As usual, Lonely Planet have attacked this project with vigour and research and produced a comprehensive guide to the Middle East. However, as is the problem with the "Shoestring" editions, a vast amount has to be left out, an enormous of amount of information must be precised in order to produce a managable, helpful guide for a region. Local knowledge of an area is vital to ensure that the correct points, places of interest and general information are included. Unfortunately, LP have hit slightly wide of the mark with this region. It is an area which is full of history and a culture that is very sensitive to the western ideals and my advice would be to purchase each country's book separately. Whilst this is a more expensive and even bulky alternative, simply sell, swap or send home the discarded books.

I understand that LP are in the process of producing further separate guides thus breaking down this region again, which will be excellent. The guide itself, however, is a good read though!

As all of Lonely Planet's guidebooks, this is of course an excellent travel tool, and truly "sets the standard". Any traveler is surely better off to the South Pacific with, rather than without, this densely written and wonderfully filled book (even though, for this particular destination, the Moon Handbook for the South Pacific would also be a very good choice). However, two things should be said about this particular LP guidebook. First, its coverage is hampered by the region's magnitude and diversity. The effort to cover so many different islands, with their own realities, their own peoples and cultures, is surely a noble endeavour. Yet, it resulted in lack of clarity, and data which is vague or uncomplete, especially on some countries (such as those of Micronesia) more than others. Getting separate LP guidebooks for individual countries or sub-regions (Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Rarotonga & Cook Islands, Tahiti & French Polynesia, etc) would be a much better choice for the discerning traveler - even though it may involve carrying a bit of extra weight around the beautiful seas and skyes of the South Pacific. Second, this guidebook suffers from an evident's "author's bias" in favour of the region. It is quite natural and inevitable, and also very positive, for authors to feel that their region is the best and nicest on our planet, home to the finest wonders of this world (to have the opposite, namely authors who are biased against their own regions, would be horrible). Yet, not all regions of the world can be great and perfect, and their peoples the finest and most friendly. Unknowing travelers should not be led to believe this. The South Pacific can indeed be a very tough place: not all islands and places are as great and beautiful as they may appear from this guidebook, getting around and having a nice time is not always easy (in fact, the region can be horribly frustrating), and the people are not always as pleasant as one might wish. By following indications for visa requirements for the Republic of Kiribati ("British citizens do not require visas"), I found myself pushed back on the aircraft, having to force my way in order to remain on the ground, and avoiding one nigt in a cell only thanks to the intervention of HM High Commissioner. Likewise, in Nauru it is not true that "you'll get a visa on arrival, provided the hotels have rooms". The Otintaai Hotel in Kiribati (allegedly the best in the country) does not have hot water as is claimed in the guidebook, and the Waterfront Villa Hotel in Palau (allegedly "the best deal around") is apparently so simply because the owners are extremely rude and prone to cheating, able to make your stay in beautiful Palau a real hell. Altogether, many countries which may sound like earthly paradises, are simply not so. The people, who are made seem friendly almost without exception, can be extremely obnoxious and difficult, not always happy to receive foreigners - especially in Micronesia and to a lesser extent in Melanesia, yet not so much in Polynesia. The advice contained in this guidebook should be taken with great care. Yet, in the end this remains a truly valuable tool, in a region so hard to get to know, where getting around and finally managing to enjoying one's trip - for those who do decide to go - can be truly hard. The sections on culture, wildlife, etc., despite their being rather summary, are extremely valuable and provide enjoyable reading. This book may not be up to the Lonely Planet standard (we should also consider that this is only the guidebook's first edition); but, considered LP's already high standards, it is not bad at all.

I am currently planning my walking holiday in France, so I am trying to learn as much as I can before I arrive. I found this book to be helpful in as far as it dealt with practical matters of conditions in France; such as visas, telephones and doctors. It also gave a good indication of the attractions that walkers will find in France on a regional basis.

I felt, however, that for a country famous for its very long distance trails, this book had an unhappy focus on short, often single day, walks. To be fair, it dealt in detail with the gruelling "GR20" trail in Corsica, but that was the only real endurance walk that it looked at. Given that these walks are my focus, I found this book to be something of a disappointment.

That being said, someone looking to enliven his holiday with one or more short, possibly overnight, walks could do a lot worse than this handy little book.

I sure was expecting more from a Lonely Planet publication. As other reviewers wrote--most of these stories were boring and not well written. I gave it one shining star for the story by Ryan Ver Berkmoes! He wrote an interesting story with a few snide remarks scattered thru-out. His was the only story, really, fun to read.

I am a regular reader and user of the Lonely Planet guidebooks for several Asian countries, and I love the way they are written and all the funny little comments and horror tales.

I expected this book to be full of hilarious stories from around the world, but it isn't. Most of these stories are boring and lame. The good ones don't justify paying money for this book. Several of the stories are poorly written.

I was really looking forward reading the book, as the cover promises the reader some disaster stories from "the people" themselves. Well, after reading the book I can only say: if you guys call that disaster stories you have a boring live and how in the hell can you write such a good guidebooks?! For example: Tony Wheelers story about Mt. Kailash is entertaining and its great to read about Kailash as a destination, but the disaster he experiences is what I call not very impressive. Lonely Planet should stick to updating their fine guidebooks more regulary instead of putting their brand on inferior stuff.

I wish I had read the reviews of the first volume of this series because if I had I might have not wasted both the money, and time I spent on this book.

It is almost impossible for me to believe these are even the second best stories that Lonely Planet could find among all the writers they have hired over the years. This book actually makes it less likely I will use their guidebooks from now on. Why should I use a company that seems to hire people who are either drunk much of the time, naive beyond belief, or both.

The travails of a man who got so drunk he missed his charter flight home from the Canary Islands. Another story of having a dental plate worked on during a holiday. Is this really the best stories they can find?

While there are several moderately good stories here, spend your money more wisely on some great travel books by Dervla Murphy, Pico Iyer or, if you really want to read about someone pushing the envelope, try Danziger's Travels.