Book Description
With coconut palms and white-sand beaches, vibrant cities and tranquil coves, the Caribbean's rich mix of islands offers endless possibilities for the ultimate tropical escape. Whether you want to dive among shipwrecks, stretch out on dry land or cast away with a glass of rum, this comprehensive and practical guide is the key to unlocking your Caribbean dream.
PLAN YOUR TRIP - inspiring itineraries, insider tips and over 70 maps help you get to the heart of the islands.
SLEEP IN STYLE - hand-picked accommodations to suit all budgets, from rustic beachside huts to luxurious resorts.
LEARN THE LINGO - easy-to-use Caribbean language chapter covers French, Spanish and Dutch basics.
FEEL THE BEAT - from Carnivals and jump-ups to reggae festivals and live jazz, immerse yourself in the music scene with our in-depth entertainment listings.
FUN IN THE SUN - extensive options for land and water activities, including a dedicated Diving & Snorkeling chapter.
Customer Reviews:
As usual.......2007-07-03
As usual, the Lonely Planet book delivers tons of information for travelers of all incomes. Especially helpful are tips on where to go to avoid cruise ship crowds. However, I had to skip the chapter on Cuba, because of the US travel ban. And the chapters on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic should probably only be used to decide whether or not you want to go to those places. If so, you should probably buy the Lonely Planet books dedicated exclusively to them.
Perfect for trip planning.......2005-11-27
At 800+ pages, this is too heavy to lug around, but it's perfect for planning a trip and deciding where to visit. After you've planned your itinerary, I suggest buying a more specialized LP (Lonely Planet) guide to take with you - a small price to pay for a successful vacation.
Cuba gets the longest chapter (a whopping 59pp), followed by the Dominican Republic (48pp), Trinidad & Tobago (47pp), Bahamas (43pp), and Jamaica (42pp). However, the book's warnings about Jamaican crime will cause most travellers to rethink their itinerary. Haiti receives a token 18 pages due to the turmoil there. At the other end of the spectrum, the shortest chapters are on Saba and St. Eustatius (10pp each).
I enjoy the LP writing style, and I like their emphasis on practical tidbits. For example, don't fly directly from Aruba to the U.S. because you'll be in line for two hours at the Aruba airport due to understaffing by U.S. customs officers (yes, U.S.) who handle pre-clearance procedures. This is the kind of nuts-and-bolts information for which LP is famous, and enables visitors to avoid vacation hell.
Pet peeves: The chapters covering the 26 jurisdictions seem to be in random order - why not alphabetical? LP has always been famous for their maps, but lately their maps have been using one shade of gray for water and a slightly different shade of gray for land, which is tough on the eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Diving Guide for Bonaire.......2007-05-13
Tim totally "Rocks"! This is the most up-to-date, useful, and well laid-out diving guide when going to Bonaire. Tim's descriptions made it very easy to plan dives, especially shore dives (Bonaire has tons of them!). Combined with his great pictures, we felt like we had already visited each site before actually getting there! The only (very minor) discrepancies were on some sites which were classified in the (blue shaded) summaries as "Boat" access, whereas they were described in the text as shore dives also (and we confirmed this while there). We can't wait to try out Tim's guides to other locations. Thanks!
Beautiful photography and loaded with information.......2007-01-24
We thoroughly enjoyed reading this guidebook, while on vacation recently in Mexico. Bonaire will be our next stop! Tim Rock is obviously a very accomplished photographer. The photos are beautiful. Each dive site has a description of the shore entry, depths where the best diving is found, commonly seen species, and notes about current, surf, misc hazards, etc. My only suggestions for future editions would be even more photos showing what the entries look like, and more detailed information about how far offshore the reef dropoff or mooring buoys are. Sometimes the description says "it's a long swim out", but I'd like to know what kind of distance we're talking about. And maybe a star rating for the dive sites? I know it's subjective, but it would provide a starting point when trying to pick from so many potential dive sites.
Book Description
Rising up from their shallow limestone banks, the Turks and Caicos Islands are set like jewels amid warm turquoise waters. Jump in and encounter tropical fish, sea turtles, wild dolphins, sharks, rays and maybe even humpback whales. Descend along bottomless walls lushly covered with corals and sponges. Explore deserted cayes, where the protected rock iguanas thrive. With miles of white-sand beaches, excellent visibility, unspoiled reefs, spectacular walls and abundant marine life, this British Crown Colony is an increasingly popular dive destination, yet it remains peaceful and easy-going. This book describes 44 of the region's best dive sites, with full-color photos throughout.
You'll get specific information on:
- dive site depth range, access and conditions
- common and hazardous marine life
- topside activities and attractions
- comprehensive list of diving services
- 10 easy-to-read maps
Customer Reviews:
Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Turks & Caicos.......2003-05-05
I purchased this book after having vacationed in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 10 days, and dived 16 of the dive sites mentioned in the book...some of them twice. The descriptions are very precise, as I was able to compare the authors comments with my own that I recorded in my dive log. It's not the first and only Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Guide that I own, nor will it be the last.
Product Description
Recognized as the birthplace of diving in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands is one of the world's top dive destinations with its clear waters, plunging walls and prolific marine life. Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman offer varying diving attractions. Experience Grand Cayman's Stingray City, "the world's best 12ft dive," and Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall, legendary for its near-vertical drops just below the surface. At Cayman Brac, explore the hemisphere's only diveable Russian wreck. This book describes 56 of the Cayman's best dive sites, with full-color photos throughout.
Customer Reviews:
Snorkeling guide? What Snorkeling Guide?.......2002-04-25
I bought this book sight unseen because most of Lonely Planets guides are very good. However there are almost no references to snorkeling in the book. The info is all about diving and even that is not very in depth. Adding snorkeling to the title seems to be a blatent attempt to sell more books.
Better Choices Elsewhere........2000-09-28
After using Lonely Planet books exclusively to tour Europe, I expected the same thoroughness in this book. I was surprised how incomplete this book is. My friend did pick a better book while in Grand Cayman, unfortunately the title eludes me at this time. Lonely Planet only touches the surface on the available dive sites but if you want quick easy reading without high expectations then this is the book for you.
Book Description
Comprising some 40 islands and cays in the northeast corner of the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands are low-key and uncommercial. Topside, they offer lush subtropical forests and endless pristine beaches. Underwater, divers and snorkelers delight in coral-covered pinnacles, caverns, walls and shipwrecks, including the famed 19th-century RMS Rhone. Once a notorious pirate hideaway, today's British Virgin Islands continue to be a sailors' paradise and are counted among the Caribbean's premier yachting destinations. This book describes 63 of the British Virgin Islands' best dive sites, with full-color photos throughout.
You'll get specific information on:
- depth range, access and conditions
- Common and hazardous marine life
- Topside activities and attractions
- Diving services, live-aboards and yacht charters
- 8 easy-to-read maps
Customer Reviews:
An essential guide to BVI diving and snorkeling.......2000-07-10
This book picks out the twenty-one best diving sites in the British Virgin Islands and gives a page or two of descriptive text about each. Each dive site has one or more pictures to show the reader what to expect. Each dive site also has some general descriptions such as the typical depth, the current condidtions, how to access the site, and what expertise is required. There is a map on which all of the sites are located. There is a rating system the book uses to inform the diver whether a place is suitable for a beginner or an expert. The book also serves as a general guide to the BVI, including history, food, culture, lodging, and tourist information. The book includes some helpful tips on diving in the BVI and warns about the dangers underwater.
Very comprehensive.......2000-03-30
Our group used this guide in doing dives from our yacht in the BVI. I found it to be comprehensive enough to help us to find the dive sites fairly well without asking too many questions of the locals. There were only one or two sites which we wanted to dive which we didn't find.
I liked the ratings of the dives from beginner to expert but I think adding a 'star' rating would help people to determine what particular dive to choose when there are many choices. Also helpful would be to include a map of the dive site (some other dive books do this) which would help in planning the dive. These are the only reasons I didn't give this book a 5 star rating.
This book was also valuable in explaining potential problems with dives such as currents or choppy seas. It also provided the maximum and minimum depths and these were pretty much on target. The book was definitely a valuable asset on our trip.
Book Description
Rolling green slopes, swaying palms and powdery beaches set the scene in America's little corner of the Caribbean. More than 2 million tourists a year visit the U.S. Virgin Islands, flocking here for the tropical climate, duty-free bargains and diving beneath warm, crystal-clear seas. Sites feature lush reefs, walls and intact wrecks that shelter more than 500 species of fish. Nondivers can snorkel atop coral gardens, visit an aquarium or tour the reefs on a 65 ft submarine. This book describes 53 of the territory's best dive sites, with full-color photos throughout.
You'll get specific information on:
- Dive site topography and access
- Topside activities and attractions
- Common and hazardous marine life
- Dive shop and cruise line listings
- 7 easy-to-read maps
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-04-11
I had a hard time finding a complete dive book for St.Croix--most of them focus on the other U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a complete map of all of the dive sites and on land ammenities.
Five Sea Stars.......2006-07-26
Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully constructed, this book offers something for everyone interested in exploring the amazing underwater landscapes of the USVI. Beginning divers and snorkelers will appreciate the overview of practicalities about how to get there, various underwater options, and other things to do when your extremities start to get pruney from all that time in the water.
More expert divers and those already familiar with the area can flip right to the heart of the book and delve into the descriptions of the many dive/snorkel sites. On our recent trip we stuck entirely with St. John, and I heartily agree with the author's assessment that Leinster Bay is one of the best snorkeling spots on the island. We can't wait to go back.
My only recommendation for the 2nd edition of the book would be to include even more sites accessible from shore for those spur-of-the-moment snorkeling expeditions.
We will definitely be bringing this book along on our next trip to the USVI!
Grateful author responds ..........2005-08-30
Thanks to those of you who have already purchased a copy of Diving & Snorkeling U.S. Virgin Islands! I'm glad most of you are pleased with the book, and I truly appreciate your feedback. Your suggestions will help me improve the next edition of the book. Keep your comments coming!
Shark Man, I am sorry the book didn't meet your expectations, but I would like to clarify something about coverage given to snorkeling sites.
While the snorkeling sidebar does list just names of popular snorkeling sites (favorites of mine and many other Virgin Islanders), the 53 extended dive site descriptions include several that are also excellent snorkeling sites. These are listed in the book index under "Snorkeling Sites" and identified with a snorkeling icon in the site descriptions.
As you were on a snorkeling trip, I'll take your criticism of my dive site descriptions with a grain of sea salt. =8D
Best!
Dave Lauterborn
(...)
NOT for SNORKELING !!!!!.......2005-07-27
I bought this book for our snorkeling trip to the US Virgin Islands and I was extremely disappointed with it. The snorkeling information in this book consists of a list of 11 of the "top snorkeling spots" that are the same common sites you see in any travel book or website.....it doesn't even describe them or give you any information on them. The dive site info consists of short descriptions of 53 sites in the USVI, which I would rate at fair to good (for diving). About a third of the book is about things like history, shopping, airlines, etc., which are much better covered by any travel guide. If you're looking for a snorkeling guide don't waste your money on this book.
great companion.......2005-07-10
We used this book a ton on our recent trip to the USVI. We were just snorkeling, and found the tips, sealife info and site information that helped us immensely. We fell in love with the VI and are looking forward to exploring more next summer. We just puchased the same book for the BVI and can't wait to go snorkeling next summer there!
This book has great photos and information - I'm so glad I brought it with us on our trip.
Book Description
Recognized as the birthplace of diving in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands are among the world's top dive destinations with their clear waters, plunging walls and prolific marine life - including the famous rays of Stingray City. This book describes the well-established dive operations and the best sites in the region, some just minutes from the beach.
In This Guide:
Detailed dive information to 68 sites
Full-color photos throughout
Easy-to-read maps of dive regions
Guide to marine life
Travel logistics and topside attractions
Book Description
The islands of the Caribbean are home to a cuisine as diverse as it is delectable. Fertile soil and bountiful seas provide inter-island as well as regional specialties, and this guide will usher you to each island's table. You'll discover how to crack open conch, mix a rum-soaked mojito and celebrate Carnival, Caribbean style. If your pantry needs a calypso kick, or if you do, the Caribbean and its cuisine are the stepping stones to sun, sand and sustenance.
- the essential guide to the culture of food & drink in the Caribbean
- concocting cocktails across the islands
- a tropical twist on Spanish, Dutch, English and French cuisine
- rum, cigars & Hemingway haunts
- the definitve Caribbean dictionary for every food and drink occasion
- tantalising photography and recipes
Customer Reviews:
Cultural Stew = A Caribbean Marketbasket.......2002-11-05
11/4/2002
World Food Caribbean,
"For people who live to eat, drink & travel"
by Bruce Geodes
This compact guide features a colorful history of the region, even etiquette, and each food group is addressed under:
Staples & Specialties and includes Drinks,
Home Cooking & Traditions,
Food festivals
Caribbean region cultures
Shopping and Markets
Where to Eat and Drink
Caribbean Banquets
Caribbean Culinary Dictionary.
Although the Caribbean region, the West Indies, is one group of islands, their remoteness has caused each island to reflect the ways of whoever conquered them in the past. The major conquerors were the English, the Spanish, the Dutch and the French. Each island's blend also represented the ethnic background of imported laborers to work their back-breaking sugar fields. These workers came from India, Asia and Africa and each brought their eating habits and usually some seeds for the future. Additionally, the Amerindians, or original inhabitants, had simple fare which mixed in with the ways of conquering cultures and in-coming laborers. This three-way juncture created foods and ways available no other way. The book contains some recipes.
Fruits, often beautiful and exotic, grow abundantly on the islands, and the book goes into some detail about many of them. A rum factory is usually found on many islands, for it is an important byproduct of sugar, so is the manufacture of a local beer. The many fruits lend to signature Rum Punches. Fruit shows up frequently in main dish recipes, as well.
In a land of islands, it stands to reason fish and seafood figure highly in the Caribbean region diet. Herbs and spices grow abundantly too which causes the people to depend upon them for medicinal reasons and bush teas in addition to seasoning food. West Indies grown nutmeg, mace, ginger and garlic add to the flair of local cuisines. Chile peppers, coconut and island-grown spices dress up local foods, while basic beans, rice and tubers balance a rich diet.
Look up festivals and carnivals which are big in the islands, some named "Crop Over," celebrating the completion of the sugar harvest. Others are cook-offs and those associated with the Lenten season. A quick catch-up is the book's green inserts entitled, "Don't Miss," which line out sights as well as foods to try. Some random samplings:
Dutch:
Curacao, Aruba, Bonnaire and Sint Maarten - Dutch cheeses, iguana soup, Indonesian and Papiamento cuisines.
French:
Guadeloupe, Martinique and Haiti, French-influenced with wines from France, spicy Creole fish dishes, fresh baked goods. Hatian music is especially lilting.
English:
Jamaica, ackee & salt fish, jerk pork with recipe
Barbados, its coo-coo and flying fish
Trinidad, roti, hot curries, callalloo soup, cou-cou (cuscous),
Nassau, conch
Spanish:
Cuba, pizza, jamon (ham) chorizo sausage and onion
Puerto Rico, sofrito
The Food Directory is broken down into upscale, pubs and mid-range, fast food/cheap eateries, street food and bars. Catchy island music is to be savored on each island from Jamaica's Bob Marley to Trinidad's Mighty Sparrow.
The book's Fit and Healthy chapter discusses your health and what to look out for particularly if allergies, diabetic issues and diarrhea intervene.
Just reading World Food Caribbean's "Eat your Words," quick 30-page Culinary Dictionary will put the visitor way ahead of the Caribbean food game. This handy, small, informational book with outstanding photography is a must for your next West Indian trip.
Enjoy!
© Marty Martindale, 2002, Largo FL
Books:
- Lonely Planet Central Asia
- Lonely Planet Costa Rica
- Lonely Planet Croatia
- Lonely Planet Cuba
- Lonely Planet East Africa
- Lonely Planet Egypt
- Lonely Planet France
- Lonely Planet Germany
- Lonely Planet Greece
- Lonely Planet Guatemala
Books Index
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General
| Caribbean
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
The Rough Guide to the Caribbean 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Fodor's Caribbean 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides)
Frommer's Caribbean 2007 (Frommer's Complete)
Frommer's Caribbean 2006 (Frommer's Complete)
Lonely Planet Puerto Rico
