Tag Archives: vacation

Bali – FAQs: budget, airlines, best time, hotels, car rental, tips

After posting the itinerary for Bali and our experience, I have received a lot of emails with questions – primarily – around the budget, airlines, hotels, car rentals and general tips. I’ve put them as a FAQ below; hope this helps fellow travelers.

What was your budget?

Honestly, we were traveling on budget. We had planned about Rs.70,000 per head and wanted to make the most out of it. We did.

Is there a split?

Approximate split across categories

This is naturally going to differ, but here is an idea.

  • Airfare – 40%
  • Visa & entrance fees – 10%
  • Stay – 15%
  • Local transport – 15%
  • Shopping – 10%
  • Meals – 10%

Good idea for my first overseas vacation?

Absolutely! There is always a first time for everything. Just plan well. Here are 10 great tips for international travel.

Is February a good time?

Most of the forums said Feb wasn’t a great time to be in Bali, but I think that’s more applicable to surfers.

Transit Bangkok or Singapore?

While Bangkok was an option Continue reading Bali – FAQs: budget, airlines, best time, hotels, car rental, tips

Bali – Vacation Notes & Experience

Bali had for long been on our minds as a honeymoon destination and we finally managed to work out a decent itinerary after much planning.

Vacation Notes

Day 1: Arrival & Water sports

Villa on Legian St

We landed at 00:00 and we a bit worried about getting to the Guest Villas in Kuta. But from the moment we touched down, Bali seemed very friendly and safe. It was only until we realized that our villa was a 4 min walk to the bustling Legian street which had everything upto Indian restaurants. Since water sports are subject to weather conditions, I had managed to check the tide schedule and confirmed it was a good day. Our driver drove us – free of cost – to his preferred vendor where we bargained our to the possible extent! Scuba diving & Jet Ski were really worth it. On the way back, we exchanged currency at the bank which had a pretty reasonable rate. I suggest don’t fall prey to the shady money exchanger shops that showcase a rate they don’t offer. Evening was for us to relax.

Day 2: Packed & headed north

Singaraja Beach
Singaraja Beach

Considering places of our interest were all around the island, and travelling to the north takes a good 3-4 hours, we checked-out without our luggage in the car. We intentionally skipped the early morning Mt Ubud tour, and instead caught a glimpse of it en route. A lot of temples, cat-pooh-chino tasting sessions and local food happened on the way. We booked a villa at the Mumbul Guest House in Lovina.

Day 3: No dolphin tour, headed back

Black sand beach
Black sand beach

We had booked a Dolphin tour early morning. At 5:00am, the boat captain informed us of bad weather and scared the s#!t out of us. We went back to bed. Post breakfast, we started off with the black sand beaches of Lovina beach Continue reading Bali – Vacation Notes & Experience

Bali – 4N/5D trip itinerary

Planning a trip there was quite a experience as I’ve already detailed here. But after much research, we finally had a plan for Bali and I want to share the detailed itinerary so you don’t have to go through the drill. We were traveling on budget – not the usual honeymoon splurge – so using the services of an agent was not going to help. I still checked with a couple and on hearing my budget (more on this here), they said I should look at another place as the airfares itself very quite expensive for Bali. But I was determined to work something out.

Day 1:Water sports

  • Marine sport activities at Tanjung Benoa

Day 2: Head North (East route)

Coffee tasting
Coffee tasting
  • Goa Gajah Temple
  • Ubud art village (drive-by)
  • Monkey Forest (skip)
  • Coffee plantation & tasting
  • Tegalalang rice terrace (drive-by)
  • Kintamani: View of Mt.Batur & Batur lake
  • Singaraja beach (sunset)

Day 3: Back to Kuta (West route)