New Lonely Planet guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei

Hi everyone,
Without wishing to start a 'which is better' argument (although those
are always fun :-), has anyone else used the latest edition of the
above and found it to be completly useless? While I know that guide
books are just that, a guide, I normally try to read both the LP and
the Rough Guide as I think that each has it's own strenghts - one will
have better maps, the other better accomodation choices etc.
However, after spending a couple of weeks in Malaysia using the new
issue of the LP, I've made the decision never to use the Lonely Planet
again :-) I was in Malaysia 3 years ago and reading the LP I felt that
there was alot left out of the new edition that I remember from the
previous one. And a quick walk around the towns I went to showed that
a LOT of accomodation had been left out.
Now I understand that the authors of these books can't stay in every
place in every town, but surely including all the accom options is a
basic function on a guide book? Several of the guesthouses I stayed at
(which weren't in the book) had opinions on why they weren't included,
from "the author just went to the tourist information center and wrote
down what they told them" to "they won't include a place until they've
received a certain amount of letters recommending it". Does anyone
know the 'criteria' that a place must have to be included?

So from now on into New Zealand it'll be the Rough Guide, backed up by
Moon, Forbes, Footprint, internet newsgroups, word of mouth, and even
guesswork, rather than use the LP!

Ok, rant over! Thanks for listening....

Phil

(Phil) wrote in message . com...
Hi everyone,
Without wishing to start a 'which is better' argument (although those
are always fun :-), has anyone else used the latest edition of the
above and found it to be completly useless? While I know that guide
books are just that, a guide, I normally try to read both the LP and
the Rough Guide as I think that each has it's own strenghts - one will
have better maps, the other better accomodation choices etc.

I've been really disappointed with several LP's as of late, and will
never use them again. Every single thing is "spectacular" or
"fascinating" so you have no idea what to see and what to skip. Most
of their guides assume you have several months to travel and want to
see every inch of a country, rather than have a limited time and want
to find the things that are most rewarding. I don't know how many
tourist traps and wastes of time LP has led me to, and how many
interesting things I found that weren't in the guidebook at all. Not
to mention that it's much more common among travellers than other
guides, so the places it recommends often totally fill up and take
advantage by cutting service or raising their prices.

I recommend Time Out for city guides, and Rough Guides or Footprint
for longer trips.

However, after spending a couple of weeks in Malaysia using the new
issue of the LP, I've made the decision never to use the Lonely Planet
again :-) I was in Malaysia 3 years ago and reading the LP I felt that
there was alot left out of the new edition that I remember from the
previous one. And a quick walk around the towns I went to showed that
a LOT of accomodation had been left out.
Now I understand that the authors of these books can't stay in every
place in every town, but surely including all the accom options is a
basic function on a guide book?

Or at least tell you which areas to find accomodation, which places to
avoid, and how much you should pay for a room of a given quality.

Several of the guesthouses I stayed at
(which weren't in the book) had opinions on why they weren't included,
from "the author just went to the tourist information center and wrote
down what they told them" to "they won't include a place until they've
received a certain amount of letters recommending it". Does anyone
know the 'criteria' that a place must have to be included?

I'm wonder if they even have letters of recommendation for half these
places or just copy them out of tourist office brochures.

I've been really disappointed with several LP's as of late, and will
never use them again. Every single thing is "spectacular" or
"fascinating" so you have no idea what to see and what to skip. Most
of their guides assume you have several months to travel and want to
see every inch of a country, rather than have a limited time and want
to find the things that are most rewarding. I don't know how many
tourist traps and wastes of time LP has led me to, and how many
interesting things I found that weren't in the guidebook at all. Not
to mention that it's much more common among travellers than other
guides, so the places it recommends often totally fill up and take
advantage by cutting service or raising their prices.

I recommend Time Out for city guides, and Rough Guides or Footprint
for longer trips.


I've not tried the Time Out guides, I may try them when I get to New
Zealand if I'm going to be in Auckland for awhile. Cheers!

Phil