[Asia] Bali

[yoerii]

I'm planning to go bali this oct. It is a free and easy trip. Anyone can recommend where to go n any decent hotel to stay??

[night86mare]

most of the hotels/hostels at kuta and sapa are very ok, but i'm not a picky traveller.

[ZerocoolAstra]

stayed at J Boutique Hotel in Tuban, which is about 5mins from the airport, towards Kuta direction.
Good value for money, in my opinion. Hotel was recently renovated, so everything seems quite nice and clean. Room rate was about S$85/night for a double room, incl buffet breakfast (nothing great).
I have contact details for private vehicle + driver too, if you wish. IDR330,000 for 10 hours usage for a 5-6seater (toyota avanza). Friendly and punctual driver.

[JLee]

Originally Posted by yoerii I'm planning to go bali this oct. It is a free and easy trip. Anyone can recommend where to go n any decent hotel to stay??

Bali is > 5 times bigger then Singapore and you have to decide which part of Bali you plan to visit and stay at the nearest area. A good source for you to check out the hotels there is through Asia Rooms.com. Link here: http://www.asiarooms.com/indonesia/bali.html

[yoerii]

Whao!! didnt know that bali is so big.

We are not very fussy when it comes to accommodation. Do you know where we should visit as we only stay there for 2nites.

ZerocoolAstra, yes, really appreciate if you can gimme the driver contact.

[JLee]

Originally Posted by yoerii Whao!! didnt know that bali is so big. We are not very fussy when it comes to accommodation. Do you know where we should visit as we only stay there for 2nites.

There are many places to visit, especially for first time visitors. I suppose you are there for photography too, if not you wouldn't have asked in ClupSnap

In 3D2N, you should be able to do:
Day 1 > Jatiluwih (rice terrace) > Pura Ulun Danu > Mengwi Taman Ayun > Batu Bulan > Tanah Lot > Kuta (night life)

Day 2 > Kintamani > Tampak Siring > Ubud > Uluwatu > Kecak Dance in Uluwatu.

I'm not a tour guide nor working in a travel agency, so the above is just one of the many-many ways you can tour Bali and those are more popular places. Best advise is to hire a local guide or join a daily tour. Don't even think about taxi, as it's only available in Denpasar/Kuta/Legian area.

[ZerocoolAstra]

check out www.balicarrent.com
email them to check for prices, just to be sure.
My driver's name was Ngurah (pronounced "noo-rah"). He's big and dark, like a New Zealand rugby player.
Kinda quiet, but friendly and knowledgeable. And punctual too. There was one time I told him "come back to this spot in 4 hours" and he was back there 3hrs 55min later.

[ZerocoolAstra]

Originally Posted by JLee There are many places to visit, especially for first time visitors. I suppose you are there for photography too, if not you wouldn't have asked in ClupSnap In 3D2N, you should be able to do: Day 1 > Jatiluwih (rice terrace) > Pura Ulun Danu > Mengwi Taman Ayun > Batu Bulan > Tanah Lot > Kuta (night life) Day 2 > Kintamani > Tampak Siring > Ubud > Uluwatu > Kecak Dance in Uluwatu. I'm not a tour guide nor working in a travel agency, so the above is just one of the many-many ways you can tour Bali and those are more popular places. Best advise is to hire a local guide or join a daily tour. Don't even think about taxi, as it's only available in Denpasar/Kuta/Legian area.

That sounds like quite a lot!
I saw some brochures with 1-day itineraries that covered what I did in 2-3days... haha.
But a holiday is supposed to be relaxing. Rushing from 1 place to the next hardly gives me enough time to soak in the atmosphere and culture.

[LifeInMacro]

Bali is such a scenic place and you'd definitely be back for more. So try not to cramp too much in a 3D2N trip. Just go for the standard places first, and though it is larger than Singapore, the roads are winding and narrow, and it takes a while getting from place to place.

If you like hustle and bustle of a small town, stay somewhere in Kuta area.

If you like the nice and easy relaxing type of beach holidays like me, stay somewhere in the Nusa Dua or Jimbaran Bay area.

If you like serenity, greenery and culture, stay in Ubud.

Have fun!

[JLee]

Originally Posted by ZerocoolAstra That sounds like quite a lot! I saw some brochures with 1-day itineraries that covered what I did in 2-3days... haha. But a holiday is supposed to be relaxing. Rushing from 1 place to the next hardly gives me enough time to soak in the atmosphere and culture.

Ya that's a bit tight schedule, but it's like buffet for the TS, as the places are all on the same route, he/she can pick n choose where to visit

[SteadyManZ]

Originally Posted by JLee Ya that's a bit tight schedule, but it's like buffet for the TS, as the places are all on the same route, he/she can pick n choose where to visit

Wah bro JLee, hardly hear your post nowadays. Increase post count ah when comes to your favourite land...

JLee is one whom has been paying visit to Bali regularly like a yearly ritual..

Dun forget to find good food over there. The BBQ pork ribs and roasted duck rice.. Yummy..

[night86mare]

Originally Posted by yoerii Whao!! didnt know that bali is so big. We are not very fussy when it comes to accommodation. Do you know where we should visit as we only stay there for 2nites. ZerocoolAstra, yes, really appreciate if you can gimme the driver contact.

it depends on your type of inclination

personally, i like a lot of places in bali, the problem with it is that it is a conundrum, without tourism all the traditional practices may have well been long discarded; with tourism they are kept, but they are well, touristy.

i do like the seascape of tanah lot very much, not just because of the temple there.

i also like the rice terraces at jatiluwih, it is a bit overphotographed but very beautiful.

if you want to see see look look the villages at ubud can be quite interesting if you're into handicrafts, but refer to second paragraph above for this point.

anyways, you can take a look at my bali thread a while back, i went there for a number of days so coverage will be more extensive than the usual.. i think zoosshh has also relatively extensive coverage and there are pretty nice threads on bali out there, as well as photographer sites on it.

the norm when going there if you are concentrating on photography, is to hire a driver/driver-guide pairing (it becomes pretty worth it after 3 people and up if you ask me) for a stipulated number of hours to drive you around. just be sure and firm about where you're going. i had a mixture of guides due to availability.. while both were pretty ok experiences, one of the guides brought me to "dreamland" in bali (which is chockful of ang moh tourists) despite explicit request that he suggest nothing too touristy and his assurance that "no, not touristy!"..

[kissnight]

Saw this photo-safari done by a photog..
can look at the itinerary as a guide to plan your trip... :-)

http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/...ad.php?t=78752

[yoerii]

Thanks for all the replies. You guys are great!! There are so many informations that I need to take some times to digest.... And to be honest, now I find 3 days a bit short and having headache in trying to figure out which places to go. (so many places but limited time)

JLee, yes, I'm going on the purpose of photography but also spending some times with my family. Like night86mare i'm might need to compromise a bit. I was thinking of staying in Kuta beach area as it is near beach and also convenience.

Btw, night86mare, I like ur photo coverage that posted in ur forum.

[ZerocoolAstra]

I think if you're going for only a short trip with family, do prioritize family time as #1, especially if your family members aren't that into photography, no choice can't drag them along. In the end nobody enjoys it.
Kuta area is a good base. It's near to the places you're likely to visit in a 3day trip.
A day trip to the mountains (Lake Bratan area) and back, via Jatiluwih, is certainly possible. Can even add in sunset at Tanah Lot if you set off early to the mountains.

For photography, I liked:
Pura Taman Ayun (temple at Mengwi)
Rice terraces at Jatiluwih
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (temple right on Lake Bratan)

and also sunset at Tanah Lot and Jimbaran.
Never got to explore the southern coast, near Nusa Dua, but I heard it's very beautiful there too.

[indraphang]

Bali has a lot of nice hotels and interest places. It depends on your choice wether you like crowded or quite area .

If you like crowded and beach you can pick Kuta area, for quite environment is Ubud.

for my personal, i choose Kuta

For Photogaphy , i liked Tanah Lot and Batur Lake.

[yoerii]

Hi guys,

Do u think my itinerary a bit cramp?

Day 1

12.30pm arrived at Bali airport.
1.00pm check in
1.30pm go to uluwatu
2.00-3.15pm uluwatu
4.30 tanah lot

Day 2 (depart early)

Kintamani
Bedugul - Ulun Dadu Temple (Lake Bratan)
Ubud - gao gajah, gunung kawi, tirta empul

Day 3

Exploring Kuta in the morning
12pm go to airport

[night86mare]

looks ok to me, but it really depends on the traffic conditions and how good your driver is for day 2.

[yoerii]

Originally Posted by night86mare looks ok to me, but it really depends on the traffic conditions and how good your driver is for day 2.

I'm not sure how good the driver will be, but i'm planning to depart early (maybe around 6-7am) so i can have enough time for bedugul.

[ZerocoolAstra]

Day 2 looks a bit tough. You're trying to do 2 lakes (Batur and Bratan) in 1 day. From my map, it doesn't show any major road between the 2 lakes, unless you travel all the way south and up again, or up to the very north and back down. And bear in mind that even the 'major' roads are narrower and bumpier than anything we have in Singapore.
I felt a bit sick after sitting in the car for an hour and a half. I wouldn't advise such a long journey in one day. But maybe you (and your family) are very resilient to motion-sickness.