Has anyone been to Bali?

danstarter

Can somebody please tell me what kind of prices a backpacker in Bali can expect for

beach hut/ similar accom
scuba diving
food
surfing

Cheers

otron

AFAIR, the prices in Bali are very very dependent on where you are. The area around the horrible Kuta would be the most expensive, whereas if you leave that area you can get cheaper. For example we got a room in Padangbai (quite nice fishing village, where you get the boat to Lombok) for 80K Dinari.. something like 6Eur... but then Kuta would be much more expensive.

If you are into diving, make your way to the Gili Islands, off the coast of Lombok. I did my open water cert there and the facilities are good and the water is crystal clear with many turtles and sharks etc.

You can pay a lot for a fast boat (the Gili Cat) from Kuta, or you can get a cheaper direct boat from Padangbai with Perama tours.

Oh yeah, the Gilis aren't just for diving... a very nice destination in any respect.

RATM

Agree with Otron, especially about hitting the Gili's if you are into diving and relaxing. Gili Trawangan is the one most backpackers seem to end up on.
I didn't really like Kuta beach, way too much hassle from touts selling all kinds of tat tbh.

We were there a week after the Bali bomb in 2002 so we got a 4 star hotel for 12 quid a night each! But otherwise Kuta is expensive (relatively to the rest of Bali and Indo) because a lot of Aussies just go there for a one week package holiday to go on the razz and hence drive the prices up. Don't expect Kuta to be like a chilled out place with beach bungalows, its more like McDonalds and Hard Rock Cafes, its not for everyone and it wasn't for us.
There's meant to be loads of other places other than Kuta to stay on Bali but one thing is they do say that Kuta has the best breaks for surfing ( although there are other spots )

Board-in-work

I've been all over Asia - and I can say that the touts / beach sellers are by far the most aggressive I've seen.

Watch the exchange rate. Bring a small calculator. Everyone will try to rip you off here. I hate generalising - but Bali is bad for it! Kuta is not great. You won't be able to sit on the beach without being targeted by everyone! Even taxi drivers tried quoting me $50 (US) for small trips.

I'd love to go back - but I'd be better prepared next time. Be carefull. Be assertive!

RATM

Board-in-work wrote: »

I've been all over Asia - and I can say that the touts / beach sellers are by far the most aggressive I've seen.

Watch the exchange rate. Bring a small calculator. Everyone will try to rip you off here. I hate generalising - but Bali is bad for it! Kuta is not great. You won't be able to sit on the beach without being targeted by everyone! Even taxi drivers tried quoting me $50 (US) for small trips.

I'd love to go back - but I'd be better prepared next time. Be carefull. Be assertive!

Tell me about it, when we were in Kuta it was only a week after the bomb and as a result we were about the only tourists on the whole beach. You'd think that would be a nice thing but it just meant that every single tout in Kuta was trying to flog us their wares. After 30 minutes of grief we packed up and left for Gili the next day.

Regardless of touts though, I didnt really take a shine to Kuta. Its a bit too resort-ish for me. Though I have heard there are far more chilled out places in other areas of Bali but never had the time to get to them:(

hopalong85

Food is ridiculously cheap in Bali. In Kuta we were eating main courses for less than 2 euro. Accommodation can vary depending on how much comfort you want. The last place we stayed in there was about 2.50 euro per night with a basic breakfast included, but it wasn't exactly a 5 star hotel! Still the only reason we stayed in Kuta was to party, and at the end of the day you won't spend a lot of time in your room.

The beach is very crowded and full of touts as previous posters have said. Nightlife is mainly Aussies on a 1 to 2 week piss up, can be a laugh but gets a bit much after a while.

We stayed in Uluwatu as well which was very chilled out after the madness that is Kuta. The accommodation here was more expensive. Food was similarly priced but there wasn't as much variety as it's very undeveloped compared to Kuta. Most of the people staying in Uluwatu are surfers, as the area has the best breaks on the island by far.

Would also recommend the Gili islands, there are three. Trewangan is the busiest and a good laugh. The other two are way more relaxed and we had a great week just chilling on one of the quiter ones! The Gili's are great for diving and snorkelling too.

Other replies said that Kuta has the most expensive accommodation and the best surf. This wasn't the case when we were there last summer, the best breaks are definitely around Uluwatu, the cheapest accomadation we found was in Kuta.

Hope this helps, you'll have a great time there. Amazing place!

S.M.B.

I somehow managed to avoid all the touts on Kuta beach!

:pac:

The place is what it is though, quite resort-y as others have said but I found it a nice change for a few days from having spent 2 weeks in Borneo and on our way to Flores for a few weeks.

How much time do you think i should set aside for bali?

rampantglory

geeby----how long are u going for and what do u plan on doing, type of accommodation u want etc?? then maybe someone could advise you on a amount of cash?????

danstarter

Thanks all!

Gili Islands here we come. I got my bird with me and we're mature backpackers (27&31). So gonna chill on the Gili's maybe flirt with all three.

otron

Great to hear it ... I wouldn't spend more then a night in Kuta to be honest...

We were more mature then yourselves as backpackers last September and loved Gili Trawangan, which is regarded as the most active of the islands... active in this sense is a very relative term.

Some tips on food and drink there - the most active bar on the island is Paddys Irish bar, with the cheapest drink. They have the closest thing to acceptable western food, even with a wood fired oven for Pizza. Beyond Paddys are the most fancy places on the island, with good seafood BBQ's and better decked out places. The reason I say all this is because this end of the island is easy to miss as it's beyond a quiet, dark section as you walk up the island, and it's easy to think you've reached the end of the strip.

In terms of the rest of the places, which look a bit dingy etc. A place called 'the living room' has very good, tasty food... give it a try. We ate there several times and found it to be the most reliable. It's very close to Manta Dive (who are a good dive school run by 2 nice english lads)

Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

Otron (of the Gili Trawangan tourist board)