I am planning to visit Bali, Bangkok and Chiang Mai mid-November for a few days. Any suggestions on where to stay?.
Just my 50 cents, for Bali.. (since i've been there a few times).. ..a few suggestions on where to stay/where to go in Bali..taneepak, there are basically 2 to 3 places to consider; caption, all the areas below are tourist areas: 1. Kuta - this is the main tourist town in Bali. This is also the place where the Bali bombings occurred. It's very lively place with hotels & definitely lots of restaurants and shops. There are several tourist attractions near the Kuta also. 2. Legian - i believe this is the area where our huangkwohau stayed recently on his trip to Bali. I would say the area is a bit "toned down". 3. Nusa Dua - My hunch is, this area will suit you more. Quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Definitely different than Kuta. You'll find quite a few nice and "high-end" hotels/resorts in this area, as it's specifically developed to accommodate those types of hotels. A lot of tourists also, although there are not many restaurants and shops to peek into. Travel time from Nusa Dua to Kuta is about 20-30 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. 4. Jimbaran - if you like seafood, it's another tourist area, with quite a few of sea side outdoor seafood restaurants. If you want to stay out of those areas, you can stay at Denpasar also. A bit further from those areas but pretty close to Ngurah Rai Airport (well, those areas are relatively close to Ngurah Rai Airport). But still has lots of shops, restaurants. If you have time to travel & take a tour outside of Denpasar, Nusa Dua & Kuta, you can hire a tour guide to take you there. Very beautiful, and I think it's quite worth the trip as the countryside offers a different kind of atmosphere. There are Hindu temples/places in those areas. Or if you want to stay in a more secluded area, much further inland??.. Btw, how long do you plan to stay in Bali??..And are you going as part of a tour?.. Well, that's a bit to share abt Bali. Have yourself a great & fun trip to that part of SE Asia/Indonesia, taneepak!..
Thanks ctjcad for all the useful info. I am going with my wife by ourselves and plan to hire a car to drive around for 3 days. You still think I should hire a guide/chauffeur instead? My interests are culture and scenery, in that order.
Yeah you should! because since you hire a car to drive. Few years ago, i still remember i pay the guide cum driver about USD15 for one whole day. And we manage to visit many interesting place!
You mean US$15 for the guide/driver and the car? If I get a guide/driver, I presume I have to buy him all the meals when he is with us. If I have an expensive meal in an exclusive restauarant, do I have to bring him along or just give him some money to buy his meal at a nearby eatery? Also any suggestions on some good hotels or villas?
Teneepak, If you really into culture tour. I would suggest you Goto angkor Wat, cambodia A hiddden treasure of the past Kingdom
It is not necessary to bring him together for a meal inside the restaurant , but you may give him tips in return . If by end of the day you are really satisfied with his service.
Of course the driver only. If you go expensive meal, you can just give him some tips to buy his meal is ok already.
For Bali, I would suggest u to stay in Kuta, walking distance to Hard Rock Cafe & all the shopping/dinning areas. U can have massage on the beach as well. Hiring a local driver to bring u around is cheaper & more convenient. Hotels are reasonable cheap. Never miss the spa in Bali.
stay : Bali Hilton, nice place with beach. eat: babi guling... however, if you are muslim, it is not easy to find halal food. as in Bali, 95% are Hindus. must try the 'nasi padang'. buy: can get a lot of wooden, horn etc carved statues. the chess set is nice.... Bali is nice. every building must not higher than 5 storeys as per law(however there is 1 building is higher than 5 storey coz it was build before the law enforcement). is a place you can view green sceneries. local people are pleasant and friendly. # terry did visit the house that marked ***(stars)
Is Ubud a better place to stay than Kuta? I want to see and feel the culture of Bali. Bali is still predominantly Hindus, I presume. It will be interesting to see Balinese Hindus in a country where most people are Muslims. BTW, is it true that most of today's Indonesian names have Hindu or Indian roots. You don't often see names like Ismail or Abdullah or bin or binti, so common amongst Malaysian or Singaporean Muslims, in Indosesia. Perhaps our Indonesian friends can throw some light on this.
You can.. .no problem...If you do plan to rent a car to drive around for 3 days, you can do so, granted that you won't have any problem with the language for communication. I assume you are planning to drive in and around Denpasar, Kuta, Nusa Dua, Legian areas exclusively?? Or further inland??.. Hmm, 3 days, heh??..Could be tight, but hopefully you'll get to visit & see the places that you want to go. Me, personally, 3 days is too short, esp. if you want to see many places. At least 5 days (hope i won't change your mind)..hehe For culture and scenery, the posts above are good ideas ..wah, taneepak, you're looking to enjoy some "expensive" meals, heh??..hehe Actually, the last time i was in Bali was in 2004, went the yr prior as well. Certain fees & things might change now, though. At both times, we stayed in Nusa Dua and hired driver/tour guide. And in my last trip I had a chance to travel inland, with our hired tour guide/driver. Yes, only 1 person who did double duty as driver & tour guide. I believe the cost for the whole day was around $40-$50(which already included everything). The $15/day tour guide, as mentioned by terry, could be a different deal, but it's possible. Anyway, we hired him for abt 3 days, including for pick up and drop off at the airport. And yes, as terry & samuel882 suggested, you don't have to give him/her a meal money when you're out on the road & tip is optional. And in my case, i gave him tips at the end of the whole tour. Again, if you're going to use a travel agent, check with them on the payment/tips deal. I'm positive they have tour guides in Bali who can speak English (there are even Indonesian guides who can speak Chinese, Japanese, German fluently) and can guide you guys thru, if you wish to hire them. As for villas, well, there are a few, but the nice ones are more inland. There's one in Ubud (i believe there's a Four Seasons resort and another villa/resort). But if you choose to stay in Ubud, it will take a while for you to go from Ngurah Rai Airport to Ubud. ..Yes, if you have a chance to visit Ubud, please do so, taneepak. Even for a few hrs trip. It's definitely a cultural and artistic centre. However, I believe the drive time is abt 1+ hrs, maybe 2 hrs, from Denpasar. Btw, sorry, i misinformed you earlier, but actually you have to pass Kuta first before reaching Denpasar. But if you don't want to travel too far inland to enjoy some cultural & artistic attractions/shows, there are a couple or so places in & around Denpasar which offer the same. I know there's one place where many tourists visit to enjoy some wayang show. As for the Balinese Hindus, actually they are very friendly and nice. Much different than the Javanese. As for the Indonesian names having roots in Hindu or Indian, actually those are common in Bali. Names like Nyoman, Made, Wayan are very common. In Java, the names have mostly Islamic background. If you want more info, you can check here: http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/balinese-names-2.html ..yes, Kuta is definitely the main tourist city/area. Actually all the areas i mentioned are very close by to the ocean. Yes, there are plenty of spas in Bali. However, Kuta is a bit more crowded, in comparison to the other places i've mentioned. You can check this website (one of several online) for more infos: http://www.balivision.com/Article_Resources/Dances.asp
Bali is one of heavens in the world.. teenepak, you must go there to enjoy our hospitality and unique calture
Hmm.. ..*taneepak is talking with his wife, thinking & discussing if they should extend the Bali trip to a full whole week* Btw, taufik-ist, would you mind hopping over to Bali to accompany & be the tour guide for taneepak & his wife??..
That's flying.. ...(from Surabaya) and i think taufik-ist is currently located in either Bandung or Jakarta..Definitely it will take him more than 30 minutes, flying or swimming...
iya..3 days is not enough.. you need at least 5 days (as you suggested) to 'explore' bali me as tour guide.he..he i bet we will be lost in BALI .. my last visit to bali was 10 years ago :crying: :crying:
