Robot Heart

Readers picks: Overrated destinations of the world - latimes.com

Amazing. People will complain about anything! Some of the places that LAT readers thought were overrated: Paris, Greece, Reykjavik, “the beach,” Bora Bora, Bali, Costa Rica… though I did appreciate that someone put in that hotbed of tourist action, downtown Riverside, California.

People are snobs. Example:

Place: Bali

Last visited: 2000

My perspective: It was the ending port of our cruise from Hong Kong to Bali. The weather was very hot, and the humidity seemed near 100%, which we were told is normal for November. Our hotel was very luxurious. We left our patio door open about an inch while we went to dinner and came back to bugs everywhere. In daytime, mosquitoes ate us up. The hotel grounds were beautiful but couldn’t be enjoyed because of the temperatures and bugs. Outside of the hotel’s grounds, there was poverty everywhere and beggars. It was not the paradise we expected. Never again. We’ve been all over the world, and this was the worst spot we’ve ever been in.

Suggested alternative: Hawaii

—Janet Cross, San Dimas