Holiday to Bali

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Hi Sammie, We travel to Bali every year, some of the best places to eat in Kuta where we stay are Kori and Poppies. Both are in the centre of popies. Have the chilli Crab at Kori it is the best, if you want to know anymore just let me know.

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Lucky you, If you have enough of the nasi rice etc definitely go up to Seminyak there are a couple of really good restuarants up there a little bit dearer still plenty cheaper than Australia try a restuarant called Rumours and also try Ultimo both are pretty much next door to each other (hopefully they are still there) also not so cheep but worth a look for an afternoon out watching the sunset whilst having cocktails check out KU DE TA. To chill out try and get a couple of days at Nusa Lambogin would recommend staying at Coconuts resort or any where on the same head land that over looks the bay, also snorkling over there is pretty good. The new Bali Zoo is worth a look. Spa treatments in Bali can be really good try the Bali Green Garden down near the airport (not the one near the Dynasty) very reasonably priced. For transport just get the blue Taxis they have meters, cheap and easy. Bartering is the part I hate, my wife does all the shopping so probably I am not the best person to advise on this but if you are staying in a hotel ask some of the other guests what they paid for certain things or you can go with the general rule of halving the first price offered and work from there. The locals can some times get pretty verbally aggressive if the sale doesn't go down, so try not to react to much just play it cool even if they talk about planes falling out of the sky its all part of the game, suffice to say I don't dig it hence I don't shop. Hope you have a great stay in Bali for us it is a very special place.

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Hey Sammi Been to Bali / Indo more times than i should have been. I dont think you can really go wrong with most places to eat. The indonesion food is awesome but in my experience Kuta is down the list by a long way. If i were you i would head over to Nusa Dua there are plenty of restaurants over there and some of the best. Yellow Jug is a fantastic restaurant on the beach just at the end of the path near the Beach Market, Another is Bumboo this place is the bussiest restaurant on the Island and once you have eaten there you will understand why SIMPLY Outstanding but you will have to book a few days in advance. As for places to see Ulawatu is great, get over to Nusa Peneda And Nusa Lembongan fantastic island and you can stay the night. Take a day trip up to Candi Dasa now that is a lovely spot on the North East side of the island. If you want to party grab a ferry to Lombock and head to the Gilli Islands you will simply love it Party Party Party. As for Barter .. be confident ... have fun doing it .. shop early as they believe that an early sale will bring them good luck. If they let you walk away your too low .. if they sell straight up your too high but you cant go back on your deal. All in all just have fun doinging it all in the experience and you will feel like your fitting in. Learn a frase or to Mahal (expensive) or Mahal Sikali (very expensive) and they will love you for it Best of luck Sampi Jumpa

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Came back coupla weeks ago ....had a ball . As it was my 3rd visit i did things differently....i hired a motorbike, was the best thing ever. Only cost 50,000 (just on $7) a day!!! you can go where ever u like whenever & the really realy good thing is that u don't get hassled by the sellers :-) You have to also checkout the waterbom park or maybe some scuba diving, white water rafting & the monkey forest .......... heaps to do & see .. Enjoy

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  I'd just came back from that place and loved it everytime. Just one very important thing that every tourist NEEDS to know - money changer! There are many dodgy money changers in Kuta esp on poppies and legian st and they used the following tricks to con unsuspecting tourists. 1) The calculator that they used for the conversion are rigged so it gives you an inaccurate and much lower figure. Eg. AUD 100 would gives you 760,000 rupiah based on 1:7600 rate but their calculator would show 730,000. So use your own calculator and change in small amount say AUD100 so that you can work out the conversion manually even without the calculator. 2) Watch them like a hawk! Count your money (no matter how much it confuses you due to the billion, trillion digits). They would count it for you once to make sure you are happy with the amount. Then they would count it again, this time with the money held close to the edge of the counter. They'll then slide a few pieces of the notes back very discreetly. Usually they work in groups. While one of them is "counting" the money for you, there will be a few others trying to talk to you to distract you. They tried it on us and succeeded with the calculator trick! I'd realised that about 30 minutes later. Couldn't swallow the fact that I was conned. Happened to know the police head and told him about it. We then led the police in scooters and raided the premise! Totally hillarious. Got our money back but man, what an experience. But Bali is awesome. Try to get out of Kuta (where all the tourists tend to congregate) and do the countryside like Tegallalang, Gunung Batur, Tirta Empul. That's where you find the best of what Bali has to offer. Have fun! I speak the language so everytime I am there I tend to collect friends and contacts so if you need a decent local tour company to help you with your sightseeings, see Mr Kadek from Happy Tour on Jalan Poppies One. You'll have a ball!

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Mrs S. and I love Bali and go there as often as we can. She was born there after her family left Palestine and so we have any number of beds/couches, etc to crash on whenever we go any where in Indonesia and Malaysia.Bindook is right about the transport. We hired a Toyota Avensis (think oversized Corolla or mini Tarago) from the airport for a week and only cost us about AU$150. The buses are fun too because you get up close and personal with everyone.A word of advice. The road rules are optional. I'm dead serious. It's not as bad as Jakarta but it can get a bit hairy so if you DO go the car option, haggle for a driver for a day or two just to see what it's like. If you think you can handle it, go for it. There's nothing like getting in there and having fun. We got lost at least once every day and would not have found some of the best places and best friends if we didn't. The people are very open and friendly and will start a conversation at the drop of a hat. Don't be put off about them asking a lot of questions. Most of the time they're not trying to sell you stuff, it's their way of being polite. That's the culture and they expect you to respond with the same so don't be afraid. they love talking about their families and where they're from so ask away.We tended to stay away from the more touristy spots like Kuta Beach. The hawkers outside EVERY store will try to drag you in so when you walk past and are not interested, just put your hand up and give a little shake of the head and that seems to stop all but the most rabid of sales people.Everyone says don't drink the water and they're right. It's alright to brush your teeth with but don't swallow. Stick with bottled water. Remember, though, that cold drinks will always be more expensive. That's just the way it is. We lived on lemon iced tea and a sports drink called Pocari Sweat. lolKu De Ta is DEFINITELY worth a visit but remember to dress up. At least a collar for the guys and the girls have more leeway. Make a night of it but it is one of the more expensive places to go.Ubud is a fantastic place to visit and the Three Monkeys is the place to go as well as the Bali Buddha Cafe. It's about a 2 hour drive from the airport but don't rely on maps. the best way there if you're driving is to stop every now and again and ask. Everyone is more than happy to help you find your way.If you do get lost, stop on the side of the road an call out to the nearest local. Use "Maas, maas" until you get their attention and just ask. "Ubud, demana" works (Where is Ubud). Truus means straight, Kiri means Left and Kanan means Right.Remember the phrase, "Satu Lagi". it means "One More" or "Dua Lagi" if you want two. "Kasi" which is "Thank You". You can add Bu to the end if the person if female or Pak if they're male. (Kasi, Bu or Kasi, Pak. It's just polite)I could go on but just go and have fun.

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  RHP User

  16 years ago

  Thanks guys, some great tips, really appreciate it. I can't wait :)

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