my friend & i will be going to bali april 2009... we both female.. is it safe for us there?... we're planning to use driver like wayan or johnny to drive us around.. is it ok?.. i'm kinda worry bcoz this is the 1st time we're travel to bali & don't know what to expect..

Hi guys,

Need help from all pro in here... whts your opinion about my itinerary below...


1st day
22:30 - Arrived at Denpasar Airport
- Transfer straight to Ubud (pre-booked hotel)


2nd day
07:00 - Ubud - Breakfast
09:00 - Kintamani – Mt. Batur Volcano
- Besakih
- Tampaksiring
- Tegalalang
- Back to Ubud
Night - Free & Easy


3rd day
07:00 - Ubud – Breakfast
09:00 - Taman Ayun
- Candi Kuning Fruit Market
- Batukaru Temple
- Bedegul – Floating Temple
- Gitgit Waterfall
- Back to Ubud
Night - Free & Easy


4th day
07:00 - Ubud – Breakfast
09:00 - Candi Dasa
- Goa Lawah
- Klungkung
- Goa Gajah
- Sukawati - Shopping
- Heading to Kuta/Legian – Find hotel
Night - Free & Easy


5th day
07:00 - Kuta/Legian – Breakfast
- Survey for spa & things to buy
12:00 - Geneva Handicraft, Kerobokan
17:00 - Tanah Lot
- Back to Kuta/Legian
Night - Free & Easy


6th day
07:00 - Kuta/Legian – Breakfast
09:00 - Nusa Dua
- Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK)
- Dreamland
17:00 - Uluwatu
18:00 - Kecak Dance at Uluwatu
- Jimbara Bay (Dinner at Lia Café)
- Back to Kuta/Legian
Night - Free & Easy


7th day
07:00 - Kuta/Legian – Breakfast
- Free & Easy (Spa & Shopping)


8th day
05:00 - Heading to Denpasar Airport
07:50 - Flight back



I'll be going on April next year, i think its a low season in bali. Is it ok if i just walk in the hotel without pre-booked? I planned to stay in budget places, preferably under USD30. Any suggestion on which budget hotel in Ubud & Kuta/Legian that suit my budget, clean & suitable for 2 female traveller?

I also want to hire Wayan as our driver, i read in this forum he quote IDR300k for full day tour. How about half day tour? The price he quote including petrol & parking... right? A full day/half day tour is from wht time to wht time? How many hours?

i will be going to bali on 21-29 april.. end of this month.. yippey.. can't wait.. thinking abt it everyday until i can't concentrate on my work.. hahaha
i've been reading this thread for the past 5 months & i've planned all my itinerary based on the info i got here... i must say this thread is really.. really good.. thanks to u guys whos been putting all the info in here... don't stop contributing ya!

i'll be going with my friend (just 2 of us) on budget/backpacking holiday. so basically we're trying to get everything as cheap as we can.. heheh... will be staying in ubud for 4 nights & then spend the rest of our holiday in kuta... we also will be renting a car & drive it ourself... got a gps (garmin xt) already... thanks to stimix for gps & self drive info.. very good advice...

i have 1 question... i already got the indonesia & bali map.. but where can i find accurate & latest bali map (eg. like the one produce by rotweiler)?

This post has been edited by kaizen18: Apr 10 2009, 06:50 AM

u can check on the 1st post.. stimix had already put taxi charges there

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Added on April 10, 2009, 8:36 pmyeap.. i read abt kuta traffic somewhere oso.. can get really "macet" & no point of driving car.. but from kuta we plan to go to geneva handicraft at kerobokan, tanah lot, nusa dua area, uluwatu & jimbara coz its nearer to kuta than ubud.. is it safe to use scooter to go that far?
1 more thing.. i only have car driving license.. not bike license.. can i still rent & drive scooter without bike license? if i stop by police there can they recognize my license is only for car?.. hehe


This post has been edited by kaizen18: Apr 10 2009, 08:36 PM

I'm back from Bali on 28/04.. now only got time to put in my experience I had there.. been bz & lazy to type..

My friend & I were in Bali for 7D/6N.. & my total expenses including flight ticket, accomodation, car rental, petrol, food, shopping, spa, entertainment.. etc.. etc.. is only RM1550. Before going to Bali we're planning to try on budget holiday (stay in cheap places, rent a car & drive it our self, cheap local food, minimal spending on souvenirs). Aiming to spend only RM1500 per person & I'm so happy that I only spend RM50 more than our aim. Thanks to all the info in here, I must say it help me a lot planning my holiday & to equip me with all the info about Bali.

We enjoyed every minutes there, except.. every tourist places will have entrance fees & parking fees (but we always nego for half the price & always get the price we want except in Taman Ayun, Tanah Lot, Uluwatu & GWK(we paid local tourist price instead of international tourist). I hate women who sells souvenir along the street, they’re so pushy & aggressive. The worst is at Lake Batur, I really regret going there. They swarming us like bees & then scold us for not buying from them. I also hate monkeys in Uluwatu.. they’re scary..

We follow our pre-planned itinerary & managed to visit all the main attraction. I brought along my handphone with Garmin XT but ended not using it at all since the signal is not strong. We mainly rely on map & info we got from the net & we asked a lot for directions from local people. Bali people are very helpful & friendly especially if u can speak in Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia.

Driving in Bali is not so hard. Roads in the city are big & a bit smaller in rural area. My main problem is the motorist. They’re everywhere & always driving in the middle of the road. Just open your eyes & be alert all the time. Honking is normal for them. Don’t get angry if someone honks at u, that’s the way they tell u they’re taking over your car or tell u to drive faster. They also will not look before coming out from any interchange, so pls be alert all the time. Road sign in Bali can be a bit tricky sometime. It smaller compare in Malaysia & located a bit high. Most of the time it covers with tree branches & leaves.

Shopping was a lot of fun in Bali bcoz everything are cheap here. But u must bargain hard & must have rough idea how much the item really cost. Read thru this thread & u will get the idea. We always start bargain 80% from the original price & u can go up from there. U should do your shopping early morning when they just open their shop. They believes 1st customer will bring good sells to their shops (in Bahasa Melayu we called “pelaris”) & they will give u lots of discount. Best place for shopping are at Goa Gajah, Tampaksiring & Candi Kuning Market (u can get a pack of fresh strawberries (30 pieces) for Rp4.000=RM1.40 or Rp22.500/kg=RM7.70. Darn cheap compare to Cameron Highland). Sukawati consider expensive than those 3 places.

Finding foods in Bali are quite a challenge for us since we don’t eat pork & beef. So we mostly ate in Nasi Padang restaurant. There’s a lot of Nasi Padang restaurant scattered in Bali that opens 24 hours. It is advisable to go to Matahari Hypermarket on your 1st day there & buy all necessary things eg. mineral water, instant noodle, bread, mosquito coils (if needed), etc.. etc.. bcoz it’s a lot cheaper than buying outside. Bali is very hot place & u gonna get dehydrated very quickly, so buy lots of mineral water. We did go to Lia’s Café in Jimbaran Beach. Very nice setting in front of beautiful beach. We ordered seafood package for 2 person consist of 0.5kg crab, 0.5kg garupa, 7 pieces of large prawn, 7 pieces of clam, rice, salad, soup, vegetables, 2 soft drinks, fruits & seafood dipping for only Rp190.000=RM64.40. The food taste ok, nothing to shout about.

We stayed in Ubud & Kuta during our holiday. Ubud is a very nice & quiet place. Spas are really good & cheap here. We went for 1 ½ hour massage & lulur, it only cost us Rp160.000/person=RM54.30. But I think Balinese massage is too soft to my liking & I don’t really like being strip naked for the massage. I still prefer Thai massage. Most of the shops in Ubud close at 10pm, only a few restaurant or café opens until 12am. No clubs wht so ever in Ubud. So if u’re more into partying & clubbing, Ubud could be a very boring place for u.

Kuta on the other hand is livelier than Ubud. Lots of mat saleh than local people. Most happening places are along Jl. Legian. Lots of shops, clubs & reflexology centres along this road. We had 1 hour foot reflexology for only Rp40.000=RM13.60. Do not buy souvenirs in Kuta, damn expensive. Clubs & bars open ‘till dawn here. We always moves from 1 club to 1 club bcoz different club offers different promotions at different time. Eg. Vi Ai Pi offers buy 1 free 1 cocktail from 8pm till 11pm, Sky Garden offers Rp15.000 for small Bintang & Rp25.000 for selected cocktail from 8pm till 11pm & Maccaroni offers buy 1 free 1 cocktail from 11pm till 3am. (if I’m not mistaken ). Kuta Beach not very nice. Lots of people & dirty. More like Teluk Kemang in PD. At night the beach & road in front of the beach are full with local teenagers, like mat & minah rempit in Dataran Merdeka. Not a very pretty sight actually. Tattoo & piercing in Kuta also quite cheap if u know where to look & how to bargain. I did my tongue piercing for only Rp200.000=RM67.80. They’re professional, use new needle & sterile equipment, the place also very clean. Nothing to worry at all.

Some of our expenses :
Car rental (Suzuki Jimny from Indotrans Astri) for 6.5 days = Rp870.000
Petrol = Rp110.000
Accommodation : 1) Jati Homestay, Jl. Hanoman, Ubud –> 21/4-25/4 -> Rp150.000/night = Rp600.000
2) Puri Wisata Hotel, Jl. Legian Kaja, Legian -> 25/4-28/4 -> Rp200.000/night = Rp600.000
XL Sim Pack = Rp30.000
Aqua (1.5L) = Rp3.000
Kain batik = Rp20.000-Rp25.000/pieces
T-Shirt = Rp15.000-Rp20.000/pieces

Overall, we really enjoy our holiday. Since we went for 7 days, our trip has been very relaxing & we managed to visit all main attraction. Shopping was fun & worth every cent of our money. We definitely will be coming back again when we have another chance.

This post has been edited by kaizen18: May 5 2009, 12:43 PM

i dont think so.. just back frm Bali on 28/4 & had seafood dinner at Lia's Cafe...

*sigh*
if u read thru this thread.. couple of ppl already wrote not to trust your driver whn they said Lia's Cafe has been closed.. they wanna bring u to those expensive cafe coz they earned some commission each time they bring a customer there..

cudn't agree more.. their seafood not so nice.. not tasteful at all.. at the same price u can get better in Bagan Lalang.. but nothing can compare to Jimbaran Beach scenery at night.. that i cannot deny..

u can get sim pack almost every where.. cheapest & best price to call Malaysia is XL sim pack.. price is Rp30.000 with Rp5.000 talk time (abt 5min talk if u call malaysia).. don't ever buy it if they said the price is more than Rp30.000..

1 tip given by the guy in Indotrans Astri.. if u wanna call malaysia always start with 01000 then 6 then malaysia phone number example 0100060128561122.. that will save a lil bit of your talk time credit.. this only apply to XL provider...

hehehe... i bargain kaw-kaw for the car.. since we're a girl.. we just wink & smile at the Indotrans Astri's guy a lot then they said ok...
i think maybe suzuki jimny didnt consume petrol much.. thats y our petrol expenses only Rp110.000 for the entire journey.. we even been up to Kintamani & Candi Kuning but the car a bit slow going up to high places.. so cannot use aircond while driving up.. other than that i have nothing to complaint..

This post has been edited by kaizen18: May 7 2009, 02:30 AM

Si|enCer,

your itinerary is too pack.. especially for day 2.. i doubt any driver will agree with your itinerary.. it also not organize.. example on day 2.. besakih is up north.. then u wanna go back to monkey forest in Ubud then to tegalalang & kintamani?

my route was like this :

Ubud -> Goa Gajah -> Tegalalang -> Kintamani -> Lake Batur -> Tampaksiring -> Besakih -> Ubud


just my 2 cents..

This post has been edited by kaizen18: May 7 2009, 04:00 AM

yeah.. just say NO if u dont wanna go to where your driver suggest.. its your right ma.. u're money.. u can do as u wish la..

i dont quite agree with Mr7077.. i've been to Bali last April.. & i drive there by myself.. no problem at all.. yes the road a bit small compare to Malaysia but still acceptable for me.. and also the signboard a bit small, so u need to be alert.. i dont even use my GPS there.. mostly rely on the info i've search in the net (so that u get the rough idea of Bali's area & road) & i asked local ppl for direction a lot.. they're very helpful..

as for the car rent.. if u read 1st post.. stimix already suggest where to rent a car.. i rent a car at Indotrans Astri.. located outside arrival hall (left hand side).. u should nego kaw-kaw.. i rent a suzuki jimny for 6.5 days.. & it only cost me Rp870.000 (roughly about RM347.13 for 6.5days or RM53.40/day).

since my friend & i was on the budget trip last time.. we think renting a car wud be the best way to move around Bali. but if u dont have the patient for waiting in a traffic especially in Kuta & u dont have a good navigation skill.. then its better for u to hire a driver as wht Mr7077 said.. for 1 day rental (8 hours actually) with driver can cost u about Rp300k - Rp350k depends on your negotiation skill..

u dont need international driving license to drive in Bali.. your Malaysia Driving License is valid anywhere within ASEAN country.. u just need your passport to rent a car.

a lil bit of my bali experience --> http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&#entry25643238

This post has been edited by kaizen18: Jun 3 2009, 12:55 PM

first 4 days we stayed in ubud then another 3 days a lil north of kuta (seminyak actually but very near to jl.legian-kuta).. we go to the club at jl.legian every night.. there's a designated parking space next to kebab station in jl.legian.. but u have to pay Rp5.000 (if i'm not mistaken).. u cannot simply parking along the road in that area.. other than that area.. we just park 'tepi jalan'.. kinda weird for me too whn we didnt have any problem finding a parking space since i've read a lot in here & other web that bali especially kuta is a very hectic & crowded place.. maybe its just our luck.. i dont know..

This post has been edited by kaizen18: Jun 4 2009, 09:58 PM