Reviews (13)

A must have for your travel book library
As someone who's outgrown Lonely Planet and Let's Go guides, I found Fay's book to be an excellent guide for those looking for more in-depth perspective and history than simply finding a hostel or looking for the next watering hole. Pictures are gorgeous and one can easily tell a good deal of money went into the exquisite design.A great writer and guide, Kim is someone I wish I had along with me in my South East Asian travels!

Don't understand the fuss
I bought this based on the reviews here on Amazon - and I'm sorry that I did. It doesn't contain any valuable information and the organization is odd for a guidebook. I just don't see the point of this guidebook.

Dreadful guide book
Badly organized, can't find anything quickly...most of the tips can be found in lonely guide for the various counries....in the end was totally useless on our trip to cambodia, laos, and vietnam... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. General    3. Reference - Guides (General)    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel - General    7. Travel / General   

Reviews (9)

"THAILAND FEVER"
WOW!!"THAILAND FEVER":Now I understand.What a GREAT culture.I'm speechless.

A book to read carefully
Khun Vitida Vasant has written an excellent book on Thai culture.
Very Insightful
Great book for anyone who would like to learn about Thai vs. Western values concerning dating, marriage, and family. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Thai (Siamese)    2. Thailand    3. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Fodor's isTOPS!
My daughter & I are traveling to Thailand - and doing our own research.I have obtained many travel books - and Foder's is TOPS.It has so much more information - down to those small details that can make or break a trip.I will certainly travel with Fodor's on my next trip, too! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Reference - Guides (General)    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Thailand    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Reviews (10)

Good Guide!
Normally, I look at tour books for the following things:
Maps could be better
But overall, very good book, wouldn't expect less from LP. However, I feel they should really make a stronger statement about the scams in Bangkok. I mean, it makes it sound like you 'may' be approached by people claiming temples are closed, etc. ... This happened every single time we left the hotel! The details on the sights were very good. The maps sections left a lot to be desired, they often skipped large sections of streets and more than once we got a bit lost...

New Cover, Same Content
If you have never owned a copy of this book, then buy it. It has a lot of practical info on where to stay, where to eat and what places to visit. I can't say the reviews are all unbiased, but like other Lonely Planet titles, it's a bible for the independent traveller. Generally, following their advice won't get you into serious trouble.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Guidebooks    3. Reference - Guides (General)    4. Thailand    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Lonely Planet is the best choice.
The Lonely Planet travel books are really the very best choice. This new edition of "Thailands Islands and Beaches" covers areas up to date after the tsunami. It is complete and informitive. I go to Thailand every year and always bring my Lonely Planet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Thailand    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

SOCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE !!!
This book has a section called "What's your poison" which gives translations for several illegal drugs.It also describes how to ask for a clean syringe.Drugs are illegal in Thailand, but this book helps to promote their use by providing these translations.
Fun Book
Just got back from Thailand.This book is fun and easy to use.Best of all it has english, thai, and pronunciation all on the same page.This enables you to let the Thai people read what you just mispronounced.I left my copy with a Thai friend and am ordering me another copy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Indic & South Asian Languages - General    4. Polyglot Phrasebooks    5. Southeast Asian    6. Travel    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks    8. South East Asia    9. Thai (Siamese)   

Reviews (20)

Delicious and easy
Almost every recipe I have made out of this book has tasted fantastic and has been relatively straightforward to prepare (which is really saying something coming from a domestically inept college student who can burn water!). McDermott includes a wide variety of recipes, from the banquet-worthy to tasty noodle dishes that can be thrown together in 15 minutes, and uses authentic ingredients although substitutions are suggested for those without the good-fortune of having a local Asian supermarket. Unusually, many of the recipes turn out just as good if you halve the quantities (with the exception of the coconut cream in the curries) - a plus for those cooking for one or two, and often still work with a few more or less ingredients depending on what's in the pantry. While the large number of ingredients that need to be chopped and pounded for the green curry paste make it somewhat time-consuming to make from scratch, it is absolutely worth the effort - the green chicken curry is the best I've ever had, both in Thailand and at home.

Fantastic Cookbook - been using over 8 years!
We've been using this book as our Thai cooking bible now for eight years, from LA to Baltimore.We became so addicted we even bought a kaiffer lime tree (sadly, had to leave in LA.)We love the tome kai gia, the clay pot shrimp with bean thread noodles, crab fried rice and use the dipping sauce for beef to marinate pork ribs.Once you master the flavors, the recipes are easy to adapt to your taste.We add ginger to the dipping sauce, and cut down on the coconut milk in the tome kai gai.However you do it, it's an amazing cook book.You will need to find a Thai grocery store in your area, though.

Fantastic
This book is excellent for those interested in Asian meals but do not have a lot of understanding of the grocery list that goes along with it.Meals are simple, delicious and easy to put together. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Thai    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Regional & Ethnic - Thai    5. Social life and customs    6. Thailand    7. Cooking / Thai    8. National & regional cuisine   

Editorial Review

This colorful and thoughtfully arranged guide provides easy access to Thai history and culture,religion and politics, music, sports, and festivals. From Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Phuket to Ko Samui, themany pleasures, diversions, sites, and activities are detailed in a conveniently usable format. Orchid parksand elephant training centers, wats and Buddhas, beaches, treks, museums, and rainforests--it's all there toperuse and choose. With lists of hotels and restaurants, information on shopping, whitewater rafting, golf,diving, Thai massage, and lots of maps and pictures, Dorling-Kindersley has put together a guide that's bothpractical and beautiful. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

This is simply a gem
This is a good quality book, something you could open and open again.
Traveling To Thailand?
I found Eyewitness Travel Guide for Thailand very informative, and easy to read.It had tons of pictures, facts, FYIs, and did I mention pictures?Like Eyewitness I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words.I also bought Lonely Planet's Travel Guide for Thailand, but liked Eyewitness' much better.Lonely Planet's Travel Guide had a more standard layout for the abundant amount of facts, but was limited on the pictures.The phrase at the bottom of Eyewitness' book holds true, "The Guides That Show You What Others Only Tell You."

Out Of Date
This is a great book with beautiful pictures, maps and nice glossy color pages. The only problem being that it is out of date! Having said that, I would not recommend it for your guide book if travelling to Thailand. Wait for an updated issue.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel / Asia / Far East   

Reviews (9)

Good, but second best
I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Bangkok and bought both the Lonely Planet and the Moon Guides. I generally read both books before I went anywhere, so I can fairly compare them.
Where would you buy it?
Amazon.com says this book will be published on March 2005. But try to go to Lonely Planet's online shop, then you can see that it has been published on Sep. 2004. Next, bn.com says it's been publised on March 2004. I don't know which is right. But I'm sure that this book came out already.
A bit disappointing
Compared to LP London and LP Paris I read and have been early this year, I'm a bit disppointed with LP Bangkok.Although it has an amazing section on food/noodles, I'm rather disappointed that the book does not clearly direct and describe to readers how to get to the places/famous spots it suggested!!!!Also the book does not include a map on the Bangkok transit system - making public transit commuting difficult!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Thailand    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (5)

Frommer's Thailand
Great and informative. Really could have reviewed a few more of the really exceptional top end restaurants in Thailand known mainly to the locals. More pictures of the area's you are visiting would be nice. My favorite hotel in the whole of Thailand would have to be Anantara Goldern Triangle - not to be missed.

Unjustly Maligned
I like this guide for the very reason others seem to bash it: it's written for the non-backpacker who would rather avoid sleeping on a luggage rack or eating in a hole in the wall. Been there, done that. But now I'm older and and can afford to budget a luxury or two when I travel. There's plenty of information on the sights, streets, spectacles, etc., but as noted, the tips on accommodation focus on 3.5-star places and above.

The author assumes too little of the traveler to Thailand
I bought the Frommers book mostly to meet the spending limit required to get free shipping for my online order .. and because it's smaller than the LP and bigger than Fodors (not bad), which I already have .. and I was curious.I've been to Thailand several times and speak decent Thai.This guide book is like your parents' or your grandparents' guidebook, though it tries in little ways to be different.It's characterization of travel in Thailand, and assumptions about your attitudes, says to me "you don't really want to see the real Thailand".They feel you'll be happiest at the newest, more expensive, cleanest, most Western hotels and restaurants and that you'll be more interested in the best-run, well-lit, safe and sanitary and `gee those curious Thai' types of attractions. They encourage you to be wary and worried (not always a bad idea, but hey, Thailand is a very safe place compared to the Americas!) and concerned about your hygiene (Thais, on average, are more concerned about hygiene than Westerners).
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Thailand    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Reviews (13)

Very informative
Summer 2006 preparing for a trip to Thailand, we purchased several guidebooks and DVD's.Culture Shock Thailand was very informative and helpful.It included valueable information we did not find elsewhere.This book is mainly geared toward the business person planning an extended stay or relocation to Thailand.It was not designed for the traveler spending two weeks as a tourist.Overall a very good book.

Just what I need
Wow, found it.Just off to spend some months in and around Thailand -- and no doubt put yet another book on Thailand on the shelves -- when I get this recommended to me.Great stuff.Very informative, very funny, I mean in places really funny, and a bargain to boot.Slap up to date.Can't wait to enter the kingdom.

Culture comes allive and is fun
This book helped my whole family.We read it before arrival but are still using it for reference.It gave us useful leads to international schools, places of worship and hospitals when out of Bangkok.A mixture of the very practical: opening bank accounts, finding your way, doing business, and so on, and a comprehensive guide to Thai culture, with convenient sectionalisation, excellent explanations and situationist in that it places the non-Thai reader into the Thai world and helps him or her stay afloat.Excellent value. Up to date.Hard to think of anything it misses.Very lively.Well written.And makes learning culture fun.Can't ask for more than that. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Asia - General    3. Asia - Southeast    4. Cultural And Social Anthropology    5. Description And Travel    6. Reference - General    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel - General   

Reviews (14)

This book captures Thailand's soul.....
As someone who has recently "discovered" the magic and charms of Thailand, like many who've come away from first visits the huge variety of sights, sounds, tastes and "life" leave us perplexed yet so eager to learn much more about this wonderful culture! "Travellers' Tales Thailand: True Stories" answers many of our questions in such a fun way through interesting, even fascinating stories about real people and real places in Thailand.
pack it in your suitcase
This collection of essays are each written by various people ranging from tourists to natives and conveys a good sense of the diverse aspects of life in Thailand. Used as a compliment to a standard travel book, it will benefit anyone planning a visit to Thailand.

Thus far, the best of the many Travelers' Tales books I've read
I am a great fan of the Travelers' Tales series, which has added immeasurably to the pleasure of my travel, and to the recollection of those travels.But this is my first review of one of their books; reviewing collections of short pieces is tough, because you must limit yourself to overall impressions, there isn't space to describe every piece.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Description and travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Social life and customs    5. Thailand    6. Travel    7. Travel - General    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel writing    10. TRAVEL / Essays & Travelogues   

Reviews (1)

The Most Off-Beat People You'll Meet--And Like!
I got this wonderful book last fall while I was visiting my "second home" of Chiang Mai, Thailand and fell in love with Jerry Hopkins' writing style at once. In this book, he has nailed so many of the "better known" expats in Thailand and done so in a honest way.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Thailand    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

An absolute "must-have" for international travelers
The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an absolute "must-have" for international travelers looking to obtain quality goods or souvenirs from Thailand at a reasonable price. Intended as a supplementary resource and not a general-purpose travel guide, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar focuses specifically upon obstacles, negotiation techniques, and tips and tricks for those interested in shopping for everything from gemstones to textiles to artworks and much more. From learning how to walk away from the "touts" that try to lure tourists into overpriced stores (overpriced because the store must pay the tout a 10% to 40% commission for the service!), to a step-by-step introduction to the art of haggling, to knowing how to avoid paying thousands of dollars for what might be a cheap knock-off gemstone, to why even the locals may not always obtain the best deals (some shopkeepers can give tourists a lower price than their repeat local customers - who would expect the same bargain every time they walked through the door) to dealing with cultural differences and much more, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar zeroes in on exactly what the money-conscious tourist in Thailand needs to know.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Southeast Asia - History    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Asian / Middle Eastern history    7. South East Asia    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Reviews (44)

Don't Leave Home Without it!
I have used this series on Thailand 5 times over the last seven years for extended trips and schooling in Thailand. I found my sons Kickboxing camp through Lonely Planets and sent him of to live in Chiang Mai with a copy of his own when he turned 17. One time I lost my copy at LAX and replaces it with the competition. It was an insufferable step downward. I spent � a day scouring Bangkok for a new Lonley Planet. Things change often in the travel industry and I always buy the latest addition before I depart, but these guides are as dead on accurate as can be! I have also used them in Africa and the Middle East. They never disappointed!

informative but outdated
i was disappointed as much information was two-three years old.
Next edition perhaps is the 'optimal guide'
I found that this guide is in its way to be a really good guide.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. General    3. Guidebooks    4. Thailand    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

a knowledgeable insider's look at amazing Thailand
Hopkins book is a clear-eyed, knowledgeable, and insightful look at Thailand by an American who's lived there for more than a decade. He captures the crazy charm of the place without falling victim to the romantic haze that falls over most first-time visitors. He still loves it - the street food, the elephants, the women, the bars, the temples, the gentle people and sharp operators, the jungles, cities, and beaches and the all-round intensity and color of the place - but also sees many of its failings. Might very well make you consider retiring there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Hopkins, Jerry    5. Social life and customs    6. Thailand    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Reference - Guides (General)    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Reviews (6)

Disappointed
I have read other books from Frommer and have been very satisfied. That is, until I read this book. I was quite disappointed in this book. The author didn't seem like she enjoyed writing this book or even enjoyed traveling through Thailand at all. I would look else where before buying this book.

Most disappointing Frommer's guide
Am usually a huge fan of Frommer's guidebooks.But am disappointed to say that this book was not helpful in ANY way !There is nothing useful here -from overall insight, to presenting specific materials in a usable, organized format.. NOTHING !Even the shops she recommended would've been difficult to find without a good map in the book.Most bothersome of all, it seems like the author doesn't even like Thailand very much and it is reflected in her review of attractions, various warnings, etc. Thailand is a beautiful, interesting country with much to offer for any type of traveler. We went to Bangkok and the Southern coast and did not use the book at all- for planning or during the trip. Who needs a ROUGH GUIDE?
When I went to Thailand last year, I ended up planning most of my trip according to this book. The author never steered me wrong. While this might not be the best source for the backpacker set, the rest of us are well served with a variety of options for most travel budgets. I also liked the author's sense of humor and frank honesty. She has lived in the region and knows what she is talking about. The Thais I encountered during my trip also thought highly of the book. When I return to Thailand in 2003, this updated version of the book will be right there with me. I know it is an "establishment" guide but this is one time when mainstream is not necessarily a bad thing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Thailand    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (5)

Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Thailand (Diving & Snorkeling)
Good book,
just the facts
I was hoping that this book would be like the travel books that lonely planet puts out with opinions on dive operators, places to stay etc.....but the book is a run down of dive sites more than anything else....It helps with dive site selection but it just isn't what a lonely planet book is for me.

The best dive site book for Thailand
This book is the only one we recommend to all our customers. The authors live and work here and the information is accurate. Great photos of the marine life.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Scuba & Snorkeling    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Travel    6. Sub-aqua swimming    7. Thailand    8. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Thailand    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Asia / Southeast