So You're Heading To Bali And Probably Going To Make A Mess Of It
I spent three weeks there last year trying to do everything right and ended up wasting about four hundred dollars on mistakes I could have avoided if I'd just asked one person before booking anything. Here is what you need to know, written by someone who learned the hard way. The biggest issue people run into is the driver situation. You will see a thousand scooter rentals on the beach for thirty-five thousand rupiah a day. Take them. But do not accept the first price anyone gives you. I walked into a shop in Kuta and they quoted me eighty thousand. The same bike across the street went for thirty-five. The trick is to film the scooter's existing damage before you take it. I did not and when I returned mine with a scratch someone else put on it, they demanded two hundred thousand rupiah. I ended up paying fifty thousand just to leave. Always film. Always show them your phone screen so they know you recorded it. Another thing nobody tells you about money. The exchange rate at airport counters is garbage. You will lose roughly twelve percent just walking through the door. I exchanged five hundred dollars at Ngurah Rai and got about five million rupiah. Three days later at a local money changer in Seminyak, that same five hundred would have netted me nearly six point two million. The difference matters when you are eating street food and paying for temple entries for two weeks. Look for a place with a sign that says "Best Rate" or "No Commission." Bank BRI and BCA ATMs give decent rates with moderate fees. Withdraw larger amounts less often. The withdrawal fee is flat, so pulling twenty million at once beats pulling five million four times.
Water. Do not drink from taps under any circumstances, even in five star hotels. I did this once in Ubud at a place that cost two hundred dollars a night and spent the next eighteen hours in a bathroom that smelled like regret. The hotels use filtered systems but the pipes are old. Just buy bottled water and use it for brushing your teeth too. It is not worth the gastroenteritis. There are refill stations at most cafes now if you bring a reusable bottle, which saves plastic and money. Temple dress codes are strict and enforcement is inconsistent. You need shoulders and knees covered. No exceptions for hot weather. I saw a guy in board shorts get turned away at Tanah Lot and he stood there for twenty minutes arguing before his girlfriend went back to the car and brought him sarong pants she had packed for no reason other than paranoia. Good call. Buy a sarong at the temple entrance for fifteen thousand rupiah and tip the person holding it extra so they actually help you wrap it instead of just watching you struggle. I spent a full minute trying to figure out how to drape it properly while a line of tourists behind me was getting impatient. Ride hailing apps. Grab exists but it is banned from picking up at most tourist spots. You will see drivers offering rides and they are usually overcharging by two or three times the app price. The workaround is to walk four or five blocks away from the main area and then call a Grab from there. It takes extra time but saves money. Gojek works similarly. If you are staying in Canggu or Seminyak long term, download both apps and use them for everything except airport transfers where you just negotiate upfront.
The dry season runs from May through September. Shoulder months like April and October have rain but also fewer people and cheaper prices. November through March is wet season and some places close. I went in late October and missed three temples because they were doing repairs and only found out after driving forty minutes there. Check opening times on the official tourism site before planning your day. Some places like Goa Gajah close at five in the evening and you will waste an hour showing up at four thirty thinking you have time. Food safety leans toward street food being safer than. Warungs with high turnover are fine. The rice is fresh, the oil is hot, and everything cooks in front of you. I ate at a stall in Sanur every single day for nine days and had zero issues. Places with pre cooked food sitting under heat lamps are the risk. Avoid buffets at mid range hotels unless the food is constantly replenished. I got sick once from a hotel breakfast buffet in Kuta where the fruit had been sitting out since morning. The eggs were fine. The melon was not. Internet connectivity is decent in tourist zones but terrible if you go anywhere near the hills or the north coast. I tried to work remotely from a villa in Munduk and my connection dropped to two hundred kilobits per second. Bring a local SIM card from the airport. Telkomsel has the best coverage. You need a passport for registration and it takes ten minutes. Prepaid plans start at one hundred fifty thousand rupiah for ten gigabytes and data that actually works. Do not rely on hotel wifi for anything important.
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Tipping is not mandatory but it goes a long way. Ten percent at restaurants if service is good. twenty thousand rupiah for a driver who waits for you. Hand it directly with a smile and they will remember you. I tipped a bit more at one warung in Jimbaran because the owner helped me figure out which fish was actually fresh instead of just frozen and it cost me maybe fifty thousand rupiah total but felt worth it. Donations at temples range from fifty thousand to one hundred fifty thousand rupiah depending on the place. Bring small bills. I showed up with a hundred thousand note and they could not make change. The lady at the donation box looked at me like I had just insulted her ancestors. Pull out smaller denominations beforehand. One more thing about scooters. Wear a helmet. Police set up checkpoints randomly and fines are one hundred fifty thousand rupiah if you do not have one. More importantly, Indonesian driving is chaotic in a way that takes getting used to. Motorcycles pull out without looking. Cars stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers. Traffic lights are suggestions. If you have never ridden a scooter before, take a lesson first. I watched a German guy wipe out at an intersection in Seminyak because he did not understand how roundabouts work here and ended up going the wrong way around them.
Bali is wonderful and forgiving if you do not treat it like a theme park. The culture is real, the food is cheap and good, and the people are generally helpful. Just plan ahead, respect the local customs, and do not expect everything to run on Western time. My longest delay was a four hour ferry cancellation during the wet season that ended up being the best conversation I had all trip.
