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BALI REGIONS - WHAT TO EXPECT
SEMINYAK Offers designer shops (less street stalls), luxury resorts & villas & many designer restaurants.
Shops don’t allow bargaining like the street stalls which is more suited to those who feel uncomfortable doing so.
Double 6 beach is very popular to watch the sunset whilst sipping on cocktails from a roof top bar or a Bintang on colourful beach bean bags.
“Eat street” (Jalan Laksmana) offers many restaurants & bars with great prices ,appetising menus & trendy decors & themes.
Wander along the beach & you will see brightly lit beach front restaurants that offer a range of fantastic meals.
It is a slightly more expensive & upmarket than it's neighbour
Legian but still very well priced.
NUSA DUA is known for luxury hotels & resorts many with their own exclusive slice of Nusa Dua's pristine beach front.
With golden sands & calm waters there is plenty of water sports available such as Jet Skiing & Paragliding.
It is the home of Nusa Dua Golf & County Club reportedly one of the best golf courses in Bali.
A 7km beach front walking path will take you from the Ayodya Resort to the Grand Mirage.
Nusa Dua has many luxe day spas & small boutiques at prices well above those in other regions.
The Bali collection host a range of international shops in an outdoor mall environment with many hotels having daily shuttles to it's door. With few street stalls you wont need your haggling skills as much as your credit cards.
This area is also a favourite for europeans.
KUTA & LEGIAN
are the busiest tourist areas generally for the low to middle budget tourist. There are many good department & retail stores which offer a selection of goods at low prices for those who need their retail therapy in air conditioned comfort.
However most of Kuta & Legian is market stall type shops that line most streets selling the same range of items, here you can pick up a t-shirt, singlet or dress for around $5.00 a piece, DVDs for $1.00 as well as novelty souvenirs & fake brand name items. Just be prepared for the local stall owners to try to entice you into their store. A simple Tidak Terima Kasih (No Thank you) is all that is needed for them to move on to the next passerby. The Balinese will always have a smile for you, always be respectful when bargaining & remember it is putting food on their table.
Here you will find hundreds of hotels, resorts & villas.
If you wander through the side streets or gangs (laneways) you will find many signs advertising rooms for rent, every budget is catered for.
This area offers golden sand beaches, where you can take a swim or learn to surf, with an amazing sunset most nights you can sit on the beach in a bean bag with a Bintang, chat to the locals & watch the sun go down.
There is a great range of local warungs & expat owned restaurants catering for all styles of cuisine to satisfy your foodie needs.
Close to the airport Kuta & Legian have everything you need without having to travel far. The downside is that there can be some loud & offensive tourists, aggressive sales people & timeshare sellers. The night club section of Legian street can get noisy but it is a small area & there are many great bars in both Legian & Kuta that have local bands playing every night. Throw in a few Lady boy shows & Midget boxing & there is nightlife for all.
SANUR is a middle budget tourism area with long roads lined with shops, restaurants & bars.
A quieter more up market & relaxed atmosphere than Kuta & Legian but only a 20 min taxi ride away.The beach offers a paved footpath that runs the length of the beach where you will find many restaurants & cafes on the beach sand, you can stop for a meal or just enjoy a leisurely walk or push bike ride.
Many hotels & restaurants offer trendy day beds & chairs to sit on for a small fee. There are not as many persistent hawkers on Sanur’s beach & the beach is family friendly as there are no surf waves. Due to the calmness of the water you can enjoy water sports such as jet-skiing.
Sanur tends to be occupied with a lot of Europeans who don’t like to bargain & this makes it slightly more expensive. Although this side of the island doesn't get magnificent sunsets if you wake early enough you will witness an equally amazing sunrise.
Sanur is a wonderful place to get away from crazy Kuta & Legian for a day or so.
GILI ISLANDS are three coral islands located not far from Lombok and Bali. With crystal clear waters & powdery white sand.
All three islands are accessible via boat.
All forms of motorised transport is banned & the only way to explore these islands is via foot, bicycle or in pony carts know as Cidomos.
Snorkelling, diving, & fishing are some of the activities found in abundance on these beautiful islands.
GILI AIR offers a range of accommodation from air conditioned beach front bungalows to simple huts. There are plenty of beaches to swim & snorkel or just enjoy the peaceful vibe of the island.
You can walk around the island in two hours.
It is suitable for those who don’t want the party life as most bars close at 11pm. But it still offers an adequate range of restaurants to eat in.
GILI TRAWANGAN is the largest of the three Gili islands & the most popular. Called the party island, it offers luxury villas, boutique bungalows & budget hotels.
With the only island offering an ATM. Lots of bar hopping & nightlife to keep you happy.
GILI MEMO Is the smallest of the three islands & the most peaceful, dining is mainly local cafes serving grilled fish on the beach.
Lazing around in a hammock reading a book or enjoy time playing chess with the locals is the pace of this quiet island.
There is still plenty of snorkelling & diving available.
Check out the infamous Gili Memowall where turtles swim free during the day & giant gorgonian fans hang amongst the coral.
JIMBARAN offers little for the budget holiday maker these days several 5 star resorts sit on it's attractive beach & the cliffs above the bay are home to lots of boutique hotels,villas and resorts. Famed for its seafood beach restaurants, most of the seafood coming from the surrounding seas. Some say the restaurant owners are getting greedy & the sunset dining experience is not what it once was. However it still is a not to be missed Bali experience, watching the sun set sitting on the shore dining on delicious seafood.It offers a laid back atmosphere & Indian Ocean breezes with white sands & a safe beach to swim in.The new toll bridge makes it a 20 minute drive from Kuta.
UBUD has a cooler climate & is set amongst a gorgeous jungle like environment. It is considered the cultural centre of Bali with many artistic people heading there ,cultural performances are very popular with festivals for writers & musicians happening all year round.
Countless Yoga barns/studios ,retreats and “Eat Pray Love” style resorts are found which allow visitors to reconnect with themselves & their environment.
There are some amazing hotels with infinity pools perched on the edge of the forest as well as many back packers & homestay style lodgings.
Authentic Balinese food & lots of inexpensive health food options to tempt your taste buds.
A great range of live music from Jazz, Funk, Rock & original singer song writers every night although most venues are shut by 10-11pm. The Monkey Forest & Art Market are a must to visit as is taking a walk through the Rice Terraces or visiting a healer.
You will want to stop at every shop to buy carvings, art work, home decor & local craft items as you head into town.
A generally laid back & friendly atmosphere.
Once you head off the main road where most of the day trippers hang out you will be able to explore the beautiful countryside.
Ubud is about an hours drive from Kuta & Legian
AMED was once best known for its traditional salt farming.
The locals filtered seawater by pouring it into the dugout halves of coconut tree trunks & set them out to dry under the sun. The farmers then harvest the remaining bright white salt crystals, a practice still happening today.
However it is now better know as one of the best dive sights in Bali, due to the find of the US cargo shipwreck, USAT Liberty & a Japanese WWII patrol wreckage that lies 15m from the shore.
Various dive operators have set up here & many also run accommodation businesses from simple home stays to luxury villas.
Amed offers the most diverse underwater coral gallery, which includes an underwater post office, a mermaid sponsored by the Body Shop, Ganesha, Hanoman & a baby’s head. The first living sculpture installed in this space of the sea is a structure of mailbox, through which divers can send postcards in zipped plastic bags. The structure was created by Balinese artist, Wayan Winten, & was placed in 2011. Two other smaller pieces – in the shape of Ganesha & Hanoman characters – were placed by the local community in a nearby spot early in 2013. A new statue in the shape of baby’s head was added to the Jemeluk Bay underwater gallery in 2014. The sculpture was created by Eddie Prabandono .
Amed is now in the process of becoming a sustainable village & getting more & more popular as a diving spot.
The area has been declared a no fishing zone to assist in raising awareness of both the local community & the tourists.
Small traditional Warung stalls line the village streets selling traditional and local fare. Amed offers a laid back atmosphere, perfect for those of the adventurous type & those simply looking for old school Bali.
CANGGU is around 20 minutes from Seminyak. A coastal village that is the cool place for hipsters, yogis, surfers & digital nomads. It offers lots of coffee, whole food/organic cafes, beach clubs & trendy restaurants sitting amongst lush green rice paddies. With its coast line stretching of about 8 km, running north from the village of Berawa to the village of Cemagi , Canggu takes in many beaches including the popular Echo beach & Batu Bolong Beach. Attracting surfers from all over the world. With its black sands it isn't a popular sunbaking, swimming area but does offer waters that are mostly cleaner and less littered with plastics than Kuta & Seminyak. It is still a largely rural area away from the beaches, however it is being developed fast.You can enjoy an afternoon at a market filled with original hand made offerings from locals & expats.
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THE
BALI BUBBLE
"Everything you need to know about Bali is inside the Bubble!"
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