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| Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (Lonely Planet Country Guide) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Damian Harper, Simon Richmond, Marie Cambon
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Category: Book
List Price: £14.99
Buy Used: £0.79
You Save: £14.20 (95%)
New (3) from £25.86
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 151854
Media: Paperback
Edition: 9th
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 624
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 1
ISBN: 174059357X
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781740593571
ASIN: 174059357X
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Excellent travel guide as usual June 2, 2008
As travel guides go, this one combines three very different places... first there's Singapore with its very modern outlook. Then there's Malaysia bridging the vibrant outlook of Kuala Lumpur with the colonial history of Georgetown. Finally there's Brunei which is a whole lot more laid back.
In terms of contents, there's the usual details of history, etiquette, sights etc. There's also the usual combination of excellent maps with only the occassional mistake where a particular landmark has been put on the wrong side of the road. Restaurant and accomodation advice are as usual mixed (many are gone by the time you visit) but it certainly provides good ideas if you are struggling to find somewhere, and also tells you the general area to find stuff.
What stands out about this one is the combination of Singapore and Malaysia... Singapore's a great stop-over for Malaysia and using this book means a travel guide especially for Singapore is somewhat unneeded (although the map could be better).
Happy travelling!!!
 A good companion September 2, 2007
4 out of 7 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
22 out of 22 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 27 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
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