BALI MAP
Map of Bali Showing the Major Cities of Bali and Places of Interest
(Click the map to see in large Image)
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
( . READ INFORMATION BEFORE TRAVELLING TO BALI ISLAND )
TRAVELLING TO BALI
BALI FLIGHT INFORMATION
Don't look for "Bali" in airline time tables. It's listed as "Denpasar" (DPS) which is the name of the island's capital. However, from Bali's international Ngurah Rai Airport it takes you just 15 to 30 minutes by car to Kuta, Legian, Sanur and Nusa Dua, and in about 50 to 60 minutes you can be in Ubud.
Today there is an increasing number of direct flight connections between Bali and Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Brunei, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guam, Honolulu, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Munich, Nagoya, Osaka, Paris, Perth, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Vienna, and Zurich.
To check the Flight Schedules of the World's Major Airlines (not only flights to Bali but wherever you want to go), please click here. You might even wish to bookmark this page for all your air travel and flight information needs.
PRIVATE FLIGHTS TO BALI
Private Aircraft Charters, i.e. all non-scheduled commercial air transportation, is certainly not cheap but can be under certain circumstances the most economical means of travel. Look at the information for flights to Bali, check the airfares for different aircraft, and make your reservations on-line.
BALI TRAVEL BOOKS AND GUIDES - RECOMMENDED READINGS
(In association with Amazon.com Books)
Click the book title to order.
Bali Handbook, by Bill Dalton. Very detailed and well researched travel information for everybody seriously interested in Bali, its people, and all things Balinese. However, not much help for those looking for fine dining or luxury accommodation. Second edition revised in 1997.
Knopf Guide Bali. Beautiful layout of photography and artworks complement short essays on everything from detailed explanations of complex Hindu ceremonies to food preparation. The information here is amazingly accurate, and well presented with cross references to basic travel information.
Bali, Island of the Gods, Periplus Editions. In our opinion the best all-round Bali travel book with up-to-date information, detailed maps, and beautiful photographs. New edition expected in August 1999.
Insight Guide Bali, 16th. edition (March 1999) of this popular coffee table book with many beautiful photographs.
Lonely Planet Guide Bali & Lombok, by Paul Greenway, James Lyon, and Tony Wheeler. 7th. edition (February 1999) of this popular guide for the budget traveller.
East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor, by Kal Muller (photographs) and David Pickell, Passport Books. This travel book covers most islands between Bali and Australia.
Fodor's Indonesia (1999), by Laura M. Kidder. Travel book covering the whole Indonesian archipelago Fodor style.
Island of Bali, by Miguel Covarrubias. An introduction to the traditional Balinese culture written in the 1930's by this Mexican painter. A Classic and a Must for serious readers.
Bali: Sekala and Niskala I, by Fred B. Eiseman. Essays on religion, ritual and art. A great guide to the elaborate rituals of the Balinese, written by an American scholar who clearly loves this island.
Bali: Sekala and Niskala II, by Fred B. Eiseman. Essays on society, tradition, and craft. Detailed descriptions of every aspect of daily life in Bali, from morning offerings to mask making.
BALI: a Paradise Created, by Adrian Vickers. Over three centuries the West has created the exotic image of a tropical paradise which even has been taken over by the Balinese themselves. This book provides insight in the history full of violence and magic, art and ritual, warring kingdoms, slavery, mass suicides, and colonization.
BALI - the Ultimate Island, by Leonard Lueras and Ian Lloyd. The "ultimate coffee table book" on the "Ultimate Island".
Bali Style, by Barbara Walker and Rio Helmi. Photographs and descriptions of some of the most beautiful private residences in Bali.
The Food of Bali, by Heinz von Holzen. Introduction to Balinese food - followed by photographs and recipes of many local delicacies.
Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Bali and the Komodo Region, by Tim Rock. The name says it all.
Diving Indonesia: a Guide to the World's Greatest Diving, by (photographer and Indonesia expert) Kal Muller. Published in June 1999 with great photographs.
Fielding's Surfing Indonesia, by Leonard Lueras, Lorca Lueras, and Kathy Knoles (editor). In-depth travel guide to boarding on the world's largest archipelago.
Indo Surf & Lingo, by Peter Neely, 20th. edition (September 1998). Describes all of Indonesia's sensational surf spots in detail including Bali's 27 incredible breaks. With photos, maps and insider info.
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( RECOMMENDED BALI ACCOMMODATION LOCATIONS )
RECOMMENDED BALI ACCOMMODATION LOCATIONS :
Nusa Dua & Tanjung Benoa & the Bukit (Southern peninsula)
Bali's southern peninsula is where you find today most of the island's international 4- and 5-star Bali Hotels and Resorts - set in Nusa Dua's manicured and not very Balinese garden environment. Nice beach with shallow water, no high waves. All kinds of water sports, 18-hole golf course. Nusa Dua Galleria center with a variety of rather expensive restaurants, shops, and department stores. Some more reasonably priced restaurants are located in adjacent Tanjung Benoa and Bualu village. No night life to speak of. About 12 km/7.5 miles from the airport.
An increasing number of private villas is being built on the Bukit, the hill South of the airport. Many of these offer spectacular views of the sea, Kuta, Denpasar, Sanur and Bali's mountains. The climate is much cooler and much more dry – even if it rains in most parts of Bali you can expect sunny days here.
Recommended Accommodation: Aston Bali Resort 5*, Ayodya Resort 5*, Grand Mirage Resort 5*, Inna Putri Bali 5*, Nikko Bali Hotel 5*, The Bale 4*, St. Regis Bali Resort 5*, and an increasing number of beautiful, fully staffed Private Villas.
Jimbaran Beach (West coast, South of the airport)
Probably Bali's best beach with decent hotels and accommodation: nearly white sand, waves not too high for swimming, wind surfing, and sailing (no motorized water sports activities); not too many tourists, and no beach vendors (yet). A few up-market hotels and resorts, and a fast increasing number of unpretentious but good seafood restaurants right on the water front. Highly recommended for watching Bali's famous sunsets. Located just a few miles south of the airport.
Recommended Accommodation: Bali Inter-Continental Resort 5*, Four Seasons Resort 5*, Ritz Carlton 5*, Bvlgari Bali 5*,
Tuban, Kuta (West coast, North of the airport)
An increasingly busy area with many hotels and resorts of all categories right on or near the beach (powerful waves, strong currents). Many restaurants and shops along the main road. Located between Kuta and Bali's international airport.
Recommended Accommodation: Discovery Kartika Plaza 5*, Ramada Bintang Bali 5*.
Kuta Beach & Legian (West coast, South Bali)
Crowded beach (many vendors, masseuses, beach boys, etc, high waves, strong currents) lined by numerous hotels and resorts, mostly in the 2- to 4-star categories. In early 2000 the beach road from the Hard Rock Resort to the Bali Intan Hotel has been extended to the "DOUBLE SIX" disco, and many hotels such as the Legian Beach, Bali Mandira, Bali Padma, Jayakarta Hotel and others have lost their direct beach access and a large part of their garden.
Kuta and Legian (grown into one township during the past decade and spreading further north every month) are the centers of Bali's night life with a great number of restaurants, pubs, open bars, discos, and all kinds of super markets, department stores, and shops selling casual wear and beach fashions, antiques, handicrafts and souvenirs. Daily traffic jams and many, sometimes quite insistent hawkers have made this very untypical and rather ugly part of Bali a nightmare for many visitors.
Recommended if you are looking for action, excitement, or just for a night out, but certainly not for a family vacation or romantic honeymoon.
Recommended Accommodation: Bali Padma Hotel 5*, Hard Rock 5*, Inna Kuta Beach 4*, Mercure Bali 4*.
Seminyak to Batubelig and Tanah Lot (West coast, South Bali)
Until recently this used to be a rather rural, mostly residential area, stretching a few miles north from Legian. Good, off-white, sandy beach with powerful waves and some strong currents, and getting less crowded the further you move to the North. Fast increasing number of hotels and villas, good but reasonably priced restaurants and Bali's most interesting pubs and discos as well as shops selling casual wear, furniture, antiques, decorative items and handicrafts.
Recommended for visitors who wish to be somewhat away from the tourist crowds but appreciate easy access to the restaurants and shops of Seminyak, Legian, and Kuta. Access to other parts of the island is equally good as you don't have to pass through crowded Kuta. Between Seminyak and Batubelig, and in the beautiful, still rural area stretching further North to Canggu and up to Tanah Lot you'll also find some of Bali's most attractive vacation villas.
Recommended Accommodation: Resor Seminyak 5*, Sofitel Seminyak 5*, The Legian 5*, The Samaya Bali, The Oberoi 5*, Le Meridien 5*, and a good choice of fully staffed Private Vacation Villas.
Sanur Beach (East coast, South Bali)
This is where you'd find 25 years ago all of Bali's international standard hotels although the beach was never outstanding. Today the beach has further deteriorated, and Sanur has become rather quiet compared to Kuta and Nusa Dua but is still popular with old-time visitors and some foreign residents.
Recommended Accommodation: Bali Hyatt 5*, Inna Grand Bali Beach 5*, Inna Shindu Beach 3*, Sanur Paradise Plaza 4*, and some Private Vacation Villas.
Ubud and Surroundings, Central Bali
The town of Ubud is to Bali what Jogyakarta is to Java - culturally speaking. Ubud is where most accomplished painters, dancers, musicians, carvers and weavers live and work, and there are a number of very good museums and art galleries. Because of its location at the base of the mountains (about 19 miles or 30 kilometers north of Denpasar) temperatures are slightly lower than in the lowlands, and year-round rain showers help to grow lush tropical vegetation.
The town itself has developed rapidly during the past decade, and today the main roads are lined with art shops, handicraft and souvenir shops, as well as many restaurants and cafes. Until late afternoon tourist groups and other day-visitors are roaming shops and eateries. After sunset, Ubud becomes more quiet.
Accommodation ranges from very cheap, very basic "losmens", quite expensive but equally basic "losmens", to some of Bali's best-known and most expensive boutique hotels and beautiful private villas. Most of these are located in Sayan a few miles away overlooking the picturesque Ayung river valley.
Recommended Accommodation: Alila Ubud 4*, Four Seasons Sayan 5*, Kori Ubud Resort & Spa 1*, The Viceroy Bali, and a few very attractive Private Vacation Villas.
Candidasa & Lovina, East & North Bali
These two tourist centers in the East and North of Bali have become popular meeting places for all those visitors wanting to get away from the tourists. Both offer a number of often quite simple but adequate hotels and restaurants. Beaches around Candi Dasa, however, have kind of disappeared during the last decade after most coral reefs in the area were destroyed, and many visitors do not like the black sand covering most beaches in the North of Bali.
Recommended Accommodation: Kubu Bali, Mimpi Resort Tulamben 5*, Puri Bagus Candidasa 5*, Mimpi Resort Menjangan 5*, Sol Inn Lovina 5*.
( RECOMMENDED PRIVATE VACATION VILLAS IN BALI, INDONESIA )
From the moment you arrive in Bali, you'll enjoy the friendly welcome of your private driver, your personal Butler and Balinese house staff, and the comfort and informality of staying in your own villa in Bali.
You can relax and totally unwind together with your family in spacious, comfortably furnished living & dining areas and large air-conditioned bedrooms. And you'll enjoy the tropical garden and the privacy around your own swimming pool (very important for many Asian ladies).
This will be a Bali vacation totally different from staying at impersonal and over-priced "luxury" hotels & resorts – it's an experience you'll never forget!
You can relax and totally unwind together with your family in spacious, comfortably furnished living & dining areas and large air-conditioned bedrooms. And you'll enjoy the tropical garden and the privacy around your own swimming pool (very important for many Asian ladies).
This will be a Bali vacation totally different from staying at impersonal and over-priced "luxury" hotels & resorts – it's an experience you'll never forget!
Enjoy Being Totally Spoilt !
Around the clock you'll be looked after by well-trained Balinese maids, house boys and an excellent private cook to prepare delicious Balinese and international dishes or any special diet, and you pay just for the ingredients required for your meals and wholesale prices for imported wines or spirits. In most of our villas you'll enjoy the service of a Personal Butler to help you with everything you require.
If you feel like having a Balinese or Swedish massage, a Hot Leaf or Reflexology treatment, a Mandi Lulur (flower bath), a body scrub, a facial or a manicure/pedicure – just tell your staff and all spa & beauty treatments will be arranged in your villa free of charge or at nominal cost.
A private Balinese dance performance at your villa, tennis lessons, music, painting, pottery, yoga, meditation and/or cooking classes, attending "Bali Wine Club" or "Bali Champagne Club" lunches and/or "Chaine des Rotisseurs" events, and arranging any kind of excursions and activities anywhere in Bali — just ask your butler to organize it.
If you feel like having a Balinese or Swedish massage, a Hot Leaf or Reflexology treatment, a Mandi Lulur (flower bath), a body scrub, a facial or a manicure/pedicure – just tell your staff and all spa & beauty treatments will be arranged in your villa free of charge or at nominal cost.
A private Balinese dance performance at your villa, tennis lessons, music, painting, pottery, yoga, meditation and/or cooking classes, attending "Bali Wine Club" or "Bali Champagne Club" lunches and/or "Chaine des Rotisseurs" events, and arranging any kind of excursions and activities anywhere in Bali — just ask your butler to organize it.
From your arrival until your departure from Bali you'll have exclusive use of your own air-conditioned car with a reliable driver who knows Bali well (gasoline is free, too). Let him drive you around the island or send him out for any errands. Your children will be in paradise, too. All Balinese adore kids, and there will be plenty for them to see and do in Bali.
Experience the Difference !
All this will be yours when you rent a private villa through Balivillas.com instead of staying at one of Bali's boutique hotels or resorts. Your vacation will be totally relaxed, and your villa staff will make you feel like royalty. You simply can't compare this experience to staying at the most luxurious resorts and boutique hotels or at other villas in Bali...Read More From this link
( RECOMENDED BALI RESORTS LOCATIONS)
Your choice ranges from very reasonably priced hotels providing clean, air-conditioned rooms with private bath to famous luxury resorts in Bali offering "villas" of over 200 square meters (2,200 sq.ft.) with beautiful living and dining pavilions, a pool in your private garden, and all facilities you'd expect at a top resort.
The prices you find on this site – often 50% and sometimes over 70% below published rates – were previously only offered to wholesalers and large travel agents. Now you can take advantage of them through our BALI HOTEL BARGAIN FINDER service!
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 | PRIVATE VACATION VILLAS Choice of experienced travelers
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Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Last day of Vaka 105
November 6, 2008 Reidun
Thought of the Day: “Service to Others Is the Price We Pay For the Place We Occupy” (Joanie)
It is so strange that this is the last week of our program. For me it has been an adventurous 7 weeks. I have learned a lot about the people on these Islands, and with that it also created a lot of insight into my own life.
Life at Takitumu School was always a joy. The kids 9 years old, loved to spend time with us in the reading room, and many times a 20 minute lesson turned into one hour or more.
We allowed part of the lesson for coloring and drawing and discovered that we had some very creative little artists. It was sad to say goodbye but we know that the next team will have the same good time as we had.
Debi and James have taken such good care of us –always ready to answer questions or give advice. We were introduced to different restaurants in the area. It was great and it also saved Rosie from cooking every night.
I also have to mention that Rosie’s husband provided transport back and forth for us all to see the movie “Mama Mia”. It was great, specially the intermission with a chance to buy ice cream and popcorn.
Joanie, Nancy and I had a chance to meet Pa. He introduced us into a great wealth of information about the medicine plants. It was terrific, GOD sure has created a wonderful paradise for us to enjoy.
Everyday has been an adventure here on the islands, from the friendly bus drivers, students, teachers and most of all Debi and James and my supportive teammates.
It has been fun I will not say good bye but KIA ORANA. Hopefully in 2 years.
This is the perfect way of traveling. I’m still working on my list to convince everybody to try this way of enriching your life.
Thought of the Day: “Service to Others Is the Price We Pay For the Place We Occupy” (Joanie)
It is so strange that this is the last week of our program. For me it has been an adventurous 7 weeks. I have learned a lot about the people on these Islands, and with that it also created a lot of insight into my own life.
Life at Takitumu School was always a joy. The kids 9 years old, loved to spend time with us in the reading room, and many times a 20 minute lesson turned into one hour or more.
We allowed part of the lesson for coloring and drawing and discovered that we had some very creative little artists. It was sad to say goodbye but we know that the next team will have the same good time as we had.
Debi and James have taken such good care of us –always ready to answer questions or give advice. We were introduced to different restaurants in the area. It was great and it also saved Rosie from cooking every night.
I also have to mention that Rosie’s husband provided transport back and forth for us all to see the movie “Mama Mia”. It was great, specially the intermission with a chance to buy ice cream and popcorn.
Joanie, Nancy and I had a chance to meet Pa. He introduced us into a great wealth of information about the medicine plants. It was terrific, GOD sure has created a wonderful paradise for us to enjoy.
Everyday has been an adventure here on the islands, from the friendly bus drivers, students, teachers and most of all Debi and James and my supportive teammates.
It has been fun I will not say good bye but KIA ORANA. Hopefully in 2 years.
This is the perfect way of traveling. I’m still working on my list to convince everybody to try this way of enriching your life.
Last day of Vaka 105
November 6, 2008 Reidun
Thought of the Day: “Service to Others Is the Price We Pay For the Place We Occupy” (Joanie)
It is so strange that this is the last week of our program. For me it has been an adventurous 7 weeks. I have learned a lot about the people on these Islands, and with that it also created a lot of insight into my own life.
Life at Takitumu School was always a joy. The kids 9 years old, loved to spend time with us in the reading room, and many times a 20 minute lesson turned into one hour or more.
We allowed part of the lesson for coloring and drawing and discovered that we had some very creative little artists. It was sad to say goodbye but we know that the next team will have the same good time as we had.
Debi and James have taken such good care of us –always ready to answer questions or give advice. We were introduced to different restaurants in the area. It was great and it also saved Rosie from cooking every night.
I also have to mention that Rosie’s husband provided transport back and forth for us all to see the movie “Mama Mia”. It was great, specially the intermission with a chance to buy ice cream and popcorn.
Joanie, Nancy and I had a chance to meet Pa. He introduced us into a great wealth of information about the medicine plants. It was terrific, GOD sure has created a wonderful paradise for us to enjoy.
Everyday has been an adventure here on the islands, from the friendly bus drivers, students, teachers and most of all Debi and James and my supportive teammates.
It has been fun I will not say good bye but KIA ORANA. Hopefully in 2 years.
This is the perfect way of traveling. I’m still working on my list to convince everybody to try this way of enriching your life.
Thought of the Day: “Service to Others Is the Price We Pay For the Place We Occupy” (Joanie)
It is so strange that this is the last week of our program. For me it has been an adventurous 7 weeks. I have learned a lot about the people on these Islands, and with that it also created a lot of insight into my own life.
Life at Takitumu School was always a joy. The kids 9 years old, loved to spend time with us in the reading room, and many times a 20 minute lesson turned into one hour or more.
We allowed part of the lesson for coloring and drawing and discovered that we had some very creative little artists. It was sad to say goodbye but we know that the next team will have the same good time as we had.
Debi and James have taken such good care of us –always ready to answer questions or give advice. We were introduced to different restaurants in the area. It was great and it also saved Rosie from cooking every night.
I also have to mention that Rosie’s husband provided transport back and forth for us all to see the movie “Mama Mia”. It was great, specially the intermission with a chance to buy ice cream and popcorn.
Joanie, Nancy and I had a chance to meet Pa. He introduced us into a great wealth of information about the medicine plants. It was terrific, GOD sure has created a wonderful paradise for us to enjoy.
Everyday has been an adventure here on the islands, from the friendly bus drivers, students, teachers and most of all Debi and James and my supportive teammates.
It has been fun I will not say good bye but KIA ORANA. Hopefully in 2 years.
This is the perfect way of traveling. I’m still working on my list to convince everybody to try this way of enriching your life.
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