Getting to Bali

1. Flights

Unless you are already on one of the surrounding Indonesian islands, flying is the only viable option for getting to Bali. We recommend departing from London as it is usually the cheapest city in the UK to fly internationally from.  Always do your research though, to see if flying from your local airport will save you money. Sometimes the cost of getting to London doesn’t make the cheaper flight the best option anymore. We were able to get flights from Heathrow to Denpasar for £602 return per person. 

The main thing to remember when flying to Bali is that it’s a long way from the UK, so you will undoubtedly have lay-overs. Many people see lay-overs as a hassle, and would prefer to just get the flying over and done with. However, the less changes you have the longer your flights are. If you’re unlucky like me and suffer from travel sickness, you’ll want at least two changes just to give you time to recover and stretch your legs.  After a 13 hour flight, the Kuala Lumpur airport was a welcome sight for a layover!

 
When you arrive at the airport in Denpasar, you will be bombarded with people offering taxi rides. Don’t just go with the first company you see; yes, the prices they are offering are cheap compared to the UK, but there are smarter ways of getting a ride to your accommodation. Download the Gojek or Grab app before you fly, and when you get to Bali you can connect to the free airport wifi to order a ride. We got an airport taxi when we arrived and it cost us Rp 420,000 for the car (about £24), whereas the taxi back to the airport, after our trip was only Rp 68,000 using the app.

Getting around in Bali

1. Taxi

Getting a taxi in Bali is a relatively hassle free way of getting around. Not only are they great for transport around Denpasar, they are also the best way to get around the island to other towns if you want to explore further afield (which we highly recommend you do, Bali has so much to offer all over the island).

Taxis are not hard to find in Bali. When walking around the streets you will get offered a ride every few minutes. Chances are that the driver will not be licenced though, and you take the risk that they will try to charge you more than you agreed when they drop you off. If you are going to use this method of finding a taxi, then you need to remember to haggle on the price before getting in. They know you are a tourist and will want to get as much money out of you as they can. 

There are a few licenced taxi companies and the one we got a ride from the airport from was called Blue Bird. Blue Bird taxis have a reputation in Indonesia for being honest and not prolonging the journey deliberately in order to charge you more, which many of the other companies are known to do when carrying tourists. Our tip for getting a taxi like this is to write the address down on a piece of paper or your phone, so that the driver can read it or enter it into his SatNav. This avoids the possibility of your destination address getting lost in translation and stops you from ending up in the complete wrong direction! However, he cheapest option by far, and our recommended method of getting a taxi in Bali is using the Gojek and Grab apps:

• These apps work just like Uber so you know how much you are paying before you order a ride, and it’s a fixed price so they can’t charge you extra when they drop you off.

• If you don’t have 4G whilst abroad and are relying on your accommodation WiFi to use the Grab app, then the best way to order your ride home again is to buy a cheap drink at a bar with free WiFi and stay there till your driver arrives. Another option, if you’re not spending long at the destination, is to pay your ride to wait for you outside and then get a lift home again with them.

• Bear in mind that the price varies depending on availability, so make sure to check regularly to get the best price when you are ready to book.

2. Rent Mopeds

If you are staying in a central part of Denpasar then you can find mopeds to rent on most curb-sides. Just remember that the venders will know you’re a tourist and will try to get you to pay an extortionate amount of money, so you need to barter! If you can’t get them down to a price you’re willing to pay, simply walk away. There will be another vender 100m further down that you can try again with. Our accommodation host recommended paying Rp 70,000 for the day so aim for this if you’re unsure what a reasonable price is.

Whilst in Bali we all commented on how mental the driving is. They don’t seem to follow the same road rules as in England, and horn beeping seems to be an integral part of driving here! We decided it would be quite dangerous for non-locals to try and negotiate the insane traffic whilst also navigating unknown roads, so we gave moped renting a miss. If you’re heart is really set on a moped ride (it does look like fun, and definitely shortens your trip by overtaking all the traffic), then a safer option is to get a local driver through the Gojek or Grab app and just hop on the back. We did this during our stay and would definitely recommend it. They provide a spare helmet and you can enjoy nipping in and out of the traffic without the stress of having to actually drive the bike yourself. We paid Rp 20,000 for a 20min ride which is decent; definitely worth doing if you’re travelling alone (splitting a taxi with just yourself is not cheap!).

3. Bus

During our 7 weeks spent there, we did not see a single bus! They appear to be an alien concept, and the back of a lorry seems to be the preferred mode of transport, which we do not recommend trying unless it’s part of an organised activity!  

4. Walking

For city excursions in built up areas like Seminyak and Ubud, walking is the way to go. It’s the best way to experience the new area around you and keeps you fit at the same time! 

Just remember to take care of your personal belongings while walking. Nothing happened to us but the streets can get very busy, which provides a good opportunity for pickpockets. However, do not let this deter you – there’s no better way to experience a place like walking through it.

Accommodation

The popular districts to stay in Denpasar among travellers and tourists are Seminyak, Kuta and Canggu. We stayed in Seminyak and Kuta and had a friend who stayed in Canggu so we can give you a short guide to each. 

Our first week was spent in Seminyak and we found it a busy but fun place to stay. There are lots of restaurants, both Western and Balinese. We also enjoyed the beach bars; eating dinner whilst watching the sea and listening to live music is my idea of a perfect holiday evening. There is a mix of locals and tourists (mostly Australian) in this district.

Kuta is known for its surfing beaches, and when we visited it definitely delivered on this front! The waves are perfect for surfing and even swimming (just check the flags to see which areas are safe to swim in). We found that this district was more westernised than Seminyak, with the beach front abundant with western chain restaurants such as Mcdonalds and Wendys. However, if you walk a few streets back, away from the beach, you are able to find some Balinese Warungs (local restaurants), where you can find a cheaper and definitely more local meal. 

Canggu is one of the districts we didn’t get to stay in, however, our friend was able to give us an idea of the vibe of the place. There are lots of bars and he said it’s a great place to meet other travellers whilst enjoying a night out. Canggu is also known as a great surf spot. So if you’re looking for a chilled weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Seminyak, then Canggu is a great place to visit.

1. Hostels

Hostels are an extremely viable option in the more populated areas of the island, such as Denpasar and Ubud. They’re a great way to meet really interesting people who are also travelling. Who knows, maybe you will make some life long friends to go on other travelling adventures with! For this reason, it’s a great alternative to Airbnb for a solo traveller. 

Prices vary depending on the standard and popularity of the hostel but this is generally one of the cheaper accommodation options. We stayed in a hostel as part of our 6 week voluntary work so we are able to give you a few tips:

• Cleanliness is a problem in most areas of a hostel and can never be guaranteed. This holds true particularly for the kitchen. You can’t be sure what each hostel will be like, so bringing basic necessities like a travel kettle for simple cooking is a great idea.

• Rooms are typically split by gender, with people coming and going at all hours. An eye-mask and other sleeping aids are highly recommended!

• Socialise! You have the opportunity to make friends and learn from people from all over the world. The conversations you can have in this setting can be invaluable and extremely rewarding.

2. Airbnb

Denpasar

We rented a small villa through airbnb which had 4 double rooms, each with an ensuite. We paid £305.50 for 5 nights which worked out to be £61.10 each as there were 5 of us. This was £12.22 a night per person. It will obviously be cheaper if you have more people to share the rooms. 

Our accommodation was a 15min walk from the beach so we decided not to stay somewhere with a swimming pool, as it added around £5 per night per person to the price, which for us, was too much extra over the course of the week, especially with the option of a dip in the sea so close.

We also prioritised choosing somewhere with a kitchen as it cuts down on food prices. We were able to cook lunch at home every day instead of eating out for both lunch and dinner.

Lovina

Our hostel in Lovina was paid for as part of our programme fee but we’ve done some research into local Airbnb  prices so you can get a rough idea of how much it might cost to stay here. The average Airbnb price is £15 per person per night. Most of these options are a 5-10 minute walk from the beach, include breakfast, and access to a pool. If you start looking 4-6 months in advance then you’ll have the pick of all the options and can find accommodation as low as £6 per person per night. These cheaper options are limited in number though, so if you want to save money you will need to be organised and book quite far in advance. 

Ubud

We spent two weekends in Ubud and chose to go for slightly higher end accommodation as we felt we deserved it after a hard week of volunteering! For us this just involved finding an Airbnb that included breakfast and had a pool we could use to relax. We chose to stay in a central location to allow us to save on transport costs; Gojek and Grab are banned in Ubud so you have to pay the prices the local drivers are asking for. The cost of our accommodation was £15 per night per person which is pretty standard for Ubud if you are looking for budget accommodation. 

Our Top Things to Do in Bali

For things to do around the island check out our Bali Things To Do page. 

Food Do's and Don'ts in Bali

If you’ve never been to Asia before, then you might not be aware of some of the things you should and shouldn’t watch for when eating out. The hygiene standards are not the same as you are probably used to and Western immune systems are not equipped to cope with the local diseases. To help you out, I’ve put together some top food rules for Bali and what to expect when ordering food:

• When picking a restaurant, look to see if the 10% tourist tax has already been added to the menu price or if it will be added later to the bill. It can be a bit of a shock when your cheap light bite turns out to be a bit heavier on the wallet without being heavier on the plate.

• AVOID ICE! Local tap water is not safe drinking water and you don’t know whether the ice has been made from bottled water or tap water. It’s also best to make sure that any water that you consume comes out of a sealed plastic bottle.

• Salad is a no go. Uncooked vegetables and salad items are often washed in water, and as mentioned before, you can’t guarantee whether this is bottled or tap water. Luckily, Bali has a great choice of local stews and soups and any fried or steamed veg is safe to eat. 

• Check out the local cuisine. You might be unsure about trying new foods but tasting the local delicacies is an important part of travelling and as long as you stick to the rules you should be safe! Whether it’s simple and filling like nasi goreng (fried rice) and mie goreng (fried noodles), or something a little hotter like Salah Matah (Spicy chicken and vegetables), the local options are endless!