In Reply to: Newbie to Bali posted by JenLeigh on Tuesday, 29. November 2011 at 15:38 Bali Time:
Great to hear your first trip over to Bali shortly. I too am from Canada and my first trip was last January. I loved it so much I booked again for 4 weeks starting this Jan 14. Last year Vancouver-HK-Denpasar flying Cathay Pacific. This year Saskatoon-Vancouver-Taipei- Denpasar with China Air. Prepare for 20 plus hours flying time (not including stop-overs) But it is well worth arriving, paying the VOA US$25 for a 30 day visa (make sure to keep $150,000 rupiah/person when departing bali) getting ripped off by a cab company, checking into your room (you should book at least a few nights prior to arriving). I stayed at Griya Santrian in Sanur for a few nights (booked in advance online) and then hunted for a little more budget later on in Sanur. I find the morning walks along the beach before the foot and bicycle traffic increase is great. Lots of great places to eat and absorb the atmosphere. It's doesn't have the night time feel like Kuta Beach, but is only a cab fare away. I would suggest going to Ubud for the day, or if possible go for 4 or 5 days. Go to the Ubud Monkey Forest and visit all the shops and markets. A driver can take you for about 200,000 rup. from Sanur. They will stop for you to take pictures and shop. My driver took me to a few places to stay while I traveled with him around Bali. He never dissappointed me and I stayed in places just perfect in my eyes. Whenever I needed his services, I would e-mail him with the details. Generally he could drive to my location, pick me up, and head to the next location. If you want to tour the island for the entire day, it's about 450,000 rupiah plus tips. I figure he made money on the places he took me, but I didn't care. The locals have to make a living and I would have never found the places/hotels he directed me towards. I've been told Amed is good for snorkling. I plan heading there this year. Nusa Lembogan is an island hop from Sanur. I walked to a place along the beach on the north end of Sanur and caught boat transport to the island. My mistake last year was I only went for the day trip. I would suggest staying the night there also. Catch the boats early in the am to Lembogan, the sea gets rough later in the day. I would read the various topics on the forum and based your travels. Bring a good rain coat/jacket. Myself being from the Canadian Prairies has some temperature/humidity values to get use too. I truly believe the locals were laughing at me each morning as too how high I had the A/C cranked in my hotel room. Rain would arrive for about 45 minutes every other day. Other than the traffic, I loved everything about Bali and figure you won't be dissappointed. If in Sanur after Jan 16, I'll be the pale canuck sitting by the bar along the beach in Sanur called Bonsai. Getting use to the taste of Bintang beer. Hope you enjoy your holiday.