Lonely Planet Reviews 

Just started looking through the new, July 2023 Cambodia LP. I have been buying Lonely Planets since 1987 and have always found them invaluable. Recently the quality seems to have gone down. The Cambodia Lonely Planet has totally lost that winning formula - detailed maps, sections on Things to do, hotels, restaurants etc. There is just rambling text with a very small number of hotel or restaurant recommendations on the side of the page, most of which are not marked on the map and without an address. In the past hotels and restaurants used to be listed with address, phone number and website. There was also no proper history section.

It seems that Lonely Planet can no longer afford to send researchers out. I suppose we have to use the LP now more as a reading book and only in combination with Google maps etc.

I just looked at the 2023 LP guide for Portugal. It is terrible, confusing and a mess. Full of pretty pictures but not much detailed practical information with websites, approx prices for hotels etc or critical comments any longer. I always loved LP because the guides very different but now they are just like many of the others. How disappointing.

Just received the new edition of Vietnam (july’23). I don’t know whether other new LP are the same layout now but what a mess.

Hardly any history section, the highlights of the area are not very clear, accommodation and food is no longer at the end of the area’s section but placed along the city at the bottom across several pages or on the side so you need to flick several pages to find what you want.
Why can’t it be in the same section?

There are a lot more photos but the layout is messy, confusing, not properly thought of and all over the place.

Too difficult to find quickly what you need.

Don’t look in the contents page for accommodation or restaurant pages, it it not there. Just have to go to the specific city and start turning pages to find these.

If it is the way forward for lonely planet, even though I have been a customer for many many years, I will have to switch to a different Guide because I absolutely hate what they have done.

A total mess!

( Have decided to send it back and awaiting the new edition of a competitor coming out in October)

I found this site while browsing for Lonely Planet reviews. The reason I was doing this? I needed confirmation that the new guidebook format is indeed shockingly bad, full with very poor content and that it was not just me being weird.

I returned "Greece 2023" 3 days after I bought is as I can still not believe how bad it was. Basically an overpriced stock photo album with minimal information on basic sights, ALL of which is easily accessible online here and there. Almost - if not more than - 50% of the content from the previous issue is gone.

After 40 guidebooks I will only buy LP again only if it is still in the old format.
Until then, good bye after 25 years.
I had some sort of personal connection with LP guidebooks as they have accompanied me to my travels to more than 50 countries.
Too bad they can not do that any more as they no longer fit their purpose in this shocking state, content and format.
They better change it back to what it was soon, otherwise, (and judging by the fury of other reviewers), I do not see LP having any future at all.

Goodbye LP. You used to be good.

Can say w confidence that i will never buy another lonely planet book ever again. Bought a Barcelona 2022 editionin July 2023: states that Parc Guell has both free access and paid entry areas of the park. That is wrong. Since 2020 all parts of the park are regulated and require a ticket.

The rest of the book is muddled, not engaging and biased. Maps are far from comprehensive for requirements too. And this is a whole book for 1 little city.

Overall, ugly.

Ordered a lonely planet book as a gift for a friends honeymoon, after 6-weeks I messaged to chase as I hadn't heard any update. LP advised they could not locate my order. I was offered a refund or to re-order, chose to re-order. The second order did not arrive, again chased and was again advised that they could not locate my order. Very poor customer service, no compensation for the additional hassle or delay, and 3 months later, I still do not have the item I placed an order for.

In reply: I would love to know how you’ve made ‘new and better updates’, when you seemingly can’t successfully deliver the products people are ordering directly from you….from reading other comments this is a common theme; I would argue this is basic necessity for any business to function.

Was a big fan and just bought the new format for Sweden (8th edition July 2023). I found it terrible. For me lonely Planet lost it's purpose as a guidebook; with only about three random 'highlights' for each region covered. It's just some sort of global experience guide now without the in depth information for each region which made Lonely Planet what it was in the first place. Maybe I am very old fashioned, just not my thing anymore. Time will tell if they find a new audience.

I ordered the Venice guide from lonely planet and it didn't arrive. I contacted the customer services by email. I was told that I could be refunded or a new order could be raised as my online order had not been communicated to the warehouse. I said please reorder. This also didn't arrive. I asked for a refund. The book wasn't dispatched. There was no explanation. This was a waste of time and I was not happy.

LADY DOUGLAS RIVER CRUISES IN PORT DOUGLAS.
Awesome experience, lovely cider and nibbles, great commentary, best seat on the boat, right up in the bow.
Saw 3 large crocodiles in their natural habitat. Just the best day!

The hotel Catembe Gallery hotel in Maputo was a very traumatic experience - the hotel was standard was poor, things in the room didnt work like toilet, hand basin , TV no aircon. only two towels in the room and no drinking water or telephone.
the staff was very unfriendly at Marisol restuarant only Augostihno was a friendly person there.

our bill when we left was so high we couldnt believe it and the resturant is very expensive.

we lost the roon key and they didnt have a copy to open for us nor give us another room, we had to sleep outside

I am visiting India, Singapore and Bali and wanted a guidebook which is relatively up to date. I purchased “pocket Singapore” as the edition claimed to be 2022. Got home and first hotel I looked for , as recommended in the guide, apparently closed 3 years ago (Six SensesDuxton).

good books, but unfortunately not good service.

Due to challenges with the delivery of two ordered books, they were sent back. However, it is not possible to get a refund, due to a change of website, "it is not possible to make a refund".

A discount code has been offered, but it is not usable as the books have been ordered elsewhere.

Unfortunately, we now have a discount code for a website we don't need books from.

I ordered two travel guides and when they came, I realized I already had a recent version of one of them. At Lonely Planet's direction, I returned the book I didn't need, without even opening it (and paid for the shipping). When I heard nothing back for about ten days, I checked into it and was told that since Lonely Planet had just switched its online shop to a new provider, I couldn't get a refund. So, they have the book, and can even re-sell it, but they have refused to give me a refund. I have requested a refund several times and they steadfastly refuse.

As I have told Lonely Planet multiple times, I have no need for a credit because I won't be traveling again before their credit expires. Don't be fooled by their offer of a credit that isn't an offer. They took the book and won't refund the money. It's that simple. Do not do business with Lonely Planet, or you risk getting ripped off.

EDIT: I’ve changed it from. 2 to a 4 because the books are just so good.

Ordering travel guide books is a lot more expensive from Europe now that you have to pay additional import charges. Before Lonely Planet customer replies with “We do state during checkout that our warehouse is located in London and customs fees may be applied”, that is not the case otherwise I wouldn’t have placed my order.
It cost me an extra 8 Euros (79kr Feb 2023) to import 3 travel books into Sweden. Books themselves are to be recommended.

KUBAT TOURS, NARYN, KYRGYSTAN
After 2 weeks camping at altitude, we budgeted for a customised tour, private transfers and whilst in Naryn to stay in a luxury hotel. Kubat tours provided the
tour and transfers. They offer competitive prices (remember if a private transfer seems expensive you are likely to be covering enormous distances over difficult terrain). We travelled from Naryn to Kel-Suu, Tash Rabat and then on to Kazarman, before transferring back to Bishkek. Kubat was unfailingly helpful, offering us options at different price points plus general advice and assistance. Nothing seemed too much trouble and we really enjoyed meeting him. His delightful son, Aziz drove us and added interesting information about Kyrgyz culture and the glorious landscape around us. This is a small family business which offers exceptional service and deserves to do well. We had the most wonderful trip.

If you wanted the best experience trek in rinjani mountain, so looked for cakrawala rinjani company, we took 3 days / 2 nights package with my friends and I found Mr Sultan from this company . They were an experienced about the rinjani mountain , and they organize as was sucsesful my trip , highly recommend to this company to anyone hike Rinjani Mountain.

Since brexit you have to pay taxes if your order from europe. Since they ship from the UK. This is not very transparant beforehand. Had to pay 9 euro extra for an order of ~45 euro.

This made the order way more expensive compared to ordering locally.

( ORDER No. 4766508A and 4767228A)

These were placed on 30th of October 2021 and till today that is February 14th 2022 they still have not arrived. Like other posters I was initially offered the same excuses which overtime dried up and now Lonely Planet simply stopped responding and or updating me on this.

John ????? (Who did not feel necessary to write his full name), Shop Operations Manager who wrote to me in December last year to apologize for the delay and who has also since then simply and conveniently disappeared from the scene.

The worst disgusting unethical company I have experienced in my life. Needless to say everyone should read up and avoid buying or dealing with Lonely Planet.

All those affected by Lonely Planets' failure to uphold its's end of the deal should look into what legal options exist.

Terrible service - ordered 2 books well over a month ago, apparently an issue at the warehouse. Despite numerous contacts they still can't tell me when I will receive.
I can't believe they can't sort the problem out and send replacements. Don't order from them. Shocking customer service.
Order 4766712A
Update. Still no further forward. No one can tell me when or even if I will receive an order that I paid for some time ago. Pretty much worst service I have received. Awful company. Don't buy!

Extremely poor service, very robotic and template answers,
I ordered two books for my wife, one for her birthday and one for a upcoming holiday in December. Ordered over a month ago and when I checked on Friday why they didn’t arrive yet I was told there was an error in they system and they don’t know if the order was actually processed not. They also wouldn’t be able to provide me with a tracking number and couldn’t give a timeframe on when I would get the order (if ever?). Are you joking ?
I can see both books are in stock and available to ship within 1-2 days, I am appalled you don’t just send me a replacement. I don’t want a refund because when I ordered I used an offer for buy one get one free, but I am now thinking that might have been a scam, because clearly you are not sending me both books and just want to refund me the money for one.
This really has been the worst experience and customer service is not friendly at all.
My wife used to live lonely planet and only ever bought your guided, but having told her about this she’s been very disappointed
Order 4765327A