You Need Full Map of Bali Island

BALI MAP

Map of Bali Showing the Major Cities of Bali and Places of Interest

(Click the map to see in large Image)

( . 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.

( 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*.