Tag: Bali

Travelling to Bali

In October we flew from Hong Kong which took around 5 hours, The flight cost around £100 with Air Asia. We arranged a private transfer who was waiting in the Airport with a sign with our names on it. The journey to the hotel was relatively short

Accommodation

the Bali Rich Villas in the Seminyak area. It is a relatively small hotel; the rooms were large with all amenities for self-catering provided. The hotel did offer the option of someone coming in and cooking any meals you requested. The rooms were supplied with soft drinks, beers and snacks at a cost, although the cost was very low and often cheaper than the local supermarket. The hotel also provided message and spa treatments which were extremely good value. The pool was quite small but adequate for a cool down and a bit of a swim. The hotel was conveniently situated with only a short walk to reach the centre of the town and the impressive beach.

Food and Drink

The town centre had lots of places to eat and drink ranging from Italian restaurants to American diners. These were quite touristy and we felt that some of them were a bit over-priced compared to some of the more local places. For those who like a bit of a sing song there were also plenty of Karaoke bars a number of which stayed open until the early hours. I (Debbie) like to drink cider and I often find it difficult to find it abroad, but thankfully Bali actually has its own cider which I loved.

Double Six Beach

Double Six beach is a lovely place to visit both during the day and on an evening. It is a lovely bright, colourful beach which becomes very busy towards sunset, as people sit on one of the many bean-bags at the bars on the beach to watch the sun go down – we can really recommend it whilst drinking a lovely cocktail or two. The meals at the beach bars were also very reasonably priced. Each bar has its own live entertainment on an evening. We found it was the best place to be at night in Seminyak. The tide comes in quickly and the bar owners have to move the bean bags row by row to keep them from floating away. This beach has the most amazing sunsets.

Kuta

For those who want a really lively resort then Kuta is the place to be. However we found that Seminyak was lively enough for our needs – we are not teenagers but still like to visit lively bars and meet other people. We often did not return to our hotel until 3-4 in the morning! There is a night club that is open until 8am in Seminyak which we did visit but being an English couple in our 40’s we did stand out a bit as the majority of the clientele were Australian’s in their early 20’s!

Orangutan Sanctuary

Whilst in Bali we went to an Orangutan Sanctuary which was a fantastic experience and well worth the money. You could have photos taken with them at no extra cost although they did suggest that you make a donation to their charity. The Orangutans appeared happy and very well cared for. Some of them were quite playful. The younger Orangutans were not exposed to the public as much as the older ones. The younger Orangutans were cared for by the keepers and pulled around in a children’s cart. Which they often tried to get out of.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

We also went to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud. Here there are over 700 long-tailed Balinese macaques running freely. The Balinese believe that these monkeys protect the area and nearby Hindu Temples. These monkeys are not gentle like other wild monkeys I have been in contact with. They will steal anything and snatch things out of your hands. You can buy bananas at the Sanctuary to feed the monkeys. Of course the monkeys are well aware of this and as soon as anyone purchases the bananas they will steal the whole bunch and run off before you have time to take a photo.

Another important point to bear in mind Is that showing your teeth is a sign of aggression to monkeys so be aware not do this or you are more than likely to be bitten. Despite this it was a lovely experience and we even managed to see some babies.

Lunch near rice fields

When travelling to Ubud our driver stopped off for us to have lunch at a scenic restaurant surrounded by rice fields. It was a lovely hot day to spend a couple of hours having a cold drink and traditional Balinese food. We had satay (means state in Indonesian) chicken skewers that came with rice and vegetables as well as Bebek betutu which is spiced duck and coconut wrapped in banana leaves. The grounds of the restaurant were very picturesque with lots of interesting plants and flowers.

Art work

There are many other tourist attractions in Bali to visit but as we were only there for 7 days before flying on to Kuala Lumpur we did not manage to see as much as we would have liked to have done.  We did buy some interesting hand painted art work whilst in Bali at a very reasonable price which is a constant reminder of our amazing time in Bali.

Summary

We had such a wonderful time in Bali. The Balinese people are so friendly and helpful. Bali is one of the few places in the world that we know for definite that we will be returning soon. Everyone we have spoken to who have visited Bali all say the same.

Images

Things to do

• Visit Tanah Lot Temple
• Visit Monkey Forest
• Visit a Paddy Field
• Sample the local cuisine
• Have a cocktail watching the sunset on Double Six Beach.
• Enjoy the nightlife in Kuta
• Spend time a day on one of the lovely beaches.
• Buy some art work

Top tips

• Decide what you want from a trip to Bali as the places to stay offer different things. If you want somewhere very lively then Kuta would be he place to stay. Seminyak does have lots of nightlife but is also known for its good food and restaurants.  Ubud is know for sightseeing and considered a spiritual place to visit. Nusa Duna is more of a family destination and many of the hotels offer good facilities for children. There are also some smaller areas of Bali that may be worth looking into but the above are the main areas to visit. It is very easy to get from one are to another in Bali as it is quite compact.
• Drinks and food prices and quality vary so much in Bali check out the prices and menu before.
• We dont like to be tied to excursions with lots of people as you have to wait for people not turning up on time and spending lots of time in places that are not of interest and are often places that are trying to sell you something. We found that renting a driver for the day was as cheap as an excursion and we could go where we wanted when we wanted.
• Check out government safety advice when visiting Bali https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	28	28	29	29	30	29	29	29	29	30	30	29
Low Temp	26	26	27	27	28	27	27	27	27	28	27	27
Rainfall	90	90	90	70	70	50	40	40	50	60	70	90
Number of days	18	15	14	12	9	5	4	3	4	8	13	13