we booked both our holidays in a viennese "last minute" office. for the flight, transfer and 2 week accomodation (hotel with breakfast and pool) we had to pay almost 1.000 USD. unfortunately the exchange rate wasn´t as good as last year, during our this year´s stay the dollar dropped below the course of the euro in indonesia. also the prices rised, for example airport tax was twice as high as last year.

if you like to stay in kuta/legian, i can really recommend two hotels - the "Champlung Mas" because it´s got a great pool and it situated quite next to all the bars and discos. the "Niksoma" is great because next to beach (no heavy traffic at this point), but a little more secluded. but this hasn´t to be final for a long time because the balinese expand business and build, build, build.... (this year we already spooted 3 or 4 mc donald branches, but please - try indonesian food!).

the cheapest hotel i know in kuta/legian is the "Rosani".

just type in "bali rosani" or "bali niksoma" in google....

if i were you i would look at the search engines for accomodations and then check back to my detailed maps http://www.wurli.com/wurli/bali/BaliMaps.htm to see if it´s too far away from the beach. most of the hotels got email (btw., there´s a lot of internet cafes around in bali)

kuta and legian are two towns grown together. from one center to the other it´s a 15 minutes walk, the whole length of the beach is crowded with surfers (most of them are aussies, naturally).

if you prefer a more quiet place stay at one of the north or east beaches.

some hints:

everybody speaks english in bali. a little, at least.

if you ask for the right direction and they don´t know, they show you the wrong way. so you never can be sure...

in our four weeks stay nothing was stolen, we weren´t robbed and i didn´hear anything about somebody being robbed or harmed. that doesn´t mean a lot, but i felt safe, especially outside the cities - the people there are really great and incredible pleasant.

don´t be shocked about the traffic - everybody drives everywhere, the streets are small and the sidewalks are even smaller!

take only big bills with you - also in banks they have different rates and you get more for a fifty-mark bill than for a ten-mark (yes, it´s true!). but don´t let the "big money" hang out on the street or in the shops. i think it´s impolite to show the people there we spend more money during holidays than they earn in 2 years...

most of balinese people are poor, very poor. everybody want´s to sell everyhere something. if you don´t want to buy, don´t look the people in the eyes, say "no thanks" in a firm, but polite intonation. otherwise (especially at the beach) they stay, talk, talk more, then all their friends around start talking and negotiating and finally you´re lost - and buy. ;) same goes for massage (at the beach), hairstiling, tattoos, nail-painting and watches, watches, watches. they keep pestering you every day! if you tell some of the dealers when you will leave (yes, they will ask you) they come back a few days before that day. promise to buy one ore two weeks after you leave, sometimes a little white lie eases live a lot.

if you want to buy something, haggle. they expect it (except in restaurants, supermarkets, bars and shops where they sell original brands like in surfshops). in all those small shops and on the beach - haggle. offer a third of the price they offer, then raise your offer a little bit. you can get a fake gucci for 5 dollars, but also for 10 - decide. if they don´t sell at your price, go away or tell them to come back tomorrow. then you will see... it´s like playing poker. if they smile after a deal, you paid too much. if they seem to be angry and moan around, you drove them to their limit, but it´s ok - and they will haggle again next time.

K-markets are all around, they sell food, cigarettes, water, drinks etc. at good prices. and they are clean.

bring your sun protection with you ---> cheaper.

if you like Ralph Lauren, Gucci and all those surfer brands, that´s the right place for you (no problem with credit cards in big shops). there´s a lot of fakes sold at the smaller marketplaces and small shops, but you will notice soon.

we had dishes everywhere, even at some places far away from "civilisation". no problem. but sometimes - or most of the times - dishes are hot. very hot. i love it!

water closets are nearly western standard

ice cream might be a problem due to the water it was produced with, same goes for ice cubes

if you buy a bottle of water, control if the sealing is ok

development of photos works fast and is very cheap, but colors and quality may vary

take care for all the special trips to sightseeing places they offer. the first offers are always way too expensive. stay some days and try to make "friends". every employee at the hotel knows somebody and it´s more interesting to spend a day with a private driver at special places than beeing taken around like a flock of sheeps.

print a rate-conversion-cheat sheet at www.oanda.com and put it in your purse

don´t think of renting a bike. it´s madness. renting a car is even a higher level of madness because of the left-hand-side-driving. forget about it. if you really want to break your neck it needs a fair bit of nerve and an international drivers license

if you visit a temple, wear a sarong. buy it there... ;)

some people offer you a coconut or a drink or even making a photo of them while climbing a coconut tree. after that they want money. tell them to get lost.

drugs are sold on the street. i can´t tell if it´s real good stuff, but penalties are high and i wouldn´t risk it.

first business in the morning and last business in the evening is "for good luck". you will get the cheapest prices when they open or close a shop.

sunrise is at 6 and sunset is at 6. at half past 6 it´s dark. so hurry up with sunset photographs.

must-have-seens are:

rive terraces at Jatiluwih (north-west in front of mt. Batukaru) temple at Tanah Lot (go there with a taxi, 2 hours before sunset - if you stay in kuta) temple at Uluwatu (south peninsula) make a sailing trip to Nusa Lembongan (don´t go by motorboat) watch a "Ketchak Dance" (ore other ceremonial dances) if possible, visit a funeral ceremony (when i did so i knew, for the first time, that i´m really far away from home)

forget about the silversmiths, wood carvers and ubud, not so interesting. times when you could get real art at a cheap price are gone.

the most beautiful parts of Bali are where no tourists go. unfortunately, those spots became rare. but it´s still fascinating.

i wish u good luck and a nice trip - it surely will be unforgettable anyway!

wurli

Bali Online - e-travel

Australische Kuta-Legian-hotel-page

Bali - The Pages

Webcam at Poppies Restaurant