Lonely Planet Singapore - Lonely Planet

Advantages: Just generally an amazing place to go!
Disadvantages: Hotels can be quite expensive

Singapore....well, what can I say, if you're thinking of going, go, go now!! I've visited the country about 5 times in my life, having spent almost a year there in total. My mum is originally from there so when I visit, I see the way that the locals live. The most amazing part of Sinapore is Sentosa Island. It compromises of a huge, unspoilt beach, animals - monkeys etc that are loose around the park and water sports. There are various other things ...
...visited when I was about 8 or 9 and loved it, and all the adults that were there loved it too! Another big attraction is the zoo, the animals aren't caged there and you can see them in the closest thing to a natural environment. I've never been to a zoo like this, and I doubt I ever will do again anywhere else. You can get your photograph taken with crocodiles and there are a lot of interactive activities. It's inexpensive to get in and there are ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to use with good descriptions and transport options.
Disadvantages: Most of the information is available free while in Singapore.

...to January 2005 and the Lonely Planet guide was invaluable for planning the trip. The edition I used was the 6th Edition printed in July 2003 and apart from some website addresses I found the guide to be up to date. Pros: I read the guide before I went and took it with me and it was really useful for getting an idea of the place and the various places I could visit. The descriptions were good and the transport options were listed and still current. ...
...in Singapore though. I've used Lonely Planet guides on a lot of my travels and I think if you're going to a big country then the guides are useful to have but because Singapore is so small things aren't too difficult to find and I found the Singaporeans very helpful. ... Read review

Advantages: Consisely written and available in paperback
Disadvantages: Often wrong and out of date. The people who write it look like hippies from the pictures

...I must confess, even though I have an irrational hatred of these books I do own one. Where my hatred stems from I can only guess at but I have a feeling after touring East Malaysia and having access to a copy of 'South East Asia on a Shoestring' after I had visited some of the places mentioned I found myself thinking that the book's descriptions didn't do them justice. I also have an irrational hatred of backpackers too and these books seem to me to be written for backpackers which only serves to inspire my disliking for them further. Finnaly I found the above mentioned book too brief in everything which is why I bought a copy of 'Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.' Enough about my thoughts on them anyway. What are they good for and where are they left lacking? It has to be agreed that the 'places to stay' sections are one of the most... Read review

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Advantages: Compact. Good detail on rural Malaysia and Brunei
Disadvantages: Out of date for big cities

...I bought this guide for when I last visited Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei and on the whole found it very helpful. It covers 3 countries (OK so two of them are tiny!) and so has to be a bit skimpy on detail to still be portable - and there are times reading it that you do wish for a bit more info. There's a great section on the history of the area but sometimes this is a little overdone at the expense of useful travel info. And there's a long section on how to get to the region - which I always find irritating as I usually only read the book once I'm already there! Then it does each region in turn and gives a good commentary and what there is to see there, how to travel to and within the region and where to stay and eat. It doesn't just cater for backpackers and really does list a good selection of places for all budgets. What I must... Read review

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