Info Indonesia

Bali is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia and is often referred to as the island of the gods or the tropical paradise. Bali has recorded increasing tourist numbers year after year, also attracting popular names like Charlie Chaplin, Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet.

Such visits led to a rising demand in Bali accommodation options to suit all budgets. Hence, Bali accommodation numbers rose from the most luxurious to the most affordable. This helped in the stimulation of the Bali tourism industry in a big way. Now with changing needs, Bali accommodations are also modifying their service and facilities. One can easily find something for every budget and every mood in Bali.

Bali Accommodation: Budget

Depending upon the kind of vacation, long or short, official or a family tour, one can choose a Bali accommodation suiting their budget. During the travel planning, one can check out the various accommodation websites and get a hang of the approximate expenses. Look for discounted services that most Bali accommodations offer. Hotels, beach resorts, private villas, beach villas or ancient houses on rent; options are many. You don’t need to pay for something that you do not want as most Bali accommodations offer customized travel packages for individuals clients.

Bali Accommodation for Families:

When out with family, everyone looks for comfort, safety and enjoyment and a Bali accommodation lives up to all these expectations. They arrange for all sorts of fun activities for kids, comfortable transport for the elderly and romantic settings for couples in the family. Healing herbal treatments, beauty massages, pedicures and manicures on one hand, and private swimming pools and organized tours on the other; a Bali accommodation can offer it all.

Bali Accommodation for Couples, Wedding Groups: A Bali accommodation has grown much more from its conventional role. Accommodations in Bali now offer wedding organizing services as well. Bali is increasingly being recognized for some of its most exotic beach weddings. Apart from the ultimate mix of culture, nature, art, food and nightlife that Bali offers, weddings in Bali have become hugely popular. The most popular beachfronts include Seminyak, Canggu and Jimbaran.

Apart from wedding preparations, the honeymoon and couples suites are maintained with most exotic features blended with Balinese hospitality at its best. Some of the main features include open living rooms, suite bathrooms, and entertainment rooms with home theatre sound systems, music players and not to forget, a personal pool with Jacuzzi.

One of the most popular accommodation options in Bali is Karma Jimbaran. To enjoy total luxury and deluxe style during your Bali trip, visit www.karmajimbaran.com.

Home of rich and exciting cultur ritual, entrenched in ancient rites and Hindus beliefs. Every day an eye opener in bali, and even during a short stay chances are you will be lucky enough to witness a magnificent religious ceremony or festival, perhaps right near where you are staying.

Bali is a dozen flavours of paradise, and tastes different to everyone. Tan-hungry bodies beautiful come for its sun, sand and surf, fashionistas flock to the seminyak night scene, and urban escapists head here for stress easing jungle tranquillity. Known as the island of the gods, a gem located in the archipelago of indonesia, south east asia. Bali is becoming once again a favorite travel and wedding destination as adventure is to be met around every corner, bargains are to be made at every counter and culture to experience at every moment.

Bali is a natural high travelife   unique destination features, travel news, city guides, hotel and golf course review, networking and travel tips, one of 17,500 islands in the indonesian archipelago, yet even among its colorful neighbours and mdash and even after decades of tourism development and mdash it stands alone in its lushness and incomparable beauty. Long, sugary beaches lead inland to hillsides terraced with jewel green rice paddies, forests dotted with ancient temples abound.
Truly magical destination for a holiday or wedding, nowhere more so than the area of ubud. Here, the inherent artistic and theatrical character of the people and their daily life is set in an unspoiled scenic wonderland. The sheer romance of this area and it’s inhabitants has powerfull attracted the world’s art community for the past century, with many leading artists, painters, performers and literary figures taking up residence.

Many tourists visit Bali to experience a memorable spiritual vacation which happens to be the most gratifying service that Bali has to offer. The island with its clean beaches has private resorts where one can slip away in serenity and enjoy what nature has to offer. The entire island of Bali, takes much pleasure in the various activities, offerings and services for one to witness. These pleasures are so rewarding to the mind, body and soul that they are enjoyed by one and all who visit the country.

As Bali is made up various religions, Hinduism is the majority (although Indonesia is a Muslim dominated country). Here in Bali, the residents take their religion serious and have strong beliefs that God exists in everything. It is for this basic reason that there are many spiritual ceremonies and rites that have been followed for generations. These secrets of spiritual healing are being offered to all visitors in various fashions like yoga, prayers, meditation and soothing body massages – which gives one a cool and relaxing feeling.

Besides being spiritually enlightened, Bali has other interesting activities that would give pleasure to the tourist. The various extraordinary sites that Bali has to offer is one of the choices that people choose to come to have a spiritual vacation. Then there is the bighearted people and their colorful culture which also attracts people to Bali.

Today Bali, with its focus on tourism, has put together many attractive hotels and resorts which are to modern standards that offer unlimited luxury to visitors. It also offers various water and other sporting activities and an array of delicious Bali cuisine.

When in Bali there is plenty to do and see and so for these reasons you will find many tourists visiting Bali, especially to experience one of the spiritual packages. Spiritual vacations can be found in plenty in Bali, catered to suit the tight budgeted visitor, the honeymooners, the family pack or the most lavish high spenders.

For me, arriving at Bali was a travellers’ delight. Nothing could beat travel fatigue better than the friendly, smiling Balinese faces at the Customs and Immigrations at the Denpasar airport and the ‘ Visa on arrival’ stamped on my passport for 10 USD in 15 minutes flat!

I had heard that Bali was an island of temples, dances, and age-old rituals; with over 95 per cent of the 3 million people practice a form of Hinduism. But nothing prepared me for the spot-on recital of ‘Gayatri Mantra’ by my taxi driver, followed by a song from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in the same breath. I was amazed by the Bollywood craze in this Far East city, so much so, that I was instantly labelled ‘from Shah Rukh Khan’s country’ by every taxi driver and local I met!

Arriving at the airport, most tourists head straight for the beach areas of Kuta, Sanur, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua, I chose Kuta simply because it is still arguably the centre of night life activities along with an array of shops, boutiques, and galleries- what more could I ask for!

Bali offers a vast section of hotels for all budgets, right from simple and cheap accommodation for backpackers to five star hotels with indulgent spas for those seeking pure luxury. I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, a stone’s throw away from the Kuta beach.

At sunset, the Kuta beach comes alive, with people wanting to enjoy the stunning panorama. Teeming tourist, locals selling the colourful sarongs and batiks and a Balinese dance performance somewhere on endless stretch of the beach…and if you want to dance away into the wee hours of the morning, you wont be disappointed- pubbing is amazing in Kuta, with a wide choice of with pubs and discos that offer a vibrant nightlife.

The best way to enjoy Kuta is by simply asking the locals, who are very friendly an always ready to help you. I was lucky to have a very successful Indian friend in Indonesia- Kishore Pridhnani, who along with his wife Radha took me for a night tour of all the chic places in Kuta. The one that left a lasting impression on my mind was Ku De Ta, a fancy restaurant overlooking the beach. I absolutely loved the ambience in the night and would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

However, if your kind of vacation is to relax and chill out, head to the southern peninsula, with world-class, self-contained luxury hotels set on quiet stretches of beach of Sanur and Nusa Dua, as well as in Jimbaran Bay. (which is also very popular for very reasonable Sea food) These white sand beaches dotted by thousands of mangrove and coconut trees and sheltered by coral reefs, create an ideal haven for honeymooners or those preferring solitude.

To take a break from the hustle and bustle of Kuta, I headed for Ubud, which I must say has retained the feel of a cosy village retreat, despite of the growing tourism industry. Ubud is the arts and crafts capital of Bali, so in addition to streets lined with lined with shops and workshops specialising in traditional crafts, there are a number of different art galleries and museums to visit.

The next I headed for a day-trip cruise from Benoa Harbor that took me to the Lembongan Island, a popular spot for surfers and scuba divers. (at approx. USD 60 onwards for the day-cruise inclusive of lunch, I think it’s a worth a visit). Arriving on the white sandy beaches of Lembongan Bay, you can take the guided snorkelling trips and glass-bottom boat cruise or simply walk amidst the native Balinese villages

If you want to take a break from the beach scenario, I suggest a trip into the cool mountains of Kintamani with its green rice fields, the placid Lake Batur that rests in a huge crater and the impressive Gunung Batur volcano that dominates the landscape. The evenings tend to get cooler, so carry a warm pullover or a shawl and make sure you have camera with you to capture the spectacular view of Mt Batur.

Bali is one of the Spa Capitals of the world where you can indulge yourself in a spa treatment at very reasonable prices. If you want to spoil yourself then you can sample from an elaborate menu of lulur massages, rice-paste exfoliations, flower petal aroma baths and indulgent cream baths. I would suggest you check some of the local spas that work spa therapies into your holiday schedule on a daily basis. And don’t forget the traditional drinks made of herbs and roots- ‘jamu’, a local Balinese remedy for fatigue, headaches, aching bones or chills.

For the adventurous and sporty, Bali offers a host of adrenaline-pumping water-sports, both below and above water. Surfing, scuba diving, banana boats, snorkelling, parasailing, Jet Ski, Bungee Jumping, Bali offers it all.

Do try the river rafting on the Ayung River amidst a wild tropical forest. Ride the fast-flowing Ayung river as it carves its way with numerous hairpin curves and swirling rapids. A full day programme would only cost you about USD 35 onwards and I found the experience thoroughly stimulating.

For those who love underwater world and always wanted to dive, there is spectacular scuba diving and snorkelling off the unspoiled coral reefs around the island, with the most amazing and colourful underwater life. There are even learner’s courses by qualified professional instructors for the amateurs (you can take a day’s course for less than USD 100)

And while you are on the beach enjoying the water sports, do indulge in the locals who cajole you into trying hair braiding, getting tattoo done or even have a relaxing massage.

If you are travelling with your kids, be sure to take them to the Waterboom Park. My kids and I enjoyed a day of waterslides and pools in all sizes with restaurants and snack bars within arms reach…good family fun for kids of all ages!

When you feel like venturing outside for a meal, there are lots of breezy open sided bamboo cafes serving authentic Balinese food as well as an array of sumptuous international cuisine. But for those who miss Indian food, I suggest you try out a delicious meal at the Queen’s Tandoor in Seminyak, where the owners Puneet and Neeta Malhotra go out of the way to pamper you with personal attention.

Another big pastime here is shopping!

For those who do not want to wander too far from the beach, Sanur, Kuta and Ubud have more than enough to appease any shopper, from sarongs and sandals to wooden statues, stone carvings and iron and bronze works. But if you are keen on shopping, you can buy branded stuff from malls like Mahatari or also look for Factory Sales of branded clothes.

You’ll find the ultimate in open-air market browsing in southern Bali, where traditional Asian-style shopping still thrives. Do check out the local painting styles. I suggest, you always go in at less than a third of the price and even walk away, until you get the price you want. .

And before you leave Bali don’t forget to buy their chilly sauce called Sambal (its one of it’s kind and you can even pick it up at the duty free at Bali Airport.)

From the locals raving over Shah Rukh Khan to the colourful Balinese-Hindu culture, this tropical paradise lures Indians, not just by its natural exquisiteness but more importantly by its culture and the warmth of the Balinese people.

With Bali becoming more accessible and affordable, with cheap extension packages from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and great deals from Garuda Indonesia Airlines that have daily flights connecting the Island for as little as USD 160 for a round trip ticket, I would defiantly recommend this island getaway as your next travel itinerary!