Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei (Paperback)

by Simon Richmond (Author), Marie Cambon (Author), Damian Harper (Author), Richard Watkins (Author) "Kuala Lumpur came into being in 1857, when a band of prospectors in search of tin landed at the meeting point of the Klang and..." (more)
Key Phrases: seri malaysia, express bus station, balik pulau, Getting There, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
This travel guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei provides information for visitors of all budgets, including advice on getting there, accommodation, local cuisine, places to visit, language tips, and health and safety.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 9th edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 174059357X
• ISBN-13: 978-1740593571
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #428,492 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #8 in	Books > Travel > Asia > Malaysia & Brunei
  #16 in	Books > Travel > Asia > Singapore

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good guide to nice countries , March 17, 2005

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"The Lonely Planet" customarily puts out a very competent well written guide to a country or countries -- and this one is no exception. One problem, however, is that Malaysia and Singapore are hardly "lonely" in the sense of being out of the way, remote places. The Kuala Lumpur skyline may be the most impressive in the world. Malaysia claims that the Petronas Towers are the tallest buildings in the world. Singapore is simply the best run city in the world.

This is by way of warning that I wouldn't put too much stock in the "Lonely Planet's" recommendations on hotels and restaurants in tourist-heavy places like KL and Singapore. For example, I went to three restaurants "Lonely Planet" recommended in KL. One was closed; one was awful; one was a notorious tourist trap. My hotel, the Corus, wasn't mentioned in "Lonely Planet" but was a bargain at $49 per night (booked on the internet) just down the street from the Petronas Towers. (Should it be mentioned in the next edition of "Lonely Planet", the price will go up.) The guidebook also waxes lyrical about the delights of Singapore Airport. I thought it was crowded and unremarkable. Now, KL's airport is really special...

All this to emphasize that you shouldn't depend on the "Lonely Planet" for hotel and restaurant recommendations in big cities. The strength of the guidebook is the detail it gives you about the countries -- their historical and cultural background, the practical emphasis on how to get from one place to another, descriptions of the small out of the way places you might miss otherwise, the sidebars that tell interesting tales.

"Lonely Planet" has become perhaps the best known of all travel guidebook series. They're at their best when they are in fact about "lonely" places.

Smallchief

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Guide to the Major Destinations, March 17, 2007

By	Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei are the most developed countries in Southeast Asia, and tourism is a long-established business in the first two. English is widely spoken and travel is easy. More than anywhere in the region, you could even get by without a guidebook - local tourist offices are pretty good for info.

That said, if you do want a guide, this is probably the most reliable one for practical details. The 10th edition, published in January 2007, actually seems to have been more thoroughly updated than some previous ones, with some new attractions and accomodation options added - unlike in certain other LP guides, where only prices are changed from edition to edition. Of course practical details may change even by the time the book is published (remember it was researched in early 2006), but in general these 3 countries are pretty stable and inflation is low. Sure, the odd errorous/outdated info did slip in, but is far outweighed by all the useful stuff.

My only complaint about this book might be that it still pretty much concentrates on established, popular tourist attractions and major cities/towns. Don't expect to find many tips on locating hidden gems or exploring remote corners of the country, particularly Borneo. For that kind of info, I found the Rough Guide to these countries better than LP, though RG's practical info is often more dated. Decide what's more important to you!

If you are going to these countries for the first time, and only have a few weeks on hand to spend there, you will probably find the information provided by this guide both sufficient and largely accurate.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even has good food picks!, December 14, 2005

By	Joe Blow (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Went to Penang with this last month. Typical quality LP job in describing the country and how to get around. What made this one a cut above is that it actually had useful restaurant recommendations, as opposed to the typical LP approach (i.e.: Here's the address of a place that serves food; hope you don't get hepatitis). Hotel recommendations were spot-on as well.

As always with LP, my one regret is they aren't opinionated enough about which sights are worth your time and which ones aren't.