Bali is so well-known by name and reputation that people in much of the world recognize “Bali” more than “Indonesia” and don’t realize that Bali is just one of ~17,000 islands within Indonesia! Tourism radiates from southern Bali, centered on the capital and largest city of Denpasar. The only major airport is in the southwestern corner of Denpasar, and beach communities flank the city on the east and west coasts. Of course.. check out the map to really understand how it all fits together!
Bali has been the face of Indonesian tourism for almost one hundred years, with modern tourism really kicking off in the 1960s as hotels and restaurants were built. This exploded further in the 1970s after Ngurah Rai International Airport was built. Several major natural and terrorist catastrophes over the years disrupted Bali’s growth, but only COVID-19 derailed the overall trend significantly.. and it REALLY did thanks to a complete lockdown. Amazingly it rebounded to a record high immediately afterward.
We actually stayed in southern Bali three times on this trip, at small Balinese resorts in the Sanur area. We highly recommend these over big international chains! The prices are very reasonable and the experience very personal. We especially liked Sudamala Resort, which has great rooms, beautiful art throughout, delicious included food, super friendly staff (yes that’s almost redundant in Indonesia!), excellent massage options, and is convenient to lots of shops, restaurants, and the beach. We stayed there twice!
While in Sanur we tried to maximize our massages. Massages are very inexpensive to the western wallet, and for us nothing is as relaxing. A typical small vendor massage usually involves stepping into a room, removing whatever clothing is needed for what is getting massaged, and getting right to work. Reservations might be needed but with so many vendors it’s easy to schedule. The prices are so good that it seems IS irresponsible to not get at least one!
Prices in hotels and resorts are higher, but it’s a different experience. Definitely expect to reserve in advance. The treatments (which earn the fancy words) are usually more robust and the setting more.. ornate. Expect to arrive early and have tea, don their robes, maybe take a shower, and be prepared to stay a while afterward. Much more of a spa treatment and still one ~third of US prices. We highly encourage doing both. There’s nothing like a foot massage in the middle of a long day of walking in the heat!
Another attraction of the Sanur area… our new friend Lauren! Lauren and I have actually known of each other through our mutual dear friend Amber for many years, but somehow first met in Bali! We met up a few times on this trip since she’s a Sanur “local” now. The first time was at Byrd House a big, open, bright resort and restaurant right on the beach. We had a grand meal, especially compared to the more traditional local (but grand in their own way!) dishes we’d gotten accustomed to.
I don’t remember all of the dishes we had, but they were very good and demonstrated a keen interest in fusing Italian with local ingredients. Combined with the setting and company it was a wonderful evening and welcome to the area.
We also ate together at a Greek restaurant farther down the Sanur strip (Jalan Danau Tamblingan) called Santorini. As much as we love to eat new local foods when we travel, it is also nice to break it up, as well as to get a different geographic take on a familiar cuisine. Greek is one of our favorites and they do it authentically!
Lava Gastrobar got great reviews and was hard to get into (we ended up with outdoor seats, which on a steamy Bali night was brutal!) but was less impressive. Good, but not great. Their signature dessert, the Lava Choux, was cool to look at but ultimately was just a snazzily-dressed raspberry mousse.
Right down the street from our hotel was noku, a Japanese restaurant which didn’t broadcast itself loudly but had a modern vibe and attention-grabbing dishes. The food was very authentically Japanese and successfully put us in another part of the world while we ate. The eel reminded me of the hitsumabushi dishes under Nagoya.
No trip (or day?) is complete without some ice cream and/or gelato. The sweltering heat makes this even more urgent. Oddly we didn’t find very many real ice cream shops, and those we did find were underwhelming. The highest rated gelato in Sanur is arguably Massimo , an Italian restaurant also right on the strip. One evening we waited in the LONG line of hot, sticky tourists (I say that as likely the worst offender!) to get to the counter. Lots of flavors and it was refreshing.. but not “great gelato” and certainly not up to Italian standards. That said, it was an experience and it refreshed us back to our pre-line state! I probably should have dabbed some of that whipped cream on my beet red face too..
“Silver people” means two very different things in Bali, both common in tourist areas across Indonesia, but especially in the Sanur area.
The first use is as you would expect- there are numerous silver craftspeople selling their wares along the streets and in shops. Intricate filigree patterns and lively creatures abound. Some vendors openly encourage bartering while other others have clear signs stating that it isn’t allowed.. which usually just means you talk about it differently! “What sort of discount is available if I buy multiple pieces?” Read up on expected local prices as generally the initial asking prices are 3X or more what you should pay!
The second use of the term “silver people” is.. tragic. Along arterial roads you will sometimes see one or more people, often quite young, spray painted silver. They are street performers of varying abilities, but the paint is a sign of extreme poverty and desperation. The chemicals within are known to be bad for their health and combined with the extreme heat and proximity to exhaust-spewing vehicles must be exceedingly uncomfortable.
Indonesia Tourist Visa
As luck would have it, the hottest day of our Bali time was spent.. at the Immigration Office. We were in Indonesia for just over five weeks, and the standard visa only lasts 30 days (there is a 60 day version if it fits your needs and you are eligible). After the first 30 days you can apply for a second 30 day extension. They recommend that you apply for the extension at least a week in advance of the end of the first 30 days since you have to go in-person to have your picture taken and it can take a couple days to get it. Having done all the research and feeling really good, when we were in Lombok we went to the Mataram Immigration Office first thing one morning. No queue! ..then the man at the counter told us we couldn’t renew there since the Indonesia address on our initial visa was in Bali. Ugg. Fortunately he said not to worry about the exact timing and we happened to be returning to Bali (we spent time in Bali early and late in our trip) the following week. So on our first full day in Sanur we went early to the Bali Immigration office.. and got in the HUGE queue. The extreme heat drove many of us to pack densely inside in the AC. We waited for several hours then were told that they were taking an extended lunch and shut down! We all flowed out onto the hot asphalt. Fortunately we met a really nice Moroccan woman and the three of us took the opportunity to walk to a local cafe and grabbed lunch. We walked back and soon afterward they called all of us up and in 30 seconds it was done. We retired to our hotel pool to cool off for the afternoon.
Lessons learned here- if at all possible, use an address for your visa that is NOT in a big tourist area, but make sure you can physically be there when renewal is required. Also, consider the 60 day visa if appropriate!
We spent one day with Lauren exploring the southern tip of Bali, the Bukit Peninsula. Our first stop was Uluwatu, site of the Uluwatu Temple.
There are monkeys EVERYWHERE, and they are smart so they hide and grab tourists’ phones, cameras, hats, etc then hold them hostage until you feed them. Then they might give it back.. or leave it out in the woods. As a result you are essentially forced to hire a local to accompany you and scare away the monkeys with a sling shot (they didn’t use that we saw, just the loud sound and threat, but one has to wonder how the training worked…).
This is one of those places that feels overly touristy but.. is also worth every second. Uluwatu Temple is a very real and active temple, and the long walkway that winds around it and along the cliffs is mesmerizingly beautiful. Sure there are other people there, but that’s the nature of truly amazing places. The monkey and human “protection” scam was far more annoying.
As you walk you see a tall figure peering at you from a nearby hill. That’s the Dang Hyang Nirartha Statue, and worth the quick walk up to it.
As we walked from the statue back to the parking area we got to meet some more local residents, some fenced away and others sharing the pathway.
A short drive from Uluwatu, pretty much right in the middle of the Bukit Peninsula’s “bulb” is truly gigantic statue, the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) monument. , a 121 meter tall (397 feet) copper and brass structure depicting the Hindu god Vishnu riding the giant bird Garuda. Now of course there’s some controversy about relative height when it comes to statues vs monuments since this is 121 m from base to top of the overall monument but “only” 76 meters from the feet to the top of the head. However you look at it, it’s BIG! Standing next to it doesn’t really help.
This is a helpful graphic.
We had a few minutes of peaceful agreement between many cultures as all the tourists at the top agreed on at least one thing. FDT!
No picture can really do it justice, but from a pure feeling standpoint I found the most meaningful to be when we had walked 30 min away to explore other statues and looked back to see GWK towering over everything.
GWK is a large venue in addition to housing some very large statues and monuments. You enter then are directed into a series of lines for tickets, ticket validation, a shuttle to the base, the elevator to the top, etc etc. They’ve successfully secluded the main monument itself so that you need a ticket to fully experience it despite its size. However the grounds themselves have lots of other beautiful sites so it’s not just a one-and-done visit. I recommend it but wear sun protection and bring a personal fan!
As you can see, despite being in Bali we spent very little time on the beach (we did actually go swimming in Sanur but have no pictures nor real stories to go with it.. it was super warm and uneventful!). Perhaps on another trip but beach time has never really been one of our big interests. We enjoyed Bali far more for the people and the natural beauty inland, and would love to spend more time in the central part and visit the far east, west, and north areas.
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