Travellers Experiences
Bali is a beautiful island. We stayed in the Kuta area which is one of Bali’s first tourist developments. We really enjoyed our trip to Bali and would recommend it if you are looking to travel there.
Where did we stay?
We stayed at the Grand Inna Kuta for 5 days. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. We were accommodated in a deluxe room which was very spacious and comfortable. The aircon worked superbly as the humidity in Bali was very high.
The hotel offers daily a scrumptious buffet breakfast. I really enjoyed the fresh fruit and juices. The hotel has direct access to the beach which was so convenient.
The Kuta market, Kuta Square and Beachwalk mall is all walking distance from the hotel as well as many other local shops. There is a beautiful spa that offers a wide selection of treatments. You have to try out a Balinese massage.
The hotel also has pools, restaurants, and a pop up eating section. The staff are very friendly which made our stay even more memorable.
Some tips when travelling to Bali
1. Don’t drink the tap water, we did not even use it to brush our teeth (just to be safe).
2. Avoid street food so that you don’t end up with a Bali belly. On our way home, a passenger next to me on the plane was really sick and she said that she had eaten some of the street food.
3. The traffic in Bali is hectic, I recommend staying in the areas you plan visiting so that you not wasting your time in traffic. We stayed in Kuta and only visited Ubud, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran.
If you are unable to stay in the different areas, I suggest leaving early in the morning.
Getting around Bali
You can hire a car with a driver. Most of the drivers will also take you to other places they know of in the area you want to visit. This can cost you around R600 a day. I found someone from Facebook who was recommended by many people.
You can also download GRAB which is like Uber. If you get a taxi on the road, make sure to negotiate a price before you get in. You need to bargain. It helps to know how much would a Grab taxi charge to that destination so that you not getting ripped off.
Shopping in Bali
I think Bali is a shopping paradise. There are malls, flea markets, plenty of local vendors in every street. In Kuta I did not find much modest wear but there were plenty other things like bags, souvenirs, clothing for men and kids.
Bargaining is a must with the local vendors, they will give you a ridiculously high price and you will need to haggle your way down.
Food in Bali
Bali is predominantly a hindu Island, but other parts of Indonesia are mainly Muslim, so they do cater halal. You will need to be wary though, most places will tell you they are halal, but they serve pork.
There are restaurants that only serve seafood and other restaurants that display a halal sign. Take note, most restaurants even with a halal sign will have a section that serves bottled alcohol. We really enjoyed the food in Bali, especially the seafood.
Weather in Bali
I am from Durban and it gets really hot and humid here in the summer, but Bali was on another level of humid. Being an island it never really gets cold. We did go in the dry season but with the weather changes and unpredictability, two days of our stay were raining. Even with the dull weather the humidity levels were high.
The days that the sun was shining, was really very hot and humid. Carry a good sunscreen with you and use throughout the day. Atleast the fresh juices will help to keep you hydrated in the heat.
Activities in Bali
There are plenty of activities for different interests. We did not do much water sports. I only did the sea walking which was amazing. You can also visit places like the temples, Rice terraces, coffee houses for tea and coffee tasting, silver jewellery making, Bali zoo and many more.
Internet connection in Bali
I bought an e sim for data as you will need it if you are using the GRAB app. You can also purchase a sim card once you are in Bali. The hotel did have wifi but needed internet connection when travelling around Bali.
Jazakallah to Zaheerah Nabee who has kindly submitted this article through the Halaal Travels submission portal.
