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The complete guide for a successful vacation in Bali
What budget is needed to travel to Bali? Before answering this essential question in detail, information you will find further down in this article, it is first important to start by reviewing the budget as a whole. What do you really need to know to calculate your expenses during your trip to Bali? And above all, where to start, how to approach it?
Properly preparing your budget for traveling to Bali
Looking at the total at the bottom of the bill only makes sense if we have thought beforehand about what we wanted to obtain, what services we wanted, what experiences we wished to have. We suggest here that you start by preparing to calculate the budget for Bali, by first asking yourself the right questions.
It is very easy to find budgets shared by other travelers that correspond to their own expenses. This may seem like a good reference point to get a clearer picture for your next trip to Bali. However, while price information is always appreciated, prices change depending on seasons, establishments, and transportation companies. Furthermore, the context of the trip is probably not the same as yours—you are not traveling for the same reasons, with the same desires, and your trip must above all reflect who you are.
If we have small desires, we will need small means, and if we have big desires, we will need different means. We can always find that prices are excessive, compare them with others to support our argument, but one important fact remains that should dictate our choices: the relationship between quality and price. Add to that rarity and the exceptional nature, and you can now judge whether the product, item, or trip is worth the indicated price.
The budget for Bali must therefore be calculated consciously and accept that the price may be higher if it meets a certain number of criteria that are important to you, or conversely lower because you have made concessions.
While in our daily lives we can easily avoid marketing tricks and buy fresher, more environmentally friendly products—simply by reading a product label and having minimal knowledge to pay the right price—and while it is legitimate to consider that paying a little more remains an investment in our health and our future, as soon as we cross our borders, it becomes more complicated. A parameter is added to this displacement: the fear of being taken for a “tourist,” of being fooled, of paying more than the “normal” price. We want to avoid tourist traps at all costs and return home without having paid double what our neighbor paid.
Stepping out of your comfort zone inevitably makes you suspicious of the travel offers to Bali that are proposed to you, especially when it comes to a local agency offering to organize your stay in Indonesia. This is the “I can do it all myself” syndrome, which is true, but does not take into account the agency’s added value and experience.
Following this logic, there is no point in going to a restaurant—it costs more and you can cook at home—no point in going to a gym to take yoga classes when you can do it at home by following a YouTube video. Why follow a guide in a museum when you are not a sheep and can read your guidebook or search for information on the internet with your phone?
It is true that in these three examples, we can manage very well on our own and will have to pay a little more to benefit from these services. Yet a chef will certainly surprise us with unmatched expertise, with a recipe blending flavors we had not imagined. A yoga instructor can correct your posture and give you personalized advice directly. The guide in an art gallery can answer your questions directly and precisely, while sharing personal anecdotes, spending more time with you on one work rather than another.
In these three examples, we find common points: sharing, expertise, experience, added value, and the essential notion of the relationship between services, quality, and price. Not to mention that we place human interaction at the heart of the exchange—no social networks, no virtual elements, but human connection.
Of course, we can always travel backpacker-style, carefree, backpack on our shoulders and eyes in guidebooks searching for good deals. It is entirely possible, though uncomfortable, to organize your circuit in Bali and Indonesia as you go, trying not to make mistakes and without playing the tourist—this also has its charm. But that is not what we are offering here.
The choice to go through Amanaska, a local travel agency based in Bali, does not question the fact that you can manage perfectly well on your own for your trip to Bali. But you benefit from quality support, from over 12 years of experience at the heart of the country you wish to discover, all while saving time and simplifying your life. Since experience and time represent money, this is a reasonable investment reflected in a price that corresponds to the quality of our services and support.
We often hear that “Bali is not expensive,” which in itself means nothing. As in all countries in the world, there are prices corresponding to all budgets, or almost. As we have seen, it simply depends on your desires and your way of traveling.
Concretely, your average budget for meals and accommodation will be approximately 30% less expensive compared to France.
Expense categories for your stay: amenities and leisure
Accommodations in Bali
If you want modest accommodation without air conditioning, with a mat on the floor and outdoor toilets, it will automatically be less expensive than a 5-star hotel with suites overlooking the sea. In Bali, everything is possible, but the notion of quality/price takes on its full meaning when you choose a hotel.
We will set aside homestays. While in the 1970s and 1980s it was easy to find a room with locals, this is still the case. However, we do not recommend it, because to summarize, it is not a question of comfort but of respect. There are enough ways to find accommodation without unconsciously disturbing people who do not have the same culture as us at all. Our looks, the tone of our voices when we make comments, our reactions to a different way of life can, if not shock, at least make the family hosting you uncomfortable. Wanting to be as close as possible to local life does not justify having an impact, even limited, on people who do not have the same way of understanding “living together” as we do. This often comes from good intentions, but if you do not speak the local language and wish to stay one or two nights, it is better to choose accommodation designed to receive Westerners and that has made it their profession.
Of course, on islands other than Bali, the choice is much more limited, but even in that case, choose a modest hotel to leave locals the privacy of the night and favor daytime immersions.
Let us add that Amanaska works 99% of the time in human-scale hotels, with locals from the region who have received hotel training or learned from their elders. These are very often establishments owned by Indonesians, and 90% of the staff is from the neighboring village. This is another way of working toward sustainable tourism and respecting the inhabitants of the islands.
Guest houses or bed and breakfasts
Between €15 and €35
Modest accommodation—there are many on the island of Bali, ranging from a simple room to a small hotel. This type of accommodation is more practical than comfortable, but if you are looking for the rustic authenticity of very simple and inexpensive lodging, you are at home, or almost. Some travelers may criticize the approximate cleanliness, lack of services, and aging infrastructure, but this depends on the location and corresponds to the price.
Charming hotels in Bali
Between €60 and €120
In Bali, as in the rest of Indonesia, there is no official classification, so hotels award themselves the precious stars that you will later judge as deserved or not. Each year, we take the time to visit each establishment to observe changes and maintenance. Depending on the rainy season, change of ownership, or team, it can be a wonderful discovery or a disappointment. Reviews from other travelers are of course important, although they remain very subjective, and what pleases one person may displease another. In any case, there are little gems in the heart of rice fields, accommodations with incomparable charm in the jungle, and very comfortable hotels by the sea. In the vast majority of cases, there will be personality, comfortable rooms, a swimming pool, a garden, a restaurant, and different services depending on the hotel—all this, let us not forget, for the price of an Ibis or Campanile.
Luxury hotels or villas
From €150 per night
There is something for everyone in Bali, and if you love luxury, calm, and indulgence, many establishments offer service quality worthy of 4 or 5 stars.
Sometimes chosen by our travelers to start or end a stay, these hotels have all the services to help you recover from jet lag or prepare for your return. Between numerous swimming pools, spas, dining, and spacious rooms, there is no harm in treating yourself well.
Villas are also a very popular accommodation option for our travelers. After a circuit in Sumatra or discovering Flores, it is always pleasant to regain strength and enjoy a certain comfort in a pleasant setting just for you.
Summary of average rates for a double or single room:
- Guest houses or bed and breakfasts: Between €15 and €35 per night
- “1-star” hotels: Between €30 and €40 per night
- “2-star” hotels: Between €40 and €60 per night
- “3-star” hotels: Between €60 and €100 per night
- “4-star” hotels: Between €100 and €180 per night
- “5-star” hotels: From €180 per night
A villa with two bedrooms: From €250 per night
Meals
We often read or hear that in Bali, food is not expensive, that a meal costs about €2—this is true. But are you ready to eat rice and chicken skewers every day? Do you really want to have lunch every day with dishes you will find on the street? If yes, then your meal budget will be calculated at the lowest, but if you want to vary the menu, you should rather count on €5 to €8 per person per meal.
It is true that in Bali you can eat your fill, but it does not seem completely absurd to include the notion of pleasure and discovery. Let us be realistic: as in all countries in the world, food products easily found in the country have a low cost, and if they need to be imported, it inevitably costs more. This is why you will easily find dishes based on rice, vegetables, pork, fish with spices like chili or ginger. The price we mentioned earlier can also be higher depending on the restaurant or warung, its location, reputation, or originality.
Let us not forget the beverage portion. We cannot recommend enough that you bring a water bottle, which you can easily refill in hotels or even restaurants, avoiding the use of plastic bottles that inevitably end up in the Balinese landscape.
Activities and other Balinese pleasures
Your program, whether created by you or organized by a local agency, will certainly include activities. This could be a cooking class, scuba diving, or simply visiting temples. Let us look together at the average cost of an entrance fee or participation in an activity. We will distinguish between a cultural activity and a sports activity, the latter generally requiring specific equipment, a larger team, particular experience, and professional insurance.
- Temple entrance: Between €1 and €20. The highest price currently corresponds to Borobudur Temple in Java.
- Entrance to waterfalls, volcanoes, protected sites: Between €2 and €250 (the highest price corresponds to discovering Komodo Park in Flores (rates planned for 2023)
- Local dance performances: Between €5 and €15
- Cooking class: Between €10 and €30
- Rafting: Between €40 and €70 depending on the duration of the descent, the route, and the rafting company
- Bike rides: Between €12 and €35
- Scuba diving: Between €90 and €140 (depending on sites and your level)
- Canyoning: From €110
- Day with a Balinese family: Between €10 and €30 per person
- Balinese massage: From €7 to €50 depending on location, type of massage, and duration.
The price difference is explained by service quality, originality, rarity, reputation for excellence, and particular expertise, which does not exclude authenticity or genuine cultural immersion.
We will avoid giving prices for overly touristy entertainment or activities that are not part of the Amanaska spirit.
The guide and driver
To discover Bali and more broadly Indonesia, you will need a driver, and to fully understand the richness of Indonesian culture, a guide will very likely be useful or even essential.
There are many guides in Bali and even more drivers, but experience makes the difference. Of course, it is entirely possible to find “cheap” guides and drivers offering unbeatable prices, but they must be approved by the Indonesian tourism office and possess the necessary authorizations to practice.
A person owning a vehicle and having a valid license cannot improvise as a driver for “tourists”—they must contribute and obtain authorization, at the risk of being stopped by law enforcement.
The same applies to guides who must have a professional card (up to date) that validates both their skills and training and allows them to be affiliated with the corporation. Choosing a person who claims to be a guide or driver but does not possess the documents to prove it means employing someone who does not have the right to practice and encouraging vocations at the expense of men and women who have made the necessary efforts to comply with Indonesian law.
This may seem unimportant to you, but ultimately, what we do not do at home is not acceptable in a country that is not ours, and good intentions sometimes serve bad habits. The result is that many service providers are not covered by insurance and do not benefit from social protection. They live day to day and have no solution but to offer low prices to compete with professionals who have chosen to understand the administrative system and pay contributions for better living together.
So how much does a driver cost? It depends on the route you want to take, your starting point, and your destination… To put it simply, it seems reasonable to agree that for one day, for a 4-seat vehicle with driver, you should count on approximately €45, and for a larger vehicle between €55 and €80 per day.
And how much does a guide cost? Depending on their experience and the island you wish to visit, you should count between €35 and €45 per day (for all participants). Within the Amanaska agency, we also cover all guide meals, accommodations when they are far from home, pay a quality bonus, and ancillary expenses inherent to accompanying travelers.
It should be noted that you also have local guides, whom we would rather call local escorts, such as for Lake Tambligan or for climbing Mount Batur in Bali. They are from the village, they are mandatory, and depending on the number of people, they cost between €20 and €30 maximum.
You now certainly have a clearer vision of the cost of a trip. We have not addressed domestic flights because prices can vary threefold. This allows you, we hope, to better understand the costs of a trip to Indonesia and the importance of organizing a fair program that matches your budget while also respecting the local cost of living. Let us remember that while it is still possible to find “unbeatable” prices to visit Bali, it is mainly at the expense of local stakeholders who will have to lower their own prices, sacrificing quality, just to survive. Discovering Bali and the rest of Indonesia is a unique experience that goes beyond simple travel and deserves paying the right price rather than just any price.
