Holidays in Bali

Bali is an ideal place for holidays. It’s a fantastic island with great Beaches and so much beautiful sceneries to enjoy and more importantly so much things you can do in Bali.

Here are ten recommended things that you can do while traveling in Bali.

1. Best Place to Stay in Bali is at Nusa Dua

Nusa Dua is about 20 minutes drive from Kuta and has the most lovely beaches and of course the choicest of 5-star hotels. It sounds like a beautiful place to stay for “luxury travelers.” But you don’t really have to spend a bomb. The Novotel Nusa Dua, which is a brand new hotel and has the most amazing rooms at rocking prices, starting at only USD 65 per night if you redeem with your AMEX reward, of course terms & condition apply! Here are the beautiful pictures:

You can go beyond and opt for the likes of Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua,Westin Nusa Dua, St. Regis Nusa Dua, but don’t worry, you will get what you pay for.

2. Shopping at Kuta and Legian

Kuta and Legian are a shopper’s dreamed heaven. They house everything within themselves, right from the top brands of Roxy, Polo, Crocs etc to traditional Balinese stuff to even pirated watches and DVDs! If you like shopping, you could easily spend an entire day just window shopping and picking up a whole lot of stuff!

The Discovery Mall is the biggest in Bali and its in Kuta. Pretty Standard mall but you can grab some good stuff there too. However, most of the traffic heads to Matahari, also in Kuta. The entire ground level is dedicated to touristy stuff like Bali tees, Bali Sarongs, Bali keychains etc, a best place where you can get the local stuff.

Definitely recommended for ladies is Uluwatu where one can shop (though at some crazy prices!) for Handmade Balinese Lace. And not to mention the fact that Polo are so damn cheap there. You can grab a Polo Collar Tee for less than US$20!

3. Grab an Indian Meal at Queen’s of India, Nusa Dua

Definitely recommend the Queen’s of India (Queen’s Tandoor) in all good faith. it’s really one of the best Indian food one can have outside of India…and maybe the photos of all celebrities that have visited this place will convince you as well.

It’s also won several awards, going all the way up to Best Indonesian Restaurant. It’s right on the Kuta road, so you can combine this with your shopping extravagance in Kuta! No need for reservations and do go for outdoor dining.

4. Desert at BreadTalk

You should not miss BreadTalk and it was awesome to find one at Bali. You can find it in the Discovery Mall, Kuta.

5. Hard Rock Cafe Hotel

Go to the Hard Rock Hotel, not Hard Rock Cafe! It has the Center Stage which hosts a live band every evening. There was even a Roxy Fashion Show, right on the main serving table. Now that is something you have to go for!

6. Go Culture Shopping at Ubud

Ubud is about an hours drive from Nusa Dua; about 35 minutes from Kuta. It’s basically a cultural village. There are some shops but mostly houses where people are creating stuff and selling them. So one can shop for Balinese clothes, decorative items, memorabilia etc. Devote a day for this but plan to leave only around early afternoon.

On your way back you can catch the Black (Volcano) Sand beach of Bali.

7. Spend a Day Relaxing at Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach is Bali’s heart and this is where the action is. Arrive here around early afternoon and stay on till early evening, before you head to some nice dining place.

8. Scuba Diving at Tulamben

Bali is apparently a divers paradise even for beginners. It offers some great experiences. There are 3 spots for beginners, one at Nusa Dua and the other at Tulamben! The drive to Tulamben is 3 hours from Nusa Dua, its up north of Bali. Here lies the shipwreck of Liberty. The last spot is in East Bali, Padang Bai, which is a small fishing village. The Blue lagoon is an excellent dive site for beginners with a huge variety of fish and coral. The best way to dive there is to contact one of the local operators.

As a piece of advice, go for PADI instructors. They are the safest and this trip won’t cost you a much. Prices are between US$60-80 per person for 2 dives, depending on the season.

9. Sunset at Kuta Beach

Bali sky has some fascinating colors that only amplify during the sunset. Kuta Beach is one of the best beaches to enjoy beautiful sceneries of sunset.

10. Mountain Trekking to the Kintamani (Mount Batur) Volcano

This was the highlight of the trip. Kintamani (Mount Batur) is an active volcano that last went burst in 1996. One basically starts the trek at 2am and the trek is for 2.5-3.0 hours.

It’s all done to catch the sunrise! Which is breathtaking, to say the least. Some 100 odd people climb the mountain everyday in peak season.

The mountain is surrounded by Lake Batur, which gives the entire top view a surreal feel. It is the largest crater lake on the island of Bali.

There are many things you can do in Bali other than these 10 recommended things; so, visit Bali to discover yourself.