The Lonely Planet Guide, any good?

Get the Moon Handbook. It's much better. Mike

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

My son (who lived in Panamá in 2004-05) and I (a researcher of Panamá but haven't visited yet) 2nd and 3rd what osullivan said.

Moon is best for Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

And Honduras. And I like the Guatemala and Belize Moons, too.

i just used the moon guide for panama last month for three weeks and it was great but of course some of the prices had gone up.

I used the L.P. for the last 3 yrs. and it was O.K. The Moon is more detailed hence bigger and heaver if this is a concern for you. May be a small matter, but I like to travel as light as possible. Also there is always someone around with a Moon, so you can take a look at theirs.

I never pack a whole book, just the bits I might need. I read the historical, cultural, and regional background sections and leave them at home, taking only the lodging, eating, sightseeing bits I might need after I razor them out. I sometimes make copies of maps I think I'll want (city maps, Maya ruins) so I can just stick them in my pocket.