Why Bali?

The world renowned holiday destination of Bali is truly a "Paradise on Earth".

Bali is a lush tropical Island with an endless variety of scenery and a backdrop of high volcanoes and stunningly beautiful paddy fields. Clear blue seas lapping on golden sand and luxuriously appointed hotels and villa complexes. The Balinese are friendly people with a ready smile and one of the richest cultures in the world. These factors combine to make the Island of the Gods the perfect place for a relaxing break from everyday life.

Bali offers you an extensive range of options including accommodation, activities, travel and services.  For maps & information of the many areas of Bali..... click here

While in most places people speak English you will find an English Indonesian dictionary of common words should you wish to explore the Language.

What you can expect
Bali is a tropical Island so it has plenty of sunshine and sea breezes most of the year which gives it a very pleasant climate. It has a population of approximately 3 million who live in villages and the main town centers. The island is well serviced by a road network.

Culture
Bali has it's own unique culture. Unlike the surrounding islands, Bali is Hindu and life for the Balinese is a continuous round of ceremonies and rituals. There are temples everywhere and everyday life includes brightly colored costumes, processions, dance displays and traditional Gamelan orchestras.

Activities
From the bustling streets of the main centers to the beautiful villages there are numerous things to keep you occupied. There are also endless adventure opportunities from the famous surfing beaches and diving sites to trekking, horse, elephant and camel rides and whitewater rafting. more....

But, if you want to do nothing, there isn't better place on earth to just switch off to the stresses of modern day life and relax, soak up the sun.

Accommodation
There are hundreds of hotels, resorts and villas on the Island providing endless options from five star to budget accommodation.  There are also many "boutique" hotels that provide specially packaged luxury holidays and activities.

Television
Most hotels have satellite/cable TV which provides access to approximately 30 channels. Picture quality is high and the range of programming is excellent with channels such as :CNN, BBC World, Star & ESPN Sports, Disney Channels, National Geographic, Discovery, AXN, Star World, Star, HBO & Cinemax movie channels, Australian ABC, etc.

Indonesian television broadcasts on six or seven channels mostly in Indonesian but often movies are in English with Indonesian subtitles.  DVDs are readily available in Bali with the latest movies available soon after release. Prices are very reasonable too.
 

Newspapers
The major English language national newspaper is the Jakarta Post. It is a daily paper and provides good coverage of world news.

The most popular English language newspaper in Bali is the Bali Times which is published on Fridays. Another popular newspaper is the Bali advertiser which provides free and business advertisements but also includes interesting articles and a some news. It is a great way of finding things in Bali, from visa assistance to buying household goods.

Where is Bali?
Bali is midway between Singapore and Northern Australia in the chain of Islands that make up the Indonesian Archipelago and is located between the Islands of Java and Lombok and

How to get there
Close to Singapore many major airlines fly to and from Bali. Budget airlines are also starting to provide services to and from Australia and South-East Asia.
 

Transport
Once in Bali there is plenty of transport available. Most major hotels provide airport shuttle services. Taxis and Bemo's (small mini buses) can be found everywhere and for the more adventurous car and motorbike hire is available at very reasonable cost.

Eating
Choice of food is extensive and the selection of restaurants endless. Prices in Bali are very reasonable and high quality meals are available everywhere at a fraction of the price you would pay in other holiday destinations. more.....

Telephones
Your mobile telephones will work in Bali. Traveling from abroad you can arrange to have your phone set up for International Roaming and connect with the Indonesian telephone network but this can be expensive. A cheaper option if you will be ringing other numbers in Bali is to buy a local SIM card for your phone. This will cost you around US$2.50 or AUD$3.40 for the initial card and some call time. Extra recharge cards can be purchased from US$5.00 or AUD$6.40 Two local networks are available Telkomsel and XL. Telkomsel is the better with wider coverage throughout Indonesia and better reception.

International calls are very expensive from Bali. The local phone network is reliable. Most hotels provide international dialing from your hotel room. The international code for Indonesia is 62 and the local code for southern Bali is 0361.  There are also international prepaid numbers that can be purchased (Halo Card etc) which will enable you to call international numbers at a fraction of the normal Telkom fees.  These cards start at approx US$28.00 or AUD$31.00

Safety in Bali
Bali is probably one of the safest places in the world to visit. It should be noted that currently some countries have travel warnings in place advising against travel to Indonesia. This is difficult to understand especially when such warnings are usually written by people who live in dangerous places such as London or New York. Muggings and crimes of violence are virtually unheard of in Bali.

Many people are ignoring these warnings and coming to Bali anyway. Once they arrive many visitors comment that they cannot understand why the travel warnings are in place.

Travel Insurance
There are often report of travel agents telling people that they cannot get travel insurance to Bali. This is not true, travel insurance is readily available.  Our advice is to try another travel agent.

Health Issues
There are mosquitoes in Bali just as the are in Australia and most other tropical and sub tropical places. There is no malaria so anti malaria tablets are not necessary.

It is not advisable to drink the tap water and bottled drinking water is available everywhere.

Internet
Internet is readily available in most parts of Bali. As well as very often  being available in hotels & villas there are many internet cafes on the streets and the low cost means you can surf all day at minimal cost. Local download time can often be a bit slow. In many areas broadband is now available for faster download rates.
 

About Kuta  : About Legian : About Tuban : About Ubud : About Sanur : About Seminyak : About Jimbaran : About Nusa Dua & Tanjung Benoa : About Denpasar : About North Bali : About East Bali : About West Bali : About Indonesia : About Java :

Maps - Bali : Kuta, Tuban & Legian : Ubud : Sanur : Seminyak : Jimbaran : Nusa Dua & Tanjung Benoa : Denpasar : East Bali : North Bali : Central Bali : West Bali : Indonesia : Java :