Rating: 
Summary: Fijiguide review of Fiji Handbook
Review: Travel writers come and go but one of the few people who you can count on, especially when it comes to the South Pacific, is David Stanley. A long time Fiji-fanatic, Stanley's latest Fiji Handbook is still the best on the market. And no wonder, he has been traveling to Fiji for over 20 years and that counts for a lot. (By comparison his rivals at LP had never set foot on Fiji until the publisher decided to send them there a few years ago.) Packed with great maps it also has resources such as a comprehensive bibliography, and tips on local etiquette. More importantly, Stanley excels at getting accurate information on hotels, inexpensive restaurants and tourist sites. However there is another reason why his guide is valuable. Stanley does not simply list the properties in alphabetical order and expect the reader to determine what's best. Based on personal visits and feedback from visitors, He will actually offer you an opinion and the straight facts. For example, on Taveuni he correctly pegs Todrasiga's, a new and little known campground, as the best on the island. Or, he'll warn you if there are potential problems. When planning to travel to Tavewa island, a poplar budget destination in the Yasawas, he tells the reader to be certain that their reservation doesn't get bumped because a guest on the island decided to stay longer. If this happens says Stanley, "insist that it is they who must move into the dormitory and not you." David also makes sure that the reader is aware of the local political scene and he never whitewashes or glosses over problems. His analysis of the "Fiji Crisis"-the coup of 2001 is trenchant and well informed. Naturally it's only as up to date as the book's publication date but at least the reader is provided a reasonable snapshot of history. One thing for sure, when traveling to Fiji, you're in good hands with Fiji Handbook.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good, some not so good
Review: While some areas of Fiji seemed to be covered fairly well, the sections on other areas had not been updated since at least the 4th edition. One example of an area inadequately covered is the island of Taveuni. There were hostels in Lavena where the book said there were none and small and sparsely stocked stores on the north end of the island where the book said there was a large and well stocked store. The opening of the hostel and the closing of the food store both occurred at least a year before the publishing date of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Good series, great book
Review: Would you rather trust a guidebook written by a twenty-something whose three month assignment was to travel around a certain area and write or would you rather trust a guy who spent twenty-something years living and traveling around these areas? That's the bio of David Stanley, the author of this book and this guy knows the in's and out's of Fiji. That's obvious when you pick up this book. Fiji Handbook starts out with the most comprehensive background of Fiji I've found in competitive books, everything ranging from its history (including cannabalism!) right down to the shark population around the island. I always like to prime up on the place I'm traveling and this section is great for it. The next section, a Fiji "overview" is very informative. It covers the basics such as getting to/from the island, communicating off the island, and accomodations around Fiji (like camping vs. hotels). This is pretty standard in any guidebook. The meat of the book comes afterwards, which is broken down by island chains. It covers everything you would expect, including accomodations, hotels, beaches and attractions. Maps are outstanding -- not only do they have island maps, but major city maps too with post offices, restaurants and sights discussed in the text are labelled on the map. This was the first book by Moon Handbooks I have read and I will surely consider more. My recommendation is to give this title serious consideration
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