Bali – “Island of Gods”, “Island of a thousand temples”, “Paradise Island”, all those slogans are true. Bali is a class of its own and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
WHEN TO GO? WHAT TO WEAR? CLIMATE
Bali enjoys a light tropical climate around the year with average day temperatures of +30-32°C during the day and about +22- 26 °C during nighttime in coastal areas, and respectively about +24- 26°C/18-20°C in inner or higher elevated areas as Ubud, Kintamani, or Bratan. Tourism is practiced year-round here, although due to overseas holidays, Bali has two high seasons for tourism: June-September and December-March. During those months, prices for hotels and some other tourist services are higher. Bali has two seasons: the dry season lasts from April to November, and the wet season from December to March. Wet season on Bali doesn’t mean heavy showers every day as monsoon rains in India, Sri Lanka, or the Caribbean Islands, etc. Rains fall mostly at night-time, during daytime just sometimes, and sunny weather is broken by short rains. Completely cloudy days occur rarely, mostly in January- February. During the wet season, there are also plenty of sunny days. If your time is flexible and you are budget-minded best period for travel is April-May and October-November, when the weather is perfect and prices are lower than in high and Peak season.
Going to Bali, dress casually. Take light clothes, as the weather is warm to hot throughout the year. Remember, Bali is a land where prayer and religious festivals take centre stage. When visiting a temple or attending ceremonies, make it a point to respect local customs and traditions and wear a sarong. Beautiful batik sarongs cost just a few dollars.
PURPOSE OF TRAVEL
Bali is Paradise Island not only because of its wonderful landscapes, sandy beaches, light tropical climate, unique culture and architecture, thousands of hotels, from which several are counted as the best hotels in the world, but also because it has such a wide range of attractions that may fulfill every demand and purpose of travel. So the reason for travelling to Bali could be:
JUST HOLIDAYS: we have more than 3000 hotels on Bali, from small boutique family-owned through 1-2-3-4-5* stars hotels. The best known Bali holiday resorts are: Kuta, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Sanur on the South, Lovina on the North, and Candidasa on the East.
What resort to choose?
Nusa Dua: it is the most famous resort on Bali, one of the most famous in the World, and perhaps the most luxurious hotel zone in the World. Hotel Zone is built on a completely uninhabited area, which is why all hotels there are extremely spacious, lie in huge tropical gardens, and all have direct access to the beach. All hotels there are 5* or 5*lux and are surrounded by golf course, parks, gardens, ponds, restaurants, and a shopping complex. This is a quiet, tranquil, luxurious zone. No discos or nightclubs are there. Kuta is accessible by taxi within approximately 20 minutes.
Kuta: It is a bustling city near the airport and the capital Denpasar. Kuta is famous for its surfers’ beach, discos, nightclubs, shops, bars, Water Park, and shopping malls. There is a mixture of hotels from 1* to 5*. If you stay in Kuta, everything you may need is within walking distance.
Sanur: Is a mixture of Kuta and Nusa Dua. It’s a generally quiet, green resort with a mixture of hotels from 2* to 5*. Less elegant than Nusa Dua, but with busy shops, bars in some areas. All three resorts are on the south of the island. Transfer from the airport to Nusa Dua takes approximately 25 minutes, to Kuta 10-20 minutes, to Sanur 20-25 minutes.
Ubud: People who like to discover culture, enjoy the view of rice fields, and choose to stay in Ubud. Ubud is the cultural capital of Bali and has more than 200 art galleries ( painting, wooden carving, handicrafts ) and hundreds of art shops. There is accommodation from 5*+ to 1* or in boutique hotels or villas. It is the main “expats” centre of the island. Very popular and trendy among actors, journalists, artists, musicians, and celebrities from around the World. “Mozaic”, the best restaurant on the island, is located there, together with dozens of other ones. Ubud lies in central Bali, north of Denpasar ( 1hr drive ) at an altitude of 700 to 900m above sea level, and enjoys perfect temperatures of about 26 °C around the year, clearly cooler than in beach resorts!
Candidasa: a quiet place in the southeast of the Island, approximately a 2-hour drive from the airport. There are no big supermarkets, shops, bars, or discos there. Beaches are small and rocky.
Lovina: It is a resort on the North of the Island, approximately 3-4 hour drive from the airport. Beaches in Lovina are dark grey and even black as sand comes from lava from neighboring volcanoes. In Lovina and Candidasa, there are no big high-class hotels.
ADVENTURE TRAVEL (light)
All Western part of Bali is still covered by primary jungle rainforests, and it’s Bali Barat National Park. Jungle trekking and eco resorts are the main attractions of this part of Bali. On the East, large volcanoes Agung ( 3142 m ), Batukaru ( 2276m ), and Batur ( 1727m ) are waiting for adventure travelers.
SPA
Only Thailand can compete with Bali in terms of the number and quality of SPA. In Kuta, Sanur, and Seminyak are dozens of popular category Spa where 1hr oil massage costs just 7-8 USD. Really beautiful oriental SPA are everywhere and sophisticated treatments cost there from 30 to 100USD per few-hour treatment. Many Balinese SPA can be counted as the best in the World.
DIVING, SNORKELING, FISHING
Coral reefs surround the East coast of Bali and south neighboring islands: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Cenida. Diving spots in Amed and Tulamben are classified as one of the best in the World once diving near Nusa Penida is one of the best in the planet for Manta spotting.
Polow handles all divers and snorkelers’ needs, including boat and equipment rental, dive masters, and logistic services.
CULINARY TOURISM
Bali, among other Southeast Asian countries, could be counted as a Gourmet Paradise. On this relatively small Island, all tropical spices, fruits, and vegetables are grown. Local gastronomy is partly different from neighboring ones ( Thai, Malay, Vietnamese ), partly similar. We have created a unique program for gastronomy lovers which covers visiting local markets, plantations ( coffee, tea, pineapple, vanilla, pepper, cocoa), visiting modern food markets, cooking classes, and lunch and dinners in selected restaurants, where a food testing panel will be presented to customers.
NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
After a wonderful, quiet relaxation in a beach resort or in rural Ubud, Kuta-Legian-Seminyak it is a places for night entertainment. Countless drink bars, night bars, discos, nightclubs, karaoke lounges are in those resorts, giving all: holiday makers, as well as incentive groups opportunity to have a crazy time at night. Famous KuDeTa and Hard Rock Club are among the most popular spots.
