Top Bali hotels
Prices of petrol are a lot cheaperthan other parts of the world.But it is still costly to the Indonesianliving off of the local wages.At the gas pump,it is a good spot to be cheated a few thousand Rupiahs if you are a foreigner.If you don’t fix your eyes on the hose and pump,it’s very possible that they will over charge you.
Be careful of selected money changers especially those along legian where they charge high commission rates.Better rates (no additional charges) are found around Kuta square, nearby the Matahari department stores.
At street corners and at shopping malls, you might be stopped by someone asking you to participate in a survey, or trying to hand you a scratch & match coupon. You will probably win a t-shirt or a free tour, and you will then be asked to collect your gift from another place, with a free taxi ride and snacks included. No obligations, simply hear them out for 45 mins, collect your free t-shirt and off you go!Welcome to Bali folks-it's TIME SHARE HEAVEN. If you do have 2-3 hours to spare, you may want to have a look around at the resort that is on offer. Your tour will usually come with a free return taxi trip to and from your hotel or shopping mall or where ever it was that they first found you. Snacks or drinks may also be on offer. We DID have some time and had NOT visited Nusa Dua, so took this as a side-trip or sight-seeing tour. The resort we visited cannot be named here, because...
Ibu or auntie will be following you every step you go on the beach of kuta trying to convince you to give you a manicure or pedicure, braid your hair or even give you a massage for the price of Rp 100.000. You go " yeah why not, its not that expensive but! once you sit down and agree to her, suddenly..out of nowhere a flock of the other ibu-ibu and bapak bapak (uncle) will come and persuade you to buy their shares. You will never be at peace If they ever come up to you, just ignore them and nod or smile. Never engage in a friendly chat unless you are really keen on buying whatever it is that she wants to sell
Yeah in this touristy paradise called Bali, you HAVE to try to bargain for everything, even when they have all the prices fixed on a board.There's no harm trying anyway.If they insist on their price, try acting uninterested and leave, see if they call you back for re-offer :DAlso check their neighbor shops and competitors.They also have at least 3 different prices for most of the things there, be it tourist spots, attractions or sea sports: International tourist price (in USD, the most expensive) Domestic tourist price (in Rp, usually half the above price) Local price (depends on your bargaining and balinese languange skills)
People say that Kuta is the nicest beach on Bali, but it's not really worth it when you've got beach hawkers constantly pestering you. I took my daughter out to the beach and found an empty plot of sand. It wasn't more than a few minutes before I was swarmed by a group of women wanting to braid my daughter's hair and paint her nails. My daughter is only 3 and she's already quite the princess, so she jumped at the chance. There were about 4 different ladies surrounding our beach towel and I was attempting to bargain with them all at once. Admittedly, I wasn't a very good bargainer in all the chaos. I agreed to a price in all the confusion. Later, I worked out that I was being charged $18 for the braids and $12 for her nails. I had to do some forceful bargaining to change the price after the fact. I sat there and asked myself what I would pay them in Vietnam (where I currently live): just...
Always count your money after you have changed it no matter where you change it... This is MANDATORY. On a previous visit (many years earlier) I was going to be ripped off about AU$40 when I changed my travellers chqs. Because of the amount of notes you get when you change money its easy to mis-count the notes. After all the insistance that I had received the right amount of Rupiah they seemed to see it my way when I said I'd come back and re-arrange their shop with a baseball bat. They flick the notes to the ground when they think your not looking and then tell you that you havent given them enough..... BE CAREFUL!!Fake lottery tickets is another one going around. I first found out the hard way about this one when I was in Bangkok previously, so luckily I knew the scam straight away. Every ticket is a winner and you'll be scammed for something. A free trip here or dinner there... Dont...
The dolphin tour was supposed to be riding in a boat and seeing the dolphins frolick in their natural environment. It ended up being 50 small little motorized boats chasing the dolphins around at 6am. Once they are spotted the dolphins they try to wrangle them in and crowd them while hords of tourists snap pictures from the boats. I was embarassed to be a part of it. Just don't go. Go to the mokey forests and really see animals in a more natural environment.
In a way I regret the ULU WATU place which has a small, remarkable temple, though closed to tourists. Still travel-agencies do promise the contrary however, you are not allowed entering the famous temple built on top of a high cliff ... So just enjoy the great ocean-views, the beautiful Ulu Watu Sunset, the traditional Kecak-dance or the many naughty temple-moneys ... You may join the ritual ceremonies, so ask info around when these ceremonial events take happening ... it's the only way to visit the ULU WATU Temple inside!Going South ... going mystic huh???
many young children trying to sell postcards can get annoying .tourist buses everywhere at sunset nothing special just another temple.expensive here in bali terms but worth just one visit . go to the resturant up the steps near the beach , no hawkers there. go to bedugul in the north , it is quiet , beautiful on the edge of a mountain lake , no hawkers and on the way back south is a waterfall in the jungle called git git only 15 min from the road well worth a see . hire some local guide because the tourist buses do not take you there
8 Reviews and 841 Opinions MY WIFE AND I STAYED IN THE SHERATON LAGUNA FOR THREE WEEKS IN JULY 2006. THE HOTEL HAS JUST GONE...
Anantara Seminyak Resort & Spa, Bali Bali
290 Opinions
The Ubud Village Resort Spa Ubud
12 Reviews and 204 Opinions A normal view here...one of the locals working on the rice field located within the resort itself...
Reviews and photos of Bali attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Bali sightseeing.
Q: How safe is it to travel around Bali?
A: "Safe"? Bali is very safe, as safe as any other part of the world at this point in time. We've been to Bali twice after the bombings and have never felt anything but...
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