim correspondent to cover their respective sites so that they're adequately & accurately represented. This way pilgrim will find useful & relevant information. We don't need cut & paste history lessons.
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| Editorial Reviews: |
Discover Israsel and the Palestinian Territories
Listen for church bells and the call to prayer as the golden light of late afternoon illuminates Jerusalem.
Dig your feet into the sand at a Tel Aviv beachside bar.
Tend organic vegetables and fertilize your mind at Kibbutz Lotan.
Start a conversation in the West Bank - how do you pickle olives?
In This Guide
Six authors, 234 days of research, 12 army roadblocks, countless falafels.
History and Environment chapters by renowned experts.
The only guidebook with detailed coverage of the West Bank and Gaza.
You asked for it, we researched it: more sustainable travel experiences than ever, from eco-hotels to hiking trips.
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