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So much to do and see on Bali it is impossible to cover them all. So much depends on what individuals want - relax by a pool - cultural experiences - adrenalin surges bungy jumping, paragliding etc.
Here I will try to cover the most popular and some of my favourites.
Kuta
Popular for bars and restaurants. Some hotels specifically cater for the 18 to 30 year olds. These hotels and the areas nearby can get very rowdy. Some of the tourist behaviour shows little respect for others. It is still worth wandering around to do shopping.
Poppies Lane 1 has numerous cheap eating places that serve delicious food at cheap prices. The tables and chairs may be nothing special but the food yummy. Amongst my favorites:- Bamboo Corner ( not on a corner but near Fat Yogi Cottages ) it is almost impossible to get a seat during the middle of the day; Tree House, closer to the beach in addition to good food it has good clean toilets; along the lane between Poppies 1 and Poppies 2 Gong Corner part of the Bamboo Corner group.
Worth mentioning is that DVDs are cheaper in Kuta than anywhere else, usually with buy 10 get 4 "free", Buy 20 get 9 "free" and so on. The quality is usually good but always ask and ask if the DVD is a "cinema" copy. Softcomp and Megah are both reliable and they have a number of shops around Kuta, also Sakura near Kuta Art markets.
The area around Kuta Square ( not a square ) with Matahari is full of outlet shops with prices well below that of Oz prices.
Jalan Legian between Bemo Corner in the south and Melasti Street in the north is a mixture of clubs and bars, shops and restaurants. In general it has declined since the closure of the Matahari department store. At night it is very noisy with the clubs blaring out music as loud as they can.
Ubud
About 1 to 1 1/2 hours by car, depending on traffic, to the north of Kuta is the artistic centre of Bali. On the way see villages that specialise in stone carving, wood carving and silver jewllery. Many of the jewellery shops cater for the Japanese tourists and prices are high.
Get you driver to take you to the spectacular rice terraces just outside Ubud.
The Elephant Cave, an ancient Buddist and Hindu temple is worth the short detour.
Don't miss the famous Monkey Forest.The monkeys can get boisterous if you have food to offer them. I advise not to feed the monkeys.After seeing the monkeys take a little time to walk around. Find the steps down into the ravine for some good views. Find the steps going up and you will arrive at the grave and cremation area. Nearby is an interesting temple. Look carefully at the carvings.I'll say no more - just look carefully. Balinese culture believes that good and evil exist in a balance together.
The steep road up from the Monkey Forest is lined with small boutique and art shops. Between the shops are numerous small hotels simple rooms but very good prices. I usually stay at small hotel called Agung Trisna.
The market at the top of the hill has been expanded and is packed with bargains. For the best bargains go upstairs and away from the main area.
There is so much to do at Ubud I usually stay a couple of days.
There are some excellent walks including the Bird Walk, www.balibirdwalk.com
Actually it is more than just looking at birds, the guides give information about rice growing and special plants seen on the track that are used for medicinal purposes.
At first it seems a bit expensive but it does include a good lunch at Murni's Restaurant.
Another walk is the nature walk, www.naturewalk.com
Walking around the tracks in Ubud is a popular past time. There is a good guide map:- Bali Pathfinder.
My favourite eating places :- Naught Nuri's, about 3 km out of Ubud, but well worth the trip. Get there early it is VERY popular. The spare ribs are very very popular.
Murni's by the bridge :- good food and great views in the ravine.
Cafe Wayan about half way down Monkey Forest Road. A good selection of cakes and pleasant garden setting.
About 1 to 1/2 hours away. A temple on a rock in the sea. It is famous for the sun setting behind the temple. Great views from the cafes on top of the cliff. The cafes on the cliff charge top prices, for example young coconut is 25 000Rp in the main market area only 10 000Rp. I have been there more than 20 times and only seen one sunset without clouds. Now I take friends during the afternoon. The markets were more expensive than other markets around but now are even sometimes cheaper. There are some pleasant walkways along the cliff tops. Tanah Lot gets very crowded at sunset and there are traffic jams following the sunset. Worth considering of doing Tanah Lot in the daytime is a short detour to the Butterfly Farm. Depending on the season there are many varieties of butterflies and moths. Another photo opportunity, this time being covered with huge moths and colourful butterflies.
Uluwatu is only minutes away from Bali Holiday House, about 1/2 to 3/4 an hour from Kuta. Best to go at about 4pm. The temple on top of the cliff and the cliff views are spectacular. I am sure the monkeys here have been trained to take sunglasses, necklaces and bags so keep hold of your belongings. As soon as a monkey runs off with something a helpful guy will go to retrieve you lost item and expect a tip.
There is a Kecak and Fire Dance show at 6pm every night and finishing at 7pm. There is a book at the villa that explains the story in simple terms. The cost is 70 000Rp per person. It is a good show and with the sun setting behind the stage the opportunity for some good photos. At the end of the show spectators are able to have photos taken with the performers.
Kintamani
A whole day out. Go on a clear day. If you can not see Mount Agung from the top of the hill it is probably not worth going as Kintamani will be covered in cloud. Start of early to avoid most of the tourist traffic. There are good views from the car park of the restaurant on the edge of the rim. The food is not good so my advice go down the road a little and eat at one of the smaller Balinese places.
The sellers here can be persistent and annoying. Do not buy carvings here. You will be shown a perfect carving. As they put it in a bag for you they are quicker than a magician and when you open the bag you have an inferior carving done by an apprentice. I know even after all the times I have been there I got caught - I was not happy!
On the way are fruit sellers - good photo shots of fruit piled high, also fantastic lace and bedspreads. With your own driver you can stop where you like. Near Kintamani is a spice plantation and a coffee plantation open for tourists - I have never been in but am told they are interesting.
Lovina
On the far north coast. It is actually a group of small fishing villages. It takes up to 4 hours to get there so best done as a two or three day trip. Interesting for the simple fishing houses on the beach. The sands are black volcanic sand. Dolphin watching is popular but it is a 5am start. There are plenty f cheaper hotels. One good one right by the dolphin is Sea Breeze, it has several bungalows almost on the beach.
On the way to Lovina stop off at Git Git waterfalls just outside Singaraja. The hot springs near Lovina are also worth a trip.
Amed
On the north eastern tip is known for snorkeling and diving. It is quite small with limited facilities and again at least a two day trip. The coast road from Karangasam ( Alampura ) is spectacular. The restored Water Palace, destroyed in the 1961 volcanic eruption is worth looking at.
A small village on the north east coast. popular for those who want to get away from it all. The beaches were eroded away after the reef was used to make concrete.
About 1/2 north of Kuta. The beach here is protected by the reef. There has been a lot of work to prevent beach erosion. It is very popular with the more mature ( over 30 ) European tourists. There are numerous restaurants that have tables on the beach. There is a walkway several kilometers long. Hotels tend to be a little more expensive in Sanur than in Kuta/Seminyak. At the southern end of the beach there are water sports, para sailing, banana boat rides etc.
On the by pass near Sanur, an easy stop when returning from Ubud. 50 000Rp per person entry. All the orchids are beautiful and some very rare specimens. Have a drink of genuine Kopi Lawak ( coffee Civet ). There is one in a cage to see. At $1000 per kg it one of the most expensive coffees in the world and only 40 000Rp a cup at the Orchid Garden.
The centre for all water sports. About 1/2 hour drive from Kuta. Parasailing, hang gliding, banana boat rides etc.
Safari and Marine Park
About an hour out of Kuta towards Kulungkung. US$35 per person entry fee. At first this seems expensive but get there at 10am for the start of the activities. Included in the entry fee, Safari ride through the animal enclosures, photo with a wild animal ( depending on the day, tiger, lion cub, puma or orangutan ), elephant show, jungle boat ride. The restaurant by the lion enclosure is popular as the lions appear so close, only separated by a glass window ( hopefully strong glass !). The new aquarium is the marine section of the complex. There is a large water play area with water slides, water canons etc. included in the entry fee so take bathers and towels. Also, at extra cost, mini roller coaster, dodgem cars and dodgem boats. Elephant rides, including a short ride or a "safari" ride are extra.
Near Ubud has been upgraded since Australian management took over.Many animals areavailable to have photos with including,large iguana, snakes, birds. The restaurant has good food and very good prices. For those with limited time the zoo is a good alternative to Safari Park and quite a bit cheaper.
Bali Reptile Park and Bali Bird Park
Close together near Ubud. You can handle the birds and animals, including huge snakes!
White water rafting, bike riding etc
The best way to organise these is from one of the tour booths in Kuta - they usually give good discounts.
Shopping
Where to begin ?
Balinese souvenirs - there are a number of new outlets on Sunset Road, including Kampung Nusantara, near Carrefour. They sell as cheap, if not cheaper, than the markets.
Near Sunset Road - Jln Seminyak is Geneva, next door to Christie Furniture, two floors packed with goodies - cheaper than market prices.
Ramayana Department store
in Denpasar - outstanding for children's clothing, shoes, men's shirts at amazing prices and good quality.
REMO Centre,
opposite Ramayana in Denpasar, is 4 floors of shops selling computer gear and mobile phones.Computers are not much cheaper than Australia but some of the periferals, such as cooler fans, mice etc are cheaper.
Sita Fashion
At the start of Jalan Seminyak near the traffic lights at the corner of Jalan Legian and Jalan Melasti. You will not buy pots, including large pots cheaper anywhere in Bali. However they are reducing their stock of pots. Now they have the best range of metal wall decorations in Bali and again the prices are the cheapest you will get. In fact people buy from Sita to sell in Australia.
Kuta Square
The main shop here is Matahari department store but there are numerous other outlet stores including, Footlocker, Polo etc
Bagus Watch shop
In Kuta Square and Jalan Pantai ( Beach Road ).An excellent selection of watches downstairs at better than "on the beach" prices. Upstairs good quality bangles, manicure sets.
DVD shops
There are numerous DVD shops. Most of the DVDs are from the same source so exactly the same quality. Always ask if the quality of a particular DVD is good or not. Ask if it is a "cinema" copy. The shops I prefer are Softcomp ( many shops; Poppies2, Jln Kartika Plaza, Jln Legian, Discovery Mall to name a few ), Megah Disc ( also many shops; Jln Legian near Jln Melasti, Poppies2, opposite Discovery Mall and so on ), Sakura near Kuta Art Markets. Softcomp and Sakura were amongst the first DVD shops. Check the number of "free" DVDs offered, ie buy 10 get 4 free; buy 20 get 9 free, buy 30 get 12 free and so on.
A new outlet shop, opposite side of the road from Bali Galeria and about 100m away from the big statue. At the time of writing good quality joggers 200 000Rp and brand names such as Puma, New Balance, Adidas from 250 000Rp. Huge selection of footwear and clothing.
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Places to Visit and Shopping
