If you go to the Lonely Planet board and ask about a specific place, sometimes people will respond back and I feel that their responses are honest, particularly because it is a forum and not a ratings site.
What other trip review sites are there? I know that Yahoo! has one.

Igo Ugo, Boots'nall, and numerous others that escape me at the moment. Isn't Lonely Planets board called the Thorne Tree?

I hadn't realized the flip side of Tripadvisor for some, I say some business owners. I have been encouraged by several hotels to write a review when I returned (which I did). I use Tripadvisor to read reviews, read and post questions on their forums. I have never used them directly to book a trip (nor do I use the affiliates; travelocity, hotels.com, etc) - always go directly to the individual business. I never look at the ranking when I'm reading about a hotel. I do what others have said - read through and sift out the inflated reviews/comments. I have even gone as far as sending a private message to several people about their specific experience and have benefited greatly from those conversations.

If there is a review and forum site that doesn't do this to businesses, I'll gladly use it instead.

No-one will deny that Tim Jeffers ("Banana Beach") runs an excellent operation, but you ask him his opinion of Trip Advisor and why he holds it.

I know why he holds it.

For my last several international trips, I have used a travel agent. I found quite a gem with a sense of humor and he has never steered me wrong so far. I absolutely love having someone else do all the work (or at least giving me choices on what is available to see, do and where to stay). More than that, I love having tour vouchers in hand and skipping the long lines and hassles.

You are right Seashell, LP's board is called Thorn Tree

Thanks Gela. Lonely Planet board would be a good idea. I didn't realize that I would stir up a hornet nest when I mentioned Trip Advisor. However, Carib Queen, looks like you must be a business owner. OBVIOUSLY! This came about due to the issue of the Tropic Hotel discussion earlier. And that sounded like I might have half believed the guests after reading old posts on TA. But I have already booked from listening to people on this board so Trip Advisor was only one bit of research. This board is maybe the best way to get some good insights on Caye Caulker at least. And now I have been educated!! Thank you/all of you.

Like Gela, I've also written directly to posters through the private message area on Trip Advisor. By the same token, I've had people write to me. In this regard, I think TA works quite well.

I've made at least one hotel report and it was on a hotel in Madrid. I'm inclined to make another good report on a hotel in Jordan, a candid favoring good report on a hotel in Wadi Musa (Petra) and a real miserable report on the misery of my first night's stay in Amman. You guys have got me to thinking that it is almost my (web) civic duty.

I travel alot and TA is handy but its accuracy is questionable. About a third of the time I am offered money or discounts to post on TA about a place I stayed at. If I write something bad I don't get the money most of the time so the nature of a bribe affects the review from people who will do anything for money or whatever. Also I find the most wonderful reviews don't have a email address or a way to contact them but the bad reviews usually do. I also fine people are reluctant to write a bad review. They don't want to but the experience was so bad they have to say something to save folks from the hotel or whatever.

We stayed at the Hotel Mago in St Lucia and if you want a laugh look at all the wonderful reviews and the bad reviews. I can tell you this place is poorly managed and poorly maintained. I will point out I am not picky and funky is OK but this place does not look like its website. They couldn't even keep the beer cold at the bar. Something as basic as cold beer is not hard to do. Water was dripping down the wall and if you touched anything electrical in the bathroom you got a shock. Nice huh... now go look at the website and see what they potray. TA has a place but don't take anything without additional research as the truth.