There is nowhere in my travels that has created such nostalgiaas Bali. Bali has the most beautiful… well everything. The beaches, the snorkeling, the culture, the nature, and mountain area – it’s all wonderful.
But I want to stress one thing, get out of Kuta! Get out of the south. Bali is an island of wonder. Are you traveling across the world to stay in the Conrad and meet Australians or take in the extreme beauty and striking differences? If you prefer to stay in your hotel room and just want an excuse to fly Cathay First Class – honestly, save your miles and stay home. Cathay First Class has a big bed for an airplane seat, but your bed at home is probably nicer. Get to the north side, snorkel, swim with dolphins, meet the locals and down fruit smoothies for 30 cents instead of 5 bucks.
I’ll give my opinion where and how to go about Bali but first let me tell you more about why I love it…
Beaches
While I don’t love the tourist areas, all the beaches have some appeal. Kuta appeals to surfers, Sanur (where the Bali Hyatt was/is) has fine sand beaches good for… lounging. All that is true. Many parts have crystal clear water and great snorkeling right off the beach.
Snorkeling/Diving
Oops, perhaps I gave it away but the snorkeling is great. I once heard that you can see more species of fish in one dive trip than exist in the entire Caribbean. I’m not sure where this epic spot is, but I do know we’re talking thousands of species of fish in Indonesia and hundreds in the Caribbean. Plus some of the snorkeling is off shore. We saw a ship wreck off-shore that had Nat-Geo like schools of giant fish.
Culture
The culture is friendly and so very interesting. Local mythology mixed with a very unique version of Hinduism, creates an ancient and mysterious aura. Bridges protected by stone statues, ancient rituals and an islanders love for life. The rest of Indonesia’s Buddhism and little bit of ancient Hinduism was eventually replaced by Islam hundreds of years ago. Well, most on Indonesia went through this change but for some reason Bali was unchanged. People are quick to give and share, even when they have little. Everything from beliefs to dress is “far flung” from our US perspective – totally new to me.
Seriously, this is one of the most friendly cultures I’ve encountered. They’ll definitely reinforce the stereotype of Asia being seriously hospitable in their service industries.
Also, I love the food. I mean love it. How is Indonesian food not a bigger thing in the US?
Nature
Everything is as green and as mossy as a rainforest. The plants and flowers are unique. People find the rice terraces interesting but honestly the flora is just as interesting.
For someone who has never traveled before (click here) seeing monkeys may be really exciting but if you’ve been in Asia long enough, and many parts of Latin America, it’s kind of like seeing a squirrel in Virginia. But other than monkeys, I really didn’t see much wildlife on land.
Mountains
Mountains, volcanos, same same. A 9,000 foot volcano at the edge of the water is seriously impressive. But the mountain area in general has a bit of adventure along with all it’s natural beauty. We went hiking through rice terraces and visiting temples in the mountains but the magic doesn’t seem to hit you until you’re gone. But that’s fine, soak it up while you’re there.
Where to go in Bali?
My personal favorite spot is Amed, which is in the north eastern part of the island. Amed and continuing on the northern rim to the most eastern tip of Bali is just… paradise. (I’d live there if I didn’t care about the speed of internet). We found a nice homestay with a nice family for $10 a night. At the time it was brand new (a year ago), which was pretty nice for $10 (theres is no AC but the fan does well). But there are nicer hotels options around the area if you don’t mind paying. There is some wonderful snorkeling a mile or so east of Amed and a bit west in the Tulamben area.
I liked Amed but there are many other places to snorkel and many other beautiful parts of the island. Pemuteran Bay is a hot spot as well as Menjangan Island. Now we’re talking about the northwest side of the island, which is far away from Denpasar (3 hours) but worth it for those who want to get away from tourist and those who like to dive/snorkel. But there are plenty of beautiful things along the way. You can go along the coast hitting beautiful towns and beaches. Or you can cross through the mountains.
A lot of people go to Bali to see Ubud, which is a tourist area with some beautiful temples, located in the foot hills. You can hit that on your way up to see some more mountains and more temples and before crossing over to more beaches. And then circle back to hit Amed. Vacation planned.
I will say that there are some wonderful hotels and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time staying there but you’d better enjoy Bali leaving the south and saving your hotel points. After all, you can get cheap hotels all over.
That being said, I’m very sad to see the Bali Hyatt close for renovation. The property was wonderful. I’m not in denial that it needed some modernizing. So why am I sad about making it better?
- The obvious, it’s closed.
- It’s closed for who knows how long.
- When it opens back up, it’s not going to be 5,000 points. No freshly remodeled resort is on the category 1 redemptions list. Especially considering that it was the best deal on the category 1 list already. No way, no how will it be 5,000 points when it opens back up.
Can we have a moment of silence for it.
…
Thanks.
Being a realist
Truth be told, our first week in Bali was a disapointment. We started out in the south, which was backpackers partiying on one side and resorts with people lounging around on the other. When we left we went to Lovina on the north side because we were told that the beach was amazing. And we got there and saw this:
Trash. The big issue in poorer countries is what to do with trash. The solution is a dumping spot. Which is problematic when rain comes. Although, I think throwing it in the ocean might be kind of considered like throwing it into space. Either way, we were there in rainy season and got a lot of this in Lovina. Also, the water there was dirty. Not an inch of visibility.
We were ready to leave until we went exploring. The next couple of weeks were an experience of paradise.
Okay, Bali isn’t the only paradise…
Indonesia is. Really, I think a lot of the things I’ve said apply to Indonesia as a whole. And the one thing that Bali is missing, is abundant in other parts. Wildlife. Borneo is one of the most well known places in the world for animal lovers. But Sumatra apparently is similar in it’s beauty but also has wildlife. Orangutans, elephants, tigers, etc… Sumatra is the real deal and perhaps easier to get around the Borneo, or more connected to the outside world. And there is Komodo Island one of the “new” 7 wonders.
Getting to Bali
Getting to Bali is easy, much easier than many of the other 17,000 Indonesian islands. Rake in some miles from any program. 65,000 or 70,000 miles should do the job with United (go for Chase Ultimate Rewards Points and transfer) or AA.
From dress to food, underwater and above, hotels and homestays, away from the airport and way away from the airport; it’s all magical… if you know where to look.
Thanks for a useful post. Me and my brother have an 11-day trip to Indonesia coming up at the end of July. We’re flying into Jakarta and out of Denpasar. Do you think it would be better to focus on Bali island alone rather than split it between Java and Bali? How did you get around the island? Thanks!
What??? That place is overrated and full of backpackers, yuck!
Go to Bora Bora to experience beautiful beaches. Bali, is just an overhyped dump.
@ KoolFatKat – Wow. 11 days is fast! Get as far as you can away from Jakarta imho (which is a long bus ride of paid flight). Although I haven’t been to Java, I’ve heard plenty of bad things about Jakarta. I assume you would enjoy other parts of Java the same as bali, especially some of the more scenic beaches, national parks and temples, like Yogyakarta obviously. And I’m sure the buses go through there.
Once you’re on Bali, you can get these white 15 passenger van buses that just go around the coast… for real real cheap. It’s simple, just stand on the road and wait a few minutes.
Despite the friendly culture, hitchhiking is non-existent, as the only cars are these bus vans and tourist. And there are basically no tourist in the northwest side. Very few on the north. It’s a little bit slower than the big buses on Java but Bali is much smaller.
I would be interested in hearing more about your trip once it’s over. So if you can, remember to email me about it.
@ Jason – No offense but I’m guessing 1) you didn’t read the post, as I agree, Kuta and Denpasar are backpacking party havens.. and 2) You didn’t see Bali outside of the tourist drags. Although, Im sure Bora Bora is really beautiful and would like to go soon.
Thanks! I’ll keep you posted when I’m back. If I’ll forget, shoot me a message on flyertalk. I go by the same name there.
Nice post, but Bali is not my idea of paradise. It is nice, but a little dirty and it didn’t wow me like other places. Granted I live in Hawaii, so I’m a little biased 😉 I like your comment about monkeys, though I think squirrels are more interesting and less bothersome.
For the most bang for the buck, I think Hawaii is the place for me. Sure, there is a lot of tourism, but if you go to Hilo area, it’s doable. It’s so much closer and cheaper than Bora Bora or Bali. And the beaches are relatively close.
Not as exotic, for sure. But again, the bang for the buck is there!
Am going to bali this summer. Avoiding kuta and nusa dua although will still head to ubud on the way to amed. Have high expectations after a wonderful visit to borneo to see the wildlife there. Think Bali has more cultural treasures than other tropical islands. Hawaii is much more expensive for those of us not based in the US although it’s surely stunning as well
I agree. If you have miles, Hawaii is more expensive than Bali. Actually, nearly anything in Asia is cheaper than nearly anywhere else, lol. But you can get hotels for $10 and meals for $1-2. Buses for a couple bucks. There’s no comparison.
Although, I hope Borneo hasn’t ruined you. 🙂 Rather I hope Bali comes close. Borneo is high on our list. Do you have any posts about Borneo?
Maybe you can go to Yogyakarta
from Yogyakarta you can to Semarang and Karimun Island