Bali - some travel tips

Just went to Bali, some tips to share.


HOTEL LOCATION - I was going to Bali for the beaches and paddy fields and regreted not picking a villa in Kuta or Ubud where we spent most of our time. Seminyak would be ok too cos a lot of the girl friends enjoyed the shopping there. We picked a villa near Tanal Lot called Villa Les Rizieres and wherever we went, it's at least a 30 minute bus ride.


Many villa provide a free van with the villa. Unless you go in a small group and share exactly the same itinerary, it can be a hassle to have to wait for enough people to go out together. If you are within walking distance to a beach or a more central location, at least that satisfies part of the group who will not need the van.


Some villas sell their quiet location away from the hustle bustle of the island. Unless the villa has a beach/cliff view or own a paddy field, most other private villas have walls blocking you from no-matter-where-you-are. You only notice the difference when you go in and out of the villa on the van. Worse still, i stayed in the master bedroom next to the wall and there's this hammering sound from early morning on the other side. I guess 'quieter' location means it's to be developed, so, expect a lot of constructions around you. A convenient location is prime.


Tanal Lot is a sightseeing spot for most people good for an hour or so. However, it's not like the beach that takes up most part of your Bali trip. Choose a hotel or villa somewhere else.


FOOD & RESTAURANT - set your expectations. There are no good and cheap wines on the island. Local wines tend to be very sour. We tried some at Trattoria in Seminyak. Local (really local) restaurants and street food wa surprisingly very delicious. We've tried the more touristy restaurants. Kudeta was a stunning place. However, drinks and food were really expensive. For drinks and a full meal will cost on average US$100-150 per person depending on your consumption. Pina Colada at Poppies is served in a fresh coconut with elaborate carving.


ADDITIONAL THINGS TO NOTE:

- Take care of your belongings at all times - there are a lot of gang pickpockets in the bar area near the bomb memorial junction. I saw an Australian lady, with a friend, being surrounded and almost stopped by a group of locals who were trying to sell her some white stuff. I don't know if that's coccaine or what. She turned down with a smile but seemed to enjoyed all the hands all over her body. One of the guys behind her reached his hand around her waist into her bag and grabbed her camera without her noticing it.


- Be very specific when dealing with villas, especially privately owned and run villas. They may not have any systems and don't care if they lose a customer. They may be rich people who open a villa for fun. Ask specific questions when you make reservation directly with them, especially when you are offered a discount. If they get annoyed by you asking too many questions, be careful cos it's a reflection of their service mentality. Ask specifically if you will get all the facilities listed on the website. And if it will be staffed as mentioned. And if you get to use all the basic appliances such as air conditioners. Make your enquiry email like a contract. If any owner avoid having black and white confirmation with you, it's a villa to avoid. Our experience was the owner who only called back and confirmed things on the phone without replying to emails. We had some argument and were at a very disadvantaged position.


- Is air-conditioning needed? - most villas on Bali will have air-conditioned rooms. However, not all villas have an air-conditioned living room. You need a comfortable common area if you go with a group of friends. It's ok to enjoy the nature. It's cool enough at night to stay outside. However, if the living room of the villa is poorly ventilated, it will be a nightmare. We were not allowed to use the air conditioners in the poorly ventilated living room cos the owner said we were given a discount and didn't pay enough money.


- ask the owner anything you need to take note of when using the facilities. We played tennis on the clay tennis court in the villa. Some wore tennis shoes and some wore running shoes. The owner said we should know that we could only wear tennis shoes used for clay tennis courts and demanded for a damage of US$50 even though there was no sign or official reminder on that. We said we should have been told, e.g. on the website, via email when we booked or on a sheet given when we checked in. He insisted that he's right and it's just about some basic education that we don't have.


- Save Rp15,000 for airport service charge required for each passenger when you fly out.


Small things here and there can totally ruin your trip. Hopefully the above tips can help you plan a more enjoyable trip to Bali.

Thanks for the detailed post. Really helpful. May I ask where did you stay? Also how do you avoid paying the Rp 15000 for airport service charge?

you have to pay the airport service charge for sure. that's required by the authority. We were lucky cos some friends were on an earlier flight and encountered the issue. They texted us to save some pennies from the crazy shopping before we headed to the airport.


We stayed in a villa called Villa Les Rizieres. I was chatting with an expert property developer earlier today about my Bali trip. He said choosing a villa in Bali is all about location, location, location. If you want spa, you stay at Ubud, if you want beach, you stay close to Kuta or any other beach. It's most unwise to stay in the middle of nowhere just for the 'quiet' location. He reminded me that traffic in Bali can be really bad. No one wants to spend 1/4 of your holiday in a van, however, luxurious it is.


This friend also noted that there's no point in having 7 rooms if some of the rooms are really basic.


I was lucky to have chosen the master bedroom. However, apart from that and another out-house, all other rooms are basic and decorated in an extremely old fashion way. It means the majority of the group will spend several nights in an unpleasant space.

Thanks for the great tips!! Am actually planning a trip to Bali over CNY holidays for some warm sun and nice beaches. Will definitely avoid being stuck in a van for sure. Also heard other stories from friends who have rented villas in Bali and most of the comments were that the photos always are much much nicer than the actual property. The consolidated advices were that either lower your expectation or choose a well respected/managed hotel property instead.

Glad to realize that I am not alone. Some villa owners really think that they can fool travelers by making their place a paradise in all aspects.

Thanks for your helpful tips : ) we planned to go Bali during CNY but have no ideas where to stay. I've search around and realised there are 'TOO MUCH' villa, apartment there available to rent. We are a big group of 8 and looking for a 4-bedroom villa near beachfront. Could you please let us know where you search info about Bali? especially the location and some recommended villa/apartment.


many thanks!

http://www.luxuryvillas.asia/

TripAdvisor is good. However, the administrators tend not to allow people to write negative comments about anything. It's hard to spot villas or restaurants that really have an issue there.


It's best to get recommendations from friends who have been to Bali. Or go with the bigger names instead of unknown private villas; you don't know what risks you are taking and even if the owner doesn't deliver on his promise, there's hardly anything you can do.

Tripadvisor is actually full of negative comments about hotels...


As for villas, they are far better value than a comparable hotel particularly if you are a family or a number of couples .. I have stayed at a number of the villas on the luxury site and we had a private chef.. car and driver... and the cost per room was a fraction of what it would have been to stay in a big name hotel... a 5 star one bedroom villa in bal will run you 400-800 per night... you can get a 4 or 5 bedroom private villa for that...

For your information it is not 15'000 IDR to save for airport tax but 150'000 IDR

You are ten time wrong. Dont give to people in forum WRONG information when yourself you are pure educated concerning Bali

you are probably right. Thanks for the corrections.

There is no point to continue the discussion with all the twisted facts and false accusations.