Breaking the budget in Bali

I’m back from a week of unbridled hedonism on the Indonesian Island of Bali. Love it or loathe it – Bali has become a sort of rite of passage for Australians young and old. Having never been – and looking for a short break not-too-far-from-home I decided it was finally the time to check it off the list.  It’s definitely not the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, nor the most budget-friendly, but it’s worth checking out all the same.

We only had four full days – but in that time we managed to squeeze in three days in Seminyak, and an overnight trip to Gili T.

First things first we scored pretty cheap flights with Jetstar from Sydney to Denpasar which very uncharacteristically matched up with our desired dates.  In the end we paid about $620 return each, including luggage.  It’s only a budget carrier – but for the six-odd hour flight it wasn’t too bad.

We got to the airport a couple of hours before our 1720 flight and before we knew it we were in the air. Fast-forward six-and-a-half hours and we were touching down in the brand-spanking new Ngurah Rai Airport.

You have to buy a visa on arrival which is about $25USD.  You can pay in any number of currencies – or even on your credit card.  When I was researching the trip I read a lot about VIP Visa/immigration services – which claimed to help you fast track your arrival process. We didn’t really have to wait at all and so I probably wouldn’t bother.

We’d heard that it can be a total shitstorm when it comes to getting a taxi to town from Denpasar and so we opted for a transfer which we organised through the hotel. By the time we made it through customs our driver was waiting there and we marched right past the crowds to our waiting limo. Best 45 bucks we ever spent.

An hour later we were checked into our hotel – the Anantara in Seminyak – freshened up, and heading out to check out the town.

One drink lead to another and before we knew it we were in the bath on our hotel balcony ordering room service at 5am (get the fries, stay clear of the Margarita Pizza).

Saturday we woke up relatively early and after a quick breakfast, made a B-line for the pool.

After a few hours and probably against better judgement – we decided to have a massage – which turned out to be everything you’ve come to expect from an Asian massage parlor and a little bit more. We found a place just around the corner from the hotel and for about $40 you can get all sorts of options (and extras, apparently).

After a snack and a few more hours at the hotel pool, we decided to get scrubbed up and head over to Ku De Ta to watch the sunset.

We decided to head out to the bars again – but it was still pretty quiet – so we found another Spa and killed an hour with a pedicure and foot massage.

A few more drinks after dinner ended a fairly low key night.

We managed a good six hours sleep before our crack-o-dawn wake up call ahead of our transfers to Gili T on Sunday.

We only had about 24 hours on the island – but we managed to pack plenty in.

We stayed at La Cocoteraie Ecolodge which came highly recommended by a couple of friends.

On Day Three we had another early start to squeeze in a few more hours on the water before heading to the boat for our transfers back to Bali.

We got back around 1530 and checked into the W Hotel and Spa for our last night in Indonesia.

We didn’t get much further than the hotel bar that evening – with one drink leading to another with a steady side of vodka-infused shisha (!).

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant with friends before heading back to the bars for one last hurrah.

Tuesday we were up early again for a long, relaxing day of sun-baking, swimming and chilling by the pool.

We scored a late check out and decided to head next door to check out the Potato Head Beach Club for a few more drinks.

We watched the sun sink low beneath the horizon before returning to the W to collect our bags and head back to the airport.

It was about now that we realised we’d received an email informing us that our flight had been cancelled.

Wild weather had been battering Sydney – causing dozens of flights to be cancelled or delayed, but ironically, it was an operational issue that saw our flight grounded.

Anal was straight on the phone to Jetstar and after a few strong words and bit of wrangling, managed to get us on a plane fairly close to our original flight.

The trade-off was that we had to fly via Melbourne.

We were running low on Indonesian Rupiah and so we organised a transfer through the hotel (so that we could pay with our credit card). It cost about another $40 but it was worth not having to stuff around.

We were straight through the airport with no questions asked. Strangely all the display screens were still showing the flight to Sydney. Everyone was lining up only to be told on arrival at the check-in desk that their flight was cancelled and they’d probably have to stay in Bali another night.

When we got to the exit visa desk and they let us walk straight even though they made everyone else pay. I think we must have purchased entry and exit visas on arrival – but who can know?

More drama there saw us delayed even further once we arrived in Melbourne – but around five hours after our original scheduled landing time – we staggered off the plane in Sydney – home free.