billt4sf
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Bali Help Needed
- Thread starter cruzbound
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Tippytoes12
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Th
Please don't even consider bringing lots of per prepared packaged snacks to Bali. It is very easy to avoid rice , there is western food everywhere which is beautifully and imaginatively prepared and served...without all the harmful additives that preprepered snacks have. I'm also very fussy about what I eat , hate strong spices etc , but love the food in Bali.
Hi skinny, Bill & Emily,
Thank you for all the help. I will have to thoroughly read everything you suggestion and start searching the internet. On big oh-oh for me is I don't like rice at all. I probably will need to bring lots of snacks in my luggage to live on. I have another stupid question - what is the eat, pray love style travelling? I don't want to do this since you suggest to avoid it but I don't know what it is to avoid. Talk about so out of my element here but that will make this trip a more fun and new experience for me. I have never been outside the US/Caribbean so this will definitely be different. My hubby has travelled abroad a lot for work.
I appreciate everyone's help.
Thanks,
cruzbound
Please don't even consider bringing lots of per prepared packaged snacks to Bali. It is very easy to avoid rice , there is western food everywhere which is beautifully and imaginatively prepared and served...without all the harmful additives that preprepered snacks have. I'm also very fussy about what I eat , hate strong spices etc , but love the food in Bali.
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Hi Bill,
Regarding the hotel I'm thinking about in Penida they are Inland, really nice places. I'm not sure the coral mind
Regarding "Why not stay in Padang Bay", well since they are travelling with non divers friend, I imagine they could love sightseeing in Nusa Penida (the cliffs in the south are wonderful) while they are diving, as well discovering another part of Indonesia.
Also, not everybody enjoy a one hour boat trip
Just my 2 cents but with a 10 days stay I think Penida is worth a try.
Have a nice day!
Fred.
Regarding the hotel I'm thinking about in Penida they are Inland, really nice places. I'm not sure the coral mind
Regarding "Why not stay in Padang Bay", well since they are travelling with non divers friend, I imagine they could love sightseeing in Nusa Penida (the cliffs in the south are wonderful) while they are diving, as well discovering another part of Indonesia.
Also, not everybody enjoy a one hour boat trip
Just my 2 cents but with a 10 days stay I think Penida is worth a try.
Have a nice day!
Fred.
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Cruzbound:
Based on everything you are seeking in your first trip to Asia (big pelagics, good diving with nearby activities for non divers, a lack of rice, etc..), why are you zeroing in on Bali? Are you sure it is the best fit?
Based on everything you are seeking in your first trip to Asia (big pelagics, good diving with nearby activities for non divers, a lack of rice, etc..), why are you zeroing in on Bali? Are you sure it is the best fit?
We were in Tulamben in early July 2015. We could only get 2 days of diving in because the wind and waves were so strong. We had to skip our last day of diving for some land tours. Still very enjoyable muck/macro dives. Not sure about the weather in Padang Bai that time of year...I have dived there in early November. Awesome macro...but with the upwellings the water was COLD! Padang Bai is NOT a resort area but a low key ferry town. Check out the Bali podacast from Divehappy..the page has some great links & info. So many choices! We spent a few quiet days in Sanur before our departure...so much less crazy than Kuta. Diving Bali Podcast - Dive Happy
Hi All,
Okay, I know I ask a lot of questions and I had two separate posts - just so everyone is on the same page as us; we are considering going the first two weeks of July. I would like to try and leave on a Friday night (not sure exactly when we will land then as the airlines do not have flights posted this far out yet) and then leave on a Saturday - so we would be there for almost two weeks. It sounds like I don't have to worry about food so take that out of the equation. The main part of the equation is we will have another couple with us that does not dive but they are happy relaxing on the beach while we dive so at this point I am thinking that it might be good to go to a nice dive resort where we can get some good diving in and they can relax at the beach and maybe sight-see if there is anything in the area to go to, then we go and do some sight-seeing together for 4-5 days (temples, birds, hiking, etc.) - so this is the reason I was thinking Bali as I thought it would cover everything, however I am completely open to someplace else. Or even someplace else for diving and then taking a flight home that stops in Bali for some days of sight-seeing before we head all the way home (we are from the US). Bill recommended Misool Eco Resort, however they are closed starting the beginning of July thru the middle of September so we can't event consider that resort.
I have also thought about Fiji, Tahiti, Palau and Australia/New Zealand but I have heard that Australia's reef is not as pristine anymore and if I am going to spend thousands of dollars for this trip I really would like some good diving and sight-seeing.
So, I am open to more suggestions and places now that I hope I have provided everyone with a better time frame of when we are thinking about going and how long we would stay. Also, is July a bad time for us to go and dive? It will be difficult to find another time because I don't have a ton of vacation time - the only other possibility in which I would be able to make two weeks available would be around Christmas time - so it would be the last week in December and the first week in January. Thoughts?
Thanks,
cruzbound
Okay, I know I ask a lot of questions and I had two separate posts - just so everyone is on the same page as us; we are considering going the first two weeks of July. I would like to try and leave on a Friday night (not sure exactly when we will land then as the airlines do not have flights posted this far out yet) and then leave on a Saturday - so we would be there for almost two weeks. It sounds like I don't have to worry about food so take that out of the equation. The main part of the equation is we will have another couple with us that does not dive but they are happy relaxing on the beach while we dive so at this point I am thinking that it might be good to go to a nice dive resort where we can get some good diving in and they can relax at the beach and maybe sight-see if there is anything in the area to go to, then we go and do some sight-seeing together for 4-5 days (temples, birds, hiking, etc.) - so this is the reason I was thinking Bali as I thought it would cover everything, however I am completely open to someplace else. Or even someplace else for diving and then taking a flight home that stops in Bali for some days of sight-seeing before we head all the way home (we are from the US). Bill recommended Misool Eco Resort, however they are closed starting the beginning of July thru the middle of September so we can't event consider that resort.
I have also thought about Fiji, Tahiti, Palau and Australia/New Zealand but I have heard that Australia's reef is not as pristine anymore and if I am going to spend thousands of dollars for this trip I really would like some good diving and sight-seeing.
So, I am open to more suggestions and places now that I hope I have provided everyone with a better time frame of when we are thinking about going and how long we would stay. Also, is July a bad time for us to go and dive? It will be difficult to find another time because I don't have a ton of vacation time - the only other possibility in which I would be able to make two weeks available would be around Christmas time - so it would be the last week in December and the first week in January. Thoughts?
Thanks,
cruzbound
I've dived Palau in April 09, May14 & June06. Starting the dry season that time of year..but it varies. I consider Palau the "Disneyland of Micronesia Diving"...macro, drift, wall, sharks, mantas, some wrecks (not as good as Truk)lands tours, kayak tours...you name it! Hotels in all price ranges. Be advised that you will have a long boat commute to the dive sites...bring a light jacket to protect you from the wind/occasional rain. There is heavy traffic there now...and I mean by the busload (big uptake in divers from China ,Taiwan markets some of the hotels are exclusively for that market.) Once again ...lot of choices. You might like to listen to this podcast. Tim Rock is interviewed...he lived in/dived Micronesia for years. Diving Palau Podcast - Dive Happy
Bali1
Contributor
Bali is a unique mix of great diving and incredible cultural/sightseeing opportunities on land. July is a great time to be there and the diving will be excellent though there is always the possibility of strange weather affecting a particular site. For a complete vacation spot Bali is hard to beat. July and August are the peak season.
Fiji - diving and beach. Beautiful but limited. You will be tied to the resort
Tahiti - Diving is ok but limited. Islands are picture postcard gorgeous. VERY expensive.
Palau - No direct knowledge but I would place in the same category as Fiji.
NZ/AUS - barrier reef has taken a beating. Plenty of land choices but well it is really big.
You want exotic with culture for everybody with diving - Bali is an excellent choice. Another reason to work with a good local operator is they will know if conditions are not good on a particular site and get you to an alternative as needed. There are dive sites scattered around the island so you can almost always find decent conditions somewhere.
Your appear to be going on a vacation with some diving, not a dive vacation. Bali dive resorts tend to be placed in Tulamben/Amed and PadangBai/Candidasa. A lot of choice for sure.
Fiji - diving and beach. Beautiful but limited. You will be tied to the resort
Tahiti - Diving is ok but limited. Islands are picture postcard gorgeous. VERY expensive.
Palau - No direct knowledge but I would place in the same category as Fiji.
NZ/AUS - barrier reef has taken a beating. Plenty of land choices but well it is really big.
You want exotic with culture for everybody with diving - Bali is an excellent choice. Another reason to work with a good local operator is they will know if conditions are not good on a particular site and get you to an alternative as needed. There are dive sites scattered around the island so you can almost always find decent conditions somewhere.
Your appear to be going on a vacation with some diving, not a dive vacation. Bali dive resorts tend to be placed in Tulamben/Amed and PadangBai/Candidasa. A lot of choice for sure.
Hi Bali1 & All,
If we can make this trip happen with the other couple, then it will be a combination trip but I still feel one week of it will be a dive vacation (for us) and who knows maybe we will go our separate ways and them continue to do sight-seeing, etc. and us going for a week for a dive vacation. And there is a possibility that if they don't go with us and just the two of us still go, then it will definitely turn into a dive vacation for more than a week. Since we may not get back in our lifetime, we may want to save a couple of days for some tourist sight-seeing. So any and all guidance/suggestions are greatly appreciate.
Maybe if someone on this board has done a trip similar to what we might be considering, you can post a brief listing of how your itinerary looked (i.e. - days 1 - 4 tourist sight-seeing at ....., ......, etc., days 5 -13 diving at ...., ...., etc....). That might help me logistically.
Thanks,
cruzbound
If we can make this trip happen with the other couple, then it will be a combination trip but I still feel one week of it will be a dive vacation (for us) and who knows maybe we will go our separate ways and them continue to do sight-seeing, etc. and us going for a week for a dive vacation. And there is a possibility that if they don't go with us and just the two of us still go, then it will definitely turn into a dive vacation for more than a week. Since we may not get back in our lifetime, we may want to save a couple of days for some tourist sight-seeing. So any and all guidance/suggestions are greatly appreciate.
Maybe if someone on this board has done a trip similar to what we might be considering, you can post a brief listing of how your itinerary looked (i.e. - days 1 - 4 tourist sight-seeing at ....., ......, etc., days 5 -13 diving at ...., ...., etc....). That might help me logistically.
Thanks,
cruzbound
Have you looked into booking a "scuba safari" for Bali. It's a popular choice to be able to travel to more than one location. You could combine dive locations with land tours. Being Bali..you should be able to find a dive/tour operator that fits with your budget.
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