Insight Guide Philippines (Insight Guides Philippines) (ISBN 0887297536)

A great book but not a travel guide:
This book has a great introductory value. It shows how diverse and beautiful this country is. The photographs are of outstanding quality. The truth is, some of the places I visited looked much worse than their photographs in this book (like Vigan, for example). One must understand though that this book is NOT a travel guide though (despite some tourist info it contains). It is more like set of National Geographic articles with great illustrations. I still give it 5, because it is so fascinating and beautiful.

fair, should have recommended foreigner friendly places.:
it's true, manila is not the Philippines. Pilipinos of Manila/Luzon have a Different mentality from Pilipinos of Visayas and Mindanao, I don't recommend Manila as a first choice for foreigners. As in any 3rd world Major city, most people will try to con you, I would recommend Visayas as a first choice, Bohol, Dumaguete & Boracay are generally foreigner friendly. Plus its not congested and has one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Also it is cheaper than manila in a lot of things. Manila pilipinos try to poorly imitate a pseudo-american lifestyle, they adore american culture. While Visayas & Mindanao are more Pilipino culturally but not backward, just more traditional. I would recommend Bohol as you first try. then Dumaguete or Cebu then boracay. usual tip for performers/hosts/drivers/guides/ are a measely $2.00 (100 pesos) and they are shy to ask, so be generous. If you have ten bucks in your pocket, it can go a long way. Hope this helps.

Outstanding Guide to Philippines!:
I have lived in the Philippines and visited there many times. I find the Insight Guide Philippines to be informative, accurate, easy to navigate and a pleasure to use, with beautiful photography! In addition to tourism information, this book gives a fairly in-depth review of the history and culture of the Philippines. It also contains good cross-references to map locations of sights of interest. My informed Filipino friends have asked me where they can get a copy of this book! I have also used the Insight Guide Thailand, and find it equally as good!

Great Intro -- 2nd Book You Should Read:
Good 'intro' to the Philippines: -100+ pages colorfully delineating the historical influences and culture, -200+ pages Descriptions of regions/cities/sights with historical & statistical info woven in that succinctly captures the meaning of most places, -40+ pages providing general travel information (i.e. hotels, restaraunts, services, etc.) -Colorful pictures that capture the emotion of the people & land, -Good regional maps (although they switched the East Visayas and West Visayas maps!!!). Great book for someone looking for a crash course on the Philippines in preparation for a first trip. However, even more fundamental that this book, in my opinion, is reading the 'Culture Smart! Philippines' book which is purely (and insightfully) focused on culture. Reading this first will add incremental meaning as you read 'Insight Guides Philippines'. Also, Lonley Planet's Philippines book, while much more of a traditional travel guide, is probably the third book you will want.

GOOD BOOK:
THIS BOOK HAD A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WILL BE HELPFUL ON MY TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES.