Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei [Paperback]

Chris Rowthorn (Author), Sara Benson (Author), Russell Kerr (Author), Christine Niven (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei | Publication Date: February 2001

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years, and as a result has experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

From lazing on tropical beaches or boating jungle rivers to tasting Singapore's best dishes or exploring the sultanate of Brunei, this book offers detailed coverage of the diverse offerings of this part of the world. This fully updated guide presents tips on speaking Bahasa Malaysia and a special guide to visiting temples and mosques. --Kathryn True --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 680 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 8th edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186450188X
• ISBN-13: 978-1864501889
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,731,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Travel > Asia > Malaysia & Brunei

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for "alternatives" only??, April 13, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Asia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei (Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, 7th ed) (Paperback)

This guide gives a lot of useful information about places to stay/eat.. for all kinds of budgets. However, it seems that sometimes it's more for the alternative backpack-traveller. As a "normal" beach tourist I didn't get a lot of information out of this and found some descriptions about "tourist-loaded", "standard" places much more negative than they were in reality! Don't let the authors' apparent dislike for these kinds of tourist discourage you.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not too impressive, October 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (Paperback)

First, if you're going to rely on this guide, spend some cash on a couple of decent maps, especially for Kuala Lumpur. This guide has by far some of the most off-the-mark maps I've ever experienced with Lonely Planet. DO NOT rely on the book! As well, some amazing hotels are missing, and they're literally next door to some pretty grotty places the authors here rave about.
Also, I found the author's attitude to Singapore to be rather tiresome. Much is made of the fact that the city-state is cleaner than other congested and polluted cities in South East Asia, and that 'color' has been wiped out of Singapore.
But it seemed to me that authors had an underlying motive when writing about Singapore, to slyly convince travellers from visiting the place, or at least, from staying too long.
Of course, Singapore's not a place where anyone stays on for more than a week. But the author's mightier-than-thou point of view (that only cities with disgusting toilets, $5 hotel rooms and edgey red light districts are worth visiting) was annoying. Also, it was continually noted that Singapore is a "repressive" country. I think one only has to travel to countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even Morocco before they can whine about Singapore being repressive.
But I digress.
Finally, precious space is wasted in the guide with the inclusion of Brunei. I think LP should give Brunei it's own slim little guide (look at Maldives or Bhutan if you want to see tiny countries with their own books). First, Brunei is culturally and politically different from Malaysia to warrant its own book.
And it would give the Malaysia authors precious space in which to include some decent maps.
Yes, I'm griping here, but when you bring a guide for a longish trip, you tend to notice these things!
Anyway, you could do worse... but Lonely Planet could have done better.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Attempting the impossible...with good marks for trying., April 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei: A Travel Survival Kit (6th ed) (Paperback)

Most of us have of course heard of the seven labours of Hercules but few are aware that Hercules had an eighth task which he was unable to complete - to write a guide book describing all the sights accommodations and eating places in Ancient Greece. I'm only joking of course but the undertaking of such a task by anybody could aptly be described as Herculean (if not downright insane). Nevertheless, the writers of the Lonely Planet Guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei have undertaken such a task and that they do it so well it is almost miraculous. For those who have never read any Lonely Planet Guide Books, their target audience is the independent traveller - the sort of person for whom the fully guided tour is an anathema and who would put the label of "tourist" in the same category as "axe-murderer". The front cover of the guide shows a photograph taken in Sarawak of one of those to-die-for scenes of crystalline water through which a villager is pulling a small fishing boat. After whetting my appetite with this picture I looked in the guide to find where in Malaysia it was photographed, only to be told that one shouldn't "expect too much of the beaches.....as is the case with all Sarawak beaches crystal-clear water and white sand are not to be found". There's a metaphor here I think for travel books in general and the perceptions we gain from reading them compared to the reality of being there. There is also the problem that the information provided in any guide book is obsolete almost as soon as the ink dries on the paper and this is particularly so in the case of Malaysia due to the battering which the local economy has recently been taking. My main criticism (and this applies to most guide books) is that it pays scant regard to the needs of families with children. (Quaintly though it does have sections of advice for women travellers and also for gay and lesbian travellers. Family travellers it seems have to fend for themselves -but hey, it is the 90's). Nevertheless, having been to Malaysia recently and having used the Lonely Planet guide as my main source of information I found this book an invaluable asset. Not only does it provide the basics of food, accommodation, sights and transport but true to its vision of travel as a means of broadening the mind it pays some attention to the history and customs of the places it describes. If I was stuck on a deserted Malaysian island with only one book I'd want it to be the Lonely Planet guide because I'm sure it would contain a description of which of the island's plants are edible, which palm trees are the most comfortable to sleep under and which trees make the best timber for building rafts.