Bali

[lorddaverichards]

Chaps

Taking the missus to Bali in Feb for a 3 day weekend break

Question - we have booked nice hotel on beach and was seeking some advice on what to do ? and what things cost etc -ie any reccomended eateries or places to go for drinks etc - we are not party animlas but do like a drink so any rec bars would be appreciated especillay romantic places. I realise it will be more expensive than Thailand but roughly what does beer food costs etc

many thanks

Dave

[KhunDave]

For romantic try the beach restaurants at Jimbaran:

Wiki

Do your research in advance - there's loads of information on the net - because the usual trourist-trap scams and rip-offs you will be familiar with in Thailand are present. One particular scam I saw first hand was minibus drivers herding their flock into particular restaurants, where there was a "special" menu with somewhat higher prices than those available to customers coming to eat without a guide.

My advice would be make your own travel arrangements. I hired a car; the driving standards are appalling but if you're used to Thai roads you won't find it too much of a challenge. Also, when you are ordering your seafood from the live selections consider letting your wife do the negotiations if she can handle that in English - I am assuming she is Thai here, forgive me if that's not correct. The reason I say this is that the vendors seemed much less willing to try it on with Asian-looking customers than with westerners. My partner is Thai, she did the deal, and it was very much in the spirit of "all Asians together". The end result was a full meal with beers for around 2000 baht, which I thought was good value considering the superb location.

[Macclad]

Depends where you are staying in Bali,Dave.

The main resort is Kuta......many eating and drinking options there.

Sanur......there is a 3 kilometre coastal path and some nice restaurants dotted along that.

Jimbaran......very nice to eat and have a beer whilst watching the sunset.

Nusa Dua....again,a nice coastal path but your eating options are likely to be pricey.

Inland.....Ubud is very nice for a day trip....some nice restaurants there.

But agree that you have to do a bit of research either through the internet or purchasing a guide book.

Its two years since we were last there and,depending on where you go,the cost of beer and food is not necessarily higher than Thailand,as I remember.We stayed in Sanur at the Paradise Plaza hotel and there were some great little restaurants opposite or on the nearby coastal path......the cost of,say,3 main courses and 3 large Bintang beers plus a couple of cokes was only about 15GBP.

Have a good time......the Balinese people are lovely.

[thedistillers]

Just curious why prices would matter since you're only there 3 days? Kuta is a tourist trap, so prices can be very expensive or okay depending on where you go.

What is there to do: beach and a bit of shopping. February is off-season so it might rain the whole time.

[craigt3365]

Wifey hated Kuta. The local "cowboys" never left her alone. Even from across the street, while holding my hand, they would yell at her and ask if she wanted a date. They were aggressive and very rude. I for sure will never go there again.

We did stay at Legian and it was much better. And we loved Ubud.

[thedistillers]

There's no word to describe how awful Kuta is.

I'm actually not sure when Kuta ends and when Legian starts, but I find Legian not really that much better, though that for sure it's not as bad as Kuta.

[craigt3365]

There's no word to describe how awful Kuta is.

I'm actually not sure when Kuta ends and when Legian starts, but I find Legian not really that much better, though that for sure it's not as bad as Kuta.

oops...it was actually Seminyak. The road is blocked there, mostly, so no cars. And no Kuta cowboys. We stayed at a hotel right on the beach and pretty much only ventured north from there. Lots of good places to eat and checkout in that area. Great sushi!

[roamer]

Wifey hated Kuta. The local "cowboys" never left her alone. Even from across the street, while holding my hand, they would yell at her and ask if she wanted a date. They were aggressive and very rude. I for sure will never go there again.

We did stay at Legian and it was much better. And we loved Ubud.

Pretty much the same for my wife last year. Pror to that was last there about 10 years ago, its got way worse on Kuta, its the Australian "Benidorm" I guess as well. The worst thing about it was that we left Langkawi Malaysia to go there, now THAT is a romantic island with none of the hassles of Bali.

Edited February 9, 2011 by roamer

[grumpyoldman]

There's no word to describe how awful Kuta is.

I'm actually not sure when Kuta ends and when Legian starts, but I find Legian not really that much better, though that for sure it's not as bad as Kuta.

How about just a long weekend to buy a couple surfboards off the beach? Does Kuta still have endless surfboard rental guys all on the beach there?

[oldsailor35]

Recently i read a report on the stray dogs on Kuta. Many of them have Rabies. There have been 40 attacks so far this year with 28 rabie infections. So please beware of stray dogs. And do get your Anti Rabie injections bdfore you go

[lorddaverichards]

Recently i read a report on the stray dogs on Kuta. Many of them have Rabies. There have been 40 attacks so far this year with 28 rabie infections. So please beware of stray dogs. And do get your Anti Rabie injections bdfore you go

[lorddaverichards]

Having posted the original message thought i would add my comments having just returned. Glad weI went but would not return, found the beach dirty and my missus was hassled all the time by the locals though she gave as good as she got as her English is good. Found the food bland though did eat a lot of English food while I was there which was nice - a couple of nice day trips to the hills and some great sunsets. I think living in Thailand we are spolit in terms of costs service and quality. Susrprised to be charged 150,00-rp departure tax including the missus but hey it was a nice visa break but would always reccommend Thailand over Bali - our next visa run is Penang in 90 days so am looking forward to that.. The Yulia Beach Inn hotel where we stayed was good and near the beach at Kuta and at 1200baht a night was the only real bargain.

[donna]

Wifey hated Kuta. The local "cowboys" never left her alone. Even from across the street, while holding my hand, they would yell at her and ask if she wanted a date. They were aggressive and very rude. I for sure will never go there again.

We did stay at Legian and it was much better. And we loved Ubud.

Yeah, i know this is a late reply. Maybe now you guys know how it feels now when the bargirls are calling out to you when you are walking down the street with your wife or girlfriend.

[seekingfriends]

hi . i was in bali last year. spent most of our time on lombock island 30 min by air from bali .had a great time .locals were lovely .resort fantastic .you could have floated a torpodo boat in the pool it was so big .the food was not as good as thailand but we did not starve. the climate was great not as humid as thailand so hikeing or long walks were ok . food beer tropical drinks. half the price as in thailand .rented a 6 seater mini van for 8 hours with driver 50 dollars us . used the same guy to collect uson arrival and deliver us back to the airport on time every time . yes kuta is not my cup of tea. its only for the 18 to 30 age group . drugs sex and rock and roll says it all .so are parts of southern .we all know that .i am going back to bali this year . try it guys . jame hat yai and sydney

[londoedan]

Having posted the original message thought i would add my comments having just returned. Glad weI went but would not return, found the beach dirty and my missus was hassled all the time by the locals though she gave as good as she got as her English is good. Found the food bland though did eat a lot of English food while I was there which was nice - a couple of nice day trips to the hills and some great sunsets. I think living in Thailand we are spolit in terms of costs service and quality. Susrprised to be charged 150,00-rp departure tax including the missus but hey it was a nice visa break but would always reccommend Thailand over Bali - our next visa run is Penang in 90 days so am looking forward to that.. The Yulia Beach Inn hotel where we stayed was good and near the beach at Kuta and at 1200baht a night was the only real bargain.

Glad you enjoyed your trip.

I'm a bit surprised at some of the negative positings above. I've been to Bali 15 - 20 times over the last 10-12 years. sometimes for a long week-end and sometimes for up to a month, and have never had a bad time there. In fact I prefer Indonesia generally to Thailand as a place to visit and (hopefully) it will be my first choice as a retirement destination in a few years time. I guess we are all different.

Londo

Edited March 11, 2011 by londoedan

[RAZZELL]

Seminyak has some nice restaurants and you might like this depending on how old you are:

http://www.kudeta.net/

Jimbaran, whilst a lovely beach/sunset is a bit "touristy" and the food wasn't anything special.

Personally, I found everything on a par or perhaps cheaper than Thailand.

RAZZ

Edited March 11, 2011 by RAZZELL

[phuketrichard]

next time, take a cab from the airport to Ubud and hang out there, its only about a 90 minute drive.

Thats what we do and rent a car ( 2 wd Suziki) and gas is chaep and travel around.

Only spend one night at kuta before departure.

I love Bali