New Fiji Guidebook

I noticed that Rough Guides has a new Fiji title (October 2008 publication date). I haven're read the whole thing, only browsed it in the bookstore. As is my habit, I used accommodation listings as a way to evaluate the author's 'fit' to my own travel perspective.

Short summary: the author evaluates everything from mid-range values, so I can't trust or recommend the book to anyone at budget level. Other information may of course be accurate. Stanley's Moon guide is still the most complete, with LP a reasonable second.

Both the Moon and LP guides have the merit of evaluating accom options in terms relevant to the price class. You'd think it would be a no-brainer that the best budget level accom may still not be up to spec of a mid-range hotel. There's no point in criticizing budget places for that reason.

Yet this is what the RG author does. For example, the Seabreeze hotel (perhaps second-best budget option) in Lautoka is only described as having worn carpets - as if that's an issue for a budget traveller.

Budget accom anywhere is typically described as 'pokey' - meaning small rooms. Bathrooms/showers in places such as Riverview Hotel in Labasa and even the guesthouse in Lavena (Taveuni) are consistently described as 'dingy', I'm guessing that the author means they are not white tiled. I get the impression that the author never used budget-level accom. Thus, he does not know how to evaluate it. I wonder if the author has ever taken a look inside settlement houses, budget accom for tourists is (in my experience) equal to or even better than local conditions. The facilities of Mary's place in Levuka (Ovalau) are shared by guests and family alike.

While other RG titles generally do a better job of having guidebooks written by and for genuine budget/independent travelers, I get the impression that guidebooks nowadays are more often written for the much larger middle-market and people on short holidays. In that respect, the guidebook authors these days probably also better fit the market they are writing for.

Thanks for the review oldpro, as i've been looking into Fiji and been wondering about that book.

-J

Rough Guides authors (and editors) are a mixed bunch to be sure, I have seen some outright nonsense in their books.

Actually, I would have welcomed some new competition on the South Pacific guidebooks' market, and often find Rough Guides better than LP.
Too bad that their first Pacific guide is so poorly written!

BTW, I think you should post (if you have not yet done so) your "review" of the book on Amazon - both their US and UK sites. It would probably be read by a lot more people, and could save some wasting their money on it.