South Bali - Bali and Lombok

Travel Reference

In-Depth Information

COURSES

The best place for courses in Bahasa Indone-

sia is the Indonesia Australia Language Founda-

tion (IALF; Map p128;

Hotel Niki Rusdi (Map pp166-7 ;

Bhineka Jaya Café (Map pp166-7 ;

An impromptu dog market also operates

directly opposite the bird market. While you're

here, have a look at the elaborate Pura Sutriya

(Map pp166-7), just east of the market.

416397; Jl Pidada

224016; Jl Gajah

) This simple place is

located right behind the Ubung Bus Terminal

and is a good choice if you have an early or

late bus. Rooms are very clean. There are other

options nearby if this one is full.

9am-4pm) Home to Bali's

Coffee Co, this storefront sells locally grown

beans and makes a mean espresso, which you

can enjoy at the two tiny tables while watching

the bustle of Denpasar's old main drag.

Bali Bakery (Map pp166-7 ;

XIV; r 80,000-200,000Rp;

Mada 80; coffee 3000Rp;

225243; www.ialf.edu; Jl Raya

Sesetan 190) , which has a language lab, library,

and well-run four-week 40-hour course (two

hours per day Monday to Friday, costing

1,250,000Rp). Courses are available in six

levels, from beginner to advanced.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

The annual Bali Arts Festival (www.baliartsfestival

.com) , based at the Taman Wedhi Budaya arts

centre (p168) in Denpasar, lasts for about a

month starting in mid-June. It's a great time

to visit Bali, and the festival is an easy way to

see a wide variety of traditional dance, music

and crafts from the island. The productions

of the Ramayana and Mahabharata ballets are

grand, and the opening ceremony and parade

in Denpasar are particularly colourful.

The festival is the main event of the year for

scores of village dance and musical groups.

Competition is fierce with local pride on the

line at each performance. To do well here sets

a village on a good course for the year. Some

events are held in a 6000-seat amphitheatre, a

venue that allows you to realise the mass ap-

peal of traditional Balinese culture. Tickets

are usually available before performances and

schedules are available throughout South Bali,

Ubud and at the Denpasar tourist office.

SLEEPING

Denpasar has several hotels, but it's hard to

think of a compelling reason to stay here un-

less you want to be close to the bus stations

or have some other business here. At times

when many Indonesians travel (July, August,

around Christmas and Idul Fitri - November/

December), it may be wise to book a room.

Shopping Malls

Western-style shopping malls are very fash-

ionable and jammed on Sundays with locals

shopping and teens flirting. The brand-name

goods are genuine.

Most malls have a food court with stalls serv-

ing fresh Asian fare, as well as fast-food joints

(which have pleased more than one homesick

holidaying tourist tot). Some have video ar-

cades for kids and all offer plenty of parking.

Bali Mall (Map pp166-7; Jl Dipenegoro) Has the top-end

Ramayana Department Store and an A&W restaurant.

Libby Plaza (Map pp166-7; Jl Teuku Umar) Has a huge

Hero Supermarket.

Matahari (Map pp166-7; Jl Teuku Umar) Main branch of

the department store, with numerous other stores and a

Swenson's Ice Cream café.

Robinson's (Map pp166-7; Jl Teuku Umar or Jl Sudirman)

Arch-competitor of Matahari has large selection of

midrange and top-end goods.

Tiara Dewata Shopping Centre (Map pp166-7; Jl

Udayan) Low-rise place with a good food court and a

Dunkin' Donuts.

GET TING THERE & AWAY

Denpasar is the hub of road transport on Bali -

you'll find buses and minibuses bound for all

corners of the island.

243147; Jl Hayam Wuruk;

Midrange

Most midrange places cater to Indonesian

business travellers. There are no hotels in the

top-end category.

Hotel Taman Suci (Map pp166-7 ;

) Small branch of the

Kuta favourite. Great baked goods and small

café. Free wi-fi.

Wong Solo (Map pp166-7 ;

dishes 5000-30,000Rp;

231191; Jl Merdeka 18;

8000-20,000Rp) Part of small local chain; chicken

in myriad forms is the specialty here. Sit at an

open-air table and have it spicy and grilled or

try the ikan lele (grilled catfish).

Warung Bendega (Map pp166-7 ;

484445; www

.tamansuci.com; Jl Imam Bonjol 45; r from 225,000-275,000Rp;

) A good choice for business travellers,

this modern, multifloor 45-room hotel insu-

lates you from the hubbub outside from the

minute you enter its air-con lobby.

Inna Bali (Map pp166-7 ;

225112; Jl Cok Agung

Tresna 37A; dishes 7000-25,000Rp) Walled off from street

noise, this lovely and stylish open-air oasis hums

to the rhythm of Balinese pop music at dinner.

Creatively spiced seafood is the specialty.

Cianjur (Map pp166-7 ;

225681; www.innabali.com;

Jl Veteran 3; s from 375,000-415,000Rp;

) A govern-

ment-owned hotel, the Inna Bali has simple

gardens and retains a certain nostalgic charm

from its early days as a Dutch outpost built in

1927. Room interiors are standard, but many

make up for this with deeply shaded veran-

das. The hotel is a good base for the Ngrupuk

parades that take place the day before Nyepi

(see the boxed text, p338), as they pass right

by the front of the hotel.

EATING

You can eat very well in Denpasar. Most places

cater to locals and Indonesian visitors, so they

offer tasty authentic food at good prices. At

the Pasar Malam Kereneng (Kereneng Night

Market; Map pp166-7) dozens of vendors

dish up food till dawn. A number of places

along Jl Teuku Umar and in Renon cater to

more affluent locals while all the shopping

malls have food-court options.

Café Merdeka (Map pp166-7 ;

230015; Jl Cok Agung Tresna;

) Big, airy and cool, this

upmarket place has Balinese seafood in an

array of preparations (crispy, grilled, steamed

or wrapped in a banana leaf ). Hugely popular

with families and groups of bureaucrats.

SHOPPING

Local goods can be found in the markets and

at the large shopping malls south of the centre,

which are all the rage locally.

dishes 8000-25,000Rp;

Markets

The Pasar Badung (Map pp166-7) is busy in

the morning and evening, and is a great place

to browse and bargain. 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 in-

clude a half-kilo of saffron for 250,000Rp.

Ignore guides who may offer their services.

Across the river, Pasar Kumbasari (Map

pp166-7) has handicrafts, a plethora of vi-

brant fabrics and costumes decorated with

gold. It's a modern, multi-level building of

shops and stalls and you should just plunge at

random into the canyons of colour.

Kampung Arab (Map pp166-7 ) has jewellery

and precious metal stores. North on Jl Veteran,

Pasar Burung (Map pp166-7) is a bird market

with hundreds of caged birds and small ani-

Air

Sometimes called 'Denpasar' in airline sched-

ules, Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport is

south of Kuta. See p350 for details.

Bemo

The city has several bemo terminals - if you're

travelling independently around Bali you'll

often have to go via Denpasar, and transfer

from one terminal to another. The terminals

for transport around Bali are Ubung, Batu-

bulan and Tegal, while the Gunung Agung,

Kereneng and Sanglah terminals serve desti-

nations in and around Denpasar. Each termi-

nal has regular bemo connections to the other

terminals in Denpasar for 5000Rp.

Bemo and minibuses cover shorter routes

244784; Jl Teuku Umar

240; baked goods from 500Rp) Delightful Balinese

bakery with a wide range of sweet and savoury

baked goods you choose yourself and can take

away or enjoy at the outside tables.

Warung Satria (Map pp166-7; Jl Kedondong; dishes 4000-

10,000Rp) A long-running warung on a quiet

street; try the wonderful seafood satay served

with a shallot sambal. Otherwise, choose from

the immaculate displays of what's fresh.

Nasi Uduk (Map pp166-7; Jl Teuku Umar; 5000-12,000Rp)

Open to the street, this spotless little stall has

Budget

Adi Yasa (Map pp166-7 ;

222679; Jl Nakula 23B;

s/d 40,000/60,000Rp) Budget travellers have crashed

here since the 1970s. It's centrally located and

friendly; the nine rooms are very basic.

Nakula Familar Inn (Map pp166-7 ;

226446; Jl

Nakula 4; s/d 50,000/80,000Rp) Across the road and

100m west from the Adi Yasa, the eight rooms

here are decent (cold-water showers only) and

Bali and Lombok

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