Hi has anyone book a bali villa through the internet. It seems that we need to pay at least 50% of the week rental to a private account, is this safe? Is seminyak a good area to stay?
Lisa Quak
Hi, you didn%26#39;t say who you were booking through. Obviously there are some reputable companies and some not.
Yes Seminyak is a great area to stay (for me) but it depends what you want out of your holiday. What suits some, doesn%26#39;t suit others.
We%26#39;re going to Bali in May and staying in Tuban. We want to go up to Ubud for the day and we%26#39;re happy to get a taxi but we have a toddler, who we want to be in a car seat for longer trips. any suggestions?
Taxis don%26#39;t have car seats. Search the list of drivers on this site. Some do have car seats. Not many though.
As Catalyst says not many drivers have car seats. In fact I only know of one, Dean or one of his drivers with Distinction team as they borrow Dean%26#39;s if neccessary.
try Dean or one of his team as whinnie suggests, if Dean is busy try eddy kus. both have car seats
here are the e mails.
Dean
bali-dean@centrin.net.id
Eddy
findkus_usa@yahoo.com
both drivers have a cooler with drinks as well.
a driver will be much cheaper for a long day trip compared to a taxi.
Thanks everyone!
We are thinking of taking a day trip to Sangaraja and Tanah Lot, is it a crazy idea? Can this be done? We are planning to engage a driver for a full day for this. Our hotel is in the Tanjung Beneo area and we have already pre-paid for our hotel stay.
Places we will like to visit are Tamblingan Lake , Gitgit Water Fall, Lovina Beach and Hot Water Banjar and see rice terrace along Blimbing countryside. Then try to grab a chance to see the sunset at Tanah Lot.
Let us know if this is visible or too much to expect.
We would be glad to hear of any advices or expertise.
Thanks!
It%26#39;s about a 3 hour drive to Singaraja, so it would be a pretty busy day. If it was me, I would make Tanah Lot a separate trip.
We are going to Bali in May with our toddler %26amp; were wondering if the milk there is fine for kids to drink?
yes the milk is fine for toddlers to drink. there is an assortment of UHT milk and also fresh milk. you can buy it at the small convenience stores like circle K shops or at the various supermarkets. i also used to take some of the toddler formula with me that you can buy in the supermarkets here in oz. not so much a baby formula but a formula designed for toddlers. there is also fresh yoghurt. IF your little one still eats baby food take it with you as imported products like heinz cereal and cans of baby food are expensive and the range is much smaller than here.
The supermarket in Sanur now stocks the Pura range of milk in the long life cartons, same as we have here in Sydney. Don%26#39;t know if the Kuta/Legian supermarkets are carrying it though.
My hunsband and I want to plan to Baili in June, but we have never been there before, we like beach and nice sea view, Can anyone advise us which beach is the best to go and which hotel you highly recommend?
Would appreciate if you could share your expensice to us !!!
ElenVivian
I would suggest Legian/Seminyak and Sanur as the best beaches. A lot of the other beahces have black sand and are covered in small stones. As for hotels, give us a budget and I can probably recommend some.
i tnink the best beach is Bias tugul – white sand beach – 20 minute walk south from padangbai – swimming is great. padangbai is on the east coast of bali.
the beach at padangabai in front of the hotel is a nice white sand beach inside the north end of the bay. it is lined with boats in and out of the water.
the place is very quiet and laid back.
a good place to stay is the Puri rai hotel
475 000 family air con
300 000 family fan
Tel. 0363-41385
purirai_hotel@yahoo.com
http://www.puriraihotel.com/
We have just had a week in Sanur at The Bali Hyatt and it was fantastic - very Balinese. Beach have waves out further as there is coral reef closer to shore. Another nice hotel in Sanur is the Puri Santrian which has great reviews. Sanur was lovely and peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of kuta.
My vote for best beach on Bali is certainly Nusa Dua Mengiat - its really the same beach as Geger, which is where the new St Regis is located, and the beach club for the Amanusa Hotel.
I posted a review on this beach with some pics:
tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297698-d9…
Sanur is ok in places, but less so in some places where the beach is eroding. The best beach location at Sanur is around the Bali Hyatt. I believe this is called Indus Beach by the locals.
Both Mengiat and Sanur areas are nice because there is an offshore reef that keeps heavy surf away from the beach. Heavy surf is the down side of the Kuta/Legian/Seminyak beach.
Best beach is really a subjective opinion!!
I have posted the below list about 3 or 4 times, so do it again now. Someday I will do a more scientific review based on the work of ';Dr Beach'; (Dr. Stephen Leatherman)! Its not the result, its the journey that%26#39;s fun.
Last year I spent one month checking out every beach on Bali. My vote for best white sand beach is as follows:
1. Nusa Dua from Hyatt to St Regis/Geger Temple. Known as Meniat Beach and Geger Beach. The most beautiful blue water, pristine white sand, minimal vendors. You can use this beach anytime (without staying at one of the hotels) at the Yasa Segara village or Geger village beach cafes, which are open to the public. The cafes rent beach chairs for about 20k rupiah per day and food/beverage is available from the cafe. There is also a parking lot. Geger is one of the few beaches at which no top sunbathing is allowed.
2. Jimbaran. Waves and white sand. Beach is accessible from the Jimbaran barbecue restaurants, but is really best when staying at a resort on the beach. The best and most cost effective resort at Jimbaran is the Puri Bali, with private beach access. Intercontinenal is nice, but more crowded. Four Seasons is top end. The barbecue restaurants are great at night for fresh fish Indonesian style with toes in sand (watch the prices......)
3. Sanur area. Favorite of many visitors for its old time flavor and local feeling. Nice beach, but sand breakwaters detract from the elegance of the beach. The area around the Bali Hyatt seems to be the nicest white sand beach. This was the first developed resort area on Bali and is very popular.
4. Kuta/Legian/Seminyak. Nightlife, sunset and beach. Beach is not as clean as Nusa Dua and most areas of Jimbaran and the water is rougher. I have noticed clean up crews in the morning. Close to great restaurants and night life. Nightly sunset is a plus and many beach front resorts and restaurants have beach side lounges to enjoy this scenery.
Other beaches of interest:
1. ';Dreamland';, now fully developed with a Best Western Hotel. The old surf beach is gone, replaced with a 15,000 rp parking lot. Avoid.
2. Next to Dreamland is Balangan Beach. Popular with surfers and not as well known as Dreamland. The feeling of this beach is almost Hawaiian. There are a couple of bungalow style accommodations and most of the surf warungs from Dreamland have moved here. Almost no tourists here. Access is a bit of a pain, but the road is paved.
3. ';Kutuh Beach'; access from the village of Kutuh through the rock quarries in central Bukit. Has seaweed farmers, white sand, privacy, and no tourists. Really different. No accommodations and no tourists. This is way Bali was 50 years ago.
4. ';Green Bowl'; accessible from the long stairway at the temple next to the closed Bali Cliff hotel. Surfer beach, caves at the bottom of the stairs and monkeys living around near here. Great scenery and adventure. No accommodations. Really a surf spot.
Stay away from any black sand beach. They feel dirty and the black sand absorbs heat, so its hard on the feet.
Really appreciated for all of your kind help.
You all are very warm-hearted.
I will discuss with my husband, can%26#39;t wait to going bali !!!!!!!
On our last visit we noticed local photographer operating from the Jayakarta doing portrait shots for families. Does anyone have any experience of this, how was the experience, did you like the photos and what was the price.
Thanks for your help
ddoodz
I am holding a multiple entry business visa for Indonesia sponsored by my company based in Jakarta.
1. I am planning to travel to Sumatra for holiday. As per Indonesian immigration rules, do they allow the use of business visa to travel for holiday?
2. Is there any requirement that if the sponsor of my business visa is from Jakarta, I must enter/exit Indonesia only at Jakarta?
I am a bit worried because Indonesian immigration rules appear a bit complicated.
if you are holding multiple entry visa, they won%26#39;t ask you the purpose of your visit. Of course if for some reason the officer asks you, you can always tell him that you come to visit yr biz counterpart.
No requirement as #2 as well. Will you be arriving in JKT airport or Medan in Sumatra. Smaller airport like Medan sometimes have their own way of local law interpretation so if you want to be safe, better to arrive in JKT
You can enter Indonesia from any port. No need to worry, especially for ASEAN countries citizen (You are Singaporean, aren%26#39;t you?) ASEAN citizen are entitled for up to 30 days visit to Indonesia without any visa, so if your vacation is less than 30 days, then you%26#39;re good to enter from any port in Sumatra (Padang, Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Batam).
