Unfiltered Reviews, RantsNRaves, LifeCrap, and Sex: Travel To Seminyak, Bali Is A Must

Everything about this place is almost true. Bali is a bit off the beaten path for most, but do put it on your get to place before you get to old. Seminyak is the “Beverly Hills” of Bali. It’s north west of Denpasar and north of Kuta. Denspasar is the capital, and not exactly where you’d want to hangout. Kuta is less pricier than Seminyak, but the atmosphere is in Seminyak. I stayed in a private villa with onsite maid, and private pool. The property was less than a five minute walk to the beach, and the privacy of the villa was exactly what I wanted. Seminyak offers plenty of eating options plus nighttime entertainment. Being a bit of a foodie, I tried to eat at almost all the local warungs in the area for either lunch or dinner. A warung can be a street side food stall to more traditional sit down “restaurant”. To be honest, the more authentic the warung was the better the food tasted. Do be sure to have grilled BBQ fish and steamed oysters at the night market on Jalang Nakula (Rhuma Makan). It’s yum yum yummy. Another must place to eat at is Queen’s Tandoor. The Indian food served up there is beyond delicious. It’s white linen served up all the way including cocktails to die for. Hands down, the most authentic Indian food outside of Deli that will have you licking the plates asking for more.

Bali's biggest disappointment was not being able to use the beaches. Sure you can rent a chair and layout, but the Indian ocean has a nasty undertow plus rip current. If you’re a surfer, it’s prime. I’m more the float and swim type, so the ocean is where Bali failed for me. As with most beaches in that part of the world, do expect locals to approach you offering trinkets for sale. Be sure to buy something, and haggle on price. The people are very friendly, and speak English too.

Now, I did take full advantage of seeing the island with a private guide. I did five separate excursions. All tours can be arranged once there, so no need to prearrange before hand. You can customize what you want to see. For instance, I wanted to buy some Bali flags to replace what I already owned. I was taken to the village where they are made. Get the idea. Be prepared though because Bali traffic is the nightmare. I’m used to clogged CA freeways, but that’s nothing to what Bali has. An eight to 10 hour day trip will be at least five hours in thick traffic. The roads that course the outer part of island are not able to handle the sheer volume. Once off the main roads, the back inner roads to the villages and sites are fine. Do be patient because it just takes time to get to where you are going. The roughest inner roads were up in the rice terrace region. Hold on tight is all I will say. Also, getting a full understanding of the Hindu religion is not going to happen. Sure, the guide tells you what you are seeing; however, the depth of understanding of what you are seeing lacks. Nevertheless, you’ll enjoy as I did the exotic tranquility of the sites.

Here is a flavor of a couple sites I saw.