A friend of mine recently went to Bali for the first time and returned with some tips for other first-time visitors. I thought I would share them here…
- You may not know this, but Bali only allows you to bring in either 1 bottle of spirits or 2 bottles of wine per person duty-free. If you would like to have a few drinks while you are there, I would highly recommend you take advantage of the duty-free allowance because alcohol is very expensive in Bali. Mixers, sodas, limes, all the add-ons are quite cheap, but the alcohol cost is sky-high. A good bottle of wine can cost upwards of $80 AUS, and even a not-great bottle can run you $30 or so. Definitely a place where you should BYOB! One exception: Bintang, the local beer. It is both cheap and tasty! Stock up on beers at the Bintang supermarker on Jl Raya Seminyak.
- In other alcohol-related advice, only drink alcohol at the more expensive places, especially those places where they mix proper cocktails. Many cheap, hole-in-the-wall type bars serve fake locally brewed grog that is either fake or incredibly strong and dangerous. Lots of places put their alcohol into real-brand bottles, so play it safe and avoid it.
- Try to avoid changing money while you are there. I know there are lots of places that say they are authorized, but it can be pretty sketchy to change money at any of the many money changers around. Your best bet is to use ATMs wherever you can. The airport ATMs let you take out more money than most other ones around (say $3m instead of $1.5m), so it will save you bank fees if you take out what you need for a few days while at the airport.
- Make sure you have $25 USD to pay the arrival tax when you land.The faster you can get to the booths when you get off the plane the better, as you can be in for a bit of a wait. Also, make sure you save 150,000 rp for the departure tax. Most taxi drivers will check with you if you are on the way to the airport, but it’s good to make sure you have everything with you before you leave. As well, you need to double- and triple-check that you have your departure card. You will not be allowed to leave Bali without it, and speaking from experience, it’s incredibly stressful to stand up at customs and not be able to find your card.
- Take the Bluebird taxis (blue with a little bird on top of the taxi light), because they are the most reliable (and cheapest!) taxis on the island. Be sure you look for the little bird, as there are other blue taxis that belong to different cab companies. Bluebirds have meters, so they won’t rip you off.
- If you need a driver for a longer trip, or if you want to go to Seminyak for dinner and don’t want to wait for a taxi, call Gusti 0361 7811 444. He’ll wait while you surf, shop, or eat and he is lovely and reliable, as well as affordable.
Hopefully this info is helpful to newcomers and maybe even to some of you who have visited Bali before.