Aquabumps.com - where the waves live

Uge’s Tip and Hints for your Bali holiday 13th November 2009

(Still in draft format)

A lot of people ask me where to stay and what to do in Bali. I go there a lot…I reckon I’ve been there around 40 times (medal please). I’ve even started to learn the language (which is easier than you think).

There are many different types of holidays you can have in Bali. I guess that’s the beauty of a Bali holiday…you can have a romantic getaway with your partner, surf and eat 5 star food whilst staying in luxury (cheaply)…or you can rough it in a hut on the beach for $5 a night and meet the flurry of global travellers now calling Bali a ‘must see’ on the backpacker trail alongside of Koh Samui and Ibiza.

Bali is a 7 hour flight from Sydney. Flights fluctuate in price like the stock market…I’ve have had tickets as cheap as $700 and paid $1600 for my last trip. I would say a decent price is around $1000 AUD. You can get there via Garuda Airlines, Jetstar or Virgin Blue (via Brisbane). Air Asia fly out of Perth and are very cheap.

If you’re not travelling at peak times (August, Easter, Xmas) it’s easy to find accommodation on the island – I suggest just rocking up. It is ridiculous how many villas and hotels are now available. I suggest booking your 1st nights’ accommodation, renting a motorbike and have a look around…see a nice joint, stop, hit them up for a decent rate and move in…(don’t forget to bargain with them).

You can stay in a hut (Warung) on the beach for $5 AUD – that would be in the sticks though. I’m a little more high maintenance these days so I stay in villas. Hotels can be the same price and smaller…villas usually have their own pools, gardens, butlers and all for a decent rate.

A Bali Holiday with not such a focus on Surfing
If you want to party, dine in beautiful restaurants but surf ‘OK’ beachies (with black sand) Seminyak/Legian area is your playground of choice. It’s not too dissimilar to Ibiza or Mykonos. You will probably get home around sunrise and sleep most of the day…leaving your boards dry in their covers (trust me, every night, everyone is ready for a big night – I’m not kiddin’ – even in off season).

You’ll make new best friends overnight and ideal if travelling alone (or single). August is PEAK PEAK PEAK party time. Half of Europe migrates to Bali and rattles the place to pieces. Ku De Ta is the centre of peak season and everyone looks like they’ve just stepped out of a Giorgio Armani catalogue. Try the 18th August 2009 Bikini party or 22nd August White Party on for size…you’ll be impressed and hungover to the beejesus.

When staying in the Seminyak area you either surf Canggu (the most consistent wave on the island and 15 mins away from ‘the Yak’) – which these days IS SO CROWDED (especially with resident pros like Shane Dorian, Taj and Jake Paterson). Otherwise there’s probably a bank out the front of the famous Legian Hotel, or Ku De Ta, or even Gado Gado lane that will put Bondi to shame (Last time I was there out the front of the Anantara had a great wave on high tide). These waves need banks…most of the time they’re straighthanders. I find at low tide they close out badly. Go at mid going high tide. You can get a tide chart from anywhere on the island. The tides are a lot more dramatic than what we have here in Australia.

Place to stay in the Seminyak area:

The ultimate and my number 1 favourite is the Legian Hotel (don’t mistake this for the Legian Beach Hotel in Legian). It’s right on the beach, its run by GHM group and they know what they are doing. The service is INCREDIBLE and usually you can surf right out the front door. Ku De Ta and other bars are just around the corner…not to mention shopping. If I was going away with my lady and I wanted to surf a lot and keep her happy THIS IS THE PLACE. But luxury comes with a BIG price tag and if you’re not a merchant banker or a drug dealer, you might find it unaffordable. (Approximately $400-$500US a night per double room).

Next door to the Legian is The Samaya Villas which just as amazing as the Legian, with the same price tag (or more). The restaurant at Samaya, Breeze, is on the beach and one of my favourite places to dine in the world.

Sentosa is the latest and fanciest villa complex up there now (even though their website is ugly), just around the corner from The Legian (But not on the beach). It’s beautiful. I’ve stayed there many times. It’s owned by a Sydney bloke and architecture is simply incredible. The restaurant Blossom is one of the best on the island and the SPA is out of this planet and probably one of the best. Send your lady here for sure. (tell her they only use Decleor products in the treatments – trust me, she’ll be impressed)

Ok, so you can’t afford either of the above… I don’t blame you…have no fear, there is plenty of other accommodation that is more moderately priced

Good for couples

• Tony’s Villas – cheap and clean I hear around $38USD a night www.balitonys.com Never stayed here but good for a simple trip if you’re not planning on spending much time at your hotel.
• Oberoi – right next to all the action (neighbouring Ku De Ta). Been around for ages. Heard very good things www.oberoibali.com around $300USD per night
• The Dusun Bali around $240 USD per night. Looks good. Think I’ve walked thru there a couple times (but after a big night) www.the-dusun.com
• Aston Bhavana Hotel – I stayed here last time I went, was OK, simple, clean, own villa, next door to Sentosa (so you can use their spa) close to night life and good food…um, wasn’t stoked but its $220USD per night so I guess its right fit for that kinda money.
• Anantara Seminyak Resort + Spa – around $330UD – very new, right on the beach, had hot waves out the front this year, good if you’re with a lady cause you can surf 3 times a day and still go shopping and other girlie stuff. www.bali.anantara.com
• Sofitel Seminyak Bali about $220USD per night. Yeah heard great things but never stayed…check it.
• Villa Kembali www.kembalivillas.com

Good for groups:

If there is a group of you – get a villa – it works out so much better, and you’ll get staff, drivers, chefs, maids at most. This is what I do most of the time. But you’ll need 4-6 minimum at most. Some villas sleep 24-50!

• Seminyak Beach House Villa – I found this great villa on the beach at Seminyak recently (Dec 2009), just up from La Luciola – awesome joint and big (slap bang on the beach) www.seminyakbeachhouse.com
• The Villa Surya Damai, Hot hot hot. Like your own hotel. Think its owned by Aussie Real Estate genius Di Jones. Had a 40th birthday party there for a friend and loved it but you’re out in the sticks and need to drive everywhere (who cares, you’re surrounded by rice fields and we had 2 drivers!). Need decent sized group as its about $1000USD per night for the whole joint.
• Dare’s place
• Villa Azaya www.villaazaya.com – off the hook. I mean, about as modern and luxurious as it comes. Big, and very expensive though. Get a group booking (Five bedroom). Mega mega joint. You won’t regret staying here.

These Villas are so big (and Pricey), I reckon you’ll need to be very poplular or holding a wedding there:

• People rave about this Villa on the Beach – Ombak Luwung – www.ombakluwung.com
• Villa Arika – Never stayed here – but my mates that live in Bali reckon it’s hot – website
• Villa Infinity – This place is LEGENDARY – it’s just been refurbed. Had a big drug bust years ago and was shut down after a massive party – but its back, and looking hot  – WOW! – www.villainfinitybali.com
• Villa Pantai Lima (translate to Beach 5) – the flagship beach front property…the mother of all mothers…the biggest group of villas on the planet that sleeps 50…you’ll need to be popular. It’s RIGHT near the right hander at Pernanan, Canguu – www.pantailima.com
• I hear this joint ain’t bad either – www.villamaridadi.com

Out of the busy Areas

So, you’ve had enough of the nightlife of Bali and you want to chill. Get out! Go stay in Changgu or up at the Bukit e.g. Bingin, Uluwatu, Jimbaran.

Bingin
• If I want to chill out in Bali I stay at Mick’s Place. There are no fancy restaurants or bars out at Bingin…just wake up early, do Yoga, then surf, sit around and read books and eat and surf again. Mick who owns/runs is one of the nicest guys on the island (Aussie). His huts are cheap (approx $90USD a night) and the best for simple accommodation. No air conditioning and simple toilets…suitable for low maintenance chicks…if you’re lady likes sipping Cosmos and Balenciaga h and bags I suggest maybe Mick’s latest villa, the honeymoon suite – or just somewhere else!
• Jerome’s next door is also good
• Dukes http://www.baliretreats.com.au/site/duke/
• The Temple Lodge http://www.baliretreats.com.au/site/mario
• The Hermitage http://www.baliretreats.com.au/site/thehermitage/
If you want to stay up at the Bukit in style, you need to stay at the mega Bulgari http://www.bulgarihotels.com/home.html?param_id_lingua=1 But I think its around $800USD per night.
Otherwise not far away and new is Karma Kandara which has the private beach (via cable car) that I talk about all the time. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, just spend the day at the beach one day..its it a once in a lifetime experience. Yes, you have to pay to use the beach but you don’t get to go to a exoit beach via cable car every day and drink frozen margaritas until you fall asleep in a deck chair (there is no surfing here). Greenbowls ain’t far nor Nusa Dua.

I just found this one at Belangan…looks pretty good. In the middle of no where, but fast left out the front (sharp reef) and no one around! http://www.la-joya.com

Nusa Lembogan

The little Indonesian island paradise of Bali attracted 2.5 million visitors in 2009, source: Bali’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Australian’s make up 17.3 percent of these visitors. That’s a total of 432,500 Aussies running around mad on Bali every year, packing the bars in Bintang singlets. It felt like 400,000 were here for NYE – it was rammed. The amazing thing is that only 12.5 kilometres off the east coast of Bali lies the cruisy, uncommercialized, uncrowded island of Nusa Lembongan. Lembongan is 8 square kilometres in size with a permanent population of 5,000 (mainly fishermen + seaweed farmers). It’s true island style…no cars, and scooters are the only means of going out the back of the island to the pristine beaches. It’s pretty similar to Rottnest in WA except it’s offshore for most of the day (and you can charter a boat for half day for only $30).

There is only 1 place to stay on Lembongan – Batu Karang – www.batukaranglembongan.com
Exchange Rate: 1 Australian dollar = 8900 Rupiah (Dec 2009)

Good surf driver in Bali, Soody http://balisurftours.cjweb.com.au