Bali, for short holiday

[Spaniel]

Wife and I are thinking about making a trip to Bali for about a week. Not sure when but maybe June/July. Any general suggestions/recommendations? I'll think of more specific questions as plans develop.

[Goethe]

Went to Bali last year to escape the mayhem of songkran. Booked a hotel for 8 days -- wanted to leave after only one day! Far too many people and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Also, many places and people looking to scam you. Took a tour of the interior of the island: very beautiful and interesting -- and by no means as crowded.

If you like crowded beaches, noise and lots of traffic -- by all means go...

[tharae]

Steer clear of the western side of the island and places like Kuta where the bogans frequent. Sanur on the eastern side is quieter, has better beaches and a good selection of quality restaurants. A much better adult crowd.

[KNJ]

The Bale is very nice, if you want to go upmarket,

[phuketrichard]

my advice

as soon as u arrive take a taxi up to Ubud, stay a few days, than rent a car and drive around the island, the north ( lovina, ( black sand beaches), the volcanoes, the temples, the east coast are all great.

return the car, taxi back to Kuta for the one night before your flight.

[chiang mai]

Ubud in the centre of the island is very nice, as is the much quieter but scenic Legian Beach, just up from Kuta (to be avoided). A nice island with good weather in June.

[chicowoodduck]

my advice

as soon as u arrive take a taxi up to Ubud, stay a few days, than rent a car and drive around the island, the north ( lovina, ( black sand beaches), the volcanoes, the temples, the east coast are all great.

return the car, taxi back to Kuta for the one night before your flight.

Great idea....did just that not long ago....nice relaxed two weeks of quiet bliss....?

[BKKdreaming]

any other neat places to go to in Indonesia that is easy / cheap to get to from BKK ?

not too much " package tourist " area but also not so local that no one would speak English ?

Thanks for your ideas

[phuketrichard]

Sumatra, lake toba

Fly to Penang, ferry across

[siam2007]

Sumatra, lake toba

Fly to Penang, ferry across

There is no more ferry from Penang to Belawan in Sumatra since several years. But there r cheapo flights (AirAsia, Lion, SriWijaya) from Penang to KualaNamu (Medan's new airport). But as there is a NON STOP SERVICE by AirAsiaIndonesia from Don Mueang to Kuala Namu several times a week, this is all not necessary actually. fares start at 1.790 THB including Airport Tax but plus the usual fees (luggage, seat a.s.o.)

Edited April 11, 2016 by siam2007

[wherma22]

Wife and I are thinking about making a trip to Bali for about a week. Not sure when but maybe June/July. Any general suggestions/recommendations? I'll think of more specific questions as plans develop.

Went to bali 7 years ago. One advice i could give you is to change your money in the official exchange shops only. You will find many fake small exchange shops who promise you a better rate. Some looks more legit then others. Its a famous scam in bali. The police is with them as they get their cut so dont hope to get help from them. If you do change your money with them, make sure you are the last who count the money and in front of them.

[siam2007]

SPANIEL, going to Bali is actually a great idea. It is a fantastic place with absolutely lovely people, as long as you know where to go and where NOT to go. In fact, whether you will love it or hate it will largely depend on where you are staying and what you are doing.

Yes Kuta and Legian can be nasty and intimidating, and the traffic is a nightmare particularly in the evenings.

But there are so so many incredibly lovely place to stay and see, and the prices are usually ludicrously low in low season (and June will be low season - virtually no domestic tourists as Ramadan starts on the 6th of June this year). In July, after the end of Ramadan, Bali will be overrun by local tourists, as July is traditionally a school holiday month, and this time it coincides with HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI, the end of Ramadan.

If you mention your budget, and what you like to do and what you want to avoid, then I can give you some recommendations. I know more than 100 hotels all over Bali personally and can say a word or too about a few hundred others (around 5.500 accomodations in Bali to be had).

I will be there again in May and I am paying 215.000 Rupiah (around 14 Euro) for a room in a modern 3-star hotel, away from the main tourist strip. I always spend two days in Kuta/Legian to organize my travel to the remote areas of the island (renting a car or scooter, but traffic there is not for the faint hearted).

For a "get away from it all" - experience I recommend small homestays or guesthouses in the Munduk or Sidemen area. Lovely and completely remote places surrounded by paddyfields that are still affordable like " D'Sawah Villa " near Tanah Lot can cost as low as 25€, and the sea is just a 5 minute walk away (search google for that place and add AGODA to our search. Even views from shopping malls have something magic - I am adding a picture of the sunset that I love to witness while enjoying a COPA at my favourite spot "De Java Cafe" at the Beachwalk Mall. If you need any recommendations, feel free to ask here publicly so others can benefit from your questions too. Oh, and very important, only ever use GENUINE Bluebird Taxis, and by no means any other copycat company. Bluebird cab have a large sticker "Bluebird Group" on the front screen, and while all other companies try as much as they can to look like a Bluebird (and then rip you off), this sticker is unique. Unlike Phuket or Koh Samui, you won't have any problems with Taxis if you stick to Bluebird only (and no need to ask "how much" or tell the driver "open the meter" as they do that automatically - promised !)

Edited April 12, 2016 by theoldgit
Quoted removed post edited out.

[siam2007]

Wife and I are thinking about making a trip to Bali for about a week. Not sure when but maybe June/July. Any general suggestions/recommendations? I'll think of more specific questions as plans develop.

Went to bali 7 years ago. One advice i could give you is to change your money in the official exchange shops only. You will find many fake small exchange shops who promise you a better rate. Some looks more legit then others. Its a famous scam in bali. The police is with them as they get their cut so dont hope to get help from them. If you do change your money with them, make sure you are the last who count the money and in front of them.

It is a good idea to change some money (20-30$ or so) at the airport, in order to pay for the Airport Taxi (expensive, fixed rates, don't fall prey to the Taxi touts, stick to the official expensive airport Taxi counters as a first-timer) and buy a drink or a snack. ATM's are in abundance at the Airport (and elsewhere), but the amount of money they spit out varies. there is usually a sticker attached to the ATM which indicates whether the machine offers 50.000 or 100.000 bills. the 100.000 bill machines let you withdraw more, usually 25 bills. ANZ Bank has the highest limit (4 Million? not sure), whereas local banks such as BNI or Danamon usually only give 2.5 Million or even 1.25 Million (the 50.000 IDR - machines ).

Unlike the THAI rip-off banks, Indonesian banks do NOT charge a fee on top of your withdrawal, so this is actually the cheapest way to get cash.

As for moneychangers, I recommend to ONLY use the CENTRALKUTABALI company.

This is Bali's equivalent of Bangkok's "Superrich" company. They give great rates for the main currencies such as USD or €uro with spreads of less than 1%, not so great rates for Thai Baht though. And you can monitor their rates on their website. They have several outlets, their main branch is at Jl. Raya Kuta, a few Meters away from the SANTIKA KUTA Hotel (googlemap has both places listed).

http://www.centralkutabali.com

Edited April 11, 2016 by siam2007

[phuketrichard]

Sumatra, lake toba

Fly to Penang, ferry across

There is no more ferry from Penang to Belawan in Sumatra since several years. But there r cheapo flights (AirAsia, Lion, SriWijaya) from Penang to KualaNamu (Medan's new airport). But as there is a NON STOP SERVICE by AirAsiaIndonesia from Don Mueang to Kuala Namu several times a week, this is all not necessary actually. fares start at 1.790 THB including Airport Tax but plus the usual fees (luggage, seat a.s.o.)

thanks, its been a long time since i went to Sumatra but did love it there

[siam2007]

Sumatra, lake toba

Fly to Penang, ferry across

There is no more ferry from Penang to Belawan in Sumatra since several years. But there r cheapo flights (AirAsia, Lion, SriWijaya) from Penang to KualaNamu (Medan's new airport). But as there is a NON STOP SERVICE by AirAsiaIndonesia from Don Mueang to Kuala Namu several times a week, this is all not necessary actually. fares start at 1.790 THB including Airport Tax but plus the usual fees (luggage, seat a.s.o.)

thanks, its been a long time since i went to Sumatra but did love it there

while I have been to almost any part of Indonesia in the past 15 years, I surprisingly still did not make it to Toba. But it is high on my list. If there would not be the wild and exotic Dayak festival in Palangka Raya in mid-May, I would probably go there this time. But with Silangit Airport expanding the runway and new scheduled non-stop flights from Jakarta by even Garuda, it is only a question of time when I go there (and hopefully won't be bored to death)

[Spaniel]

Thanks everyone for the replies. We haven't made any firm plans as yet but if we do go I will certainly use some of the info posted.