While many North Americans have visited the Hawaiian Islands, much fewer have visited the beautiful islands of the South Pacific including such romantic and exotics spots as Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji and Samoa. We offer our picks for the best books to help you plan your trip to the South Pacific and the islands of French Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.
1. South Pacific Handbook
Continuing in the fine tradition of other Moon Travel Handbooks, South Pacific expert David Stanley offers a comprehensive travel guide to each of the 15 nations and territories of Polynesia and Melanesia. In addition to unbiased evaluations of lodgings, dining and recreation activities, the book contains 147 detailed maps.
2. Lonely Planet South Pacific
In the fine tradition of all Lonely Planet Guides, this book offers an inside guide to the islands of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia including Easter Island, Kiribati, Niue, and the Pitcairn Islands. It also offers excellent insights into the history, culture and arts of the islands. This edition includes 140 maps including towns, cities and dive sites.3. The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia
Although quite pricey, this book is a must for any serious traveler to the South Pacific. It is an encyclopaedia of information on major aspects of Pacific life, including the physical environment, peoples, history, politics, economy, society and culture. The CD-ROM contains hyperlinks between section titles and sections, a library of all the maps in the encyclopaedia, and a photo library.4. Frommer's South Pacific
This all-new 9th edition of Frommer's popular handbook concentrates on the most popularly visited islands of French Polynesia including Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. As always, Frommer's has the most up-to-date prices available for lodging and dining, easy-to-read color maps, and focuses on the practical information that you need to plan your trip.5. Tales of the South Pacific
James A. Michener's semi-autobiographical, semi-historical novel was the basis for the hit Broadway musical South Pacific. Over 50 years after it's writing, this winner of the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction remains one of the most popular books capturing the mystique of the islands of the South Pacific.6. Lonely Planet Vanuatu
Formerly known as the New Hebrides, the islands of Vanuatu have come to the attention of the American public thanks to the hit CBS reality series Survivor Vanuatu: Islands of Fire. This book is the the only travel guidebook available entirely dedicated to Vanuatu and covers all the island groups, explores all options from resort holidays to home-stay in traditional villages and includes insightful information on diving, island hopping, bushwalking and Melanesian culture.