Back in April I reported that Indonesia was going to offer visa free entry. Unfortunately, at the time, there were issues within Indonesia that made visa free entry impossible.
Via a number of sources, including Bali Discover, The Embassy of Indonesia, and One Mile at a Time, it sounds like visa free entry is now possible.
For me, that’s particularly meaningful, because I plan to visit Bali in the next couple of days. But overall, I think this will be a net positive for the tourism industry. My personal opinion is: Visa’s are a money maker for a country, but, they are also a barrier. Anytime a country removes a barrier for tourism, it is, in my opinion is a big win.
Nice picture. I’m going to Bali in a couple of months. Where is that? I’d love to see it.
It was at the Fleet Bar and Cafe, on Gegar Beach in Nusa Dua. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fleet+Bar+%26+Cafe/@-8.815399,115.226468,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x2dd25cd23bda2585:0xd5715139339ff60c?hl=en
We always like to stay at the Grand Hyatt Bali when we go.
Thanks. As chance would have it, my wife and I are staying at the Hyatt. I booked a club room, but should be Diamond by the end of this month, so thinking of downgrading to a regular room, since club access is automatic. Any idea if Diamonds have access to the club pool if not actually staying in a club room? Also, any favorites, particular nearby bars or restaurants, or suggestions? It’s our first time to Asia, so sorry for the questions.
@Christian – both the times I stayed there, I used a Diamond suite upgrade, and was in the club area, so I’m not totally sure about non-club rooms’ access… As far as places we enjoyed — that fleet bar & cafe was a nice walk up the beach. The Bali Shops are across the street from the Hyatt, and there are some nice restaurants and shops there.
Depending on how long you’re there, I’d consider hiring a driver and tour guide and visiting some of the sites – #1 recommendation would be to go to the Ubud Monkey Forest. The Uluwatu Temple is also interesting, but those Monkeys are downright mean. Kuta is a fun place to visit as well, and I plan to go to Jimbaran this time… I’ll write up a post with more detail while I’m there.
Planning 2 weeks in Bali / Lombok in July and early August so I’m excited about this. Having had experience with the monkeys before in SE Asia, I am NOT excited about the Monkey Forest. In fact, I don’t know why people go – those animals are vicious, they bite, and transmit diseases. There’s a call to cull all the monkeys in that forest by the local government, and honestly, I hope they just re-locate them to a more remote island.
Last time I was in Bali, I found the monkeys at the Monkey Forest in Ubud to be reasonably well behaved, as long as you didn’t have your sunglasses on or other things they could grab at. Now the Uluwatu Temple was a completely different story, those monkeys fit your description