Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Rough Guides have always been a good compromise between the traditional Baedeker-style travel guides my parents used and the Lonely Planet guides from my backpacking days. The chunky Lonely Planets (the volume for China has the size and the weight of a solid brick) are still unrivalled when one wants to travel in a country with bad infrastructure and few tourist facilities; but for someone who travels light and wants to visit Singapore, the Mini Rough Guide to Singapore is a good choice.
It is a travel guide that fits easily into a pocket but has all the information one would expect: detailed coverage of the major sights, reviews of the best places to stay, eat and drink, a brief introduction to the history of Singapore, and nine useful color maps (including one for the subway system that came in handy). One of the highlights of the guide is a six-page section with short reviews of books for further reading. It includes not only travel accounts and history books but also works of literature that touch on Singapore, among them works by Anthony Burgess, Joseph Conrad, W. Somerset Maugham, and Paul Theroux (Mark Lewis, the author of the guide, spent a year teaching English in Singapore after graduating from university during which time he regularly contributed book reviews to the Singapore Straits Times).
The book is very readable, well organized, chock full of useful information for the visitor, and very "user-friendly". It would qualify for five stars were it not for two (minor) complaints: One is that travelling mostly on a limited time budget, I have always liked travel guides with a couple of suggestions for day tours around town (none here, unfortunately). Secondly, I feel that a squeaky clean, efficient and hyper-controlled city like Singapore really asks for more irreverence and jokes than Mark Lewis allowed himself in his book. This is a matter of temperament, of course. Or maybe the editors of the Rough Guides series thought that a travel guide is not the right place to really indulge in the joys of oddities and ironies.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Rough Guide to Singapore
"The Rough Guide to Singapore" is the ultimate travel guide to this fascinating island state, with clear maps and detailed coverage of all the best attractions. You can discover Singapore's highlights with stunning photography and information on everything from the Night Safari and Universal Studios to back-to-nature experiences, like the rainforest at Bukit Timah and the Sungei Buloh wetland reserve. You can find detailed practical advice on what to see and do in Singapore, relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, nightspots and shops for all budgets. Plus, "The Rough Guide to Singapore" helps you experience the city's dazzling culinary offerings with reviews of the best restaurants and hawker-style eating places. Unrivalled background information will help you appreciate the city's vibrant mix of cultures, from Chinese and Hindu temples to ultra-modern skyscrapers, and comprehensive maps will make exploring the island a breeze. Make the most of your trip with "The Rough Guide to Singapore".
Click here for more information about The Rough Guide to Singapore
