Customer Reviews

Let's Go Southeast Asia 9th Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

while traveling through cambodia and vietnam I actually had a couple different guidebooks. overall I think Let's Go's guide is the better resource, and especialyl for a traveler who's covering a lot of ground in southeast asia. if you use it in conjunction with another guide, I think, you will really get a good feeling for what to do. i would not advise anyone to take just one guide, no matter what, or to use Lonely Planet alone, which was really god awful.

the information in my Lonely Planet was laughable, as many of the maps were lacking. and in general i think LP's maps and info aren't as clear. While Let's Go could stand to give more options for different establishments and price ranges, the quality of its places are generally higher--with a few exceptions-- whereas LP just lists every single place regardless of whether its a hell hole or not (you will learn this very quickly)

though I don't usually have an allegiance to a certain brand, I'm pretty sure I'll take let's go with me when I go to India this summer, too. it seems that for the developing world, its a rock solid resource.

I went to Thailand and Laos in May 2005 for 3 weeks and my brother and I took a copy of Lets Go and Rough Guide. I also browsed through a copy of Frommers and Fodors, but they were not what I was looking for. For the budget minded traveler, Lets Go is excellent at listing great travel options and has prices listed for everything.

Another bonus is the instructions for the border crossings and travel possibilities from city to city. Some other books were bad about giving few routes for travel. One negative is that Lets Go reviews very few guesthouses and restaurants. Also, I found it hard to believe that they didn't give thumbs up to any activities in Laos?! There were some many cool things that were listed but underemphasized.

Regardless, the information is very detailed and was a great resouce for getting around. I would definitely recommend.

Pros:
Good suggestions, especially for the younger traveler
Prices well listed
Travel options very specific

Cons:
Lacks maps for some of the smaller towns
Lists only a few guesthouses and restaurants for each city

Good luck with your trip!
Scott

I've globetrotted a fair amount in my day, and this is hands-down the worst travel book that I have ever used. I found a pirated Lonely Planet at some point, and gladly threw this thing in a trashbin at a guesthouse in Cambodia. I actually chose LG because it was the most recent book, but at one point actually was using a 1997 Lonely Planet - and found it's nearly-decade old information much more useful.

On more than one occasion I got lost due to mistakes in their maps (imagine wandering around a strange Thai town under a 95 degree midday sun with a full backpack because the bridge on the map didn't exist). They gave the thumbs up to a hostel in KL that was infested with bed bugs, and was infamous in backpacker gossip as such (and this book was recently updated!). And they tell you how to get from an island in Malaysia to a Thai port town, but don't explain how to get from this dock-in-the-middle-of-nowhere to anywhere else in Thailand. Take a cue from the other travelers in SE Asia and pick up Lonely Planet - and spend the extra cash to get the book for each country. (I suggest just buying the book of your first destination and pick up the rest as you go.)

This book is a disaster.

An excellent read covering many countries which are not covered in other travel guide series. Highly recommended. I can't wait for the next edition
of Let's Go Southeast Asia.

I will be traveling to Borneo (Sipadan), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a fabulous scuba diving trip this Thanksgiving. I look forward to using this book for my travels. The colors are vibrant. Layout is easy to read. Great book!

I have not travelled to this region, but found the guide a fine overview of sites, culture, and history. Told in a relaxed style with some refreshing anecdotes boxed alongside the text. Sufficient maps.