Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BoholDiver]

For anyone who has been to Bali, I would appreciate sharing your wisdom.

The thing is, there is so much information out there about Bali, but I find so much of it contradictory.

1. I know Kuta. Kuta is sort of like Patong is to Phuket. I noticed in Phuket, the further you got from the beach, the cheaper hotels and restaurants get. Is that the same in Kuta? If so, what are the general price ranges for a hotel on (or very near) the beach to a hotel about 500 m or 1 km away?

2. I have heard the water on Kuta beach is dirty. Others have said it's fairly clean. How is the water quality?

3. What are prices like for meals? Low end to high end? Could 2 people and a child eat reasonably for maybe $10 US? Less?

4. How is transportation? Some people have told me Bali taxi drivers are good and mostly honest, others have said they are running a cartel like they are in Phuket. Unreasonable fares for short distances.

Thanks in advance.

[Yaya]

http://www.baliguide.com/index.html

http://www.balitravelforum.com/

www.indo.com

[BoholDiver]

Exactly the reply I didn't want.

The reason I ask on here is because I keep hearing contradictory answers to questions about Bali. I want to ask someone first hand.

[definitely maybe]

[BoholDiver]

Thanks for the helpful reply, but my wife focuses on things like 'walking distance to the beach'. Ubud will not fly with her.

[Yaya]

The reason I didn't post my own experiences is that I was last in Bali in 2006 (I've been there twice), so things probably have changed since. What I remember is that everything is pretty cheap and that the main problem with Bali is flying there from Korea.

The direct flights offered by Korean Air and Garuda are often sold out and really expensive, and the ones with stopovers make you spend a day in Taipei, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong.

You probably won't like Balinese or Indonesian food, but the beaches are nice and the nightlife great. I especially like HMS Bounty a huge bar and disco with several levels.

The quiet places in Sanur and Ubud are perfect for couples and families.

[BoholDiver]

What we are worried about is like our experience in Phuket. We got a nice place in Patong on Nanai Road. The street was great and full of cheap restaurants, nice and reasonable hotels.

The thing was, we wanted to explore the island, and every time we tried to get a Tuk-tuk, we got extorted. I don't want to end up too far from the beach with a transportation cartel extorting us.

[Yaya]

I haven't heard of extortion in Bali but a friend of mine just told me about a rabies outbreak in Bali. You might want to hold off on going there.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/02/bali-rabies-outbreak-kill_n_667375.html

[isisaredead]

[The Gipkik]

I was in Bali a few months ago. Didn't stay in Kuta, but there were lots and lots of little hotels not far from the beach--a 5 to 10 minute walk. The beach is large, great waves, not particularly clean, but also not that dirty. It depends on the season probably. Business is booming in Bali right now I hear, so the touts may be a lot less inclined to bargain. Rent your own motorcycles if you want to roam the island. The traffic can be pretty bad, but nothing special. It's a big island, so don't expect to see the whole thing unless you go for quite some time. The countryside around Ubud is beautiful. Make sure you bargain all the time. And if you do rent a bike and a cop tries to stop you, smile and wave and keep on going. Cops will stop a foreigner for the most trivial reason to extort money so avoid that.

Meals are pretty cheap. You can eat well for about $3 or $4 bucks, but even cheaper once you know the lay of the land. I was eating for a buck fifty at one little place in Ubud. Never took taxis because I didn't trust them.

Kuta is a busy place with lots of action if that's your gig.

[Yaya]

Before anyone goes to Bali, a pre-outbreak rabies vaccination is well advised.

[BoholDiver]

I guess you are an authority on 'wankers', being one youirself. Kiss my behind fruitcake.

If there wasn't so much contradictory information out there, I wouldn't be asking. Also, I want to ask someone firsthand, not sort through a hundred sites. This is a travel forum.

[Kurtz]

Dave's, you gotta love it.

To derail this sinking fast thread, anyone hopped over to Lombok? seems a lot more laid back than Bali and only a short ferry ride, plus it has a nice volcano worth climbing.

[Yaya]

[Kurtz]