DK TravelDK Bali and Lombok (Travel Guide)

Useful for planning our trip to Bali

Used very successfully on holiday in Bali. Light to carry, easy to reference.

comprehensive but having separate pullout maps were inconvenient and would have preferred just one larger pullout map

We first went to Bali on our Honeymoon in 2006. The chaotic bustle in the capital Denpasar (so many families plus pets plus goods on motorcycles) dispelled any residual hippie trail images of the country and there are many excellent (but large) hotels in the Southern (Dusa Nua and beach) regions on the Bikit penisular. But even then, it was easy to get off the beaten track - even seeing oxen pulling ploughs in the rice fields and, as a deeply religious country, so many temples. Later we visited the (quieter) island of Lombok (Port at Lembar) from a small cruise ship.in 2013 (for a brief day excursion) and both North and South regions of Bali. It looks from the book that the Indonesian Government , having seen the tourist boom on Bali, are trying to promote the other islands like Lombok.So, in 2022 what would one expect / want to see / do on these two Indonesian islands?We have used the DK guides in our travels in Asia over the years and have found them great for maps, photos, descriptions, possible itineraries of varying lengths (Bali 14 , 10 , 5 days ( covering Ubud and the lake district )) and Lombok and Gilli islands 10 days. There are detailed descriptions of opportunities for the likes of adventurers (hikers/climbers) , foodies, history buffs and the like. There is a good Street smarts section (Do check out the currency (Rupiah - Rph) exchange rate as you can easily imagine yourselves to be millionaires ( In 2006 £1 = 17,500 Rph)The book neatly covers four key areas of Bali and an overview of all of Lombok and, (based on our previous visits) many of the religious and historical sites are still there and well covered. So, a great islands summary for holiday planning and as an aid when travelling

This one of the best EyeWitness guides - it manages to be pretty comprehensive whilst at the same time being light enough to take on your travels. Often, providing a comprehensive guide comes at the expense of detail. Whilst this guide isn't a detailed cultural/historical guide, it does provide a good overviews of a fair few of the temples and palace/water palace complexes, together with great photography.The guide takes in the four broad regions of the island of Bali plus Lombok. It seems that more pages are devoted to what is called the South & Bukit peninsula (largely the beach areas & Nusa Dua) than to the more interesting areas of northern & western Bali, the East and what is referred to as the Centre (including Ubud). Lombok is reasonably well-covered. The photos & drawings of these areas might well be enough to encourage the people who stick to Nusa Dua to explore further afield especially the north and east coasts where you get to see more of the real Bali without the large luxury resorts.The limited suggestions for accommodation and bars/restaurants are contained within each geographical section which is useful but otherwise is poor.You will need other resources for choosing your hotel, etc..

I really like to read travel books, even if I have no immediate plans, I like to read about the places and these guides are usually good for bite-sized information.I’ve had a few guides from this series now, I knew a little about Bali but not Lombok.This is a lightweight book which could be easily taken in hand luggage or a suitcase. It’s full of glossy pictures and itinerary ideas. The maps are not as precise as some others in the collection but give a general idea of the area and islands.What I really liked was reading the history or descriptions of the places, not just, how to get there or what times its open. Although this is more targeted towards the traveller, its still an interesting book about the area.