Lombok & Bali

[Hamish's Passenger]

Hello all trip advisers.

 

I’m off to the Lombok and Bali in July for 3 weeks with the then be wife, and wondering if anyone has visited them so has tips on activities that I could pre book.

 

So far just booked my hotels so plenty free time.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Christophe]

On 26/03/2018 at 17:41, Hamish's Passenger said:

 

Hello all trip advisers.

 

I’m off to the Lombok and Bali in July for 3 weeks with the then be wife, and wondering if anyone has visited them so has tips on activities that I could pre book.

 

So far just booked my hotels so plenty free time.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Off for 3 weeks next Wednesday. Bali/Lombok/Gilli’s...will give you a report when I get back.

[Hamish's Passenger]

Off for 3 weeks next Wednesday. Bali/Lombok/Gilli’s...will give you a report when I get back.

That’s handy. Cheers

[dirty dingus]

I'm heading down to  Bali/Lombok later in year, I'm going to climb Mt Rinjani.  Might try get to Gill islands for a couple of nights too Heard that Bali (Kuta) is crap but once you get away from this area it's great

[Tight minge]

Kuta is a bit of a dump, but the beach is okay. Kedonganan beach and the area isn't good either. Going further north on Bali is generally better.

There have been roadworks ongoing as you come out the airport that have caused huge traggic congestion, especially if going south from the airport. Not sure the state of it now.

Taxis at the airport will generally charge you double+

[Hamish's Passenger]

In Bali, we are staying at a resort in Nusa Dua. Hopefully road works are completed by July. I literally know nothing about the island, so we will be getting transport while over there to explore for ourselves.

[Tight minge]

In Bali, we are staying at a resort in Nusa Dua. Hopefully road works are completed by July. I literally know nothing about the island, so we will be getting transport while over there to explore for ourselves.

The south of the island is much more populated, but don't know about the place your going.

The roadworks are due to be finished by the end of this year (that would suggest 2019). Hopefully won't be as bad as it has been by then. Only hindrance, mostly when travelling south and not a major issue, just a factor to consider.

Plenty of motorbikes for hire on Bali and police and renters generally turn a blind eye, but can also be a source of revenue for some police as you need either a Indonesian licence or ASEAN licence to drive in Indonesia or a international permit issued and approved in Jakarta.

Weather should be good and the food excellent.

[MONKMAN]

I was in Bali last summer, superb place.

 

The traffic in and around the south of the island is brutal, especially around the airport. Taxis at the airport will try and rip you off, but just walk outside and you’ll pick one up for pennies. I used Uber a few times and it was ridiculously cheap.

 

I’d recommend climbing mount Batur to watch the sunrise, although I wouldn’t recommend doing it after a copious amount of drink and an hours sleep.

 

 

Couple of phenomenal restaurants I went to;

 

Kubu at the Ritz Carlton - Ubud. Tables are in wicker pods beside the river in the jungle. There were monkeys jumping about across the river while I was there.

 

 

Restaurant at the Legion - Legian Hotel Seminyak. Booked an outside table for sunset

 

 

Had the taster menus at both. The meals were very expensive for Bali but worth it. The legian was as good as Michelin Star restaurants I’ve dined in. Kubu also exceptional food. Tables were booked well in advance.

 

The monkey temple in Ubud was good, although I was bitten by one of the little fuckers that tried to steal a bunch of bananas I was holding.

 

Go to one of the roast duck restaurants in Ubud.

 

I wasn’t overly impressed by the rice terraces and I had zero interest in drinking coffee a marsupial had shat out.

 

Great place though.

 

 

 

 

[Hamish's Passenger]

Great info Monkman. We’re planning on a trip to Ubud. I’m unsure of the scale of the island though, how much of a distance is it from the south to Ubud?

[Tight minge]

Great info Monkman. We’re planning on a trip to Ubud. I’m unsure of the scale of the island though, how much of a distance is it from the south to Ubud?

Its around 40-50kms from the south and takes about 1 1/2. Taxi fair should be around 270-300k.

[Moonglum25]

8 hours ago, Hamish's Passenger said:

Great info Monkman. We’re planning on a trip to Ubud. I’m unsure of the scale of the island though, how much of a distance is it from the south to Ubud?

Was there a few years ago staying in Benoa.  Did a bit of reseacrch and found a bloke called the Dogs Bollocks who had been recommended on a site.  We hired him for 2 days and he took us all over the island, including Temple on the Lake ( Ulan Danu Temple),  Mount Batur the volcano, Tanah Wat, Ubad Palace, a Balinese Dance  and the Monkey Forest.  Each day was about a 10 hour trip and cost in total for the 2 days $160 USA with only the 2 of us in the mini van. I cannot recemmend him enough.

His name is Wayne Wena and the email address I have is melben_bali@yahoo.com.au       Mobile phone is +6281 238 385 23.

We did all the tourist things and time was no problem. 

Another alternative is to use Viator.

[Hamish's Passenger]

Was there a few years ago staying in Benoa.  Did a bit of reseacrch and found a bloke called the Dogs Bollocks who had been recommended on a site.  We hired him for 2 days and he took us all over the island, including Temple on the Lake ( Ulan Danu Temple),  Mount Batur the volcano, Tanah Wat, Ubad Palace, a Balinese Dance  and the Monkey Forest.  Each day was about a 10 hour trip and cost in total for the 2 days $160 USA with only the 2 of us in the mini van. I cannot recemmend him enough.
His name is Wayne Wena and the email address I have is melben_bali@yahoo.com.au       Mobile phone is +6281 238 385 23.
We did all the tourist things and time was no problem. 
Another alternative is to use Viator.

Amazing Moonglum. I have emailed him this morning. [emoji1303]

[Moonglum25]

1 hour ago, Hamish's Passenger said:

 

Amazing Moonglum. I have emailed him this morning.

Just googled Dogs Bollocks Bali and he is still on the go. If you have difficulty in contacting him google Bali Dogs Bollocks and you will get links to people of Trip Advisor who I'm sure will be able to assist. Good Luck

[Saigon Raider]

On 3/29/2018 at 15:40, Hamish's Passenger said:

In Bali, we are staying at a resort in Nusa Dua. Hopefully road works are completed by July. I literally know nothing about the island, so we will be getting transport while over there to explore for ourselves.

I was just in Nusa Dua last week. I have two young kids so it was perfect for us - really nice resort with a shuttle bus to the beach. The beach at Nusa Dua is much nicer than Kuta but there is no sunset on that side of the island. No real problem with traffic to and from the airport, a bit of a delay on the toll back to airport but still only took 45 minutes but only 20 mins getting there.

Weather was great for the week - we have had thunderstorms every day in Jakarta for the past couple of months but no rain at all in Bali.

[AberdeenHibee]

Bali is an amazing place! Ubud and Gili Trawangan are my biggest recommendations. 

I went there for 11 days after 4 in Hong Kong. 

Stayed in:

Seminyak (2 nights) - nice enough beach, surfing and some really good restaurants (think we ate at one called Bamboo which was absolutely exceptional).  Only thing that tainted it for me a bit was the beaches during the evening/night turn a bit Sharm El Sheikh - live entertainment at every bar with people who cannot sing or are just a bit annoying/takes away a sense of luxury which you think the area is synonymous for! However, I stayed in a villa at the Villa Coco resort which was absolutely outstanding/picture perfect so would still recommend. 

Ubud (3 nights) - the absolute spiritual home of Bali and a really cool place with a real chilled out/hippy vibe to it. Loads of good walks to do through the Padi Fields, Monkey Temples etc.  Big on Yoga, Spa Treatments and Meditation if that is your thing! Eat at Nasty Noories (the Ribs are unbelievable).  I would recommend getting a taxi for the day to take you to places like the Botanical Gardens, Tanah Lot/Pura Ulun Temples, Bali Bird Park etc. 

Kintamani (2 nights) - we only went here to make the Volcano trek up Mount Batur easier and have a spa afterwards. Whilst I would 100% recommend doing the trek, do not stay in Kintamani, it is an absolute dive of a place where the locals swarm you looking to sell you stuff.  Probably just bite the bullet and get a super early bus from Ubud or something. 

Gili Trawangan (4 nights) - absolutely loved this place, maybe favorite place ever! It is a tiny flat island about 2km long and 1.5km wide about a 2 hour  boat ride in the middle of the ocean. It has no traffic (only bicycles or horses), is lined with beach bars and has a good party scene (as well as "Magic Shakes"...if that is your scene!!). Seriously chilled out with lots of other young people.  I stayed in Pearl of Trawangan (highly recommended!) and would also say definitely eat at Scallywags (freshest seafood!). 

I would highlight as well that, if you are planning your trip using a map, do remember the road networks are seriously underdeveloped, therefore will take you A LOT longer to get around the place than you think! 

Good luck! I would love to go back. 

[Hamish's Passenger]

All fantastic information folks. Much appreciated.

[Hamish's Passenger]

Off for 3 weeks next Wednesday. Bali/Lombok/Gilli’s...will give you a report when I get back.

Was it that good that you never bothered coming home?

[Christophe]

Ha sorry mate forgot about the thread! 

Takeaway for me was, should have spent more time in Bali rather than Lombok. Nice hotels and beaches on Lombok but they rest of the island hasn’t really caught up to the tourist experience just yet. Kuta is supposed to be the main tourist trap there and it’s a bit of a dump. We spent a few nights in Gili Air to start with which was great, but wouldn’t have wanted anymore time there, we’d done all it had to offer by then. Then 4 nights in Kuta (Lombok), waste of time, shite beach and bit of a dingy dusty town. Back to Bali to spend time in Ubud and it was like night and day. Can not recommend Ubud enough. Great little town with plenty trips to do round about it. If you’re there for any length of time then contact Budi, at yourbaliexcursion.com. Can pm you his Instagram details of you want to see what he offers. Couldn’t meet a friendlier guide and we ended up going out a couple of different days with him. Excellent company into the bargain. Enjoy!

[Ross.]

On 3/31/2018 at 21:53, MONKMAN said:

The monkey temple in Ubud was good, although I was bitten by one of the little fuckers that tried to steal a bunch of bananas I was holding.

Go to one of the roast duck restaurants in Ubud.

I wasn’t overly impressed by the rice terraces and I had zero interest in drinking coffee a marsupial had shat out.

Great place though.

Monkey Temple was a good laugh. Seen some daft bint borderline shite herself when a couple of monkeys got a bit aggressive as she tried to tease them by pulling away the bananas she was offering them. I was disappointed they didn't rip her face to bits, the docile c**t. Would have served her right for ignoring the million signs in every language that said "Don't pull food away from the fucking monkeys, they  will go radge".

Ubud probably the highlight of my time on the main Island. Small but so much to do and to see in and around the area. Agree on the rice terraces, the tourist one at least anyway which just seemed a bit too synthetic. The landscapes were phenomenal though and the temples outstanding.

On the temple note, I would recommend visiting Uluwatu and taking in one of the sunset shows at the temple there. While the show itself is edging towards the tacky, it was entertaining enough as a spectacle and interesting enough from a cultural perspective to stay interested. The setting itself is unbelievable though, has to be seen if you are there.

Also spent a few days in Gili Air. Echo the sentiments above that saw someone describe it as their favourite place ever. Stayed in the Grand Sunset(I think) and would happily still be staying there now if not for the whole having to work for a living thing. The atmosphere, surroundings, food, drink and accommodation were utterly tremendous.

[Hamish's Passenger]

Ha sorry mate forgot about the thread! 
Takeaway for me was, should have spent more time in Bali rather than Lombok. Nice hotels and beaches on Lombok but they rest of the island hasn’t really caught up to the tourist experience just yet. Kuta is supposed to be the main tourist trap there and it’s a bit of a dump. We spent a few nights in Gili Air to start with which was great, but wouldn’t have wanted anymore time there, we’d done all it had to offer by then. Then 4 nights in Kuta (Lombok), waste of time, shite beach and bit of a dingy dusty town. Back to Bali to spend time in Ubud and it was like night and day. Can not recommend Ubud enough. Great little town with plenty trips to do round about it. If you’re there for any length of time then contact Budi, at yourbaliexcursion.com. Can pm you his Instagram details of you want to see what he offers. Couldn’t meet a friendlier guide and we ended up going out a couple of different days with him. Excellent company into the bargain. Enjoy!

Haha your quite alright mate. We are booked to stay for a whole week in Lombok, then 10 nights in Bali.
I’m sure I read somewhere that Lombok was looking to stay away from the mainstream touristy side of things and keeping it rural. We are staying in the Senggigi Beach Resort on the west coast, north of Mataram, which should be relaxing enough and offer a pretty spectacular sunset. Probably just arrange taxi for a few days and take in sights. Really want to head to the lake and take in the views there.
Thanks for the heads up on the excursion supplier, I will get in touch with them today as really keen to sample as much of island as possible.

All amazing Info and greatly appreciated.