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Summary: Fiji fits in your pocket!
Review: Fiji Handbook, 6th Edition... As president of Sea for Yourself snorkeling tours, it's my professional obligation to stay informed about the regions we visit. We have operated tours to Fiji every year since my first visit in 1985, and David Stanley's Fiji Handbook (now in it's 6th Edition) has been with me each time. Over the years, I have found David's Fiji Handbook so useful that I strongly recommend it to all our Fiji program participants. Although our clients don't need to worry about travel logistics (that's our job), the introductory chapters offer excellent background information on Fiji's cultural, political, and natural history. Because our programs focus on tropical marine biology, I was especially impressed by David's concise and clear explanation of coral reefs. And in the section dedicated to fauna, David gives marine creatures as much attention as terrestrial animals. I was also pleased with the many tips encouraging environmental sensitivity, both above and below the water. The introductory overview is complemented by accurate and extensive descriptions of each island group. These sections include the expected (and appreciated) regional maps, listings of where to stay, where to eat, where to hike, where to dive, plus how to get there (and back). This new edition of the Fiji Handbook contains many updates, but it's impossible for any guidebook to remain totally current. David knows this. So for the absolute latest information, simply turn to the website and email directories near the end of the book. When I need a detailed reference for Fiji, I'll continue to use this 6th edition of the Fiji Handbook ... until David comes out with the next edition.
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Summary: Jam-packed with information!
Review: I found this guide invaluable when spending a month travelling around Fiji recently; it was more up-to-date than its main competitor, and I was consistently impressed by the amount of detailed (and nearly always accurate) information it contained, which enabled me to find accommodation and make travel arrangements with the minimum of hassle. I also appreciated the wealth of background information about Fiji (everything from flora and fauna to post and telecommunications), and the author's sympathetic approach to local issues and customs. And the maps are excellent too!
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Summary: The best book on tourism in Fiji written so far
Review: I spent two months in Fiji going from one island to another . With limited funds , it was not easy to go somewhere when you do not know anything about the place, but rely on the handbook as a guide. In that respect, this book is of exceptional value. It gives the reader the history, government, people , and all other important aspects of the country which might affect the traveller . You will find in it info. in great detail, addresses, phone numbers,prices, descriptions of places, even individuals , clearly, precisely and fully informative. Fijian culture, life styles, customs, food ,etc. all are given in great detail. Anyone going to Fiji, this book is a must . A traveller going to Fiji, thanks to David Stanley's book , will have no problems arriving without reservations in hotels , or surprises upon arrival. The amount of information is staggering.I highly reccomend it.
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Summary: More than just a travel book - schools could use this too!
Review: If there's one travel book to take to Fiji this is it! David Stanley with his expert eye for culture and ecology makes you want to wander with him round the many Fijian islands. On the plane you can read about the history, economy and environment so you will be well prepared on arrival. The book is well written and indexed.
The independent traveler will find the essentials for booking accommodations and planning routes. Buses, backpacker camps, boats and pizza joints are well covered. Fiji, like Greece, is a good country for bumming around.
If you are a discerning customer of travel planners then you will find many sights and recreational opportunities to enrich your vacation. Luxury resorts as well as bed and breakfasts are described.
Teachers of geography, diplomats, business professionals and others who want to quickly get the basics of Fijian culture and trade can use the book as a study guide. David Stanley has intimate, firsthand knowledge of the South Pacific and his insights will prepare you for encounters with Fijians. He includes a few phrass and explains social customs like kava drinking.
Throughout the book there are maps and black and white photographs. I wish this book had more color photographs - coral just does not look good in black and white. The first photo shows a tender - typical of the boats that ferry people to larger vessels when visiting small islands. The maps at the front are in color and are annotated with page references and there is a tranquil color picture of a lush fern grotto. David Stanley does have some color photos on his personal website at www.southpacific.org.
It would be great to have an interactive version of this book on a website or CD for a pre-travel read or instant access in a luxury resort. However, in many places in Fiji you'd need solar power to keep a laptop working!
This book makes me want to jump on a plane and go!
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Summary: Great Guide!
Review: It's rare to be able to pick up a country and hold it in your hands, but this is the case with David Stanley's Fiji (Moon Handbooks). It is obvious David has a deep knowledge of, and affection for Fiji but he also manages to give sharp and welcome observations (whether the rest rooms are clean, the service slow, the food over-priced or the water pressure low). Accommodation from budget to five-star is covered as are dining and sightseeing options for those who want to get away from the resorts and explore. This guide can extend your holiday experience as a pre-read (history, customs, language, itinerary planning etc) and as a travelling companion (where internet cafes are, etiquette for visiting a village, best dive sites etc). It is also handy post-holiday, whether to jog your memory or find a phone number. This guide recently joined me on a trip from Nadi through south-west Viti Levu, Beqa and the Mamanuca islands and I found it both an excellent resource and holiday 'enhancer'.
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Summary: Excellent and concise handbook filled with facts
Review: Moon Handbooks latest handbook edition on Fiji (the 7th) is excellent. It is amazing to me that so much useful data can be compiled in a concise way and kept so current.
From having recently traveled and stayed at the two of the islands, Viti Levu and Taveuni, I was able to correlate the information in the handbook with my own experiences. The handbook is accurate and does a fine job of giving the reader a good handle on costs and the value for places to stay and eat, and where they are located. The maps and the text organization make this a very useful handbook for the traveler or potential traveler to Fiji.
Subtly, the author, David Stanley, suggests whether a restaurant or site of interest is worthwhile or overrated. I particularly like the fact that the author gathers all his data without each individual establishment knowing he is a guidebook author. Thus the author has not been given preferential treatment and this leads to an unbiased assessment.
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Summary: THE COMPLETE FIJI
Review: The FIji Islands are a "must see" for world travelers and David Stanley's 7th edition Moon Handbook will definitely make your visit more interesting, more fun and more culturally rewarding. Whether you travel independently or with a group, you will refer to this handy little book for everything from saying "hello" and "thank you" in Fijian to locating an internet cafe.
David Stanley's knowledge of the islands is encyclopedic. He provides you with a historical background updated to the present, that will make you both politically aware and more sensitive to the circumstances of the islanders today. My wife and I have used Moon Handbooks in many countries. This is one of the best.
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Summary: A Good Planning Guide for a Fiji Vacation
Review: This is a comprehensive book that provides a wealth of information on Fiji. It focuses on travel and accommodations for travelers on a budget, but provides some information for travelers on the higher end. Because the book covers so much, it skimps a bit on specifics. I wish that the book would povide more recommendations on what is worth seeing, but many other guidebooks also lack this helpful feature. All in all, I would recommend this book. Combined with WWW resarch, your vacation planning is sure to be a success.
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Summary: Another outstanding work from this renowned guidebook writer
Review: This last guidebook by David Stanley (the latest among his many guidebooks published by both Lonely Planet and Moon Handbooks, on regions as varied as Cuba, the South Pacific and Alaska), lives well up to the standard of his previous works. As such, it will not disappoint the reader. It comes as a brilliant tool for visiting the marvelous islands of Fiji, filled with plenty of background information on the local history, culture and current events, as well as invaluable advice for the traveler, with plenty of information and tips, on anything ranging from accommodation to eating, from night-life entertainment to snorkeling. All in all, there is nothing more to be added: once more, don't leave for Fiji without taking this extraordinary publication with you.
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Summary: The guidebook to take on your trip to Fiji
Review: This seventh edition of Fiji Handbook is for travelers with any sort of budget. Campgrounds, all-inclusive resorts, rough nightclubs, decent restaurants, rusted ferries, exclusive yacht charters; Stanley describes all this and more. He has researched most of the places included in his book by visiting them incognito, experiencing them as any other traveler would. In his guide he is not afraid to be critical. Stanley has been doing this for the past 25 years. For every new edition, he goes back to Fiji at least once. Readers also have their say. If something is wrong or missing, you can write Stanley and he will seriously look at your comments. But this guide is not a mere list of hotels, restaurants, entertainment and means of transportation. Islands without tourist facilities are also described and there is a lot of information about the country itself. Stanley's chapters on Fiji's history are very informative and include recent developments. In hospitable Fiji chances for going local a great: Stanley gives important insights. In his paragraph on conduct he gives wise travel advice for anyone. Only the two-page language section - Fijian and Hindi - deserves be bigger. True, almost everyone in Fiji speaks English, but some effort to learn these two languages will be greatly appreciated by the locals. Maps in Fiji Handbook are clear and useful. The colored ones don't add much to this - not even relief. Many photos though, would have looked better in color. Of course, black and white photos keep the price of the book down. With Stanley's entertaining style of writing, the "colorful crossroads of the South Pacific" will come to live anyway.
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