[AltoLXI]

We had been planning a vacation since December last year to coincide with my son's college holidays. The initial plan was a trip to Greece or Turkey but as the college reduced his vacation to one week, we dropped the idea and instead headed to Bali. The dates were set from 23rd till 29th May.

The preparation:

Bali has visa on arrival but the RT-PCR requirement just 48 hours before departure created a bit of worry as none of the clinics were willing to collect the samples on 22nd afternoon. Anything earlier would have exceeded the 48 hours requirement. Fortunately the Indonesian government relaxed the rule on May 18th and all that was required was the vaccination certificate with minimum of two doses. The itinerary was planned 15 days before and flight tickets booked. Singapore airlines offered a better layover time and convenient timings for both departure and arrival but was a costlier option compared to others. We converted INR to USD in India from the local currency exchange agent as the conversion from USD to IDR is easier in Bali. This proved to be convenient as credit cards are still not acccepted in many restaurants due to Covid.

Day 1 (May 24th):

The Singapore airlines flight departed on-time from KIAL Bengaluru at 11:05 pm. The travel time to Singapore was 4.5 hours and layover time of 5 hours gave us enough time to stroll around Changi airport. The connecting flight - Scoot airlines, took us to Bali 2.5 hours later. We checked in to our hotel at Kuta close to the beach at 4:15 pm local time. The evening was spent walking around the hotel and dinner at an Indian restaurant. Being tired we retired for the day in anticipation of an exciting week ahead.

Day 2 (May 25th):

We left early today as the travel to Ubud and Kintamani would take considerable time to reach. We stopped by at one of the numerous coffee plantations on the way. We were curious and wanted to taste the Luwak coffee - the costliest coffee in the world. The hosts were gracious enough to let us taste various tea and coffee grown in their plantation. However Luwak coffee was reasonably charged. We ended up buying a few packets of coffee and tea in their store.













Various samples of coffee beans and roasting of Luwak coffee beans









Coffee tasting and the store.

We then left to Mt. Batur which is an active volcano. Lot of people start early morning to trek all the way up the mountain to experience the hot springs. The mountain along with the adjacent caldera lake offers an amazing view.







Ubud is a nature lovers paradise. It has something for everyone interested in adventure, nature watching, agriculture and for those who just want to drive along the curvy roads. We stopped at a small shop selling some exotic fruits. After stopping by at the paddy fields in Tegallalang, visited a small palace close to Ubud market later in the evening. A small market in Ubud has an amazing collection of handicrafts and we ended up buying clothes and handicrafts.









Day 3 (May 26th):

After breakfast at the hotel, we left to Tanjung Benoa beach for water sports and visit to turtle island. All the prices were quoted in USD and were not much worth for what they were charging. Turtle island has quite a few turtles in the smallish museum and a few other reptiles and birds.













Post lunch, left to Uluwatu temple. The amazing turquoise green waves lashing at the cliff makes a beautiful view to watch. One needs to be careful with the hordes of monkeys in the premises. We were told that they snatch glasses, bags and slippers from the people.








The premises also hosts the famous Kecak dance around sunset. As it started drizzling, the organizers were gracious to offer everyone a raincoat. The one hour show depicts Ramayana in four stages.





Audience in raincoats





Sita within Laxman rekha

[AltoLXI]

Day 4 (May 27th):

Started the day with visit to Taman Ayun temple. The 17th century temple is located in the beautiful environs. There is also a small museum within the premises with beautiful paintings and show depicting the history of the temple.

















Later in the day we had lunch in a beautiful resort restaurant with magnificient view.





Candi Kuning has a beautiful handicraft market along with the shops that sell spices.



Uluandu temple near Beratan lake is breath takingly beautiful and well maintained.



Spotted this parked at the entrance















The last temple to visit in the day was that of famous Tanah Lot.

From the wiki:

In 1980, the temple's rock face was starting to crumble and the area around and inside the temple started to become dangerous. The Japanese government then provided a loan to the Indonesian government of Rp 800 billion (approximately US$130 million) to conserve the historic temple and other significant locations around Bali. As a result, over one third of Tanah Lot's "rock" is actually cleverly disguised artificial rock created during the Japanese-funded and supervised renovation and stabilization program.

[AltoLXI]

Day 5 (May 28th):

Bali Safari Park has a safari tour which is nice way of exploring the wild life in their natural settings. The shows are similar to the ones in Singapore and kids will enjoy them. Had lunch in Uma restaurant within the park premises.



















The last part of our Bali trip was the rocking Pirate cruise dinner in Sanur harbour.



Beautiful Morgans parked in the harbour parking lot

[AltoLXI]

Day 6 (May 29th):

With that we bid good bye to the amazing Bali carrying back with us the memories which we will cherish for long. We reached Bengaluru on 29th via Singapore at 11 pm.

Some facts and tidbits about Bali in general and travel:

1. Bali is one of the numerous islands in Indonesia. It is the only Hindu majority province in the country. We were surprised by the fact that every compound has a small temple built within the premises. Ramayana is known by almost all the residents of Bali. Ganesha, Vishnu and Shiva are the deities that are worshipped.

2. The currency is Rupiah. 1 Indian rupee is around 188 rupiah. As the locals mention the rates in millions or Ks, it was convenient to drop the last three zeroes and multiply by 5 to convert to Indian rupee. For instance, a 1K ~ 5 INR.

3. Kuta looks more or less like Goa, Sanur is more upmarket and Ubud is good for nature lovers, adventure seekers. Bali as a whole is an artist's paradise. While on the way to Ubud, one can find hundreds of roadside stores with amazing pieces of artworks in stone, wood and glass.

4. Traffic, for now, is manageable. Except for a few two wheelers, all respect the rules on the road. What impressed me was none of the vehicles blow horn unlike in India.

5. Bali people have taken their share of economic beating during Covid times. Despite knowing I can bargain for half the prices they mention, did not have the heart to do so. Bali is just recovering from Covid and hope it will be back to what it was during pre-covid times.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[sukhbirST]

Many thanks for a great write up with lovely photos. Bali has been on my radar but somehow things have slipped in last 2 years. This report will surely help plan and see the nature part of Bali.

[deathwalkr]

Tanah Lot is one of my favorite places! For some reason it filled me with such serenity that the rest of the group had to drag me away from there I kept saying 5 more minutes for a long time.

Nice place to be, friendly people and lovely lovely places.

[autobahnjpr]

Bali is literally heaven on earth will mountains, clear water seas, brilliant beaches, volcanoes, lush green fields all together is one island. I had gone there in 2007 and it still remains my favorite holiday destination. You will find lot of australians coming on long holidays to Bali (similar to israeli tourists coming to pushkar or manali) primarily because it is very cheap for them, people are very friendly and they can have a good time. For party minded people, people seeking quiet and peace, people who love adventure and people who want to spend time with nature - Bali suits everyone.

[Arun_S]

Thanks for the wonderful Travelogue.

Can you please share the name of the hotel you stayed in and also if possible rough estimate of total cost excluding any personal expense.

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Many thanks for a great write up with lovely photos. Bali has been on my radar but somehow things have slipped in last 2 years. This report will surely help plan and see the nature part of Bali.

Thanks a lot. Bali is just opening up and is not crowded as they say it was before Covid. Our guide mentioned traffic jams were frequent two years back but we did not get stuck anywhere. Ubud area (North Bali) is awesome for nature lovers.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Tanah Lot is one of my favorite places! For some reason it filled me with such serenity that the rest of the group had to drag me away from there I kept saying 5 more minutes for a long time.

Nice place to be, friendly people and lovely lovely places.

True that. The view is mesmerising and both the temple as well as the snake cave have a mystic aura about them.

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

Bali is literally heaven on earth will mountains, clear water seas, brilliant beaches, volcanoes, lush green fields all together is one island. I had gone there in 2007 and it still remains my favorite holiday destination. You will find lot of australians coming on long holidays to Bali (similar to israeli tourists coming to pushkar or manali) primarily because it is very cheap for them, people are very friendly and they can have a good time. For party minded people, people seeking quiet and peace, people who love adventure and people who want to spend time with nature - Bali suits everyone.

Kuta was full of tourists from Australia and U.K. After a lull of two years, Bali is reopening for tourism now. Lot of surfing enthusiasts as well around Kuta and Seminyak beaches.

Originally Posted by Arun_S

Thanks for the wonderful Travelogue.

Can you please share the name of the hotel you stayed in and also if possible rough estimate of total cost excluding any personal expense.

Thanks a lot. I stayed in Kuta (close to Bali memorial) at Swiss-Belexpress hotel. Quite a comfortable hotel close to Kuta beach. The occupancy was still low and thus had undivided attention of staff .

Suggest Ubud resorts if one can stretch the budget a bit as the views are stunning. South Bali and Sanur are closer to beautiful beaches. Kuta area is good for people who want to party and surfing enthusiasts.

I booked cancellable flight via Singapore airlines and the fare was 1.65 lakhs for 3 of us. Other airlines were cheaper but we were constrained by time - hence went with this option.

Cost of package was 90k for three of us. This included Cruise dinner with 75 USD per person.

Visa on arrival is 38 USD per person (though the mentioned fees is 35 USD) payable at Bali airport before immigration.

Booking on your own can reduce the costs significantly. For instance, safari park has a walk in option as well where we can get tickets before the show.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Day 6 (May 29th):

Some facts and tidbits about Bali in general and travel:

1. Bali is one of the numerous islands in Indonesia. It is the only Hindu majority province in the country. We were surprised by the fact that every compound has a small temple built within the premises. Ramayana is known by almost all the residents of Bali. Ganesha, Vishnu and Shiva are the deities that are worshipped.

2. The currency is Rupiah. 1 Indian rupee is around 188 rupiah. As the locals mention the rates in millions or Ks, it was convenient to drop the last three zeroes and multiply by 5 to convert to Indian rupee. For instance, a 1K ~ 5 INR.

3. Kuta looks more or less like Goa, Sanur is more upmarket and Ubud is good for nature lovers, adventure seekers. Bali as a whole is an artist's paradise. While on the way to Ubud, one can find hundreds of roadside stores with amazing pieces of artworks in stone, wood and glass.

4. Traffic, for now, is manageable. Except for a few two wheelers, all respect the rules on the road. What impressed me was none of the vehicles blow horn unlike in India.

5. Bali people have taken their share of economic beating during Covid times. Despite knowing I can bargain for half the prices they mention, did not have the heart to do so. Bali is just recovering from Covid and hope it will be back to what it was during pre-covid times.

I was in Bali just days before you (Reached on 20th and left Bali on 26th May). And absolutely spot on observations about that disciplined traffic & no honking. Although relatively much lesser traffic as they are just restarting on tourism. Major tourists from Singapore & Australia. Number of Indians heading to Bali increasing now.

I had rented a bike for the last day. Yamaha N-Max - Costed me 150K IDR (750ish INR) for 24 Hours. Used it to go for some souvenir shopping. If couples are travelling, renting a bike is a great option.

I would add one more tip - Buy a local Prepaid sim - Telkomsel. Mostly Data only Sim but good enough for Whatsapp Calls / Video Calls. I bought two @ 200,000 IDR each for 11 GB data.

One major Turn-Off in Bali - In-Public Smoking. Even in Temple Complexes.

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Thanks a lot. I stayed in Kuta (close to Bali memorial) at Swiss-Belexpress hotel. Quite a comfortable hotel close to Kuta beach. The occupancy was still low and thus had undivided attention of staff .

Suggest Ubud resorts if one can stretch the budget a bit as the views are stunning. South Bali and Sanur are closer to beautiful beaches. Kuta area is good for people who want to party and surfing enthusiasts.

I booked cancellable flight via Singapore airlines and the fare was 1.65 lakhs for 3 of us. Other airlines were cheaper but we were constrained by time - hence went with this option.

Cost of package was 90k for three of us. This included Cruise dinner with 75 USD per person.

Visa on arrival is 38 USD per person (though the mentioned fees is 35 USD) payable at Bali airport before immigration.

Mine was Singapore Airlines too but stayed at W Bali, Seminyak. I was just too lazy and hence posted only about the topic I love. Free Travel using Credit Card Reward Points.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post5327283 (The Credit Card Thread)

That 38 USD instead of 35 USD is corruption right from the Airport. Next would be paying you back in IDR in a absolutely dismal conversion rate. Best to use credit card for VoA Fee.

Had posted about the Hotel experience on Twitter. Booked W Bali (5 Nights) using Amex Credit Card Points.

https://twitter.com/tejasghongadi/st...73271558766592

Regarding Tanah Lot, this is what it looks like during high tide. We could not go near the temple because of this.

[Dushyanth]

Dear all,
I and my wife are planing a holiday for our first anniversary and have picked Bali as our destination. We are fully vaccinated for covid, Apart from the obvious flights and hotel which I’m booking in a day or two, any other formalities that I need to complete? And what is the visa process and where can I exchange my USD to Indonesian currency? At the airport or any particular place/area in Bali?

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by Dushyanth

Dear all,
I and my wife are planing a holiday for our first anniversary and have picked Bali as our destination. We are fully vaccinated for covid, Apart from the obvious flights and hotel which I’m booking in a day or two, any other formalities that I need to complete? And what is the visa process and where can I exchange my USD to Indonesian currency? At the airport or any particular place/area in Bali?

We were just asked the vaccination certificate. The dreaded RT PCR test was cancelled just a few days before our travel dates.

After arrival in the airport, we were guided to the area where the documents (Passport + vaccination certificate) were checked. The process was efficient and the checks were done quite quickly. Post that we were guided to counter where we need to pay for visa (38 USD per person). Then we moved to immigration where it will take about half an hour in the queue. Not many questions - just how many days we were planning to stay. A 30 days visa is affixed to passport. Then we move to customs where the pre filled form is to be handed over.

Regarding forex, I carried USD from Bengaluru itself. Except for water sports activities, where they insisted payment in USD, everywhere IDR is used. We asked our guide to stop in Western Union twice to convert USD to IDR.

Hope this helps.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

We were just asked the vaccination certificate. The dreaded RT PCR test was cancelled just a few days before our travel dates.

After arrival in the airport, we were guided to the area where the documents (Passport + vaccination certificate) were checked. The process was efficient and the checks were done quite quickly.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the write up. Enjoyed it.

Do they ask for physical copy of the vaccination certificate or are they happy with the digital one?

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Thanks for the write up. Enjoyed it.

Do they ask for physical copy of the vaccination certificate or are they happy with the digital one?

Glad that you enjoyed the write up.

We were asked for the physical copy of the vaccination certificate.