Hey guys im traveling to Bali on thursday for 6 days 5 night trip. Has any of you guys been their? and if so any recommendations on what not to miss? I will be staying in Kutah beach, South Bali. thanks for the help.
Been to Bali before. Can't recall the resort I was at though. I'll look it up. It was fun, beautiful beach. Don't really have any more info than that.
Took a trip to Bali a number of years ago, can't remember where I stayed. Absolutely gorgeous place, definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Do be careful though, Indonesia hasn't been all that safe in recent past.
Great place, I am going there in a few weeks. The resorts are nice don't really have any reccomendations since only was there for a night but a great relaxing place. People there are friendly perhaps too friendly. My advise hold your luggage tight, lock all your suitcases up because it has been known some people stash in drugs in other suitcases and you could spend more time in Bali than you planned. Also understand the currency well before going there, the airport helpers will try screwing you. Also they will try taking your luggage so they will receive tips. Its amazing there it takes 5 people to assist you in 3 suitcases, all will be expecting tips. If they ask to simply say no. Other than that, that is the only negative parts of traveling there the sights are beautiful. If I were you I would go to the picture sights I think they are called. But you should have fun, I am not staying there just continuing travelling onto Australia.
I'm so freakin jealous!!! Went to Bali for our honeymoon. We stayed at a small resort called Bale and it's probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. Don't miss Lembogan island. You can take a small ship there, but we hired a fisherman who took us there in a glass bottom boat for 25 bucks. They have a nice little restaurant there and the water is absolutely amazing!! Shopping for arts, crafts and painting was awesome!!!! If you are into the club scene then obviously check Kuta beach. Its a long line of restaurants, bars, lounges and clubs. Its like Austin on steroids. This is where the bombings take place most of the time though. Its a very poor place, so you can get by cheap. We were on our honeymoon so we went to all the nice places. The restaurants at all of the Aman resorts, Four Seasons and Oberoi are absolutely kick ass!!!!! I don't think there are taxis, but you can pretty much hire any person off the street with a car. Be careful of course and us common sense. Get a cheap tour guide and it helps alot. Of course my favorite thing was jetskiing and parasailing on the awesome beaches of Nusa Dua.
Of course "bargain" is the key word in Bali. Everybody and their mom will bargain. When in the market, we bargained down a dude from 2.5 million rupaiyas to 1 million. 3 years ago - 10,000 rupaiyas = 1 whole dollar! But the nicer restaurants and bars are extremely expensive.
Dont worry guys i have been traveling South East Asia for some time already for the past 5 Months and understand all of the tricks they try to pull off..... the worst one so far had to be in Thailand when i went to the Golden Palace in Bangkok getting to the door some security (or so they say) told me the palace was closed for afternoon Alms (prayers) and that my best bet was to go and see other sights for 2 hours and then come back.... so of course they offered their help for a small fee , so i was like these people are so nice here!!! Until after 30minutes into their helpful trip i saw my tourist guidebook and it said "DO NOT BELEIVE THE PEOPLE THAT SAY THE PALACE IS CLOSED FOR ALMS THEY JUST WILL TAKE YOU TO THEIR PARENTS HOME TO CHARGE YOU TOUR COSTS" " I guess it is an experience " I also heard about the bombing 2 years ago.... but i wont stop traveling due to oen bombing ill just hope for the best, that is all i can do. But yea i thought of it before i picked Bali to go to. Hopefully nothing will happen, they have told me to just dont be in the middle of a crazy group of tourists (but im 25 what else would be fun???) haha...... Thanks once again for the inside info.
Bali...ahh such a beautiful place places to go? BEACHES Kuta ... a bit crowded but it's like the melting pod up there Uluwatu ... for the surfers..known for its awesome waves Dreamland...never been there but I heard great things Nusa Dua... a good one too VIEWS Tanah Lot ... temple by the sea Kintamani...Lake Beratan/Bedugul...Lake and temple CULTURE Ubud ...crafts etc GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) ... a big project halfway done... SPORTS near Ubud.. Rafting and stuff Benoa ... water sports Bali has been hit hard by the bombings ... so they would really welcome the foreigners right now... currently it's filled with domestic tourists (like me) and the beach boys
PWNED!! Asia is an amazing place and it's not a trip until you get ripped off somehow. Even when I was in Beijing this past summer, I was buying souvenirs and I didn't realize until I got back to HK that the vendor gave me Thai money in change. I thought I was pretty street savy but this was a clever and simple way for these guys to make a little extra money, I wasn't even mad or anything, more impressed I guess. Have a fun trip though, Bali is a beautiful place.
I've been to Bali twice but haven't been there since the late 90's. Kuta beach is a lot like a much more beautiful Tijuana with lots of partying cheap and cheap stays but its also got the same problems with drugs, crime and corruption. You can have a great time but be careful with your money and wary of potential scams. Another thing to be careful at Bali is that there are some dangerous currents along the beach and every year there are a few drownings. In fact the first time I was there I almost drowned while surfing. On the other side of the pennisula that Kuta is on is Sanur beach which is a little quieter than Kuta beach but has many of the same ammenities and if you are sick of the scene at Kuta that is a good place to stay. One drawback is that it doesn't have the spectacular sunset that Kuta has. On the south side of bay that Kuta is on there is Jimbaron which if you don't like the party scene and have a fair amount of cash you can stay there. Some of the best resorts in the World are there. Since you are there for 6 days don't limit your stay to only the beach areas as Bali has some amazing cultural sites. Ubud is the main cultural center and definately worth a day visit but there are many other temple and other cultural sites. If you have the time you might even try to go to Lombok which has some unique flora and fauna different from Bali. Have a great trip and I sitting here in Minnesota watching the snow falling outside the window I am really jealous.
Also just to add a few things about the Indonesians and the Balinese in particular if you've never been. Most Indonesians are Muslim but have historically not been extremists. That's been changing somewhat in recent years so if you're travelling in other places in Indonesia you might want to be a little more careful in your behavior. The Balinese are Hindu and tend to tolerate rambunctious foreign tourists both culturally and as that is their livelyhoood. The Balinese though are very devout and every house and business has a shrine that they leave offerings too along with even along the street so be careful when you're walking you don't inadvertantly step in someone's offering. Finally the Indonesians are friendly and curious, often too friendly and curious. In a place like Kuta though its sometimes to hard to tell if someone is trying to scam or rob you or am just curious about you.
Yeah the scams are pretty bad. I rented a scooter once in Bali to go to Ubud and I got pulled over by a cop. He kept me there and threatened to impound my bike and send me to jail for not having an international drivers license. After about an hour he asked me if I knew what a bank was? He said that this is like a bank and if I make a deposit then I could go. So I paid him off and the best part of it was that he also wrote me a receipt!
Just over a 7 year bump! Going to bali for uni break in 16 days time for 11 days as a getaway with 6 guys (all 20 y.o) and would love some input on what to do or not to do over their. Just so you know where I'm staying it's called the jayakarta Bali (in legion) which has got a respectable 4.3 stars. Rep shall be given for advice Thanks
Fly to flores (labuanbajo) and go on a komodo dragon tour of a couple of days. I had an amazing time.
Vocie: Don't spend all your time on the beach. Hire a van for a day (ask the hotel if they know any companies) and check out some of the island. Go check out Tanah Lot (temple on a rock) - I think it is just to the North of where you are staying. There is allegedly a tame sea snake that lives in a cave at the bottom of the rock (I wouldn't touch it) Bargain - everything is negotiable. Consider the lowest price you would possibly pay, then offer half that. As a general rule, whatever they quote you, offer 10% back to them and inch up so that you're not paying too much. If you can learn to count before you go, and can say 'very expensive' (mahal sekali) and 'how much' (berapa), then you will have better luck getting the prices you want. Watch the sunset at Ayana Bar (or Rock bar Ayana). It's in South Kuta, book in advance, and have dinner while you're there. Don't eat Western. You're in another country, their food is amazing - eat it while you're there [general rule of thumb: any dish with liquid, you need to see the water boiling or just don't eat it - better to pay and walk away then spend 2 days with Bali belly. Finally: avoid Bali belly! 800,000 hits on google search for the term can't be wrong. Take a bottle of Aquim, and use it (not in hand luggage or airport security will confiscate). Tap water is never safe, not for your toothbrush, sure, wash your hands, but Aquim afterwards. ICE is made from tap water over there. Buy bottles of water, drink lots of them, if you're on a budget, use the hotel room kettle to boil and refill those bottles - but under no means drink any non-alcoholic liquid that you haven't seen boiling!!! Have fun!
