Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is the best book that I have found which gives great details about places in Malaysia and Singapore. As an expatriate working in Malaysia, I find this book as a valuable resource when I travel. Recommended.

I planned a 21 day trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand using this book. The book is an excellent source of reference for travellers NOVICE OR VETERAN.

Singapore is one of these places where you can travel very well without your Lonley Planet ( in particular if you remember the old subtitle of the series, a survival kit for travellers). Everything is so well organised in this beautiful city that you can get around very easily yourself. Every hotel has a good travel desk and the rooms generally carry maps and brochures of everything that there is to do.

Nevertheless, like on most of my trips I found the investment of a couple of dollars (compared to the total invetsment of the trip absolutely nothing) well worth the money. The guide gives a very simple help in a couple of areas. The "How to get there"for all the sites makes life simpler; you know which bus to take and which Underground station to leave for all the major sites. The info on the parks is accurate and little tips like "do not leave the Night Safari after 23.00 otherwise you will not catch the latest train at Ang Mo Kio really help to plan a trip; at least you know in advance that staying later means queing up for a taxi ( and paying a hefty fare).

It's a comfortably thin guide so you can take it with you whilst travelling around. As usual the info on restaurants is good and leads you to interesting places.

The only caveat, like with most travel guides for this part of the world, is the details on prices. In particular the price info on hotels hass little value since they give the rack rates and these days with a simple Internet search you are able to get big discounts as you can by booking through travel agents.

In a lot of Asian countries you need to have a Lonely Planet for travelling; in Singapore it is a (very) nice to have and a necessity for a lazy one like me.

The book arrived as described in good condition. The delivery was very quick. Highly recommended publications. My wife and I have used the Lonely Planet books for France, Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.)

We ended up calling it "the Bible". Why? Because all the answers are in it.!! Several times we said to our selves that this information should have been in LP. And looking one more time - it was usually there. LP helps you plan and avoid vasting time. Of course you shold try to do things which is not mentioned in LP but this can be a major challanges. The guide goes every where and the information is incredibly reliable. So if you go - bring LP or bring no guide book at all - alternatives are poor sustitutions. We also brought a Footprint - but the reality is that nobody is above or besides LP. 22-08-2001

Lile most Lonely Planet guidebooks, this travel guide won't come as a disappointment to any of its readers. The unmistakable excellent standards we can expect from LP, combined with the fact that this particular guidebook is in its 8th edition already, makes of this book a masterpiece no traveller to the region should leave behind. The information about hotels and restaurants, things to see and do, etc, is dense, well-written, excellently ordered, and up-to-date. Likewise, the maps, the various tips on do's and dont's, are invaluable. As always, the sections on history, politics, culture etc, are excellently written and well condensed, ensuring pleasant reading for the traveller and the prospective traveller alike. Without exaggerating nor diminishing the fascination of this wonderful part of the world, this guidebook does great service to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is the ultimate travel tool for those intending to visit these countries, enabling them to make the most out of their stay, as well as ensuring moments of fascinating reading.

THIS BOOK IS A VERY GOOD BOOK AND GIVES ME LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AEROSPACE ENGINEERING