I’m kicking it off with the basics.
If you’re anything like me, your Instagram feed is flooded with someone posing on the edge of an infinity pool or swinging through the jungles of Bali. For those of you who haven’t made it to Bali here is a brief overview of what you can expect from this beautiful island. For those of you who have been, consider this your 2018 update on Bali.
I’ve been here many times for both work and pleasure. So don’t worry. I got you.
1. It's a Hindu island
The majority of Indonesia is muslim and it is thought to have the largest population of muslims in the world with around 225 million people, identifying as muslim there. Bali, is uniquely Hindu. You’ll notice this as soon as you arrive with many religious statues and temples all around the island. You will find offerings in the floor wherever you go. Be careful not to tread on those, out of respect. Although many people do and you will often see them flattened to the pavements.
2.Understanding rain season
I’m from the UK where the weather is MANIC. Each day is totally unpredictable and the seasons have started to kind of blur. In Bali, and many other parts of the world, they have 2 seasons. Rainy and dry. Now during rain season it will rain a hell of a lot. And I mean RAIN. But it doesn’t rain all day every day, there is also blissful sunshine and blue skies in between. If you are looking for guaranteed sun, I would recommend visiting from mid April - October. This is dry season and it tends to rain much less. During dry season the price of hotels and flights tends to be much higher. It's worth checking year on year when rain season is because it's changing. I'm here right now during rain season and although we've had some rain the weather has been mostly hot and sunny! Plus there are less tourists than usual!
3. You don’t go to Bali for the beaches
The fact is the beaches just aren’t that nice. They are dirty, usually with back sands and filled with trash - with a few exceptions of course in various parts of the island. But generally speaking, you can find better beaches on the islands surrounding Bali. You do, on the other hand, come for the beach bars. And if there is one thing Bali does very well it’s beach bars (and villas). You can sip a bintang on a daybed in a beach bar, evaluated off the beach, overlooking an infinity pool merging with the sea without the worry of glass in your feet. I'll be writing full feature about the best beach bars in Bali very soon!
4. Where to visit
There are so many different places to see based on what you want kind of experience you want. Head to Ubud and it’s surrounding lush green rice paddies if you want a jungle based, cultured experience of Bali. For the South of the island I would recommend checking out the up and coming areas of Canngu and Uluwatu and of course, the popular area of Seminyak. It's worth taking a trip to Tanah Lot to see the famous sunset and perhaps even a boat to the surrounding islands! I’ll be writing a more detailed blog on on what to do in each area soon!
5. Balinese villas
There is tonnes of accommodation all over the island. Wherever you decide to stay I would recommend staying in a villa, or a villa within a hotel complex. Bali does villas extremely well and they are unique to this island. I’ve never found somewhere else that does the villa quite so well, so you should make the most of it whilst you’re here! You can pick yourself up a villa with a private pool at a fraction of the cost of staying in Europe! Rain season is even cheaper. Side note: Bali is amazing for massages and you can get these at your villa. The in-house massages tend to be very good, but you can also find them in the small parlours on the road-sides.
6. All dietary requirements welcome
Bali really is vegan heaven. No where in South East Asia does it better. Most places offer vegan and vegetarian alternatives and many places are vegan only. The food really is exceptional and the coffee too. You could come here for an eating trip alone! If you're into smoothie bowls and avocado toast, you've come to the right place. The whole health scene here is pretty inspirational and I will be blogging more about the best eateries to get your healthy fix soon!
7. What to wear
Come rain or shine you are going to want to pack lightweight clothing. I recommend cotton or rayon only clothes. For females, you can pick up some light dresses and kaftans at the markets here. Even during the rain season it is HOT. You’ll see a lot of people walking around in Seminyak (and Kuta) in bikini tops and skimpy clothing. I think the locals have become used to it so don’t worry too much about what you wear. The one thing you will need is a pair of trainers or sturdy sandals. I recommend both.
8. Getting around
The Best way to get around is by motorbike, either driving yourself or by motor-taxi. Personally, I prefer to not take motorbikes unless I absolutely have to so I use Uber or Grab for taxis instead around the South of the island, where there are plenty. For those of you who haven’t been to SE Asia before, Grab is the local version of Uber. The plus side of Grab is you can collect and spend points! Like Uber you can pay cash or card.
If you’re out of wifi range or there aren’t ubers/grabs in your area, you can still take a regular taxi. Try to get hold of a Blue Bird and ask them to put it on the meter. Make sure you check it says Blue Bird, and isn’t just blue in colour, for extra safety.
For airport runs or a tour guide, I would recommend booking a driver in advance or using Uber / Grab. If you do need someone, I highly recommend Made Denox. You can contact him via his private Facebook. Just let him know I sent you! He really is the best tour guide and he speaks great English. It’s also worth saying that Bali is pedestrian friendly. I love to walk everywhere, if you don’t mind the heat that is and in some areas you can rent bicycles - like Ubud for example.
9. It's an Insta-dream come true
Everywhere you turn there is something to snap. Walls, doors, plants, cafes. STREET ART. EVERYWHERE. Plus you’ve got the infinity pools and the jungle treks. You find plenty of girls in cute cafes snapping themselves with coconut-lattes and green smoothies against graffitied walls. I am no exception i'm afraid to say. It really is an Instagram dream come true.
10. Scams
Do be very careful when visiting Bali. Apart from bag snatching, which doesn’t happen all that often if you are careful, there worst of the scams are the cashpoint, temple and taxi scams.
Cashpoint scams: Unfortunately it’s happened to me and others I know so be VERY careful taking out cash, especially alone. Scammers will stand behind you and distract you, then press buttons on the screen to get you to withdraw more cash than necessary before taking it from you. They generally don’t want to hurt you, but they do want your money. Not a nice thing to have to talk about, but it’s very real and happening all the time. I’ve heard various things happening at cashpoints, so just be extra careful around them. Take someone with you. Keep all your belongings where you can see them.
Temple scams: Do not get a guide when you visit any of the major temples. I repeat: NO GUIDE. These guides are usually scammers, even though they do work at the temple, and will pressure you into giving over large amounts of money. They can then get quite nasty when you don’t.
Taxi scams: I mentioned before which kinds of transport you should take to be extra careful. Airport scammers will try and take you back from the airport at a very high price. Similarly this happens in the town too. I wouldn’t really call this a scam as much as them trying their luck, but it’s a hugely reported issue with tourists. So just keep your wits about you.
You can't go too far wrong when discovering Bali. My main piece of advice is stay away from mainstream guides like The Lonely Planet and discover the island for yourself as much as possible. Walk around and I promise you'll discover hidden coffee shops, eateries and boutiques on every turn. There's always something to photograph and somewhere to keep you inspired. It's worth saying that the wifi is very good and provided for free in most cafes. So if, like me you're working from Bali then you can do so with ease. I'll be giving you more tips on the island soon!
This is #1 of my TRAVEL BALI Series. If there is anything in particular you would like to know about Bali, please just let me know in the comments below and I will try my best to include it for you!
Stay tuned for #2.
• all photography is my own