All visitors over 18 yo will need to have proof of 3 shots. Two shots are required for 6 to 17.

Australian passport holders are now required to pay $50 for visa on arrival. This lasts for up to 30 days .If you plan to stay in Bali for more than 30 days your visa can be extended through immigration. Though using an agent to extend this costs more it is far easier than attending the immigration office 3 times yourself to complete the process.

TIC Bali offer various services to make your arrival, and stay in Bali easier.

Our friend Putu offers several handy services to make your arrival, time spent in Bali and departure less stressful.

These special services are only available by booking through ticbali.com

• VIP Airport Service with special line at Immigration counter

• Waiting lounge access.

• Simcard on Arrival • Money change on arrival [ current day exchange rate ]

There is a fee of course, but worth it if you are travelling with kids…. Or just hate queues!!

Taxis and Drivers – Taxis are dirt cheap compared to Aussie rates…just make sure the meter is on. Blue Bird taxis are good, the others will try and get you to pay a predetermined fare. Just say “meter on?” before you get in. Otherwise look for a Bluebird [they have a Bluebird logo on their roof]. If you want to go on a day trip, you will find plenty of drivers with ‘people movers’ outside and around Jayakarta. They offer a good service and about 400 to 600,000 rp a day [A$50-60] will cover it.

Airport taxis – The set cost for a taxi from the Airport to Jayakarta is around Rp 65,000 to Legian and Kuta. These are small cars and 3 people plus luggage is a squeeze. There are vans available also if you ask around the car park area.

Uber – Uber use personal cars and are a fraction of the cost of taxis. You will need to download the uber app. They will not always pick up from hotels so you may have to arrange a meeting point out the front. They do not get along well with the local taxi drivers.

You can order takeaways from Hallo Bali by phone or over the internet http://www.hallorestaurants.com/shop/. Their phone numbers are 0361 735100 or 735200 or 735 300. You can also order direct from McDonalds – phone 14045 or KFC – ph 0361 757 161. Also great and reasonably economical meals are available through room service, please note this service is cash only to the apartment.

Go Jek delivers food from almost any restaurant in Bali. Delivery charge depends on area but usually around 15,000 to 25,000k. Download the Go app and select Go food. It will ist all the cuisines etc and each restaurant has there own menu and pricing.

Tommies Café (Good for breakfast) – Go out the front gates of Jayakarta, turn right then left at the next street- Rum Jungle Rd. It’s open for breakfasts and snacks until about 4pm. Great food and well priced. Owned by NZ lady Desmae.

Mozzarella – Great menu – Go out to the beachfront from the Jayakarta Hotel and turn left and you will find Mozzarella about 200 metres along the road. This is our favourite for dinner. Its out in the open and a bit dark, but they give you a torch to read the menu. Worth the visit.

Zanzibar – Go out to the beachfront from the Jayakarta Hotel and turn right and you will find Zanzibar about 200 metres along the road.

The Coffee Club – This is next door to Jayakarta – on the beachfront, it’s the one that has the tree growing through the roof. It offers good food and a large screen TV that plays Aussie sport telecasts and all major sporting events [MotoGP, Footy, etc].

Lanai – About 200m along from Jayakarta and next door to Zanzibar. Great value.. Dinners are also good value.

The Fat Buddah – Go out Jayakarta frontgate and turn right, about 75 metres on left side of road. Great breakfasts and reasonable prices.

Yut’s Place – Go out the ‘front’ gates of Jayakarta, turn right then left at the next street- Rum Jungle Rd. Great steaks and reasonably priced as well as Indonesian foods and salads. Also Swiss and Western style food.

There are plenty of other good places in the area to eat at as well, these are just a few to get you started!

We have found it better to take our local Australian notes there is no need to convert to US dollars as many people advise. Damaged notes will not be accepted. ATMs are ok – Most banks charge around $5 per transaction for ATM use – so you may as well get a decent amount of cash out in one transaction.

Credit cards are accepted in major department stores and most Restaurants. Try to minimise your use of credit cards as there have been reports of rogue vendors recording your cards numbers and then using your card for unauthorised transactions. Best to take cash rather than use credit cards. The big Department stores, food stores and Restaurants are OK.

Money changers – There is a money changer near the Jayakarta. Go out the front gate and turn left, go to second laneway and they are in the Kodak store. We have never had a problem there and the exchange rates are good, maybe 50 rupiah less than the bank, but when you weight that up compared to a taxi to the bank and the usual wait, who cares! We have found that money changers who operate from proper storefronts are genuine…but there are money changers who operate from small street side ‘stalls’ and they offer better than usual rates…DO NOT GO THERE…they are master magicians and when you get home you will find you’ve been fleeced. Remember the old adage… that “ if it seems too good to be true – it probably is”.

If you are a first timer to Bali, the money can freak you out a bit, everything is in thousands! Cash A$150 and you will get around one point two MILLION! At the average rate of 8500 Rupiah to the Aussie dollar, we have found it better to knock off the thousands and divide by 8. eg: A 160,000 rupiah item, knock off the thousands = 160 and divide by 8 = $20. Gives you a rough idea anyway until you get used to it.

Tipping – The average wage is less than AUD $100 per month in Bali, so if you think somebody has done a good job for you, a thousand or two rupiah will certainly make their day.

There are fixed price shops, they are usually the more expensive looking retailers….. but in the smaller shops and street sellers it is usually a bargaining situation. Bargaining can be fun and the sellers expect it…it is their way of selling. Whatever they ask for, offer a third and go from there. You will generally get your item for that or at least half of what they wanted to start with. If you walk away they will usually call you back and say OK.

Supermarkets – Carrefours, the large French department store chain is located in Sunset Road [ 15 minutes by taxi from Jayakarta]. It is huge and sells everything from clothing, electrical goods, food and groceries etc. There are other shops and eateries in the complex as well and it is worth a visit.

Bintang Supermarket – located on Jl Seminyak – about 15 minutes walk or 5 minutes by taxi from Jayakarta ideal to get your ‘start up’ groceries and drinks . It has recently been totally rebuilt after a huge fire.

Department stores – Matahari is located in Kuta square and is a large multilevel store catering to the locals but has a lot which attracts Aussies. Ladies particularly find the shoe and cosmetics departments worth a visit. This store has not yet reopened as at July 2022.

Hypermart – is another large one stop supermarket much like Carrefour and is at Mal Bali Galleria. They sell all sorts of goods including food, clothing and hardware.

Centro department store at Discovery Kartika Plaza is another worth visiting as they often have huge discounted sales. Operating at about 50% of open stores as at July 2022.

Discovery Shopping Mall is situated next to the Kartika Hotel on Kartika Plaza there are many food outlets. Operating at about 50% of open stores as at July 2022.

Massages – Many fantastic spa centres are located within easy walking distance of the Jayakarta. We recommend using established spa salons rather than the street/beach masseurs. Our favourite is the Briella Spa, lovely staff, great ambience and relaxing services. Turn left at the front gate head past Tropical warung and you will find it on the right hand side. Best to make a booking as they do get very busy at times. You can make a booking on 0812 4679 1999.

Don’t drink the tap water – We supply purified water in the apartment. If you are out and about its a good idea to take a small bottle of water with you. Don’t fall for the trap when cleaning your teeth to automatically sticking the brush under running water, take a glass of purified water to the bathroom.

Electrical Appliances – Bali uses 240 volts , but it’s more like 200, so things may work at a slower pace. You can use your gear from home, but the connections are different. We supply adapters in the apartment. The electrical connections can be dodgy, so don’t mess around with any fittings. We’ve heard of people getting fried trying to relocate TV sets and video players.

Passports – Always keep your passport in the hotel safety deposit box. It’s a good idea to photocopy your passport, before you travel, to keep on you in Bali for ID purposes.

Toilets in Bali are getting better but some don’t provide toilet paper. Always have some in your back pocket for emergency use! The major department stores all provide public toilets of decent quality as do most restaurants.

Motorcycle/ scooter hire – You need an International drivers licence! You need to be brave!

Timeshare salesmen – You will be offered some type of free voucher, that shows you have won a prize. Be warned these are ploys to get you to go to an intensive timeshare selling meeting. If you don’t want to buy a time share, just say ‘no thanks’….and don’t tell them where you are staying…they will track you down and phone you.

Clothes Shopping – If you are sick of bargaining and want to go for fixed price garments, go to Kututs which is located off Garlic lane. The clothes are very good and very low priced. Just ask a local taxi driver.

Mobile phone calls are extremely cheap in Bali, so take your mobile phone. You will need an unlocked mobile phone and a Bali simcard. There is a shop outside of Jayakarta…go out thru main entrance, turn left and then right at first lane…it is called Prima and they sell sim cards and top up service. If your phone can’t be unlocked, then you can buy a new phone, charger and simcard for about A$40-50.

You can also have your Telstra service adapted to International Day Roaming for A$10 a day. It is as if you are home. You can all anywhere and your Oz calls will come to you.

Local mobile calls cost about Rp 1,500 [ 20c] per minute and texts (SMS) were about Rp 500 [ 6c] each to Oz or Rp 350 to another Bali phone. International calls to Australia are about Rp 5,000/minute [70c.]. Dial 10106 then 61 for Oz , delete the 0 from area code and then the number. For mobile calls dial 10106 then 61 for Oz, then delete the 0 from the mobile number. For texts to Australia dial +61 and drop the 0.

Family and friends calling from Oz – They can contact you in the apartment by dialing +62 361 751 433, then asking for residence A, apartment 6403 or 6500 . But warn them it will be expensive.

WiFi Computer access – If your laptop has a wifi or airport facility, you can get access in our apartment by asking our main man Suandi to supply you with a card [ around A$10.00 ] There are a lot of the restaurants and bars who offer free WiFi access .

You need to buy a drink to get the access code and free use of the service, but its worth it. Wifi access is also available at the Jayakarta, poolside by the main restaurant, again you will need a password for this.

Insurance – Make sure you have travel insurance including medical cover before you leave home. Medical costs can be expensive in Bali and if you need to be sent home it can be very costly. DON’T travel to Bali without Insurance!

Laundry – A good laundry is Mila Laundry situated 300m from Jayakarta gates on Rum Jungle Rd on the first bend. It’s very cheap and really not worth the effort of doing it yourself. Apart from your daily requirements, we normally get all of our laundry done to bring home.

Doctors – There is a doctor directly opposite the Jayakarta (Padma Clinic). For hospital needs we recommend BIMC. They offer a 24 Hour Medical/Emergency Service and have english speaking staff and doctors. Your travel insurance should cover this service. Phone (+62 361) 761 263.

Baby needs – If you don’t want to have to lug prams and high chairs with you, there are two companies in Bali who rent all sorts of baby needs – high chairs, prams, bottle warmers, car seats, etc, etc. The rates are pretty reasonable, [when you consider the usual 20kg weight limit you have] and they will deliver to your accommodation ready for when you arrive. Their web addresses are www.balibaby.com or www.balibabyhire.com

Child Care – Jayakarta have a kids club charged at A$5 per hour.

Baby sitting – Our Supervisor can arrange a baby sitter for you. Contact details are in the apartment.

Whilst we have prepared this page to help you settle in to your Bali holiday, we cannot guarantee the information given is correct and accurate.

Should you have any further enquiries please do not hesitate to contact us on 0422 707 109 or by email – robwatson2@bigpond.com