Mexico (Country Guide)

Lonely Planet has done a superb job of capturing Mexico's diverse offerings in one totable book. Whether you're headed for Baja or Chiapas, this is an essential reference with excellent coverage of Mexico City, regional arts and crafts (including how to buy handicrafts), helpful Web sites, and a useful traveler's Spanish language section. --Kathryn True

Product Description
Sensuous and seductive, Mexicoa s rich cultural traditions and raw, untamed natural beauty transcend the ages. Trample through jungles and high-plains deserts, explore ancient rites at mysterious Maya and Aztec ruins, or simply stretch out on a honey-kissed beach until manana comes a find your own a querido Mexicoa with this informed, comprehensive guide.

a Xa Marks The Spot a The secrets of the Olmec, Toltec and more are at your fingertips. Indiana Jones would be proud.

Gather No Moss a Roll into adventure with comprehensive activity listings and more than 180 maps.

The Hammock Also Rises a Spend a day, a month or a lifetime checking out Mexicoa s secret beach spots. Top local tips get you closer to the sandy solitude of Mexicoa s lost coasts.

Ramblin' Gourmets a Discover la nueva cocina mexicana or simply chow down on fish tacos with our informed food reviews.

The Mexico guide is a good, complete guide. Filled with information, history and beautiful pictures about almost every corner of this gorgeous country. Reading the whole book gives you a good update on your history and geography knowledge! (Something to do if you are trekking around by bus like I did!)

I have always been satisfied with the LP guides. The information given is good, just what you need to get around. The only negative with this book (and the reason I give it 4 and not 5 stars) is that it was completely outdated on prices etc. Another thing (that goes for most of the travel guides) is that many of the hotels that are listed in the book has gotten so much (too much?) business so that the service is down to a minimum. This we found especially in Isla Mujeres where the price was the double of what the book said, and really lousy customer service, if any.


Dont leave home without it   January 20, 1999
R. Ritzman (Seattle, WA)
45 out of 49 found this review helpful

Lonely planet guides are absolutely invaluable for the independant adventurous budget-minded traveler, and LP Mexico is no exception. Included are informative sections on pre-departure info, cultural tips, etc. I travelled extensively throughout Mexico with the 5th edition last year, and it really got me to explore some of the remote places I otherwise wouldn't have found- such as the silver towns of Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Taxco. Plus, out of the way beaches, hard-to-find ruins, centotes, you name it. They're covered. Don't borrow you'r friend's old dog-eared copy of the 3rd of 4th edition. Spend the money on the latest edition, because price info is almost always out of date within months after printing, and an older edition is usually hopelessly out of date. I found myself disregarding their accommodations recommendations, because once a place finds its way into the LP Guide, their visitor traffic usually increases exponentially, the staff gets surly, and prices go up. If you're just going to Cancun, Mazatlan, etc, skip this book, but if you're not afraid to venture out into the 'real mexico', grab it.


A little bit disappointing...   December 14, 1999
A. Saha (Brasilia, Brasil)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

In comparison to the LP guide for India ( an old edition I used in 1989 ), the mexico guide is rather disappointing.. at least for DF and Oaxaca state. Firstly, this is still the current edition for 1999, when it was compiled in 1997. The info on coastal Oaxaca is pre-hurricane Pauline, and often cannot be relied on, i found on a recent trip ( November ). A more serious flaw is that there is almost NO info as regards hiking and other outdoor activities. Just places of interest and shopping.

Travel information is incomplete. For instance, for getting to the Pacific coast from Oaxaca city, only the direct buses are listed, which are few in a day. The hourly ordinarios find no mention. Of course one could find this out on reaching oaxaca, but it would help planning if this info had been included. Maps sometimes disappoint too. The map of Oaxaca city could have been slightly larger in range. Mexico City maps are practically useless for travelling around, except Map 1 which shows the entire metropolis region. The other maps are of selected areas. What would be useful is a map of DF that is larger in scale, maybe a foldout. I had to purchase a map as the LP ones were of not much use. Other reasons for disappointment are more subtle.. again in relation to that old India guide which had fantastic humor and an understanding for the country's sociocultural mileau. Not so here.. some of the Oaxaca perspectives were very clearly "gringo-ish".

It is still a very useful guide, however.


Lonely Planet is too lazy or [penny-pinching]...   April 21, 2003
23 out of 28 found this review helpful

Lonely Planet seems to be too lazy or [penny-pinching] to keep their guides truly updated. Oh, they may have a 2002 edition, fine, but is it truly updated? Has someone actually GONE to the hotels and checked prices? Has someone actually had a meal in the recommended restaurant in this decade and reported back? Unfortunately the answer is no.

The prices in the book are WAY off! I realize there can be some fluctuations, but I mean, we're talking 40-50% more than the books say, which leads me to believe no one from Lonely Planet has actually GONE there to ask prices in the past 2-3 years!

Also, some of their recommendations, for example in Guadalajara, for hotels are terrible. Lousy overpriced hotels. Meanwhile, I found one on my own (the Don Quixote) that was very nice, and reasonable.

I think this book is okay if you want a general idea of the places and culture and etc. of Mexico, but for specific recommendations of restaurants and hotels, it is mostly useless!