Product Description

The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget is the perfect companion for anyone looking to make the most of this exotic region without breaking the bank. Backpackers, gap year travellers and those who want more bang for their buck will find information on unmissable attractions in 9 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus Hong Kong and Macau which are useful gateways to the region. The guide includes "Treat Yourself" boxes that highlight great establishments worth splashing out on and a budget slant on night-life, shopping, markets, and outdoor sport activities. There is a full-colour introduction, packed with ideas for everything to see and do, plus highlights for every country. You'll also find useful words and phrases in every language and hundreds of detailed maps - everything you’d expect from a Rough Guide with practical information for the budget-conscious on hostels, train and bus timetables and border crossings. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3448 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1008 pages

Customer Reviews

Brilliant Guide, Most up to date available
I am currently planning a 5-6 week stay in SE Asia and this guide offers fantasticly detailed information on the sights, sounds, do's and don't for over 6 South East Asian countries (Cambodia, Loas, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong-Kong, Thailand and Vietnam). Up until I got this for Christmas yesterday I have been relying on online guides which are adequet but found completely wanting in terms of depth, content, presentation and unless you want to spend and age - Raw information. The only thing it lacks slightly on is accommodation providing an overview of the 4- best budget guest houses per town/location, oweing to its budget/backpacker leaning this is completely understandable and id rather have more travel and activities information for my pennies anyhow. Obviously I havent field tested the guide as yet but due to it being the very latest guide on the market I have no reason to doubt it so cautionary or not it fully deserves five stars at this stage.

Beware - Coverage still as incomplete as before!
Despite the title, this book doesn't cover all of South-East Asia!
Two of the region's 11 countries are completely missing. These are Burma/Myanmar, which seems to be omitted for political correctness, and Asia's youngest country, East Timor, omitted simply out of ignorance - the publisher's policy appearently being that if few people go there, why bother with including it? Instead, they included the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, which are not even in South-East Asia.
Also conspiciously missing from the book is the entire eastern half of Indonesia, the largest country in SEA: Papua, Maluku and West Timor. The reasoning given is "security concerns", which is now about a decade out of date! In reality these are some of the region's most exotic and interesting places, with Asia's most extensive virgin rainforests and best preserved traditional cultures, and leaving them out just like this is a real shame.
So even if you are normally a Rough Guides fan (and I know many of their books are good), unless you are determined to stick to the well beaten tourist-tracks in places like Thailand and Malaysia, give this book a miss and go for Lonely Planet's Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, which, while also far from perfect, at least does cover all of SEA!

Full of useful information
It gave me exactly the information that I needed, including transport to and from different places, accommodation, places of interest etc. Very helpful with estimating expenses, for example taxi. I strongly recommend it to people who are going on a trip to several places in SE Asia.