Lonely Planet Best of Bali

 (8 customer reviews)

This little book holds so much information. It gives history and standard information about Bali as a whole. Then it explains city by city. In each city section they have the best of: eating, shopping, what to do and places to see. There are even price ranges on the restaurants, spas and temples or museums which is great too. The culture is also explained which is very important because Bali is filled to the brim with culture. They point out the best surf breaks and how to get there, along with if "this beach" is 4-6 feet, then "that beach" is 6-8 feet and so on. It helps you with the currency exchange and if you need to get a visa. Which I didn't know about until I bought this book. This book is very informative and small so you can take it with you on your Bali adventure.

I was terribly disappointed in this book. The maps are useless on the Kindle unless you use a magnifier. The information is slight. There is practically nothing about the culture of Bali or many of the fascinating places to visit. I guess I didn't take enought notice of the description before I purchased it. I was looking for a much more substantial publication with emphasis on the important cultural towns, temples and palaces.
This is fine as quick guide to places to surf, dive and eat, with a nod to the arts, but not much else. Even then the information is sparse. The title Bali Encounters should have warned me that was no depth to this very brief guide.

I leave for Bali in 2 days. This came in time! Perfect pocket guide. The big Lonely Planet Guide is more in detail. Get both if you can. If not this one is the right one. Great maps, specific quick reference.