Bali

​General tips:
1. VISA ON ARRIVAL, a 30-day visa on arrival costs US$35 (FROM 2014) and is extendable for another 30 days. Be aware that Immigration officials calculate the 30-day period as follows: your arrival day is counted as your first day, and you must leave the country on the 30th. or 60th. day!

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2. TAX TO FLY OUT FROM BALI,
to fly out from Bali from 2014 you will need to pay 200.000 IDR
http://flights.indonesiamatters.com/7568-airport-tax/
3. TRANSPORT IN BALI:

• Blu Bird group, is a good a reliable company of taxi using the meter;
• Mini van (orange, brown, blue) are local transport. Is cheap, but you will need time to understand timetable and routes. This is for sure the slowest way to move around;
• Rent a motorbike, is costing around 30.000/50.000 IDR per day. Is the best way to see the island and going out of the touristic track.  You need to have an International driving licence and wear always the helmet.

4. INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE, it is important to have it if you don’t want to be fine by Indonesian Police, which is everywhere making money out of tourist;
5. ATM IN BALI:
Most of the ATM, will allow you to take no more than 500.000 IDR and they will charge you a commission fee. At Bii (Maybank) ATM, you can take out up to 3.000.000 IDR, without paying a fee charge.

Kuta, Legion and Seminyak 
(skip it if you want to get off the tourist track or just stay the first night if you arrive late at the airport)
How to get there from the Airport:
The best and cheapest way to go anywhere  from the airport is to take a Motor taki (50 IDR to Seminyak) or to take A BLU BURD GROUP taxi just outside the airport.
 
Where to sleep:-

• Guess House Hostel (Seminyak)
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g469404-d2294399-Reviews-Guess_House_Hostel-Seminyak_Bali.html
• Cong corner homestay (Legion/Kuta)

Nice, clean A/C room with simple breakfast included for 200.000 IDR. FREE pick up at the airport if you book a double standard room;

• Farmers Yard, is a community of travellers in Canggu. Their mission is to celebrate living in harmony with the earth and each other by challenging modern conceptions of sustainability and tourism in Bali, with aspirations of sharing this vision around the world.


• Gora beach inn, 150.000 IDR for a double fun room, included simple breakfast and nice swimming pool;

 

• is only a party place, I suggest to skip it if you are not interested in that, because the beach is so crowded of tourist in holiday and vendor. And the sea is rough, good for surfing but not good for swim. The only party place that I would suggest you is called APACHE and is a reggae bar with live music.

 
 

Legion is a bit more chilled then Kuta, but the beach and sea are the same.
Where to eat:

• "Chiringuito Bar and grill", is a relaxing restaurant on the beach with comfortable couches. You can enjoy of the sunset eating a good pizza and drinking a Bintang!

 

• is the rich and posh area. Is a bit more quiet and there are a lot of fancy restaurant around. It is still really touristic.

Where to eat:

• "Mexicola", good Mexican food, in an amazing designed Mexican style restaurant.
• "Warung Eny restaurant", (2 minutes away from Guess House Hostel), Indonesian tasty and cheap food.

 
South of Kuta

Beaches:

• Uluwatu surf beach, 5 minutes by motorbike from Uluwatu temple;
• Dreamland;
• Padang-Padang, 10 minutes by motorbike from Uluwatu temple. Is a small beach, with clear and calm water, nice to have a swim.

 
Uluwatu temple (Jimbaran)
It is a must see for the wonderful view on the top of the cliff over the sea. The entrance fee is  20.000 IDR. Tourists are not allowed to go into the temple but it is allowed to walk around and see the beautiful landscape. Beware of monkeys.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g303953-d592779-Reviews-Uluwatu_Temple-Uluwatu_Bali.html 

Second hand shop 
South of Kuta is plenty of second hand shop. You can find a lot of warm close if your next destination is not that hot and off course the prices are really cheap.
 

•                        

Ubud is regarded as the cultural centre of Bali. It is famous as an arts and crafts hub, and much of the town and nearby villages seems to consist of artists' workshops and galleries. There are some remarkable architectural and other sights to be found, and a general feeling of well being to be enjoyed, all thanks to the spirit, surroundings, and climate of the place.

How to get there:
From Seminyak to Ubud by motorbike is 100.000/150.000 IDR, by taxi is 230.000/250.000 IDR.
There are also, different shuttle buses, for 60.000 IDR.
From the airport by taxi it will cost you 150.000/200.000 IDR, do not pay more than that even if they will tell you that is far away.
 


Where to sleep:

• Aji Lodge (200.000 IDR for a double fan room with breakfast), it is a guesthouse with a beautiful garden, run by a Balinese family;
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g294226-d3222471-r169392851-Aji_Lodge-Bali.html#UR169392851
• Suastika Lodge, it is next to Aji Lodge, and they are offering basically the same and they are lovely too;
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g297701-d1574197-Reviews-Suastika_Guest_House-Ubud_Bali.html
• Goutama homestay, (150.000 IDR for a double fan room with breakfast), is more in the center of Ubud, so less relaxing but nice and in good location if you don’t ride motorbikes.

 
Where to eat:

• "Mama's Warung", 5 minutes by walk from the Aji lodge. It is a cozy, local restaurant with lovely owner, called Mama, serving local, cheap and tasty food.
  Is the perfect meeting point for travellers, not tourist!
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g297701-d2400754-Reviews-Mama_s_Warung-Ubud_Bali.html
•  "Little India - Warung Nasi Goreng"
  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297701-d1854854-Reviews-Warung_Little_India-Ubud_Bali.html
• Walun Vegetarian Warung;
• "Kafe"
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g297701-d1182717-Reviews-Kafe-Ubud_Bali.html
• “Mamma mia”, a friendly  Italian owner and staff, in a nice location of Ubud, making a good Italian food (Pizza, Brushetta, Fresh Pasta and homemade spirits…)

 
What to do:

• Royal Palace, 5 minutes from Aji Lodge (free) usually Aji takes his guest to the palace dressed in typical Balinese clothes;
• Campuhan ridge walk, (free) it is a nice and short walk in the middle of rice terrace and country side. You can start the walk from Warwick Ibah Luxury (Jln Raya Campuhane, after Ubud market walk 10 more mins and you will find it on the right side). On the way you can find a lot of artists and painters. At the end of the walk there is a nice cafe called "Karsa Cafe", where you can relax with rice terrace view.
• Yoga and meditation

Shopping in Ubud:

• Ubud market, if you feel like buying some souvenir, but you need to be good at bargain.
• Traffic, nice and cheap clothes, next to the white statue.
• Eiger, is a camping and trekking shop, in front of Traffic.

Tattoo artist:
Tattoo artist in Bali tend to put their price up 3 times the normal price. You need to be good at bargain if you like to get a cheap tattoo.

• Jim bim Tattoo
• King’s Tattoo

East side of Bali

• Kemenuh, is a little village close to Ubud. There are some waterfall there ( 5.000 IDR entry fee) but they are nothing of special. The road from Ubud to there is really interesting, you can see a lot of temple and local people living their life without the influence of the tourism. Actually all the roads from Ubud ending north (direction Batur), are really beautiful and relaxing to drive;
• Tenganan, is a village in the regency of Karangasem in Bali. It is a tourist attraction due to its original Bali Aga village compound and known for its Gamelan selunding music and geringsing double ikat textiles. Bali Aga village means a village that still hold the origin traditions and rules of ancient Balinese, like house design, religious ritual ceremony, and how to interact each other (the way of life). Is free to go in and I really would suggest you to stay there for a couple of hours and talk with the locals, which are amazing and friendly;
• Tulamben, is a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Bali. It is among the most popular dive sites on Bali since the wreck of the Liberty, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 lies just off shore;
• Tampaksiring, is a town in central Bali. It is the home to the Gunung Kawi Temple.
  In the past, Tampaksiring is one of the governance center in Bali during the kingdom period.
  On the way to Tampaksiring from Ubud, there are a lot of handy craft bones shop. Mantra Carver, is one of that, and the owner is really friendly.
  Baroque Art Gallery, is another place you will find on the way, and is impossible not to park your mike and go in.
• Mount Batur,is a nice place to visit and enjoying the beautiful view over the volcano and the lake. On the way to Batur is common to meet some police and they will check if you have an international driving licence and at the end of the street, some people may try to stop you to make you pay a fee, just to look at the mountain. Just don’t stop! They are not police man, I have been there twice and I always manage to don’t stop. I think is a bit unfair to pay a fee just for the view. If you want to climb up Mt. Batur you should get a guide, because they don’t allowed you to climb on your own, even if the path is easy. At the bottom of Mt. Batur some aggressive “guide” may try to charge you 300.000 IDR fee even if you have another guide. Police knows about it but they don’t do anything because they getting some money out of it. Make a drive around the lake it’s nice and there are many quite villages and nice Warung restaurant where to grab a local and cheap lunch. One of them is “Windu Warung Makan food-drink”, owned by a lovely lady;
• Candidasa and Amlapura, are two not (too) touristic destination, and the landscape and nature there are amazing. In front of Puri Prima bungalow and restaurant in Abang (just after Amlapura in Jalan Tirtagganga)there are the best rice terrace that I have seen in Bali.

Gili Trawangan
Arcing away from the northwest corner of Lombok, are three idyllic atolls, where the sand is still powdery white, the water a clear sparkling turquoise, and the sunset over Bali’s volcano Mt. Agung in the west simply spectacular.
Gili T. has always had the stigma for being the ‘Party Island’ of the three Gilis and there are numerous restaurants and bars open until 2pm along the main strip and the beach, however most kitchens close around 11pm.
 
How to get there:

• From Padang Bay in Bali, a speed boat return per person cost 450.000IDR and it will take around 2 hours. If you know already your date of return to Bali from Gili, buy a return ticket, otherwise on the island it will be almost double price.

 
Where to sleep:

• Bale Sasak Bungalow, is a cheap Hostel (100.000 IDR per bed in a dorm) with friendly staff, but is really dirty, I would suggest you to go there only to meet some other travellers and in case go somewhere else to share a cleaner and cheaper private room;
• Matahari Inn, cheap and clean private room in a quiet part of the island with a nice chill out restaurant at the front beach;
• Abdi bungalws (125.000 IDR  for a double room)

 
Where to eat:

• Night market, a great place to sample local foods with maybe 50 stalls selling cheap and tasty local foods prepared freshly in front of you.
• La dolce vita, (just in front of the night market) is a Italian bakery and coffee place. Everything is fresh and homemade, really tasty and resonable price.
  http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g664666-d4155236-Reviews-La_Dolce_vita-Gili_Trawangan_Gili_Islands_Lombok_West_Nusa_Tenggara.html
• There are two PIZZA-PASTA restaurants on the island, that make good dinner deal, the food is ok, but the best part is "all you can eat" side dishes.

 
Where to watch the sunset:

• Sunset Bar
• Reggae Bar
• Full moon, located on the southern part of Gilli T. Hosted by the local people, using the surf watch tower as a bar and a mixture of DJ's playing hard house, trance and techno until sunrise for free.