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MELEE

I decided not to make this a poll because there are so many options out there and I don't know them all.

What is your favo(u)rite guide book to Mexico? And Why?

danielita · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 281 Location: SLP

I like Let's Go! Mexico for a general guidebook. I find that Lonely Planet is a victim of its own success. Many of the restaurants and hotels that make it into LP become too busy/popular and can't handle the increased volume which in turn impacts the quality. It could also be that I am too old for LP now and care less about how cheap I can get a hotel room.

Moon puts out a really good book for Oaxaca State and I am very impressed with it. I have not looked at the Moon book for Mexico, but I imagine that would also be very good.

D

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I find that no one guidebook does it all. We have a collection of books here that we share amongst the teachers.

Michael1710 · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 16 Location: Mentally in Mexico

I've thoroughly enjoyed Peoples Guide to Mexico. It is informative and very humorous in parts. Especially the section on Mexican Buses and hitchhiking. Had me rolling.

It helped me out on my trip to Copper Canyon.

Michael

MELEE · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:18 pm Post subject:

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

If I had to narrow it down to only one book I would select the LP guide.
But I think that, cop out or no, it's difficult to rely on only one book for info. LP has the most comprehensive coverage, and of the others, I prefer the Rough Guide by a hair to Let's Go.

saraswati · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 200

I prefer Rough Guide. LP was renamed "Liar's Planet" by a few of our teachers because it was less than accurate.

stllnpt3 · Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 4 Location: M�xico

i brought a 6 yr old footprint mexico with me when i came down a year ago, and i am still using it when i go places new and out of the way. part of the fun is knowing that after six years lots of places will be gone, but to be honest, most of the times it is still fairly accurate. not a huge fan of lonely planet, but before i ever even came i read a lot of the lp, rough guide and the people�s guide to kind of orient myself to where i was going.

on a side note, i am going to explore central america (mainly guatemala, honduras and el salvador) for a few weeks and i need to find a good guide book in either puebla or oaxaca city. any ideas on where i should go (i would love a used one but i dont count on that down here) or a good guide? thanks

sarliz · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Jalisco

I've really liked using Moon Handbooks on Oaxaca and the Yucatan penninsula. On a few occasions I've compared them with other travellers' books, and there's been some pretty good stuff listed that missing from the other big fellas. I've never looked to see if they do a general Mexico one, though. Has anyone seen/used it?

MELEE · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:55 pm Post subject:

periodista-masajista · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Texas, USA

Lonely Planet is a little youth-oriented and some of the listings aren't accurate, but that has as much to do with the way businesses change and come and go as it does with LP's sources and editing. I like Rough Guide a little better, even though it's not as comprehensive...they may have fewer listings, but they're usually very well-chosen, as opposed to two-sentence blurbs about all the obvious tourist spots on any given main street or zocalo. I also really appreciate the cultural contexts that Rough Guide supplies. And Rough Guide can be unintentionally funny for a North American to read since it's written for Brits Razz

"Oh, the terrific heat and enourmous insects one encounters!"

That said, Lonely Planet has better maps. And I'm all about maps. Get both.