Thursday, October 11, 2007

NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

Bali After Dark Bali after Dark
Up-to-date information on Bali's after dark activities for all sexes and the most popular pubs, bars, discotheques, and night clubs in Sanur, Nusa Dua, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak.

No Drugs Drugs: Don't even think about it!
The use (or just ownership) of narcotic drugs is illegal in Indonesia and punishable by death. Drugs offered on the street are of questionable content and often mixed with toxic substances. Many street vendors cooperate also with the police. If you buy you will be arrested soon afterwards, and you will be released only after paying US$60,000 or more – if at all!



Websites
Balivillas.com: Private Vacation Villas in Bali
Choose from the most beautiful villas with 2 to 7 bedrooms, tropical garden with pool and trained house staff. Car with driver included.

Bali Hotel Bargain Finder
The GUARANTEED lowest rates for Bali's famous luxury resorts and budget hotels. Book on-line to save up to 70%.

Baliguide.com: Continuously Updated Insider's Guide
Up-to-date and down-to-earth information on what to see and do, food & restaurants, nightlife, currencies, weather, and everything else you need to know.

Getting Married in Paradise
How to get married in Bali, all arrangements you need, and the most romantic settings.

Baliproperties.com: Foreign Property Ownership in Indonesia
Owning a dream villa in Bali – either to enjoy as a vacation home, for future retirement, or as an investment with guaranteed returns.

Balicruises.com:
Scheduled cruises and yacht charters to see fierce dragons from the Jurassic age on Komodo island and visit ancient tribes and cultures in Indonesia.

Travel Reservations over the Internet
A step-by-step guide to avoid disappointment – applicable to travel bookings anywhere in the world.
Tell a Friend

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN BALI

Map of Bali Detailed Map of Bali
The most up-to-date map of the Island of Bali on the Internet – regularly updated, and "stolen" by many other web sites.

What To Do What to See & Do in Bali
The most important tours and excursions by car, boat, helicopter and seaplane; Balinese dance performances; Wayang Kulit & traditional drama; museums & exhibitions; sports & many other leisure activities, as well as shopping.

Balinese Wedding Getting Married in Bali
The local specialist for Bali wedding arrangements including religious and legal ceremonies, rental of bridal dresses, hair styling, make-up, photography, party arrangements, etc.

Bali Cruises Cruises & Yacht Charters from Bali
Charter a state-of-the-art game fishing vessel, a stylish sailing ketch, or a traditional Buginese schooner with 3 to 18 cabins and expert crew to explore the Indonesian Spice Islands at your own pace.



Art & Museums Boat Tours Diving & Water Sports Other Activities
Balivillas.com: Private Vacation Villas in Bali
Choose from the most beautiful villas with 2 to 7 bedrooms, tropical garden with pool and trained house staff. Car with driver included.
Bali Hotel Bargain Finder
The GUARANTEED lowest rates for Bali's famous luxury resorts and budget hotels. Book on-line to save up to 70%.

Baliguide.com: Continuously Updated Insider's Guide
Up-to-date and down-to-earth information on what to see and do, food & restaurants, nightlife, currencies, weather, and everything else you need to know.

Baliproperties.com: Foreign Property Ownership in Indonesia
Owning a dream villa in Bali – either to enjoy as a vacation home, for future retirement, or as an investment with guaranteed returns.

Balicruises.com:
Scheduled cruises and yacht charters to see fierce dragons from the Jurassic age on Komodo island and visit ancient tribes and cultures in Indonesia.

Travel Reservations over the Internet
A step-by-step guide to avoid disappointment – applicable to travel bookings anywhere in the world.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Bali Beach House



"Bali Beach House"
is a unique three bedroom, three bath, single family residence just completed on the beautiful Northeast coast of Bali near the small village of Amed. The property is right on the beach in an area renowned for it's world class diving and snorkeling. The property has a swimming pool and extensive gardens. Services provided by the staff include room service, meals, babysitting, and transportation as requested.
Over two years in the construction process, it is a blend of traditional Balinese and Western architecture. It was done in a partnership of American and Balinese families and local labor, and is now available to rent. Please come and enjoy the hospitality of Nengah and Putu, who live on the property in a separate house with their daughter Nia, and who will make your stay a beautiful experience.For further information please contact us at our email address.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Hotel Bargain Finder


Most of Bali's hotels are located in the following areas:

Nusa Dua & Tanjung Benoa:
Bali's southern peninsula is where you find today most of the island's international 4- and 5-star hotels, surrounded by a manicured garden environment. Sandy beach, no high waves, all kinds of water sports, 18-hole golf course. About 12 km/7.5 miles from the airport.
Recommended:
Grand Hyatt *****, Bali Hilton *****, Grand Mirage Resort *****, Putri Bali *****, Novotel Benoa Bali ****, Bali Clarion Suites ****

Jimbaran Beach:
Bali's best beach. Excellent for swimming, wind surfing, sailing, and watching Bali's famous sunsets. Only a few up-market hotels and an increasing number of unpretentious seafood restaurants right on the water front. Located just a few miles south of the airport.
Recommended:
Four Seasons Resort *****, The Ritz Carlton (Villas) ***** (a few miles up the hill), Inter-Continental Resort *****, Pansea Puri Bali ****, Keraton Bali ***

Tuban, Kuta
An increasingly busy area with many hotels right on or near the beach and numerous restaurants of all categories, located between the center of Kuta and Bali's international airport. Off-white beach with sometimes high waves.
Recommended:
Kartika Plaza *****, Patra Jasa Bali *****, Bintang Bali *****, Bali Dynasty Resort ****, Holiday Inn Bali Hai ****, Santika Beach Hotel ****, Kuta Elite Paradiso ****, Bali Rani Hotel ***

Kuta Beach & Legian
Bali's most crowded beach (many vendors and massage ladies, high waves, strong currents) lined by numerous hotels, mostly in the 2- to 4-star categories. In early 2000 the beach road from the Hard Rock Resort to the Bali Intan Hotel has been extended to the "DOUBLE SIX" disco, and many hotels such as the Legian Beach, Bali Mandira, Bali Padma, Jayakarta Hotel and others have lost their direct beach access and a large part of their garden.
Kuta and Legian are the centers of Bali's night life with a great choice of restaurants, pubs, discos, many hawkers selling cheap watches, sun glasses, etc., and all kinds of shops offering casual wear and beach fashions, antiques, handicrafts and souvenirs.
Recommended:
Bali Padma Hotel ****, Hotel Jayakarta ***, Hotel Sahid Bali ***, Istana Rama ***, Natour Kuta Beach ***, Legian Paradiso ***

Seminyak to Batubelig and Tanah Lot
Until recently this used to be a mostly residential area, stretching a few miles north from Kuta and Legian. Off-white, sandy beach with powerful waves and some strong currents. The number of hotels, restaurants, pubs, and shops selling casual wear as well as furniture, antiques, decorative items and handicrafts is increasing fast.
Recommended:
Bali Imperial *****, The Oberoi *****, Intan Beach Village ****, Balisani Suites ***

Sanur Beach
This is where you'd find 20 years ago all of Bali's international standard hotels although the beach was never outstanding and continues to deteriorate. Today Sanur is rather quiet compared to Kuta and Nusa Dua but still popular with old-time visitors and many foreign residents.
Recommended:
Bali Hyatt *****, Grand Bali Beach *****, Hotel Sanur Aerowisata *****, Radisson Bali Hotel ****, Sindhu Beach Hotel ***, Santrian Beach Resort **

The Ubud Area
Ubud is to Bali what Yogyakarta is to Java -- culturally speaking.
This is where most accomplished painters, dancers, musicians, carvers and weavers live. Because of its location at the base of the mountains (about 19 miles or 30 kilometers north of Denpasar) temperatures are slightly lower than in the lowlands, and year-round rain showers help to grow lush tropical vegetation. The town itself has grown rapidly during the past decade, and today the main roads are lined with art galleries, shops, many restaurants and cafes.
Recommended:
Four Seasons, Puri Kamadalu, Pita Maha, The Chedi, Villa Bukit Ubud

Candidasa & East Bali
Candidasa, a tourist center in the South-East, are popular with those visitors wanting to get away from it all. Its offer a number of hotels and restaurants. Beaches around Candidasa, however, leave a lot to be desired, the black sand covering the beaches in the North of Bali. Tulamben on Bali's East coast is one of the best diving spots with the wreck of an US ship as main attraction.
Recommended:
Alila Manggis ****, Mimpi Resort Tulamben ***, Mimpi Resort Tulamben ***

Lovina & North Bali
Tourists looking for a quiet beach resort can head for Lovina. The long stretch of beach is safe and a perfect place for swimming and snorkeling. Lovina also offers dolphin viewing. It is the perfect base to explore northern Bali.
Recommended:
Jepun Bali Resort ****, Mimpi Resort Menjangan *****, Puri Bagus Lovina ****, Sol Inn Lovina ***

Nusa Lembongan
The waters around Lembongan are crystal clear, the sand is white and the shallow coves are brimming with colorful coral and sea life, making it an ideal location for snorkeling. For those looking for white sandy beaches and a laid-back atmosphere, Nusa Lembongan is paradise.
Recommended:
Coconut Beach Resort

Lombok Island - Senggigi
Senggigi is the most developed area for tourists on Lombok. You can find a variety of restaurants, bars, discotheques, travel agents, photo processors, money changers, souvenir shop and a range of accommodations starting from budget losmens to 5 star hotels. The town of Senggigi spreads out along nearly 10 kilometers of coastal road. This road continues north to Bangsal, the port for the Gili Islands. Along the way be in store for winding turns, steep hills, and a fantastic scenery of the coast. Restaurants and small cafes line the colorful main beach road. Swimming off the beach is safe. Most visitors to Lombok usually start their stay at Senggigi, Lombok's oldest and most famous resort area.
Recommended:
Qunci Villas

Select and Reserve Villa

HOW TO SELECT AND RESERVE THE BEST VILLA FOR YOUR BALI HOLIDAY

In spite – or perhaps because of – the continuously increasing number of choices on the Internet, selecting and subsequently contracting the right villa for your Bali holiday is getting more difficult every day. Remember, this is YOUR vacation, and you cannot be too careful. The joy of saving a few dollars is nothing compared to memories of a spoiled vacation.

Some web sites advertise deceptively low rental rates to attract potential clients and then try to sell them something else afterwards. Some promise services they don't deliver or advertise villas which don't even exist. Others tell outright lies on their web pages. For instance:

"Villa rental is who we are, It's what we do, It's all we do." Right next to this claim is a box highlighting "Valuable Links" to a hotel site, a wedding site, and more hotel sites for Lombok and Singapore. All owned by the same company.

On the same page this company says: "(We are) a Bali based company. We live here, we know the people, ". When you check the background, the owner of the web site is a company in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. So be careful.

Here are some hints on how to protect yourself from false claims and/or unreliable companies so you can avoid possible disaster:

* Always book through a reputable villa rental specialist or travel agent. If you deal directly with villa owners, they will always try to convince you their own villa is the best choice. They are hardly objective, of course, and their ideas regarding "quality" often don't meet international standards.
On the other hand, every established villa rental specialist (good travel agents will not deal with any other) will know most of the available villas in his/her area and will only recommend those which really meet your individual requirements and expectations.

* If you book directly with a villa rental company, always check how long the business has been established, and whether they accept all the major credit cards. If the company has been doing business for many years and works with all major credit card companies, you can be sure there have been no serious customer complaints. No credit card issuer would continue to do business with a company if card holders have repeatedly requested refunds because of problems they have experienced.

* If you consider booking on the Internet, search the web site for detailed information on the company. Look for the place and date of incorporation, paid up capital, office address and telephone/fax numbers, names of the management and key staff, and the company history. You should find this on a "About Us" or "Corporate Page". For instance, see Balivillas.com/Bali.com Ltd Corporate Page.

* Check whether the company and the owner of the domain you are visiting are identical. You can do this by going to the WHOIS database and key in the domain name (e.g. xcompany.com).

* Check the company's Privacy Policy and whether it has been approved by TRUSTe. You can read the Privacy Statement by clicking the "Privacy" link on the company's web site. To verify the validity of the license click the TRUSTe icon on that page. If you cannot find any Privacy Statement with the TRUSTe icon it means no TRUSTe Approval Certificate has been obtained and the company does not take the privacy of its clients and/or web site visitors seriously.




* Check the Site Security Certificate. You do this by clicking the VeriSign icon on the web site which will show you the validity of the Certificate. If you cannot find any VeriSign icon this probably means no security arrangements have been made. In this case be VERY careful submitting any personal data or other confidential information.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Private Vacation Villas in Bali

From the moment you arrive in Bali, you'll enjoy the friendly welcome of your private driver, the Balinese house staff, and the comfort and informality of staying in your own villa in Bali. You can relax and totally unwind together with your family in spacious, comfortably furnished living and dining areas. And you'll enjoy the tropical garden and the privacy around your swimming pool (very important for many Asian ladies).

This will be a vacation totally different from staying at impersonal and over-priced "luxury hotels & resorts" – it's an experience you'll never forget!


Enjoy Being Totally Spoilt!

Around the clock you'll be looked after by well-trained Balinese maids, house boys and an excellent private cook to prepare delicious Balinese and international dishes or any special diet, and you pay just for the ingredients required for your meals and wholesale prices for imported wines or spirits. In our top villas you'll even enjoy the service of a Personal Butler to help you with everything you require.

If you feel like having a Balinese or Swedish massage, a Hot Leaf or Reflexology treatment, a Mandi Lulur (flower bath), a body scrub, a facial or a manicure/pedicure – just tell your staff and all spa & beauty treatments will be arranged in your villa free of charge or at nominal cost.

A private Balinese dance performance at your villa, tennis lessons, music, painting, pottery, yoga, meditation and/or cooking classes, attending "Bali Wine Club" or "Bali Champagne Club" lunches and/or "Chaine des Rotisseurs" events, and arranging any kind of excursions and activities — just ask your butler to organize it.

During your whole stay you'll have exclusive use of your own air-conditioned car with a reliable driver who knows Bali well. Let him drive you around the island or send him out for any errands. Your children will be in paradise, too. All Balinese adore kids, and there will be plenty for them to see and do in Bali.

Experience the Difference!

All this will be yours when you rent a private villa through Balivillas.com instead of staying at one of Bali's boutique hotels or resorts. Your vacation will be totally relaxed, and your villa staff will make you feel like royalty. You simply can't compare this experience to staying at the most luxurious resorts and boutique hotels or at other villas in Bali.


Balivillas.com is the ONLY company on this island actually operating its villas – all other "villas" are offered by "agents" promoting often cheap accommodation and without any responsibility for the product and service provided.

Balivillas.com – on the other hand – employs over 170 full-time, well-trained butlers, chefs, spa therapists, maids, house boys, gardeners, security staff etc. to guarantee you always receive the service you expect.

When you compare the cost of renting a private villa through Balivillas.com with the total cost of staying at a hotel or resort, the "luxury" of renting a beautiful villa in Bali will be even cheaper.

This is because your full-time villa staff, preparation of all your meals, personal laundry, your private swimming pool, your private car, gasoline and driver, many spa & beauty treatments, tax & service charges, and all other services provided by Balivillas.com are already included in our rates!

For details on the whole range of our services and Balivillas.com/Bali.com Ltd's client protection, please visit our Corporate Page.

THE RIGHT VILLA FOR EVERY TASTE

Many foreign visitors to Bali have built their own dream villas here which they use only for a few weeks a year. Since 1992, visitors from all parts of the world have rented the most beautiful of these privately owned villas through Balivillas.com. Please read the comments of recent guests (with full name and address).

Included in all villa rates are trained full-time cooks, maids, houseboys, gardeners and security staff, spa & beauty treatments free or at nominal cost, and an air-conditioned car with a reliable driver during your whole stay in Bali.
* CHOOSE FROM BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE VILLAS
These range from romantic "hideaways" for two to truly spectacular estates accommodating 24 and more guests and are located in various parts of Bali.
You will enjoy luxurious accommodation, delicious food and personalized 5-star service – and save often hundreds of US dollars every day.

* LATE AVAILABILITIES & LAST MINUTE SAVINGS new
Although the better villas in Bali are usually booked well in advance, there are always some cancellations and Late Availabilities.
Some villa owners offer also saving of up to 20% for Last Minute bookings. Check them out if you are in a position to take advantage of these opportunities!

Bali Tourism Board


Welcome to the official website of the Bali Tourism Board, the voice of Bali's tourism industry! As one of the prime tourist destinations of the world, the extraordinarily unique island of Bali virtually ensures a great holiday for backpackers and VIPs alike! From hostels to award-winning world-class resorts, Bali has it all !. Come and experience Bali's one-of-a-kind culture and the natural hospitality of her people. Bali -- there's no other!