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Travel Bali V4

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giggz
post Feb 3 2015, 10:56 PM

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QUOTE(dopp @ Dec 16 2014, 07:36 PM)
We just came back from Bali 8 days trip. Quite fun. A lot of people promote their drivers. Before i say something about ours.
Does your driver?
1) Help you on bargaining?
2) Under table entrance fees, pay 1, 4 ppl went in ?
3) Bali has like small toll where villager collect fees, does he able to skip all that for u?
4) Historical explanation like a pure tour guide of places.?
5) Help you get cheaper Simpati Sim card smile.gif? some ppl here asked me to get from airport lmao,that cost like double/triple.
6) Take care of your kids.
7) Help you carry stuff smile.gif
8) Shoot great photo

Well, thank godness ours has all the above.
*
Can u share the driver h/p number?
zstan
post Feb 11 2015, 10:23 PM

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Day 3 - Zen Bali Spa, Pizza Bagus, Krisna Oleh-oleh, Tanah Lot Temple, Bamboo Corner Restaurant

Today was our last day in Ubud so we tried to make the most out of it. Since Bali is famous for its massage and spa we decided to try out one of the shops nearby Tegal Sari which was Zen Bali Spa. It looked like a decent place and not too dodgy.

user posted imageDSC00890 by zstan, on Flickr

So I opted for the traditional Balinese massage while my two friends went for their pedicure and manicure session instead. I paid 100K rupiah for my 1 hour session. Actually the massage was only about 45 minutes while the remaining was for you to wash up. Overall I feel that the massage was a bit tad too gentle lol. Didn't really feel that my aching muscles were squeezed and massaged enough but it was a good experience nonetheless. The girls seemed happy with their nails done, just in time for Chinese New Year.

user posted imagePedicure & Manicure by zstan, on Flickr

Since it was about lunch time when we checked out we headed to Pizza Bagus for our meal. This place was also nearby Tegal Sari. The main attraction here was its price. A whole pizza cost about RM15 which was very, very cheap. Taste wise it's not too bad. Certainly one of the must try in Ubud area.


user posted imagePizza Bagus by zstan, on Flickr

user posted imageDSC00903 by zstan, on Flickr


Today another driver picked us up which was Pak Ketut's brother. No more Toyota Innova. Instead we got a Toyota Vios which was much smaller and our luggages couldn't fit properly in the boot. We told him then we didn't want to visit all those touristy areas which sells stuff but somehow he still insisted. He brought us to some batik factory, gold and silver factory as well as an art gallery which we had no interest in. So for the sake of it we just walked one round and then left. Probably the drivers get commission from these places so they wanted to get there.

user posted imageDSC00911 by zstan, on Flickr

We arranged to be brought to Krisna for our souvenir shopping since it was widely mentioned that many places often sells items at cut throat prices and require some major bargaining which I was too lazy to do. The prices here are generally on the higher side and honestly, the options are quite limited too. Especially their T-shirts, which all born the 'designed by Krisna' logo which was really ugly at times. There was also a 'VIP' section on the top floor which sells better quality shirts at not so cheap prices. So my advice is not to buy all your souvenirs here and instead try to get some from other places. Then you would have a better variety.

After we were done with our shopping it was almost 5pm and we immediately rushed to Tanah Lot to catch the sunset view. We were afraid that we would miss it since it was really really cloudy that day. Fortunately there was no traffic jam on our way there and we reached within 30 minutes. As soon as reached the place we ran towards the observatory area. Didn't even bother to visit the various shops around haha.

And seemingly after a miracle, the clouds flew away and revealed the full soon! It was really, really beautiful indeed hehe. My friends and I were camping at some corner just to wait for the sun to set.

user posted imageDSC00948 by zstan, on Flickr

We then proceeded to the actual temple area and further waited for the sun to set even more. And it was then the sky burst into array of amazing colours at around 7 plus. Good things always come to those who wait indeed.

user posted imageBali sunset by zstan, on Flickr


After enjoying the mesmerising sunset view our driver then dropped us back at our hotel in Kuta. After settling our luggages we then walked to the famous Poppies Lane for dinner. After some searching on Trip Advisor we settled on Bamboo Corner.

user posted imageDSC01059 by zstan, on Flickr

It's probably one of the cheaper places to dine around this touristy area. Having said that, what you pay is what you get. The food only tasted so-so but it was really cheap. Also, don't get cheated by their 'lobster' sale, which is probably a lobster looking prawn.



zstan
post Feb 17 2015, 05:35 PM

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Day 4: Taman Ayun Temple, Bali Strawberry, Ulun Danu Temple, Alas Kedaton Monkey Temple, Ultimo Italian Restaurant

It was a relatively wet day this morning. After our free breakfast at Yulia's Kitchen in Kuta, we then headed to our first stop which Taman Ayun Temple. Apart from it relatively unique temple designs this place was not really that interesting in my opinion. We just spent 1-2 hours just wandering around the temple grounds and climbing up and down the platform.

user posted imageTaman Ayun Temple by zstan, on Flickr

The journey after that was more interesting as we once again head up to higher altitudes. The 2nd stop was at Bali strawberry which was a mini strawberry plantation as well as a restaurant of its own. Unfortunately the main strawberry harvesting season had already ended and there were no more strawberries in sight.

user posted imageBali strawberry by zstan, on Flickr

Well, maybe just a few unpicked fruits here and there. Otherwise we could pick our own strawberries and eat it. Though it would be of those sour variants lol. Since we were not allowed to enter the farm we tried to spot any remaining unpicked strawberries at the border of the barriers and was quite excited to spot a few haha.

user posted imageDSC01117 by zstan, on Flickr

Although there were no fresh fruits available for picking but there were still drinks available to be ordered. We ordered a plain strawberry juice while another cup with added milk. Both drinks were really, really sweet.


user posted imageDSC01120 by zstan, on Flickr


Further up the mountain was the lake at Ulun Danu temple. People also call the temple which floats on the lake since the structures itself is erected on the waters so from far it looks like the temple are floating on water I guess.

user posted imageDSC01155 by zstan, on Flickr

The scenery here was really nice. There is actually a village here amidst the highlands. The cooling weather after the rain made it even more comfortable to take a stroll while enjoying the beauty of this place. Another must visit place in Bali.

user posted imageDSC01167 by zstan, on Flickr


Our final stop of the day was at some Monkey Temple at Alas Kedaton. Since we were quite late most of the monkeys have gone back to the jungles and the remaining ones were less threatening to our belongings. After a simple tour around the area we then duly left.


For dinner we headed to Ultimo Italian Restaurant in Seminyak which was recommended by my Indonesian friend. This place was surprisingly packed with tourists! I already placed a reservation online but they didn't get the memo so we had to wait a bit before we were served.


user posted imageUltimo Italian Restaurant, Seminyak by zstan, on Flickr

user posted imageDSC01216 by zstan, on Flickr

The whole restaurant itself was quite big and sets a rather romantic mood with all the candle lights at the back section. We ordered some pizza and spaghetti to be shared amongst the 3 of us. You can actually order a smaller portion instead of large (this was not written in the menu). Food wise the taste was not too bad but the price was really quite affordable for this kind of restaurant set up. Even a glass of red wine was less than RM20 which tasted quite okay.


Once again, since we were very full after dinner we decided to walk back to our hotel in Kuta. Since with Google Maps leading the way we opted for the shortest route home which was the route behind the main road,. The whole journey was 5km and we walked almost close to 1 hour lol. Most of the roads were poorly lit and we had to use the torchlight on my phone and a lot of shops were already closed in the Legian area as we finally went back to the main road. Was really exhausted once we arrived at the hotel and fell asleep in no time haha.






kapalterbang_737
post Feb 24 2015, 01:47 PM

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Hi guys,any hotel recommendation in Kuta? Preferably near to the beach and not expensive (<rm200/night) but not too cheap as I' m travelling with my wife and 1-year old infants thus I need comfortable facilities at the hotel

My friend recommend Harris hotel but i would love to hear other suggestion
Thanks
sonofthestage_x
post Feb 24 2015, 05:06 PM

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Just came back from Bali and I had a really good experience travelling around. Give a ring or send a Whatsapp to this person for travelling around Munir (+62 857 3997 3941). He charges reasonable for 1 day around 400,000 rupiah. For short distance trip or half a day most likely 200,000 - 250,000 rupiah. This driver is very humble guy and will take you around the nice places. He even speaks Arabic so he mostly catered to Arab tourist but he speaks indon / malay as well (no worries there).

My half day trip I went from Kuta to Nusa Dua, Uluwatu (Kecak Dance) then dinner at Jimbaran.

Full day trip went from Kuta to Ubud (Coffee & Pisang Goreng), Mount Batur (buffet lunch) seeing volcanic mountains, Tanah Lot (evening) lastly in Seminyak.

* Just make sure to bring enough cash in case you need to pay off their "Polisi" for duit kopi and also entrance fee or district fee (Mt. Batur need to pay district fee)

Last day stayed over Hotel and just enjoy facilities. biggrin.gif

Have fun fellow traveler's!
kent_jai
post Feb 24 2015, 06:43 PM

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Do i need a international driving license for a motorcycle ?



QUOTE(gaeria84 @ Jan 13 2015, 06:19 PM)
You can go walk along Kuta beach, shopping at discovery mall and beach walk. Got some nice bars there, just play by ear and choose the liveliest one.  icon_idea.gif

Honestly, nothing much to see in Kuta. You can switch around and go to these places for a more enjoyable trip.
- Uluwatu
- Jimbaran
- Nusa Dua
- Seminyak
- Tanah Lot
- Ubud
- Tampak Siring
- Kintamani
- Bedugul
- Singaraja - Lovina

You don't need a driver if you can ride motorcycle. Cheaper that way if you solo.
If you can't, then hiring a driver I think is around $30 per day. You can hire them when you arrive at the airport.
*
gaeria84
post Feb 24 2015, 07:08 PM

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QUOTE(kent_jai @ Feb 24 2015, 06:43 PM)
Do i need a international driving license for a motorcycle ?
*
Don't think it matters in bali lol. Got or none also can ride. Got or none also must pay 'duit kopi' laugh.gif

This post has been edited by gaeria84: Feb 24 2015, 07:09 PM
meghamtaro
post Feb 25 2015, 11:41 PM

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QUOTE(kapalterbang_737 @ Feb 24 2015, 01:47 PM)
Hi guys,any hotel recommendation in Kuta? Preferably near to the beach and not expensive (<rm200/night) but not too cheap as I' m travelling with my wife and 1-year old infants thus I need comfortable facilities at the hotel

My friend recommend Harris hotel but i would love to hear other suggestion
Thanks
*
You can try these two 3 star hotels;

1) The Radiant hotel & spa, Kuta.
2) the pavillion, Kuta.

This coming April is my 3rd time to Bali and will staying in Pavillion, Kuta.
zstan
post Mar 3 2015, 11:07 AM

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Day 5 - Eden Hotel Kuta, Turtle Island (Nusa Dua), Padang-padang Beach, Uluwatu Temple, Fat Chow Restaurant, Hard Rock Cafe

2nd last day in Bali. From Yulia Beach Inn we then moved to a slightly more expensive hotel to spend our last night in Bali lol. Eden Hotel is a relatively new hotel in Kuta which is nearby the Discovery Shopping Mall. Not a great place if you want a place close to the beach but certainly away from all the noisy partying district.

user posted imageEden Hotel Kuta Bali by zstan, on Flickr

We were welcomed with cordial drinks. Quite a surprise for a hotel this stature. We had to wait for awhile as we had arrived earlier to check in but ultimately they let us in early to our rooms to leave our luggage. After adding an extra bed the room was quite cramped haha. Nevertheless there's still ample space to put our luggages and walk around a bit.

user posted imageEden Hotel in Kuta by zstan, on Flickr

Our first stop of the day was the famous place for water sports at Nusa Dua beach. With the new highway it was really fast to travel from Kuta as it bypasses all the kampung roads. We were naive that we could do some swimming here but it is all occupied with water-sports operators and there's jet skis and boats everywhere, totally not safe for swimming haha. Since the sun was freaking hot and nobody was in the mood for water sports we opted for a trip to Turtle Island and coral viewing with a clear bottom boat.

user posted imageDSC01240 by zstan, on Flickr

The trip was quite a rip off to be honest. Firstly there are tourist prices and local prices. Tourist prices start with USD and is really expensive whereas local prices are in rupiah and is on the cheaper end. You can bargain for cheaper prices but unfortunately my bargaining wasn't that good and we settled at about RM100 for a whole boat to 3 of ourselves (can be considered cheap if we had more people to share the cost).

user posted imageNusa Dua Beach Bali by zstan, on Flickr

Unfortunately the glass panel was quite small and filled with scratches. It didn't help when most of the coral reefs were dead so there isn't much fishes to see anyway apart from zebra fishes. The bread that was included in the package did little to attract fishes. Oh well.

user posted imageDead corals by zstan, on Flickr

On Turtle Island it was a part of a turtle hatchery and part showcase zoo where some animals including the turtles are displayed for tourists to play around and take photos with them. Quite a pity. =/

user posted imageTurtles in hatchery by zstan, on Flickr

Since we haven't tried the famous babi guling in Bali we then asked our driver to bring us to some restaurant to have a try. The ones we had wasn't the famous ones and is akin to our roast pork here back in Malaysia.

user posted imageDSC01311 by zstan, on Flickr

After lunch we then headed to a so called secluded beach, which was Padang-padang beach. From the reviews on the internet people say that this is one of the better public beaches in Bali. While I have to agree with that statement, it really is nothing to shout about though. It is very obvious that there are many branches floating on the waters and some rubbish. The toilet that you have to pay per use was not in very good conditions as well. Hence once again we just stayed on the beach and didn't wet ourselves lol.

user posted imageDSC01318 by zstan, on Flickr




zstan
post Mar 3 2015, 11:10 AM

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Last stop of the day was at the famous Uluwatu temple, notorious for its beautiful sunsets and scary monkeys that try to grab every single piece of item away from you. As we arrived at the entrance, a guy in some volunteered to be our guide and helped us to chase away monkeys. It was after awhile that he mentioned that we have to pay him a sum for him to 'protect' us while we waited for the sunset. We declined and paid him 50,000 rupiah for his 'efforts' for accompanying us half way through the journey.

user posted imageUluwatu Temple Bali by zstan, on Flickr

The monkeys really grab everything they could see, from sunglasses to spectacles and small kids. Yes. There was a monkey trying to grab a 2-3 year old child away but he was apparently too heavy for it. The parents totally freaked out. My friend's slippers was also grabbed by one of them and we had to buy some fruits from a local to bribe the monkeys to return the shoe. I think they are all well trained to grab stuff and then expecting something back in return. So to be safe just keep everything in your bag and hold it in front. Or better still, just avoid coming to this temple. The sunset at Tanah Lot is just as good and there are no monkeys to worry about.

user posted imageDSC01336 by zstan, on Flickr

Since we opted to stay for the sunset, we had to skip to Jimbaran for their seafood dinner while viewing the sunset. My two friends had me convinced that the place was overrated and I heeded their advice lol. In the end we went back to Kuta for our final dinner and some exploring in Bali.

user posted imageDSC01401 by zstan, on Flickr
arju
post Mar 4 2015, 10:58 PM

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plan go 3nights.
stay 2day at kuta and 1day Ubud

or other way round? or 3day kuta
digitalz
post Mar 4 2015, 11:36 PM

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QUOTE(arju @ Mar 4 2015, 10:58 PM)
plan go 3nights.
stay 2day at kuta and 1day Ubud

or other way round? or 3day kuta
*
Question. What do you plan to do for the 3 nights? Your budget?
arju
post Mar 4 2015, 11:38 PM

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normal bali famous trip. the seminyak villa also nice
digitalz
post Mar 5 2015, 11:18 PM

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QUOTE(arju @ Mar 4 2015, 11:38 PM)
normal bali famous trip. the seminyak villa also nice
*
I always stay in villas when I go bali. The last time was near Kuta area. Not too close to the actual town though. My upcoming trip will the same too but this time, I'll be staying in Seminyak.

Sometimes it's a hassle for me to check in and out as I will be going to places for the whole day or having my activities so I'd just book 1 place and stay there for the whole trip.

But if you want peace and serenity, you might wanna stay in ubud compared to kuta/seminyak area. Still, some seminyak villas are quite far from the main spots so its still quite ok.
arju
post Mar 6 2015, 12:50 AM

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mercure hotel 2day and astana Batubelig suite villa 1 day ok?

mercure hotel 2day and ubud hotel 1day previously. hasstle to transfer to ubud so far.

just hire driver private tour car and drive to ubud to eat n visit places.
At night still can walk around at kuta nearby.
zstan
post Mar 6 2015, 11:23 AM

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it's different when u stay at ubud and then make a tour to ubud.. usually the drivers only bring u to tourist spots.. u won't be able to stroll around the ubud streets
arju
post Mar 7 2015, 01:08 PM

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how about stay in kuta 2days and 1day seminyak, ubud just day trip
zstan
post Mar 7 2015, 04:16 PM

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well nothing wrong with that if you wanna try different hotels but not practical la lol
gaeria84
post Mar 7 2015, 07:01 PM

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QUOTE(zstan @ Mar 6 2015, 11:23 AM)
it's different when u stay at ubud and then make a tour to ubud.. usually the drivers only bring u to tourist spots.. u won't be able to stroll around the ubud streets
*
Are there many shops to rent a scooter in ubud?
Btw, how easy is it to get onto a perama bus? hmm.gif
zstan
post Mar 7 2015, 10:32 PM

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QUOTE(gaeria84 @ Mar 7 2015, 07:01 PM)
Are there many shops to rent a scooter in ubud?
Btw, how easy is it to get onto a perama bus?  hmm.gif
*
didn't see any scooter rentals while i was in ubud though. must have missed it

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