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| Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (Lonely Planet Country Guide) | 
 enlarge | Author: Simon Richmond
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Category: Book
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £7.16
You Save: £8.83 (55%)
New (46) from £7.16
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1395
Media: Paperback
Edition: 10Rev Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 660
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 1740597087
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781740597081
ASIN: 1740597087
Publication Date: January 1, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: The Books are shipped from Bodmin, Cornwall, UK.; or from Westbury, Wiltshire, UK. Any book can be returned for full credit, for any reason within 10 days of receipt.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A good companion September 2, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, but am originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
We visited Singapore and Malaysia in July 2007 and since our last visit to Malaysia was 3 years ago, we decided to buy Lonely Planet's 2007 edition on these countries. Information from the book definitely helped us in making decisions on where to go and what to see. My comments are mainly about our one-week visit to Sarawak, which was a great success.
In Sarawak, we spent 4 days at Gunung Mulu National Park, and 3 days in Kuching. Colourful banners at Mulu airport urge visitors to "Do Mulu", and after our visit there, we would certainly do Mulu again. The Mulu caves and their surroundings are awesome. The Park authorities should be given top marks for their upkeep and running of the whole area. For example, the fact that only authorized guides are allowed to take visitors into the caves, ensures that the place is not overrun by hordes of tourist groups, each with their own guide. Also, we were glad to see that the area was maintained as much as possible in its natural state, and that no local politician or developer had decided to build a "Malaysian Eye" or some other eyesore there.
We stayed at the Royal Mulu Resort. Our first impressions were very positive. Low sprawling buildings, connected by boardwalks, colourful gardens, a nice pool, a pleasant bar area overlooking the river and a large and clean deluxe room However, by the second day, we noticed a few problem areas e.g. the shower floor could have done with some chlorine to remove the mould in the grout, some support structures of many of the boardwalks showed signs of rotting and many of the staff had difficulty understanding English!
However, the food and how it was served was what we were not satisfied with. The food was boring and unimaginative, and resembled what you get at a holiday camp, and not at a resort. On two occasions, breakfast was served outdoors, close to the river. It all seemed rather idyllic and Somerset Maugham-like until hordes of tiny bees began to hover around the jams, honey, waffles, etc. many of us fled indoors to eat our breakfast in peace. Many dairy products were served unchilled, and therefore began to curdle in the heat! After many complaints, breakfast was served indoors, but the dairy products were still unchilled. I wonder where the F&B manager was.
The Resort had a very good offer which included all meals. I would definitely recommend this as the prices in the a la carte menu are exorbitant, and the selection is limited. Try the cafeteria at the National Park for a la carte meals. The food is good, but check if a dish is available, as the staff does not always tell you this.
Kuching was a breath of fresh air after chaotic and polluted Kuala Lumpur. The Kuching Hilton is a good place to stay at, and the shops along the waterfront had plenty to tempt us. There used to be a sight-seeing trolley bus, but that has gone out of business. This is not a problem, as most places are within walking distance, but the humid weather can be a limitation. We tried the Top Spot Food Court, and recommend the giant prawns in hot pepper sauce. We are definitely going back to Sarawak again.
All in all, the guide was indispensible, and we used it for many of the places we chose to visit. Reality, however, often presents a different picture.
 A reader from the UK March 24, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I used this book as the only reference to plan a 2 week holiday and to drive around Western Malaysia. It is stuffed with valuable information and organised in the usual fashion for lonely planet books. After arriving in KL and exploring the city for several days my wife and I drove north to Penang. Then we drove east to Kota Bharu and south via Terengganu and Pahang to Malacca and subsequently further south to Singapore. It is a detailed enough guide and shows the major areas of interest and is suitable for the independent traveller. I recommend it without reservation. The only and minor criticism is that the book is slightly larger than the usual small size guides from Lonely Planet and therefore I had to carry it in a rucksack and not in my pocket. However perhaps this is inevitable due to the detailed information it offers.
A Good Guide to the Major Destinations March 17, 2007
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
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.
looks good January 30, 2006
5 out of 25 found this review helpful
i havent actually go to malaysia but my uncles emigrated from there to here as a lawyer and all the sites he knows and loves are in the book so i would sya its good and worth buying
Usual High Standard - Accept That Things Change Though.... August 8, 2005
32 out of 34 found this review helpful
Usual good guide book from Lonely planet. Good ideas on places to go, how to get to them and where to stay when you get there. Sometimes a little brief, but enough to get you around and to have a good time. I only used the book for a 3 week holiday around Peninsula Malaysia though (KL, Khota Bharu, Pehentian, Penang, Langkai, Taman Negare), so can't comment on content for Sabah or Sarawak.One piece of advice: space allowing, if I'm going to one country only I've benefitted greatly from taking both the Rough Guide and the the Lonely Planet. Malaysia is one of the countries where having both books allows you make better decisions by allowing you to compare and contrast what's written in both (which often differs somewhat), and the increase in weight is more than made up for by the increase in knowledge. If you're that desperate on space I'd recommend buying both and using a knife to 'cut out' the sections of places you're not going to (as you bought the book to use, not show to your friends on your book shelf, right?), taping it back together down the spine to make your ultimate boodle book. This technique works well with other bulky Lonely planet books - such as Thailand and Australia - where you're many of the readers will only be visiting small sections of the country and not need all the book, and who wants to carry dead weight?
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