Bali Compared To Phuket And Samui

[tangcoral]

For those that have been to Bali...

Planning a trip to Bali.

Been to Samui and Phuket, and found samui in general to be a bit more costly than Phuket.

How does Bali compare to the phuket or samui in terms of general cost.

I do understand Indonesia as a country is cheaper than thailand but what about Bali to thai islands compare?

Most of the thais that have been to bali say its not as nice as thai islands but that may as well be national pride.

Let me know what you know. thanks

[angiud]

Cheaper and more beautiful than every Thai island

[craigt3365]

IMHO, Bali is truly a tropical paradise...excluding Kuta. Ubud is fantastic. The Gili islands are pretty neat also, over near Lombok. The food isn't anywhere near as good as here, but it's OK. If you travel with a Thai GF/wife...be prepared. The Bali boys are very aggressive...and obnoxious. Again, avoid Kuta and the areas nearby. We stayed a few nights on Legian and it was pretty nice. We never made it up to the north coast, but I heard it was very nice and quiet. We did stay up on a mountain with great views out to the sea and the islands in the distance...it was past Kandikuning. Fanstatic.

[srisatch]

Beaches simply do not compare with LOS. Beaches in the north are black sand covered in cow pats, Kuta covered with!!..If you are a surfer waves are better than LOS, though, particularly at Legian. Aggressive beach sellers...we stayed at the Oberoi...touts and traders held back fiercely..by hotel but still obnoxious.....And all thought wife was an Indonesian hooker and treated her so....so she hated it. There is nowhere in LOS like Ubud.a place of peace and delight and beauty...Read Covurrabias, McPhee, Gorer....well depends what interests you!

[BLUENILE]

Bali is just beautiful where you find more than sand and sex.

[bangkokburning]

Its worth a visit. Staying in Kuta/Legion can be cheap and you can find a nice, cheap gardeny hotel. But head outside and try the Gilli's off Lombok.

Plenty of tasty stuff to fill a holiday.

[angiud]

Luckily Bali is not only Kuta. Over 200 Km wide, it offers everything any tourist or resident needs.

I'm just too old to change my life again and move to Bali, and not the best time to sell my business.

Otherwise, already there

[jackr]

Most of the thais that have been to bali say its not as nice as thai islands but that may as well be national pride.

Well they would say that wouldn't they, bearing in mind it's not Thai and is predominantly Hindu. Culturally wise, Bali beats any Thai island for temples/traditions. Also, they probably haven't been to the interior to the likes of Ubud, up to Bedugul Lake, and over to West Bali NP which has amazing diving. Beaches slightly nicer on Samui but the surf in Bali is good. Similar price wise. Personally Phuket v Bali - Bali wins hands down. Samui v Bali - a lot closer but would probably go Bali.

Have you considered Vietnam, which is both cheaper and less touristy? Amazing beaches around Danang/Nha Trang, history in Old Hue, the mountain town of Dalat, bustle in Hanoi, beauty in Halong Bay; not to mention HCMC and the Mekong Delta. It's also very safe apart from getting blown to bits if you're partial to cross-country running. Granted, though, there's not the appeal of an island holiday, although of course Vietnam has them.

[mrdome]

Bali has amazing culture and I did like the food as well. On the other hand, it really is a bit of a tourist trap and not easy to navigate. I wanted to use the Perama buses to go to Lovina in the North - can't be done in a day. I never made it out to Amed on the East coast either. It's a great place if you can hire a car and driver everyday and stay in luxury accommodation, less so if on a budget. Legian & Kuta beach are best in the early am, I felt but I'm a morning person.

Here is my tip to get from the airport to Ubud on the cheap. Leave terminal and keep to the right. Exit airport grounds and cross street to wait at the corner for the blue small Bemo (ignore the aggressive taxi driver who has undoubtedly attached himself to you by now). Bemo was 5000 to Kuta corner, might be a bit more in 2010. Find Perama office by entering street on your left after heading towards beach and buy a return ticket to Ubud (was 50000 in 2008) - smile about the money you've saved and Bob's your uncle :-).

[phuketrichard]

Mr Dome is exactly right, grab a taxi and head to ubid, then RENT a suzuki 2 wheel drive (less than $15/day) and head norht and east. Gas is very cheap and you then get to stop where and when u want. Plenty of places to see and things to do. Black sand beaches at Lovina are amazing and the people in the country side are great. If your there in the low season ( whihc is wehn i usualy go) you can get 4-5 star places at 1 star prices!!!

The magor dif i see ( and i live in Phuket) its cheaper and religion places a much larger part of the Balinese lives

[bangkokburning]

I think Ubud was finished years ago. Reports are its pretty sour and money grubbing. Not saying its not worth a look for a day or two though.

[QED]

Lot of people say it is cheaper, but I have to disagree.

I like a few beers when holidaying and found the prices there a lot higher than here. Anything from 30,000 to 55,000 for a beer (about 110 to 200 baht) in regular bars, not clubs.

I stopover there with work about 8 times a year so have been a few times.

CHEAPER:

Petrol (about 2/3 of the price)

Cigarettes (nearly 1/2 price)

SAME:

Food (smae as here, you can dine for 50 bht or 1,000 bht depending on your preference). Have to say I don't go much on the local cuisine.

MORE EXPENSIVE:

BEER!

Hotels - there may be some bargains but generally upwards of 2,000 baht p/n.

As said before, avoid Kuta, getting more like Pattaya every day.

[angiud]

So, beer in Bali is more expensive than Thailand, then Bali is more expensive than Thailand.

[maccaroni man]

So, beer in Bali is more expensive than Thailand, then Bali is more expensive than Thailand.

it is true that prices for booze and beer have sky rocketed in the last yr or so, not sure if it is a tax or political but it has made a difference in the heavy drinkers budget, it was not long ago that a large bintange was 12,000 ruphia just over a buck and a small beer was right at a US dollar. Those days are gone and as many have already posted the typical food choices are bland compared to thailand but the grilled fish is great, smoked duck is delicious, goat is tastey, and on the vegitarian side the way the prepare the young jack fruit had me thinking it was meat, and the tempe (soy been) is delicious as well as the sombal matta (sp) ask for it when ever you have a rice dish. as for cost of eating food such as i have mentioned is much less exp. than on samui but then again samui is almost more exp. than the USA.

[travellife]

I've been to Phuket and Bali (but not Samui). The cost of both places are similar. If you are budget conscious, you should be able to spend less in Bali.

Overall, I think Bali is more interesting than Phuket. The volcano, the rice fields, the beaches, and the cultural feel. The Balinese do try to take care of the island for the gods. The sand may not be as white, but place like Dreamland Beach and Balangan Beach are very different than Phuket beaches. And the rice fields are amazing. You can also ride through lava fields and view a beautiful lake at the same time. If you are looking for cold weather, take a trip to the mountains where the temperature can drop drastically.

[trogers]

Well, there are no a-gogo bars in Bali, and no lady boys. So you should have more than enough to pay for the more expensive booze.

[ThaiEye]

How very typical of many of the members here on these forums

Here we have foreign expats living in Thailand telling us how much better Bali is than Thailand! Of course, there is only one answer for that.

The OP is asking about relative comparisons between Bali and Phuket/Samui, so the answer isn't about mountains and fresh air in Bali. If he wants that he can visit the north of Thailand. Or for rice fields the central/north-east of Thailand. What's comparable is Bali's seashores and Phuket's/Samui's, and Bali's are nothing compared to the south of Thailand.

Edited July 18, 2010 by ThaiEye

[angiud]

IMHO Bali beaches are far better of those in Samui and little more than Phuket. The dark and sometime black sand of Bali can be less choreographic than the white sand of Thailand, but the quality of water is much much better in Bali. More clear, much less polluted. The corals in Bali are not bleached but still alive and healthy. The waves are among the best of the world. The nature in Bali is lush and vibrant, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, rice fields, real waterfalls. On the other side Samui and Phuket are overbuilt and the few wild animal left were eaten from local workers from Myanmar and Isaan.

[roamer]

Been reading with interest as have a 5 day trip booked. Checking out hotels on the net and Trip Advisor on the beaches and Ubud it seems to me that prices have rocketed compared to LOS but it doesn't seem to have dragged the standards up with it, some very mixed reviews hotel wise. The amount of "spa" hotels in Ubud would certainly indicate to me its become a pretty different place to when I was last there 10 years ago, anyone knew it then and now can comment ? Actually my reasons for going to Bali are now longer the same as friends we were planning to meet can't make it, might kick back on Langkawi for a few days more, (beers cheaper also beautiful but hassle free compared to Bali. Remembering the hawkers in your face constantly, even jumping out from behind trees where there was a scenic view and making sure they were in front of your camera unless you bought. The tickets were dirt cheap, bought in an Air Asia sale, cancellation fee probably more than the ticket cost so could jettison them. What to do, choices, choices...

[craigt3365]

How very typical of many of the members here on these forums

Here we have foreign expats living in Thailand telling us how much better Bali is than Thailand! Of course, there is only one answer for that.

The OP is asking about relative comparisons between Bali and Phuket/Samui, so the answer isn't about mountains and fresh air in Bali. If he wants that he can visit the north of Thailand. Or for rice fields the central/north-east of Thailand. What's comparable is Bali's seashores and Phuket's/Samui's, and Bali's are nothing compared to the south of Thailand.

I think you missed reading some of the posts. Seems to be a fairly well balanced comparison of the two. Plus, everybody has their own idea of what is perfect. I've spent a bit of time in and around Bali and I think the views here on TV are fairly accurate.

As for the mountains. No way to compare the volcanic mountains of Bali to the ones here. I think the view from your hotel window in Ubud across that river with the volcano in the background is one of the most beautiful in the world. Or, the view across the straights to the volcano on the neighboring island with it's cloud slowly drifting across the sky and terraced rice fields in the distance. Hard to beat. Thailand's rice fields are not nearly as pretty as those on Bali. Plus, we don't have good air here for a good part of the year in the north.

That picture taken of the terraced rice field was done very fast, with some jerk trying to get me to hold something and then scam me into buying it. Plus, he wanted money for the pic. Luckily, I had a fairly large driver who just stood between him and us and kept him at bay. Really sucked as I would have enjoyed staying there for a bit longer, but we had to leave as the vendor has many friends nearby to help him extract money from visitors. Same's true on Kuta beach.

[roamer]

How very typical of many of the members here on these forums

Here we have foreign expats living in Thailand telling us how much better Bali is than Thailand! Of course, there is only one answer for that.

The OP is asking about relative comparisons between Bali and Phuket/Samui, so the answer isn't about mountains and fresh air in Bali. If he wants that he can visit the north of Thailand. Or for rice fields the central/north-east of Thailand. What's comparable is Bali's seashores and Phuket's/Samui's, and Bali's are nothing compared to the south of Thailand.

That picture taken of the terraced rice field was done very fast, with some jerk trying to get me to hold something and then scam me into buying it. Plus, he wanted money for the pic. Luckily, I had a fairly large driver who just stood between him and us and kept him at bay. Really sucked as I would have enjoyed staying there for a bit longer, but we had to leave as the vendor has many friends nearby to help him extract money from visitors. Same's true on Kuta beach.

And its precisely this sort of activity that made me think is it worth the bother. Depends just how much they get up your nose I guess but they are in your face not taking no for an answer more than anywhere in the world. We went to walk the volcano once, parked near a good trail, we didn't need a guide, 2 very experienced climbers among us and its not much more than a stroll anyway. Bunch of guys offering their "guide" services made it clear if we didn't hire a guide (a ridiculously outrageously expensive guide), our car would be rubbished by the time we got back. We left, their badly parked mopeds taking quite a tumble on our way out. What other place in SE Asia do you get people jumping in front of you to stop you taking photo's of the views ?

Edited July 19, 2010 by roamer

[evanson]

Bali (apart from those pretty rice terraces) can't hold a candle to anywhere in Thailand. Kuta: ugly black sand and murky water, Ubud: You try walking the ridiculously high pavements (5 metres then a drop, 5 metres then a drop ...) for more than 5 minutes. Food disgusting, unless you go further up the beach and eat the same but milder, as the locals. On the black sand. Hotels extremely expensive. And Denpassar like some twee european housing estate (well, they were invaded by the Dutch). And if you think the Thais are xenophobic, take a look at the Balinese ...

[angiud]

Bali (apart from those pretty rice terraces) can't hold a candle to anywhere in Thailand. Kuta: ugly black sand and murky water, Ubud: You try walking the ridiculously high pavements (5 metres then a drop, 5 metres then a drop ...) for more than 5 minutes. Food disgusting, unless you go further up the beach and eat the same but milder, as the locals. On the black sand. Hotels extremely expensive. And Denpassar like some twee european housing estate (well, they were invaded by the Dutch). And if you think the Thais are xenophobic, take a look at the Balinese ...

Mmmm, ok, everything is subjective, but IMHO your opinion is a bit extreme.

What happens to you in Bali to be so drastic?

Food disgusting? Did you ever try the "rijstafel"? A 15 to 30 courses samples meal with all the specialities from all over the Indonesia. Gorgeous!

[roamer]

Bali (apart from those pretty rice terraces) can't hold a candle to anywhere in Thailand. Kuta: ugly black sand and murky water, Ubud: You try walking the ridiculously high pavements (5 metres then a drop, 5 metres then a drop ...) for more than 5 minutes. Food disgusting, unless you go further up the beach and eat the same but milder, as the locals. On the black sand. Hotels extremely expensive. And Denpassar like some twee european housing estate (well, they were invaded by the Dutch). And if you think the Thais are xenophobic, take a look at the Balinese ...

Mmmm, ok, everything is subjective, but IMHO your opinion is a bit extreme.

What happens to you in Bali to be so drastic?

Food disgusting? Did you ever try the "rijstafel"? A 15 to 30 courses samples meal with all the specialities from all over the Indonesia. Gorgeous!

Food was never my problem there must admit. For myself it was always the hawkers. Now that I see how the hotel prices have increased without an apparent increase in quality I think I'll be tempted to extend the Malaysian part of my holiday. Just don't need the hassle on holiday.

[emsfeld]

Prefer Thai islands but NOT Samui or Phuket. We didnt like Bali at all, apart from Ubud. In actual fact, we cut our holiday one week short, as we didnt enjoy it much. Food (culture) is very important to us and we just didnt find it in Bali. Sure, the more expensive restaurants that serve local food were fairly nice, but the street food we tried just had no flavour or taste. Too bland for our liking. Beaches not as nice as Thai beaches. Diving also not that great when compared with Andaman sea/ Similan Islands. We also went to Nusa Lembongan for a few days which was kind of lovely, but too boring for our liking.

On the upside, the region around Ubud was great. People were generally friendlier there, no hasslers, unlike other more touristy places around Bali. Lots of stuff to do like bicycling, rafting, walking,...Also went up north to Lavina (I think that's what the town/ village is called) and it was very empty, but not in a good way: looked like a region that used to boom or at one stage expected to boom from tourism, but is pretty dead now (we went in February 2007 so might be a bad time/ season). Generally, I agree with one of the previous posters - it can't compete with Thai islands in my opinion, but it always depends on what your preferences are.

Edit:

Also have to agree with roamer about hawkers/ hasslers. You thought travelling in Thailand was bad with people trying to sell you stuff/ rip you off? Well, in Bali quite a few of them hold out their hand in expectation just because you asked for directions!!!

Edited July 19, 2010 by emsfeld

[seabassskin]

So, beer in Bali is more expensive than Thailand, then Bali is more expensive than Thailand.

Sorry, I lived in Bali and in Thailand, but beer is much cheaper (bintang) in Bali than anywhere is Thailand!

Especially if you drink in stand alone restaurants.

Wine is even more expensive than in Thailand, as is food.

Balinese food has a few nice dishes, but it all tastes the same after a while, does not compare to Thai food in both variaty, taste and quality.

Yes, Kuta ia a sh..hole, seminyak is nice, Jimbaran beach is great, uluwatu is a great area, ubud is cool (still), Sanur is nice for a beer and a bite on the beach!