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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
be skeptical., September 16, 2007
We spent three weeks in Bali using this book as a guide. For overviews of different parts of the island, we found it very helpful, and we relied on the maps to sort of get our bearings. However, I suspect we could have gotten those things from any travel guide. The Lonely Planet book in specific was recommended to us by our travel agent, and because of the witty and intelligent writing, we thought it would be well-researched and trustworthy.
Not so! We were very disappointed with a lot of places reviewed well by the authors of this book. We stayed in the hotel marked "our pick" in Seminyak and it was much more expensive, we couldn't get hot water, and we got eaten alive by mosquitos. It recommends an "art market" in Ubud that is probably worse for rabid hawkers than Jalan Legian in Kuta. It hugely understates the presence and tenacity of hawkers and touts. The authors seem unaware of Bali Belly, traveler's sickness, Montezuma's Revenge, whatever you want to call it, and there's no advice on avoiding that. It neglects to mention anything that I could find about women being barred from temples during "that time of the month" or where sarongs and sashes are required and how they're supposed to be worn.
I don't think this book works as a stand alone guide. It paints a picture of Bali as the nicest place on earth, full of charming this and breathtaking that. We followed its advice and found a version of the island overrun by tourists, rife with scam artists, with culture and history pushed aside by Bintang t-shirts and anything else that could generate a quick buck. We also found amazing places and wonderful people, but only once when we put down this misleading book and started trusting our instincts.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reference Material/Starting Point, December 7, 2003
By A Customer
This is a good guidebook and fairly accurate. In a country like Indonesia, however, things change quickly so use this book as a reference not as a bible. Do you own research and talk to other travellers. Since the LP Bali is the default travellers' guide to this region, most of the restaurants and hotels covered are not the best values. Many get a steady stream of customers just because of a good review and never bother to maintain the facilities. The best deals require a lot of footwork and bargaining! Learning some bahasa indonesia always helps. The language section is adequate but the phrasebook is much better. Nightlife is making a big comeback with the reopening of Paddy's Reloaded (did they really need the weapons terminology?) and the return of the young aussie crowd. Check Bounty for the college age crowd, Seminyak for the posh/club crowd. You can also avoid the moneychangers altogether by going to the BCA ATMs. Look for the ones that give you bills in 100,000 Rp denominations. You get a more reasonable maximum with these machines. The activities sections are good, particularly the surfing one. They do a poor job of covering Lombok however, if you are planning on heading out there for an extended stay, I would recommend the LP Indonesia. Be forewarned though, the constant soliciting outside of the Gili Islands in Lombok is extremely tiresome. For scuba, skip Gili altogether and head to Flores or Sulawesi (or even back to Bali's Menjangen). Many of the sections are blasted out and the whole place is overfished. Finally, if you want to book a boat trip to the Komodo Islands, you have a couple options, the pricey Perama boats (better and more luxurious boats) or the cheapo independent boats (very basic converted fishing boats). The second option is very very basic - you sleep on dirty mats and the snorkeling equipment doesn't work. The food is pretty good though and you do get to all the major sites with no hassle. If you don't mind all this, you can book these boats pretty much anywhere on Lombok. The dragons are all worth it - we saw a couple fighting over a mate.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well up to standard, August 23, 2003
I am Balinese and live in Ubud.As I am involved in tourism, I always keep a close eye on guide books to make sure that they do not give any incorrect information, either generally in respect of Bali, or in particular, in respect of my own restaurant, shops and accommodation in Ubud. I am pleased to say that the text is remarkably accurate - as are the maps - which is not easy in the fast changing world we now live in. The sections on Balinese culture are concise and very helpful to those visiting the island for the first time. Balinese culture is complicated and the visitor will benefit greatly from the explanations in this book. There are also some nice photographs. Recommended.
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