Guest Blogger... Chris reports on Bali

Today we welcome Chris, a guest blogger.  Here is his report...

Tourism in Bali

Having been granted with 2010 Best Island Award from Travel and Leisure, Bali has a lot in store for tourists of different nationalities.  Tourism in Bali has experienced severe blows from the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005 but has slowly recovered until it got its present status.

Bali for Beach Goers

Because of its unique geographical location, Bali has a tropical climate perfect for beach goers. If you want to get sun kissed, you might want to visit Hotel Four Seasons Resort, Bali. Here you will experience tropical paradise – offering you the best of what Bali can give.  From the coastal paradise of Jimbaran Bay to highland experience of Sayan, time here will be surely well spent.

Bali for Night People

For those who don’t enjoy the sun that much, Bali has also a lot to offer during night time. Nightlife here starts way too late. You might enjoy the beach at night as Kuta Beach has Bars and Pubs of different atmospheres. Legian beach nightlife on the other hand offers the same as what Kuta Beach can give; it offers cozy lounges on different sound ambiances from scratching turn tables to live blues. You can get almost every gig a city tour on other countries can offer except for casino. Because gambling is illegal in Indonesia, you can only play casino online. They have strict rules to follow regarding gambling because of their devotion to Islam.

Overall Fun

To sum it all up, Bali is one complete travel package. From beach fun to night activities, as mentioned, time and money will be well spent on your stay here. So when you plan for your next trip, have Bali on your list.

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Ed~ The links and opinions in the guest blog do not necessarily reflect those of the host site.

Sanur Beach ~ A great place to stay in Bali ~ Photos

Sanur is certainly one of our favorite places to stay in Bali.  It’s close to our land so we can easily check on things in Ketewel, so we tend to spend a good amount of time in Sanur.  Despite it being one of the oldest places for expats to occupy, it has retained its charm and boasts one of the best beaches in southern Bali.  When the Dutch came to colonize Bali as far back as the late 1800’s, Sanur was their point of entry and where they called home.  Also during World War II, The Japanese used Sanur as their entry point. This being said, current day Sanur shows very few remnants of these past events and is a cozy small town with excellent restaurants, great little shops, a fun nightlife and plenty to do to keep you busy. It's a great alternative to loud and crowded Kuta and it's still close enough to the airport so its not a difficult journey.

The many Gazebos dotting Sanur Beach are great spots for a picnic But as mentioned above, the biggest draw might be the clean white sand beach. It's protected by a reef making the water calm for swimming and snorkeling at high tide. And at low tide the beach can be explored for marine life.  Although many areas like Amed and Menjangan Island are far superior for snorkeling and scuba, its still a nice way to pass the hours hanging out at the beach.  There is a lovely beachfront walk that covers the length of the town’s downtown area (over 4km) and has some little cafes, which are perfect for a beachside Bintang and there are many hotels that you can pop into for a nicer bite to eat.

Colorful catamarans line Bali's Sanur Beach

There is some surfing as well, but mainly the surfing done here is wind surfing.

Our two biggest suggestions for Sanur are The Village and The little Pond.  Little Pond is a small hotel with perhaps 15 rooms and a nice small pool.  It’s nothing fancy but the value is excellent as the rooms range from about $17-35 USD and they are clean and fairly well appointed.  If you are not looking for really cush accommodations and want to save a bit of money, this is a great place to stay.

 A great way to spend a day in Sanur

On the other hand, a bit more pricey suggestion is The Village restaurant.  While I much prefer traditional Indonesian food when I am in Bali, once in a while its worth it to try something else.  The Village is one of these places.  I lived in Italy and this modern eatery in Sanur is perhaps one of the top 10 Italian meals I have had outside of Italy.  The design of the restaurant is modern and stylish and the wine cellar is one of the best in the area.  The volcano pizza is one of the most bizarre looking entrees you can imagine but its really not quite as tasty as some of the other dishes.  It is certainly a head turner and a fun option but I would suggest the pasta dishes.

I do also want to mention Warung Pregina as it is also an excellent option as it serves delicious traditional Balinese food.  The crispy duck is fantastic and the value is hard to beat.

Sanur is a great place to spend a few days.  While it is heavily touristed and you will be annoyed by hawkers and the inexplicable practice of each and every taxi passing by honking at you, its still a nice place to stay and enjoy the beach and it’s turquoise waters, good food and minimal but fun nightlife.

Photo of the Day ~ Young Girl Helps Her Grandmother. Ubud, Bali ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Photo of the Day ~ Young Girl Helps Her Grandmother. Ubud, Bali ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Young Girl Grooms Grandma- Bali ToursA sweet your Balinese girl helps her grandmother near the central market in Ubud, Bali.  As seen from our Photographer's Tour of Bali and Indonesia.

Photo Copyright 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Our Adventure Photo Safaris ~ Are you a photographer or just love to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery, as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Do you have some great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels! Salamat Jalan!

Michael and Maryam ~

Ubud wins travelers' top choices for ideal place to visit

 The cultural and artistic heart of Bali, Ubud, has earned its place atop several recent award lists. Ubud was listed as one of Asia’s top spa destinations. Ubud was also chosen as one of the Top 25 Destinations in Asia in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2011. Ubud placed 17th in the list and outranked Seoul in South Korea, Varanasi in India, Hoi Nam in Vietnam, Taipei in Taiwan, Baguio in the Philippines, Lijiang in China, and Pattaya in Thailand.

 Ubud is the ideal place for famed Balinese massage, acupressure, reflexology, yoga, and aromatherapy to name a few.  The yoga community had grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years and rivals spots in the US and Europe.  The Yoga Barn is a great example of a quality yoga center and boasts a great community, cafe and learning center.

Kecak Dance, Ubud, Bali

Ubud is about 45 minutes to an hour northeast of Bali’s airport and close to the center of the island.  While it is not the postcard beach location that comes to mind for most people when they think of the paradise island of Bali but this speaks to the draw of the art, dance, culture and amazing food that is found in this growing group of small towns.  One can still find rice fields and the Bali of old around Ubud, it is reaching a critical mass as its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years.  It is still one of our favorite spots and we considered it our second home.  

In this year's TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, almost 700 places were recognized in the 9th year of the competition, and award categories included Best Romance, Best Luxury, and Best Bargain, and many more.

Other Indonesian winners of TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2011 included the Samaya Bali Villas at Seminyak for Travelers’ Top 25 Choice Hotels in the World for its Fantastic Service and Fantastic Villa. Additionally, the wonderful small island of Gili Trawangan in-between Bali and Lombok, came in 7th among Asia’s Top 10 Beaches.

Bali and Indonesia continue to win awards for their amazing beaches, spas, culture and much much more.  Contact Balifornian Yours today to see how we can help you get the very most out of your upcoming vacation to the island paradise.

Bali wins best island in Asia

Once again the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine voted the paradise island of Bali in Indonesia as Best Island in Asia and second Best in the World in the magazine’s Annual World’s Best Awards 2011 Readers Survey, as announced on July 7.  Bali is consistently on the top of these polls for its sweeping beauty, incomparable culture, incredible shopping, delicious food and its kind hearted people.

The Best Islands were rated according to natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people, and value.  All of which Bali excels in along with the strong spiritual elements, some of the world's best surfing, and much much more.

 The beautiful island of Bali beat out The Great Barrier Reef Islands in Australia, Cape Breton Island, Boracay, Philippines, , Sicily in Italy, and even the Big Island in Hawaii. After years of topping this survey and many others, Bali placed 4th in 2010's favorite island in the world but is now back on top.

A monkey ponders the huge moon over the great surf break and temple of Uluwatu

Bali boasts almost all of our world-class hotels and resorts are among global traveler’s favorites and overall, Asia has, again, proven itself to be the world’s favorite place to stay.

Balifornian Tours is the best way to see the most of the lushious island, avoid the crowds, get the best deals and have the vacation YOU want!  Contact us now for more! m@Balifornian.com