Things to do in Bali
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Ubud Sari Health Resort
A spa and hotel in one. It is a serious place with extensive organic treatments bearing such names as 'total tissue cleansing'. Besides a long list of daytime spa and salon services, there are packages that include stays at the hotel.
reviewed
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Bali Lembongan Island Beach Club Day Trip
8 hours (Departs Bali, Indonesia)
by Viator
Experience the unspoilt charms of the peaceful tropical island of Lembongan. Transfer in comfort to Lembongan Island aboard the luxury catamaran 'Bali Hai II'…Not LP reviewed
from USD$98.00 -
Museum Rudana
This large, imposing museum is run by local politician and art-lover Nyoman Rudana. The three floors contain interesting traditional paintings, including a calendar dated to the 1840s, some Lempad drawings, and more modern pieces. The museum is beside the Rudana Gallery, which has a large selection of paintings for sale.
reviewed
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Cendana Resort & Spa
Cendana Resort & Spa has a nice set up, including an open-air Jacuzzi. The couples' massage room is particularly pleasant. One-day use of the hotel's pool, sauna and steam room is available for US$5. You can have a bath of mud or milk with your massage or try one Hawaiian-style, which involves lots of aromatic oils.
reviewed
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Naughty Nuri's
This legendary expat hang-out is more sizzle than steak. Hugely popular with martini-drinkers of a certain age who wolf down chewy grilled steaks, ribs and burgers. Thursday-night grilled-tuna specials are something of a mob scene of long-lost cronies. Come for the camaraderie and ignore the lapses in the kitchen (which is mostly a barbecue out front).
reviewed
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Pelangi Weaving
The village of Sidemen has a spectacular location and is a centre for culture and arts, particularly endek cloth and songket. Pelangi Weaving has a couple of dozen employees busily creating downstairs, while upstairs you can relax with the Sidemen views from comfy chairs outside the showroom.
reviewed
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Devilicious
Jl Goutama is a delightful street for a stroll and this cafe is one of the reasons why. Cajun, grilled steaks, pasta and good Indonesian headline at this tasty and attractive cafe. Be sure to ask for your food 'spicy'.
reviewed
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Ayam Goreng Kalasan
The name here says it all. Fried chicken (Ayam Goreng) named after a Javanese temple (Kalasan) in a region renowned for its fiery, crispy chicken. The version here falls off the bone on the way to the table; the meat bursts with lemongrass scent from a long marinade prior to the plunge into boiling oil. There are several other excellent little warung in this strip.
reviewed
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Bali Hai Cruises
A number of cruise boats offer day trips to Nusa Lembongan from Benoa Harbour in South Bali. Trips include hotel transfer from South Bali, basic water sports, snorkelling, banana-boat rides, island tours and a buffet lunch. This also has an unsightly offshore pontoon for snorkelling and water play.
reviewed
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Ozone Café
This popular travellers' gathering spot has more character than every other place in east Bali combined. Slogans cover the walls, including this example from a wall of dating advice: 'Men are like chocolate, first they are sweet but then they make stomach fat.' Ozone has pizza and live music, sometimes by patrons.
reviewed
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Bali Monkey Forest, Mengwi Temple and Tanah Lot Afternoon Tour
5 hours 30 minutes (Departs Bali, Indonesia)
by Viator
Stroll through traditional Balinese countryside then relax with refreshments. On to the Royal Temple of Mengwi - Pura Taman Ayun - complete with moat, shrines…Not LP reviewed
from USD$49.00 -
Hard Rock Cafe
A merchandising outlet disguised as a nightclub, the sprawling Hard Rock fronts the beach and is a magnet for local yuppies. It gets going after 23:00, when a (usually) slick band plays classic rock covers. It's also a venue for occasional overseas artists such as Deviate from the Philippines.
reviewed
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Fuel
This is one of the few places in Kuta in which Seminyak residents will deign to be seen. It's hip and urban, with warm red-and-black decor, white trim and art installations. It has DJs every night and a chill-out lounge upstairs with a terrace overlooking the street. Fuel picks up around 22:00.
reviewed
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Made's Warung
Creaking woodwork and slow motion fans bring a flicker of colonial-era class to the distinctly Balinese decor at this popular little haunt. The menu bridges the gulf between East and West, offering everything from nasi goreng and Balinese fish curries to slap-up breakfasts and tequila shooters.
reviewed
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Deli Cat
A character-filled place, Deli Cat is like a little tropical bodega. Wine - some delightfully cheap - is sold along with snacks, cheese and meaty mains. Try the little grilled sausages outside at the tables right on the football field. Many people end their Ubud evenings with a nightcap here.
reviewed
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Café Spice
Part of Spice Dive, this delightful beachside place is right at the western end of the beach path. The walls are covered in artwork and the menu is interesting and good. Besides the dive vibe you can sometimes hear the squeals of local kids learning English at the shop's free school upstairs.
reviewed
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Nasa Café
Inside the shady bamboo bar built on stilts above the sand, a vibrant azure ribbon of crashing surf is the wraparound view through the drooping thatched roof. Simple Indo meals (30,000Rp) set the tone for the bare-bones rooms off the bar, which are little more than a mattress on the floor. It's one of about a dozen similar choices.
reviewed
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Adi’s Studio
‘Look at this!’ cry the signs around town plugging this interesting gallery, and you should. Many of the better local artists display their works here, including Wayan Pasti, whose carvings give new meaning to ‘pork’. It hosts occasional special events like live music.
reviewed
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Air Terjun Gitgit
Around about 11km south of Singaraja, a well-signposted path goes 800m west from the main road to the touristy waterfall, Air Terjun Gitgit. The path is lined with souvenir stalls and guides to nowhere. The 40m waterfalls pound away and the mists are more refreshing than any air-con.
reviewed
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Café des Artistes
In a quiet perch up off Jl Raya Ubud, the popular Café des Artistes serves elaborate Belgian-accented food, superb steaks and daily specials. Local art is on display and the bar is refreshingly cultured. Enjoy the enveloping wicker seating inside or in front in a small garden. Book.
reviewed
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Batavia 1885
It's not a shop it's an adventure. Who knows what you'll find in this musty, dusty lit by just a couple lights. Urns, bowls, forlorn puppets, statues and a lot more. You'll be asking 'is this a Ming original of a Balinese knock-off. Look for the plates embedded in the wall outside.
reviewed
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Stone Pillar
The pillar, down a narrow lane to the left as you face Pura Belangjong, is Bali's oldest dated artefact and has ancient inscriptions recounting military victories of more than a thousand years ago. These inscriptions are in Sanskrit and are evidence of Hindu influence 300 years before the arrival of the Majapahit court.
reviewed
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Three Monkeys
Mellow music and artworks set a cultured mood. The tables overlooking the rice field out back make it magical and the place for romance. By day there are sandwiches, salads and gelato. At night there's a fusion menu of Asian classics, including addictive Vietnamese summer prawn rolls.
reviewed
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Pasar Badung
A must-see destination: shoppers browse and bargain from 5am to night. It's a retail adventure and you'll find produce and food from all over the island as well as easy-to-assemble temple offerings that are popular with working women. Deals include a half-kilo of saffron for 250,000Rp. Ignore guides who may offer their services. This is one of the better places to see Bali's myriad types of fruit.
reviewed
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Indonesia Australia Language Foundation
The best place for courses in Bahasa Indonesia is the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation, which has a language lab, library, and well-run four-week 40-hour course (two hours per day Monday to Friday). Courses are available in six levels, from beginner to advanced.
reviewed