Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Bali Addresses

Away from the now overdeveloped Seminyak, Bali has other places that propose enough bargain for your bucks. Petitenget, Umalas, and northern Canggu offer the best of the Island of the Gods: shopping, restaurants, and nice hotels next to the beach. To build on the previous blog entries (Part1, Part2 and Part3) here are some more addresses to keep an eye on when next in Bali.




Puri Madawi [www.madawi.com]Located [map] at the end of a dirt road in Petitenget, Madawi is a group of 10 or so bungalow/suite rooms with a shared garden and small pool to relax. Bungalows have a Balinese outdoor bathrooms, and Suites are on two levels with a net above the queen-size bed.
Rascals Kuta Square, and Kuta Bali; Tel. +62(0)361 754 253.
Rascals has some very interesting batik sets with matching sarong on the very high end of the price scale. Expensive but nice.
Lucy's Batik [www.lucysbatik.com] Jl. Raya Basangkasa No.88, Seminyak; Tel. +62(0)361 7951275 / 736098. Authentic batik at a reasonable price for all handmade clothing lovers. A must stopover in your shopping delight in Bali.
Along Jl. Raya Kerobokan, one can find furniture warehouses where teak is the new tic. Among them Ikat Art Galeri is one of the most impressive in size, less so in quality.
Youri’s Art Shop Jl. Lesmana 105, Oberoi Kuta, Bali; Tel. +62(0)361 731122. This shop in the middle of a restaurant strip is one of the most authentic yet affordable antique shop in the area. Usually filled with old masks, crafts and statues in disarray, the warehouse has also some nice pieces of old furniture from all over Indonesia. Don't hesitate to pop your head in the back of the shop to see their impressive collection of ancient doors and baby beds.
Ganesha Bookshop [www.ganeshabooksbali.com] Jl. Petitenget 888, Kerobokan (@Biku Restaurant). The bookstore was established in 1986 as a small family business by Ketut Yuliarsa and his wife Anita Scheeres. Ketut Yuliarsa is a well known writer and actor/musician in Bali and together with Anita had the desire to see a bookshop in Bali that would cater to the needs of all the avid readers, collectors and researchers who passed through Ubud, Bali.
BIN house [www.binhouse.com]
- Warung Made II, Jl. Raya Seminyak, Kuta, Bali 80361
- International Departure Lounge
- Discovery Shopping Mall, #MG30, Jalan Kartika Plaza, Kuta, Bali 80361
- other places around the world as well.
Bin House cloths are one of a kind creation. A piece of Bin House cloth may take many months, sometimes even a year to finish. Individual pieces of fine silk, adorned with intricate motifs, and displaying a harmony of colors, have been the heart of the the Bin House line. In the last 20 years, traditional techniques of cloth making have been revived and combined with modern approach to produce such beautiful cloth. Hand-woven, hand-dyed, and hand finished, these individual pieces are a result of great dedication and care. One of the best batik shop I ever seen.
Biku [www.bikubali.com] Jl. Raya Petitenget no.888, Seminyak, Bali 80571. Restaurant, bookstore, tea house, tarot booth ... everything one can think is there in Biku to satisfy the never ending stream of visitors. Food is fantastic and there is room for many visits to finish the never-ending menu. A place to visit many times in your visit in the Island of the Gods.
Chandi [www.chandibali.com]. Chandi is a haute cuisine Indonesian restaurant in the heart of Seminyak. You will need many days and visit to grasp the full length of their menu. The New York City’s most awarded and talked about chef (Nobu, Spice Market, Perry Street and Budhakan) came to Bali to create a Gastronomic Twist on Indonesian Cuisine using Organic Spices and Greens, mostly sourced through Big Tree Farms of Ubud. A must stop over on your food exploration in Bali.
Other place that need some attention could be the Warung Sulawesi [Jl. Petitenget 200Y, Bali] where the back garden is suppose to offer the best traditional Indonesian cuisine in the neighborhood, but also Cafe Bali [Jl. Petitenget 45] and Trattoria Pizza [website] were always seemingly full with tourists and local expats. Gourmet Cafe [website] or The Tuck Shop/The Corner Shop [Jl. Kayu Aya Petitenget] looked nice and can offer light breakfasts/lunches for hesitant visitors and expats in the search of western food.
The Living Room [website], La Lucciola, or Hu'u [Jl. Oberoi, Petitenget] have found a magic formula: the restaurant-bar-club. Depending on the time of your visit, you can enjoy a cocktail before a meal, a swim or a dance ... open late until the wee hours.
Potato Head Beach Club Bali [website] is a competitor to the famous Ku De Ta with a small twist into it. This place is a family place with alcohol, loud music, green space and a swimming pool overlooking the beach. If KuDeTa was for the young, single and beautiful, then Potato Head is for the almost young, already parent and still beautiful.
Now for those who do not want loud music and expensive bill but still want to enjoy the beautiful sunset, a better place would be to walk along Jl. Batubelig, and hop in any local warung/bar to watch the sun setting above the sea. It's a 5 minutes walk North by the beach of the large hotels in Petitenget (The W, Oberoi, The Legian ...). It will be the same sun at a fraction of the price.
For those who want to find out what's going on in Bali, a quick look at BeatMag [www.beatmag.com] will save them some precious hours of online research.