Bali is Indo’s main travellers’ destination. Here is some info which might prove helpful.
KUTA - okay, it’s crowded, dirty, noisy, has hawkers/touts in your face everywhere, the beach is pretty bad, the traffic a joke etc - but anyone visiting for the first time should spend maybe 2 days here. Easy access right off the aircraft, good shopping, heaps of cheap accomm and great night-life, best place to organise onward travel. But unless you are a party animal, 2 days is pretty much enough. Head for Poppies Lane 1 and 2 for plenty of cheap and lower-midrange accomm in a central position.
UBUD - on everyone’s visit list, but has a relaxed atmosphere all the same. Artistic/cultural town in lower highlands. Some good hiking, rafting and nice scenery in the surrounding countryside. Nearby villages tend to specialise in an artistic area - painting, jewellery, wood carving. I rode through a village where the 3 wood carving places were specialising in full size replica Harleys. Volcanic crater lakes reasonably close for much shorter daytrips than Kuta ( I once rode a bicycle up there - hard slog up, warp speed back) Lots of accomm of all standards in just abt every street - try Monkey Forest Road for starters
DREAMLAND - “secret” beach spot. Well, not secret - been in surfer magazines for years but not many travellers are onto it yet, except for the usual Swedish Bikini Team who seem to find the most obscure places. Surfers don’t complain - as usual we are actually talking Swedish Monokini Team***.
Dreamland is accessed from the Bukit Peninsula south of Kuta. Tell your transport guys you will pay the $1 entrance fee on the access road, otherwise they are sometimes reluctant to go down there. Lovely beach backed by cliffside warungs and rooms, mostly budget standard. Great reef-breaking left hander for advanced surfers. Novices can muck around on the broken waves between the reef and beach. If you go for a few hours on a daytrip, probably best to get your transport guy to hang around for you - it is often hard to get transport out in a hurry, and just as expensive to summons a taxi up from the Kuta or NUSA DUA areas.
Note that at the timeo of writing - Aug07 - there are big plans for Dreamland - some kind of country club thing with maybe a clubhouse on the northern headland. People reckon the beachfront rooms and warungs may be redeveloped. So get there while you can.
Dreamland, with the cliffs and beaches of the Bukit Peninsula stretching south. Uluwatu of big-wave fame is at the far end (image Panoramio-poliakow) UPDATE OCT O8 - The Sydney Morning Herald published an article on how development is eating traditional Bali. They mentioned Dreamland quite a bit and featured this shot:
Apparently this unsutble construction is to be a combined hotel/shopping precinct. From what I can see most of the cheap surfer/traveller losmen and the restaurants/bars lining the low slope behind the beach are gone. The article said 500 luxury villas are planned for the greater area behind this structure, and that a lot more development is going in elsewhere on the Bukit. Progress folk - looks like we head to Lombok for the old-style Bali holiday pleasures in future. Image Sydney Morning Herald.Similar beach to pre construction Dreamand - cheap accomm - warung situation a little north at PADANG PADANG and BINGIN, although the beach at the latter is inot near as good - and just to the south at BALANGAN. Even further north is the classic Ulawatu - no beach here except for a neat little area where surfers enter the water but great view from high cliffside warungs sipping a beer or five and watching kamikaze locals and tourists rip the reefbreak apart. Walk down thru the cave where the surfers actually enter the water and have a splash about. Be careful off the little beach, the coral can be tough underfoot.
Even hire a board and catch a broken wave or two between the reef and cliffs. I have seen beginners’ surfing classes in this most unlikely place. But unless you are experienced, don’t go out near the take-off zone. This is the sort of place where guys come out at low tide and jackhammer you out of the reef after you misjudge things.
UPDATE JUNE 09 - I've just returned from Indo where I spent quite a few days staying on the Bukit. I done written a specific page with lots of pix etc here.
MIDRANGE TRAVELLERS NOTE - there seems to be a growing number of higher end rooms going in around the Bukit, particularly on the higher slopes looking down over the beaches and ocean. UPDATE OCT 08 - check the SMH ariticle above - looks like there's going to be a stack of higher end rooms on the Bukit.
NUSA LEMBONGAN - my Bali favourite - little island abt 15 km off eastern Bali mainland. Discovered by surfers but now firmly on travellers’ and package lists. Very unspoiled though.
For budget, head for surfer/travellers’ enclave at north end of the lagoon at Jungubatu. Try Ketut’s for starters.
The island’s 2nd best beach is at Mushroom Bay, 20 minutes nice cliffside and beaches walk to the south - high-end and mid range places are at Mushroom, although there are also some on the cliff walk. Coconuts is a great place just near the Jungabatu end of this walk - twin rimless pools overlooking the bay and Bali volcanos, similar view from restaurant, even better from most of the bungalows lined up the steep hillside.
Best beach is reached by going one km up the Lembongan town road from Mushroom, turning right and following the signs another km to "Paradise Beach" (or simlar name), perfect small white sand beach with high headlands each end - deserted except of a small warung on the approach headland.
Budget snorkelling trip from Jungubatu to the bays of nearby Nusa Penida is a must. There is also pretty good snorkelling around the daytrip boat pontoons at the southern end of Jungbatu Bay and not bad off Mushroom Beach. Also hire a motorcycle/bicycle and tour Lembongan (say 2 hours min for the whole island on bicycle - is v flat for northern two thirds, hilly the rest) and cross the suspension bridge to Nusa Cennigan and check it out. Some killer hills here, but views from the top worth it - high Penida close to the east and volcanic Bali to the west past Lembongan.
For surfers, Lembongan has half a dozen spots, all reefbreaks, mostly right hand which is a nice change from the Bukit, and like Ulawatu, they can get pretty exciting when the swell builds on a falling tide. “Shipwrecks” is right out the front of the cheap lodgings at Jungubatu. You can down a banana shake and watch crazy Brazilian bodyboarders die.
Lembongan also has good diving and you can organise a prau and rods if deep sea fishing is your thing.
Cheap public boats go to Lembongan from Sanur near Kuta; Perama can pick you up from your hotel in Kuta and take you in their boat for not much more, and there are also some big flash daytrip operators who will shuttle you across on their fast boats. I’ve also hitched a cheap lift on one of the seaweed boats back from Lembongan to Kusamba in-central eastern Bali, which is close to Padang Bai, the port for the big Lombok bound vehicle-passenger ferries. The warung next to Ketut’s will put on a
direct prau to Padang Bai if there are enough takers.
Check the index for the separate newspaper article I wrote - Offhsore Bali Paradise.
UPDATE MAY 09 - the same page has fresh information and pix from my latest trip.
PADANG BAI - Despite the busy dock, where ferries leave for Lombok approx every 2 hours 24/7, this is a neat little town in a neat little bay and has become very popular with travellers. Nice laid back atmosphere, cheap good seafood in bayside warungs, fairly good snorkelling by Asian standards at Blue Lagoon, 10 minutes walk over the northern headland, nice unspoiled surf beach (but not good for board surfing) 10 minutes over the southern headland (ask locals to show you the path), several good dive outfits and a range of cheap (and one midrange) accom places on the bayside beach road just north of town central. You can also get fast ferries out to Nusa Penida here, and fishermen are willing to take you across to Lembongan for around 120K+ depending on your bargaining power and the size of the swell. This can get huge mid-crossing for such small boats.
Popular surf beach one headland south of Padangbai harbour - a couple of warungs are the only development (image Panoramio-Andy Zet)UPDATE MAY O9 - I just revisited Padangbai and also stayed at nearby Candidasa for the first time in 10 years. I wrote a specific page which has quite a few pix here.
AMED - Actually a series of fishing/tourist villages which stretches along the northern coast close to Bali’s NE corner. Amed is first off the highway. Completely laid back little bays separated by high divides and backed by mountains and hills. Diving, snorkelling, prau rides out to the reef, fishing, hiking, biking the coast road are all good but this place is best for just relaxing. Note the beaches are black sand.
Each village has half a dozen places to stay, some budget but many lower
midrange/midrange which works out nearly budget because they discount like crazy. Each village also has a good range of budget restaurants and warungs.
One of the Amed area beaches. Black sand gets hot, but otherwise very pleasant (image Panoramio-Christophe Van Hulle )LOVINA - this too is an area rather than a town, made up of a string of more or less continuous villages starting a short distance west of the old north coast capital of Singaraja and extending for 10km or so along the coast.
This area had a bad rep for hassle in the past, but my visit a few years ago found it very laid back compared to the scene in Kuta. The hawkers were not in your face and the dolphin-watching/snorkelling boat guys had been regulated and were charging a set fare.
The place seemed to have been hit fairly hard by the bombings with ridiculously low prices for accommodation and very competitive restaurant tariffs. I stayed in the central village of Kalibukbuk which seemed to have the most lively atmosphere.
The beach is black sand right along the strip but is a nice place to spend time, particularly late afternoon where pretty good sunsets could be seen over the rugged volcanoes of distant west Java. Swimming is sheltered inside the reef and snorkelling was reasonably good.
The surrounding area has some hot springs and waterfalls when you tire of the beach.
The drive to Lovina from the south is a scenic highlight - the highway cuts thru a volcano crater with twin lakes and then descends steeply to the north coast thru a series of hairping turns.
SANUR - is my favourite midrange place. I've stayed there at least a half dozen times over the years. Certainly if I had a package deal which gave me the choice between Kuta/Jimbarin/Nusa Dua/Sanur, Sanur would be the one. BTW, if you want to shop/party in Kuta it is only a $5 20 minute taxi ride away.
My favourite area is around Gazebo Hotel - there is a whole bunch of mid-range (in Bali prices - damned good deals by western, currently they will discount the posted prices if you are walk-in) beachfront hotels in this area, the beach is nice (they have recently spend big rupiahs on some groyne work which has built the sand up nicely), the hotels have low priced beachfront restaurants, there is a great new makeshift beachbar set up abt 300m south, and on the beachroad there is a whole bunch of restaurants and bars competing like crazy, so prices are crazily low.
The beach is even nicer abt 3 km south around the Sanur Beach Hotel, but this area seems to have pushed upmarket in recent years.
The beachfront walkway now extends the full 5 km or so from the harbour/markets area up around Arlits Hotel to south of Sanur Beach Hotel, and makes a great walk or bicycle ride.
The lagoon inside the reef all along here is very sheltered. The snorkelling in some spots is okay without being great. But for surfers, outside Sanur Reef is another of those spincter-tightening breaks when the swell gets up. It is mostly a right hander, and being on the opposite side of the island to the Bukit and Kuta, tends to work well when they are windblown and messy, mainly in the wet season when the westerlies blow.
The beach at Sanur near Gazebo - my last few visits had more sand here following extensive reclamation work (image Panoramio senna 3) UPDATE SEPT 08 - been doing some research for my next trip and found this info on budget places (under $US15) in Sanur. I was real slack and forgot to record the info givers' names:
- The followng place fits into your budget. The rooms have hot water and air conditioning.www.baliseniahotel.com/
- Try Little Pond on Jl Danau Tamblingan. 90,000 a night, pool, wifi access - lovely place.
- One of my favourites is the Ardana Homestay on Jl. Pantai Sindu No.9, ph: +62 361 284395 on the left hand side as you are walking towards the beach, past the Orange Bar. I stayed there for a week in June 08. The room had aircon, full size fridge, TV (local chanels only), hot water shower, with breakfast. I was on my own and paid Rp90.000 per night. They only have 5 rooms, it's a family compound and everyone is very friendly. They also have a little toko selling bits and pieces, like aqua, bintang, phone cards etc.
- Try Little Pond on Jl Danau Tamblingan. 90,000 a night, pool, wifi access - lovely place.
- One of my favourites is the Ardana Homestay on Jl. Pantai Sindu No.9, ph: +62 361 284395 on the left hand side as you are walking towards the beach, past the Orange Bar. I stayed there for a week in June 08. The room had aircon, full size fridge, TV (local chanels only), hot water shower, with breakfast. I was on my own and paid Rp90.000 per night. They only have 5 rooms, it's a family compound and everyone is very friendly. They also have a little toko selling bits and pieces, like aqua, bintang, phone cards etc.
UPDATE MAY 09 - for a real nice budget place in North Sanur on the little street that leads down to the small harbour for Nusa Lembongan public boats and the Perama boat, try Watering Hole. This has a big streetfont restaurant about 60m closer to the harbour than the Perama office and cool, super clean rooms upstairs in an old-style stone block building with wide verandas.
*** Okay, my blog is an equal opportunity site so I must throw in some eye candy for lady readers. Sweethearts, you can’t go past a typical Aussie surfer in the hunkmeister stakes. Trouble is, personality wise these guys may be a bit dodgy - once summed up by Kathy Lette: “An Australian surfer is a life-support systems for a wetsuit.” Yeah, well you’ll get yours one day, Kathy.
So if you want some handsome, attentive and charming male company, maybe you will best find it in the locals who hang around the bars and clubs of Kuta. And if you are prepared to throw in food, booze, lodging, the occasional gift etc., they will accompany you on your trip around Bali. Wow, talk about nice guys.
It isn’t just the 35+ desperate and dateless divorcee who is on to this - I have seen quite a few fetching young things with their Indo guys in tow. And it is a big industry in Bali/Lombok/Sumatra and some other Indo locations, in contrast to say Thailand where tourist girls with local guys are not nearly as common. Conversely, you don’t see many tourist guys travelling with Indo girls, unlike Thailand. Theories re why this is so could be a good topic for a separate thread.
SNORKELLING AT BALI
I haven’t done an exhaustive sample of snorkelling at Bali. What I have seen is nowhere near world class and nowhere as good as the best I’ve seen in Indo (right off the beach at Kanawa Island West Flores. But I haven’t been further east where I understand Banda and the general Maluku area are great).
The best coral and fish I’ve seen in Bali is actually in the little bays of the south coast of Nusa Penida on one of the snorkelling trips offered by plenty of bungalow places and boat guys on neighbouring Nusa Lembongan.
On the mainland snorkelling was okay at Blue Lagoon Padangbai, the small islands off Candidasa and at Amed - although I didn’t exhaustively snorkel Amed and maybe could have found better stuff.
Many posters say Tulamben and Pulau Menjangen are the pick of Bali.
However, for a detailed account of other better Bali places plus those I’ve mentioned, check this site
The site also has an excellent cover of most other Indonesian snorkelling, including the world class places.
I haven’t done an exhaustive sample of snorkelling at Bali. What I have seen is nowhere near world class and nowhere as good as the best I’ve seen in Indo (right off the beach at Kanawa Island West Flores. But I haven’t been further east where I understand Banda and the general Maluku area are great).
The best coral and fish I’ve seen in Bali is actually in the little bays of the south coast of Nusa Penida on one of the snorkelling trips offered by plenty of bungalow places and boat guys on neighbouring Nusa Lembongan.
On the mainland snorkelling was okay at Blue Lagoon Padangbai, the small islands off Candidasa and at Amed - although I didn’t exhaustively snorkel Amed and maybe could have found better stuff.
Many posters say Tulamben and Pulau Menjangen are the pick of Bali.
However, for a detailed account of other better Bali places plus those I’ve mentioned, check this site
The site also has an excellent cover of most other Indonesian snorkelling, including the world class places.
A GUIDE TO BALI'S BEACHES
Being a beach nerd, I consider this important enough to do a SEPARATE PAGE.
There is info/pix on the following - DREAM BEACH, BALANGAN, SANUR, MUSHROOM BEACH, PADANG PADANG, JIMBARIN, NUSA DUA, PADANGBAI, AMED, LOVINA, BINGIN, ULUWATU, ULU-PADANG and of course the famous TUBAN-KUTA-LEGIAN-SEMINYAK strip.
Note too there is info and some pix on most of these on the 3 other Bali pages including this one.
Being a beach nerd, I consider this important enough to do a SEPARATE PAGE.
There is info/pix on the following - DREAM BEACH, BALANGAN, SANUR, MUSHROOM BEACH, PADANG PADANG, JIMBARIN, NUSA DUA, PADANGBAI, AMED, LOVINA, BINGIN, ULUWATU, ULU-PADANG and of course the famous TUBAN-KUTA-LEGIAN-SEMINYAK strip.
Note too there is info and some pix on most of these on the 3 other Bali pages including this one.
TRANSPORT AROUND BALI
Car Hire - you are looking at 100-180k (say 9k = $US1) a day* (oops, see update below) depending on size, maybe 20% less if you haggle well. Driving in Bali is the typical SE Asia kamikaze situation, and roads are very crowded except in some mountain and north coast areas, but you see more tourists driving here than in most other holiday areas. Be careful, you will also see heaps of accidents in your travels.
The thing is, hiring a car and a driver does not cost too much more, and takes all the hassle away.
*Update OCT 2007 - prices are constantly rising with the cost of fuel - the latest I've seen is 350k a day or 50k an hour including return.
Motorcycle - hire here is 30k-50k per day around Kuta - less for multiday hire. Many places can supply a bike with outrigger board-racks for surfers. Always check the bike carefully for damage. They always say collision insurance is included. Ask anyway, although I don’t know how you can be certain.
Make sure you have an international drivers’ licence endorsed for motorcycles - cops set up roadblocks in heavily touristed places to check this. Some travelers say the fine is less than the cost of a licence, but anytime you put yourself at the mercy of sometimes dodgy cops, this can be variable. And you can be stopped multiple times.
Traffic rules don’t really exist, but the cops love to fine drivers and bike riders for having any part of their vehicle over the front line painted across the road at traffic lights.
Taxis - very cheap but often dodgy in that drivers dont like to use meters, and some taxis are heaps. Always agree on a price beforehand if the driver says the meter is “broken”. Around Kuta and the other southern tourist areas try to get the common light-blue Blue Bird taxis - these always use meters, aircon always works etc. The orange taxis are okay too.
The airport has a fixed price taxi counter for arrivals - prices are higher than out on the street, but still very reasonable.
"Transport" guys - Note that there are thousands of guys hanging around hotels, restaurants, bars and main street areas offering “Transport” in their own vehicles. They tend to be as cheap as taxis over short distances if you can bargain well and cheaper over the long distances, as outlined in “car and driver” above. Many of these guys don’t own a permit to carry tourists and the cops wave them down and “fine” them. This may be built into your fare, but I give a bit extra if my driver gets stopped. Over really long distances, buying the driver a coffee or cold drink at a rest stop costs next to nothing and is appreciated.
Buses - there are some big coaches flying along the road, but these are mainly package-tourist shuttles or inter-island buses. The locals use minibuses called bemos.
These are extremely cheap, but often inconvenient in that a 40km trip may involve changing bemos 3 or 4 times. Good for moving around a smaller area like Sanur, Amed etc. The bemo set-up around Kuta town is not convenient for tourists.
2007 prices are 500rp fixed regardless of length of journey - but they always overcharge non-locals.
Travelers’ Shuttlebuses - there are a half dozen operators running mid size and minibuses for tourists between the main destinations. They are very cheap and a pretty good way to travel, although usually taking considerably longer than a taxi or “transport”, and not as comfortable.
Many hotels, restaurants and small shops in towns plus the usual travel agents sell tickets.
Perama is probably the biggest and best known - latest prices and timetable here
For an extra 5k (this is less than $1) they will pick you up from your hotel instead of you having to lug your stuff to the depot.
I always try to get the seat next to the driver - there are some fantastic views in mountain and coastal areas, and passing thru any small village is good value. The chaos of Kuta is not bad too. There are two passenger seats up front, and most travellers dive into the back.
Perama also runs minibus-ferry services to Nusa-Lembongan, mainland Lombok and the Gilis and does a fabulous Komodo Spotting Tour between Lombok and Flores.
UPDATE SEPT 08 - some current transport costs for car+driver and car alone hire - once again I was slack and didn't record the names of the givers. Sorry.
- I think I paid about 50 dollars US for a driver to take me around to several sights for the day.
- The cheapest car rental, the brochure of which I still keep with me, asks for IDR400,000 (car rental + gas + driver for 12 hours + insurance) for Toyota Avanza. Their number cellphone number is +62 81223692775 (text them). Their e-mail address is bagus0605@yahoo.com. The company name was Bali Seasons Tours. They asked for IDR200,000 for a 24 hour car rental only (excl. gas & driver, inc. insurance).I didn't use their service the last time I was in Bali because I prefer driving myself and I found a car rental for only IDR185.000 for 24 hours. It was available at the tour counters at Bali Airport. (another poster said the cheaper rentals include very basic insurance, only sufficient to cover a minor bingle).
- About 400000rph is a fair price including petrol
MIDRANGE TRAVELLERS AND UP.
I've already mentioned my favourite midrange place - Sanur.
The other popular areas are:
The original KUTA BEACH area which now extends both south to the airport and north past Legian and Seminyak. There are hundreds of hotels in this 10km or so strip, some of them quite upmarket.
A lot of midrange travellers like LEGIAN - the beach is nicer, it is quieter than Kuta but still has a great range of restaurants and shops up on the main road.
SEMINYAK is a bit quieter again and the hotels tend to be newer and more upmarket.
Heading the opposite way, south of Kuta central towards the airport, you come to TUBAN which is similar in character to Legian.
South of the airport is JIMBARIN - a mixture of midrange and upper hotels on a nicer beach than Kuta. Jimbarin is noted for its seafood restaurants which attract travellers from other areas.
On the south coast maybe 20-25 minutes by car from Kuta is NUSA DUA - this is an area of mainly international standard hotels, very resorty in style. Not my idea of Bali, but pretty comfortable places to spend time.
On the central east coast north of Pandang Bai is CANDIDASA which has some nice midrange and upper places both on the beach and the lower slopes of the scenic hills backing the town. Actually most of the beach has been lost to erosion so there is not much sand here away from low tide. However this is a nice town to spend time in, with some lovely surrounding countryside to check out.
On the central north coast is LOVINA - actually this is really a string interlocking beach villages stretching along the main road for 10+km. There is the full range of accommodation from basic backpacker to pretty flash. Note the beach is black sand.
Lovina used to have a reputation for hassle, but my latest trip there saw a pretty relaxed place compared to Kuta, with amazingly competitive prices for rooms and eats. Lovina seems to have been hurt even harder by the tourist downturn post bombings than other areas.
SOME USEFUL LINKS
* Nice mid-range hotel in Amed area -
baliforum.com
* And another - balitravelforum
* Lembongan Island website - Lembongan my favourite Bali location. BTW, that is Mushroom Bay in the background of the homepage photograph - lembonganislands.com
* A good website for travel around Indonesia - http://www.acrossindonesia.com/
Car Hire - you are looking at 100-180k (say 9k = $US1) a day* (oops, see update below) depending on size, maybe 20% less if you haggle well. Driving in Bali is the typical SE Asia kamikaze situation, and roads are very crowded except in some mountain and north coast areas, but you see more tourists driving here than in most other holiday areas. Be careful, you will also see heaps of accidents in your travels.
The thing is, hiring a car and a driver does not cost too much more, and takes all the hassle away.
*Update OCT 2007 - prices are constantly rising with the cost of fuel - the latest I've seen is 350k a day or 50k an hour including return.
Motorcycle - hire here is 30k-50k per day around Kuta - less for multiday hire. Many places can supply a bike with outrigger board-racks for surfers. Always check the bike carefully for damage. They always say collision insurance is included. Ask anyway, although I don’t know how you can be certain.
Make sure you have an international drivers’ licence endorsed for motorcycles - cops set up roadblocks in heavily touristed places to check this. Some travelers say the fine is less than the cost of a licence, but anytime you put yourself at the mercy of sometimes dodgy cops, this can be variable. And you can be stopped multiple times.
Traffic rules don’t really exist, but the cops love to fine drivers and bike riders for having any part of their vehicle over the front line painted across the road at traffic lights.
Taxis - very cheap but often dodgy in that drivers dont like to use meters, and some taxis are heaps. Always agree on a price beforehand if the driver says the meter is “broken”. Around Kuta and the other southern tourist areas try to get the common light-blue Blue Bird taxis - these always use meters, aircon always works etc. The orange taxis are okay too.
The airport has a fixed price taxi counter for arrivals - prices are higher than out on the street, but still very reasonable.
"Transport" guys - Note that there are thousands of guys hanging around hotels, restaurants, bars and main street areas offering “Transport” in their own vehicles. They tend to be as cheap as taxis over short distances if you can bargain well and cheaper over the long distances, as outlined in “car and driver” above. Many of these guys don’t own a permit to carry tourists and the cops wave them down and “fine” them. This may be built into your fare, but I give a bit extra if my driver gets stopped. Over really long distances, buying the driver a coffee or cold drink at a rest stop costs next to nothing and is appreciated.
Buses - there are some big coaches flying along the road, but these are mainly package-tourist shuttles or inter-island buses. The locals use minibuses called bemos.
These are extremely cheap, but often inconvenient in that a 40km trip may involve changing bemos 3 or 4 times. Good for moving around a smaller area like Sanur, Amed etc. The bemo set-up around Kuta town is not convenient for tourists.
2007 prices are 500rp fixed regardless of length of journey - but they always overcharge non-locals.
Travelers’ Shuttlebuses - there are a half dozen operators running mid size and minibuses for tourists between the main destinations. They are very cheap and a pretty good way to travel, although usually taking considerably longer than a taxi or “transport”, and not as comfortable.
Many hotels, restaurants and small shops in towns plus the usual travel agents sell tickets.
Perama is probably the biggest and best known - latest prices and timetable here
For an extra 5k (this is less than $1) they will pick you up from your hotel instead of you having to lug your stuff to the depot.
I always try to get the seat next to the driver - there are some fantastic views in mountain and coastal areas, and passing thru any small village is good value. The chaos of Kuta is not bad too. There are two passenger seats up front, and most travellers dive into the back.
Perama also runs minibus-ferry services to Nusa-Lembongan, mainland Lombok and the Gilis and does a fabulous Komodo Spotting Tour between Lombok and Flores.
UPDATE SEPT 08 - some current transport costs for car+driver and car alone hire - once again I was slack and didn't record the names of the givers. Sorry.
- I think I paid about 50 dollars US for a driver to take me around to several sights for the day.
- The cheapest car rental, the brochure of which I still keep with me, asks for IDR400,000 (car rental + gas + driver for 12 hours + insurance) for Toyota Avanza. Their number cellphone number is +62 81223692775 (text them). Their e-mail address is bagus0605@yahoo.com. The company name was Bali Seasons Tours. They asked for IDR200,000 for a 24 hour car rental only (excl. gas & driver, inc. insurance).I didn't use their service the last time I was in Bali because I prefer driving myself and I found a car rental for only IDR185.000 for 24 hours. It was available at the tour counters at Bali Airport. (another poster said the cheaper rentals include very basic insurance, only sufficient to cover a minor bingle).
- About 400000rph is a fair price including petrol
MIDRANGE TRAVELLERS AND UP.
I've already mentioned my favourite midrange place - Sanur.
The other popular areas are:
The original KUTA BEACH area which now extends both south to the airport and north past Legian and Seminyak. There are hundreds of hotels in this 10km or so strip, some of them quite upmarket.
A lot of midrange travellers like LEGIAN - the beach is nicer, it is quieter than Kuta but still has a great range of restaurants and shops up on the main road.
SEMINYAK is a bit quieter again and the hotels tend to be newer and more upmarket.
Heading the opposite way, south of Kuta central towards the airport, you come to TUBAN which is similar in character to Legian.
South of the airport is JIMBARIN - a mixture of midrange and upper hotels on a nicer beach than Kuta. Jimbarin is noted for its seafood restaurants which attract travellers from other areas.
On the south coast maybe 20-25 minutes by car from Kuta is NUSA DUA - this is an area of mainly international standard hotels, very resorty in style. Not my idea of Bali, but pretty comfortable places to spend time.
On the central east coast north of Pandang Bai is CANDIDASA which has some nice midrange and upper places both on the beach and the lower slopes of the scenic hills backing the town. Actually most of the beach has been lost to erosion so there is not much sand here away from low tide. However this is a nice town to spend time in, with some lovely surrounding countryside to check out.
On the central north coast is LOVINA - actually this is really a string interlocking beach villages stretching along the main road for 10+km. There is the full range of accommodation from basic backpacker to pretty flash. Note the beach is black sand.
Lovina used to have a reputation for hassle, but my latest trip there saw a pretty relaxed place compared to Kuta, with amazingly competitive prices for rooms and eats. Lovina seems to have been hurt even harder by the tourist downturn post bombings than other areas.
SOME USEFUL LINKS
* Nice mid-range hotel in Amed area -
baliforum.com
* And another - balitravelforum
* Lembongan Island website - Lembongan my favourite Bali location. BTW, that is Mushroom Bay in the background of the homepage photograph - lembonganislands.com
* A good website for travel around Indonesia - http://www.acrossindonesia.com/
SIAP SANKUR has given some excellent info on Bali:
With the time you have I'd spend a few days in the south (Kuta or Sanur), head up to Ubud and sights north and then spend some time in the east (PadangBai and CandiDasa). Ummmm....if your going with your Girlfriend you might want to give #8 on the list a miss.
1. Day tour to Monkey Forest in Ubud; Goa Gajah (11th Century); Pejeng; Gunung Kawi (11th century tombs) and the bathing pools at Tirta Empul. This will give you a glimpse of the early history of Bali. In Pejeng visit Pura Penataran Sasih to see the ancient bronze gong “Moon of Pejeng” (3rd Century) and then go to the nearby Archeological Museum. According to the security guard, during the night the lids to the sarcophagi open and close on their own. At Goa Gajah make sure that you take the path down into the forest to see the little Buddha stupas. Unfortunately some naughty people have run off with the poor Buddha’s heads.
2. Nusa Lembongan – wonderful, small Island off of the east coast of Bali. It takes around two hours to reach the Island via the public boat that departs every morning from north Sanur (Jl. Hang Tuah). When you get on the boat in Sanur don’t let the porters carry your bags unless you agree to a price first. Nusa Lembongan is a great place to relax, visit some mangrove forests, do some swimming and/or surfing. Rent a push bike and tour the Island in a couple of hours. You can also cross over to the adjacent Island of Nusa Ceningan via the wee causeway. In the evening there are great sunsets over Bali and at night you can look up at a zillion stars. For a few years now there has been talk of large scale development on the Island……it’s only a matter of time unfortunately.
3. Sanur beach walkway between the Grand Bali Beach Hotel and Jl. Matahari Terbit. This section of beach is always busy, especially on Sundays when the Balinese all head to the beach for their Sunday afternoon mandi. This section of beach is also very popular with domestic tour groups from Java and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Very few non-Indonesians seem to make it to this part of Sanur. Lots of little beachside Cafes where you can have a beer and cheap snack. This is an especially nice place to have a beer in the evening while you look out at the heat lightning and chat with the Javanese tourists until the wee hours. There always seems to be something going on at the Bale pavilion at the end of Jl. Matahari Terbit. Lots of little warungs here as well.
4. Pantai Kusamba – almost always something going on here, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Go to Pura Goa Lawah first and then hit the beach for a drink. There is usually a real carnival feel to the beach. Back in 1849 the Dutch and Balinese had a bloody battle here.
5. Nusa Penida – one of my favourite places in all of Bali. Friendly people, stark karst landscape, tradition and lots of black magic (don’t leave any hair or fingernail clippings around). Visit the eerie Pura Dalam Ped, the fantastic beach at the village of Penida, take a motorbike ride up the limestone hills to Bukit Mundi…..from here you can look to the west and see Gunung Agung on Bali and then to the east to see Gunung Rinjani on Lombok. The coastal road on the east side of the Island is especially beautiful but not good for swimming due to the seaweed farms. Boats to the main town of Sampalan depart every morning from Sanur (2.5 hrs) and PadangBai (40 min). There are a couple of basic but clean places to stay in Sampalan. Zero English will be spoken here so bring a phrase book in you don’t speak the lingo. A car ferry is expected to start running in a year or so…..this may have a significant impact on this wonderful Island.
6. Taman Nasional Bali Barat (West Bali National Park) – check in at the Park Headquaters in Cekik to see if their simple guesthouses are available. The beach here isn’t good for swimming but you will see the occasional sea turtle and you can look across the Bali Straight to Banyuwangi in Java. During the day you can go on a hike into the Park or head over to Pulau Menjangan for diving and in the evening head into Gillimanuk (Bird Island) for some yummy and inexpensive Javanese food. This part of Bali has a cool mix of Balinese, Javanese and Madurese. Stop at one of the Madurese run warungs along the north coast highway for a cup of coffee and a chat with the cute little vendor girls.
7. Hire a driver/car and tour the east scenic east coast. Have the driver stop at Pantai Lebih, Pantai Kusamba then drive via Candidasa, BugBug, Ujung, Seraya and Amed. Return via the Sidemen road……fantastic, scenic drive through wonderful villages. If you overnight then I recommend either Amed or Tirtra Gangga. Nice day hikes in Tirta Gangga and nearby Pura Lempuyang Luhur is well worth a visit. The area around Sidemen would also be a good choice. If you have the time and energy you can also climb up Gunung Agung.
8. Saturday night (malam minggu) on Jl. Matahari Terbit in north Sanur. Anyone who says Sanur is dull has never been here. There are around a dozen local Balinese bars along this short stretch of beach road which are very popular with local Sanur/Denpasar lads. No Bob Marley here……..just Balinese/Javanese pop music. These places open at around 8 pm and stay open until at least 2 am. Some will stay open until the last tamu leaves. The staff will probably have kittens when they see a tourist walk in however. This is where the staff from your hotel, your waiter and your tour driver go for a drink when the working day is done. Don’t let the bevy of Indonesian gals hanging out in front of each bar give you the wrong idea. These places aren’t exactly politically correct; but nothing naughty goes on. A quintessential Balinese experience is to kick back here with a few Bir Bintang mixed with Kraetandang; the smell of kretek and the sounds of Widi Widiana whirling through your head. On two occasions I’ve found myself drinking Bintang with Balinese temple priests (Pemangku’s)…….this isn’t the sort of thing that happens in Ex-pat bars in Seminyak. Sometimes they have live music. But as Joseph Conrad once said, “this place too has seen darkness”. Back in the year of living dangerously in 1965 an entire village was butchered along this stretch of beach.
9. Kuta – I’m not a big fan of the place but it sure can be fun in small measures. An early morning or late afternoon walk along the beach from Kuta to Seminyak is a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.
10. Bedugul/Botantical Gardens – worth it for the drive up alone. The gardens are a relaxing place to walk around and most of the trees are labeled. There is also a well-maintained path that takes you on a circular walk through the forest. The market in Candi Kuning is worth a visit. When you’ve finished your walk head down to Danau Bratan and treat yourself to some jagung baker or bakso.
11. Old Denpasar – in the old part of Denpasar there are a few interesting sights. The Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali (Bali Provincial Museum) has lots of information on Balinese history and culture. Lots of interesting artifacts. Right next door is Pura Jagatnata which is an important Balinese temple which is pretty impressive…..usually pretty busy here. Both the Museum and the temple are right beside Puputan Square. On this open field on September 15, 1906, an estimated 1,000 Balinese men, women and children where machine gunned down by Dutch soldiers. In total, 4,000 Balinese were killed on that day. Lots of ghosts here. Nearby is Pura Maospahit which is a 14th century “Javanese Majapahit” temple. When you’re done head over to Jl. Teuku Umar for some excellent Balinese/Lombok food. And, if anyone is in Bali from Mid-June to mid-July then I highly recommend the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar.
UPDATE SEPT 08 - michael t gave this useful info:
"Just back from 4 weeks in Bali. I hope this is useful.-Exchange rates on the street...Rate is now about 8800 rupiah to the AUD.If a money changer starts to count out 20 000 rupiah notes, walk away he will either rip you off or renege on the transaction.If a money changer touches the cash after you touch it recount - they are often amazing magicians..
Massage 30 000 - 50 000 rupiah - In sanur/ubud/kuta/candi dasa. Resorts charge up to 150 000.
Taxi Drivers
For metered taxis the bluebird are good - others use the meter if asked.A car and driver for one day costs 250 000 - 400 000. (30-50 AUD)
Time Share
you will be offered free WaterBom tickets or accommodation to attend a TS presentation - remember don't ever make an unconsidered decision. There is never a "today only" deal in reality.
"Billabong" T-shirts cost 35 000 ... NO MORE!!! even good quality
Never pay more than $3 for sunglasses
Sarongs cost 30 000 to 50 000 rupiah for all but the very best Bali Batik (yes a small amount of good batik is made in Bali - but most comes from Java)
Safari park is well worth USD25. You get entrance, 1 photo op with baby tiger/lion/orangutan (extra photo ops onlt 20k rupiah). You also get a safari ride through the animal enclosures, Elephant show, other animal show, water park mostly focussed on kids and free entry to half of the rides in the amusement park. Of course as with the rest of Bali you get rude tourists and locals smoking near your kids - even in restaurants! :o( You go to jail for that here :o)
15% Waterbom discount vouchers from the travel guys ouside the main entrance of Matahari in Kuta square (and other places too). Note at the same place you'll get time share guys offering frre Waterbom for attending preesentation. You have to ask for the vouchers. With discount, entrance is a bit under USD20. A great day - and good exercise if you've been eating well."
mrsteve, a longtime Bali expert gave this warning -
"If you decide to get a massage on the beach NEVER LET MORE THAN ONE MASSAGE LADY TOUCH YOU. If you do then at the end of the massage EACH OF THEM will be DEMANDING that you pay them I will say it again: They will not merely be asking to be paid, but they will be DEMANDING that you pay. I have seen some ugly incidents where the masagee female tourist is surrounded by massage ladies who are all demanding payment at the end because they rubbed her for a few minutes. Outrageous."
If you have any questions, please ask them in THE FORUM rather than below. I don't get a chance to check all threads daily, but unless I'm travelling I'll try to monitor THE FORUM regularly.
With the time you have I'd spend a few days in the south (Kuta or Sanur), head up to Ubud and sights north and then spend some time in the east (PadangBai and CandiDasa). Ummmm....if your going with your Girlfriend you might want to give #8 on the list a miss.
1. Day tour to Monkey Forest in Ubud; Goa Gajah (11th Century); Pejeng; Gunung Kawi (11th century tombs) and the bathing pools at Tirta Empul. This will give you a glimpse of the early history of Bali. In Pejeng visit Pura Penataran Sasih to see the ancient bronze gong “Moon of Pejeng” (3rd Century) and then go to the nearby Archeological Museum. According to the security guard, during the night the lids to the sarcophagi open and close on their own. At Goa Gajah make sure that you take the path down into the forest to see the little Buddha stupas. Unfortunately some naughty people have run off with the poor Buddha’s heads.
2. Nusa Lembongan – wonderful, small Island off of the east coast of Bali. It takes around two hours to reach the Island via the public boat that departs every morning from north Sanur (Jl. Hang Tuah). When you get on the boat in Sanur don’t let the porters carry your bags unless you agree to a price first. Nusa Lembongan is a great place to relax, visit some mangrove forests, do some swimming and/or surfing. Rent a push bike and tour the Island in a couple of hours. You can also cross over to the adjacent Island of Nusa Ceningan via the wee causeway. In the evening there are great sunsets over Bali and at night you can look up at a zillion stars. For a few years now there has been talk of large scale development on the Island……it’s only a matter of time unfortunately.
3. Sanur beach walkway between the Grand Bali Beach Hotel and Jl. Matahari Terbit. This section of beach is always busy, especially on Sundays when the Balinese all head to the beach for their Sunday afternoon mandi. This section of beach is also very popular with domestic tour groups from Java and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Very few non-Indonesians seem to make it to this part of Sanur. Lots of little beachside Cafes where you can have a beer and cheap snack. This is an especially nice place to have a beer in the evening while you look out at the heat lightning and chat with the Javanese tourists until the wee hours. There always seems to be something going on at the Bale pavilion at the end of Jl. Matahari Terbit. Lots of little warungs here as well.
4. Pantai Kusamba – almost always something going on here, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Go to Pura Goa Lawah first and then hit the beach for a drink. There is usually a real carnival feel to the beach. Back in 1849 the Dutch and Balinese had a bloody battle here.
5. Nusa Penida – one of my favourite places in all of Bali. Friendly people, stark karst landscape, tradition and lots of black magic (don’t leave any hair or fingernail clippings around). Visit the eerie Pura Dalam Ped, the fantastic beach at the village of Penida, take a motorbike ride up the limestone hills to Bukit Mundi…..from here you can look to the west and see Gunung Agung on Bali and then to the east to see Gunung Rinjani on Lombok. The coastal road on the east side of the Island is especially beautiful but not good for swimming due to the seaweed farms. Boats to the main town of Sampalan depart every morning from Sanur (2.5 hrs) and PadangBai (40 min). There are a couple of basic but clean places to stay in Sampalan. Zero English will be spoken here so bring a phrase book in you don’t speak the lingo. A car ferry is expected to start running in a year or so…..this may have a significant impact on this wonderful Island.
6. Taman Nasional Bali Barat (West Bali National Park) – check in at the Park Headquaters in Cekik to see if their simple guesthouses are available. The beach here isn’t good for swimming but you will see the occasional sea turtle and you can look across the Bali Straight to Banyuwangi in Java. During the day you can go on a hike into the Park or head over to Pulau Menjangan for diving and in the evening head into Gillimanuk (Bird Island) for some yummy and inexpensive Javanese food. This part of Bali has a cool mix of Balinese, Javanese and Madurese. Stop at one of the Madurese run warungs along the north coast highway for a cup of coffee and a chat with the cute little vendor girls.
7. Hire a driver/car and tour the east scenic east coast. Have the driver stop at Pantai Lebih, Pantai Kusamba then drive via Candidasa, BugBug, Ujung, Seraya and Amed. Return via the Sidemen road……fantastic, scenic drive through wonderful villages. If you overnight then I recommend either Amed or Tirtra Gangga. Nice day hikes in Tirta Gangga and nearby Pura Lempuyang Luhur is well worth a visit. The area around Sidemen would also be a good choice. If you have the time and energy you can also climb up Gunung Agung.
8. Saturday night (malam minggu) on Jl. Matahari Terbit in north Sanur. Anyone who says Sanur is dull has never been here. There are around a dozen local Balinese bars along this short stretch of beach road which are very popular with local Sanur/Denpasar lads. No Bob Marley here……..just Balinese/Javanese pop music. These places open at around 8 pm and stay open until at least 2 am. Some will stay open until the last tamu leaves. The staff will probably have kittens when they see a tourist walk in however. This is where the staff from your hotel, your waiter and your tour driver go for a drink when the working day is done. Don’t let the bevy of Indonesian gals hanging out in front of each bar give you the wrong idea. These places aren’t exactly politically correct; but nothing naughty goes on. A quintessential Balinese experience is to kick back here with a few Bir Bintang mixed with Kraetandang; the smell of kretek and the sounds of Widi Widiana whirling through your head. On two occasions I’ve found myself drinking Bintang with Balinese temple priests (Pemangku’s)…….this isn’t the sort of thing that happens in Ex-pat bars in Seminyak. Sometimes they have live music. But as Joseph Conrad once said, “this place too has seen darkness”. Back in the year of living dangerously in 1965 an entire village was butchered along this stretch of beach.
9. Kuta – I’m not a big fan of the place but it sure can be fun in small measures. An early morning or late afternoon walk along the beach from Kuta to Seminyak is a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.
10. Bedugul/Botantical Gardens – worth it for the drive up alone. The gardens are a relaxing place to walk around and most of the trees are labeled. There is also a well-maintained path that takes you on a circular walk through the forest. The market in Candi Kuning is worth a visit. When you’ve finished your walk head down to Danau Bratan and treat yourself to some jagung baker or bakso.
11. Old Denpasar – in the old part of Denpasar there are a few interesting sights. The Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali (Bali Provincial Museum) has lots of information on Balinese history and culture. Lots of interesting artifacts. Right next door is Pura Jagatnata which is an important Balinese temple which is pretty impressive…..usually pretty busy here. Both the Museum and the temple are right beside Puputan Square. On this open field on September 15, 1906, an estimated 1,000 Balinese men, women and children where machine gunned down by Dutch soldiers. In total, 4,000 Balinese were killed on that day. Lots of ghosts here. Nearby is Pura Maospahit which is a 14th century “Javanese Majapahit” temple. When you’re done head over to Jl. Teuku Umar for some excellent Balinese/Lombok food. And, if anyone is in Bali from Mid-June to mid-July then I highly recommend the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar.
UPDATE SEPT 08 - michael t gave this useful info:
"Just back from 4 weeks in Bali. I hope this is useful.-Exchange rates on the street...Rate is now about 8800 rupiah to the AUD.If a money changer starts to count out 20 000 rupiah notes, walk away he will either rip you off or renege on the transaction.If a money changer touches the cash after you touch it recount - they are often amazing magicians..
Massage 30 000 - 50 000 rupiah - In sanur/ubud/kuta/candi dasa. Resorts charge up to 150 000.
Taxi Drivers
For metered taxis the bluebird are good - others use the meter if asked.A car and driver for one day costs 250 000 - 400 000. (30-50 AUD)
Time Share
you will be offered free WaterBom tickets or accommodation to attend a TS presentation - remember don't ever make an unconsidered decision. There is never a "today only" deal in reality.
"Billabong" T-shirts cost 35 000 ... NO MORE!!! even good quality
Never pay more than $3 for sunglasses
Sarongs cost 30 000 to 50 000 rupiah for all but the very best Bali Batik (yes a small amount of good batik is made in Bali - but most comes from Java)
Safari park is well worth USD25. You get entrance, 1 photo op with baby tiger/lion/orangutan (extra photo ops onlt 20k rupiah). You also get a safari ride through the animal enclosures, Elephant show, other animal show, water park mostly focussed on kids and free entry to half of the rides in the amusement park. Of course as with the rest of Bali you get rude tourists and locals smoking near your kids - even in restaurants! :o( You go to jail for that here :o)
15% Waterbom discount vouchers from the travel guys ouside the main entrance of Matahari in Kuta square (and other places too). Note at the same place you'll get time share guys offering frre Waterbom for attending preesentation. You have to ask for the vouchers. With discount, entrance is a bit under USD20. A great day - and good exercise if you've been eating well."
mrsteve, a longtime Bali expert gave this warning -
"If you decide to get a massage on the beach NEVER LET MORE THAN ONE MASSAGE LADY TOUCH YOU. If you do then at the end of the massage EACH OF THEM will be DEMANDING that you pay them I will say it again: They will not merely be asking to be paid, but they will be DEMANDING that you pay. I have seen some ugly incidents where the masagee female tourist is surrounded by massage ladies who are all demanding payment at the end because they rubbed her for a few minutes. Outrageous."
If you have any questions, please ask them in THE FORUM rather than below. I don't get a chance to check all threads daily, but unless I'm travelling I'll try to monitor THE FORUM regularly.
