Bali is a small island located just West of the coast of Java. Bali is best known, especially among the Australians as a place to relax. I had recently gone there are here are a few things that I would recommend you doing in Bali.
There are many hotel options in Bali and in various price ranges. If you are traveling as a big group, then I would recommend staying in a villa. In my most recent trip I stayed in a while. I have stayed in a hotel in Bali before, but I liked staying in a villa more. The main reason is that in a villa you can actually stay in the privacy of one whole villa and no other guests pestering you. The villa we were staying in was called The Shore. The good things about this place was that it was right next to the sea and one could just take a 1 minute stroll to go to the beach. Also this villa was located in a place where not too many hotels are located, so you get some privacy. There are many good hotels around but staying in a villa is equally good. The price was reasonable aswell. We payed about $550 per day for 8 people and 4 rooms, includes breakfast. The website is this : http://www.villatheshore.com/ if anyone is interested.
Most of you would thing that bali is just about temples, but thing wrong. Bali also has some pretty good bird walks. There is this club which orgnises regular walks in different areas around Bali. The people are very friendly and can easily identify the species and are very knowledgeable about the birds. The following birds were the highlight of our visit :
Where To Stay
There are many hotel options in Bali and in various price ranges. If you are traveling as a big group, then I would recommend staying in a villa. In my most recent trip I stayed in a while. I have stayed in a hotel in Bali before, but I liked staying in a villa more. The main reason is that in a villa you can actually stay in the privacy of one whole villa and no other guests pestering you. The villa we were staying in was called The Shore. The good things about this place was that it was right next to the sea and one could just take a 1 minute stroll to go to the beach. Also this villa was located in a place where not too many hotels are located, so you get some privacy. There are many good hotels around but staying in a villa is equally good. The price was reasonable aswell. We payed about $550 per day for 8 people and 4 rooms, includes breakfast. The website is this : http://www.villatheshore.com/ if anyone is interested.
Where to visit
1. Ubud
Ubud is one of the main districts of Bali. The main attractions of Ubud is the art and culture. Ubud is a thriving art hub with many local art shops. The best art shops in Ubud are usualy the boutique shops as they usuaaly have more well made paintings. People will find some of the best paintings in Bali here in Ubud. In addition to art, there are a significant amount of attractions as well such as the monkey forest, Pura Desa Ubud, Pura Taman Saraswati, Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, and the Ubud place. People can easiley spend about 2-3 days just roaming this area.
2. Thana Lot and Uluwatu temple.
These two temples are two different temples located on the west side of Bali. These templese are known as the sunset temples as during sunset, the sun will set right behind or to the side of these temples. This can make for a beautiful sight and amazing pictures. I could not manage to see the sunset at these temples, but without them it still looked wonderful! This temples is a hindu temple, but they are one of the few Hindu temples located in the see or right next to the sea.
3. Mount Batur hike
I did not go to this due to time constraints, but this is a must. You have to book a guide to tak eyou there, but it is worth it. Out of all the mountains in Bali, mount Batur is the most spectacular of them all. Most tour guids will pick you at around 2am, thats right am, so that you can reach the peak before the sunrise. The hike is usually around 5hours long, but it is worth exploring. It will be cool so make sure you get at least a sweater.
4. Pura Ulun Danu Brata
This is one of the most scenic temple in Bali. It is nestled in between mountains and is in a lake. This place is a very good place to take memorable pictures. The best time to visit is actually during the Indian festival of Holi. During that time, Hindus is bali have a festival which is much different from holi in India. The festivle makes the temple feel more lively.
5. Bali Bird Walk
Most of you would thing that bali is just about temples, but thing wrong. Bali also has some pretty good bird walks. There is this club which orgnises regular walks in different areas around Bali. The people are very friendly and can easily identify the species and are very knowledgeable about the birds. The following birds were the highlight of our visit :
Javan Pond Heron
Javan Kingfisher
Blue Eared Kingfisher
Plaintive Cuckoo
The website is here:http://www.balibirdwalk.com/walks.html . If you are looking for the Bali Myhna, you only have 2 options, go to Bali Barat or Green school. I know that my fellow twitchers would prefer Bali Barat, but I have heard the permit can take up to 6 months to come. Also it is reasonable expensive as you need to hire a guide. It will cost about 210 USD for 2 people for the entire day. I think the bird walk can help you with the permit.
6. Rice Fields
There are many rice field located around bali. Rice is the main staple for nearly the entire population. The rice terraces on the field are externally beautiful and scenic.
Things To Avoid
Even though there are many good places, there are still somethings to avoid. Firstly avoid the beaches. The beaches are clean,but they are not the best in the world. The water is mostly rough and is only good for surfing and not swimming. There are about one or two good beaches, but not too many. I would recomend giving this place a pass.
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