Living in Bali

Kuta?  Kuta Bali?  Have you been there before?  It's not what one would normally think of as a place on Bali to live with a 7 month old son. 

You may want to have a look at Sanur which is much more family orientated and far safer surf as well. 

You can all come in initially on the 30 day visa on arrival, (which can be renewed for another 30 days) and then look into a KITAS visa with an agency as your sponsor.

Month to month rentals are harder to come by as most leases run for at least a year and up to 30 years.

I'm sure Bali is a fine place, but consider Lombok.
It's far less developed and no traffic jams, but the shopping isn't up to much.
The beaches are amazing.

It depends what you're looking for.

If I were looking to chill for a while, I'd consider...

http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-lo … hxnxg.html

The big "downside" to Lombok Fred is the lack of international schools there.

Unless a new one has cropped up in the past few years, there is only one.

The kid is only 7 months old, so its probably less of a concern at the moment.
Have you been to lovely Lombok?
I've only had that great pleasure once, but it's amazing.
The island has lovely roads that would support quite a lot of traffic, but there are really very few cars around.
The place is quiet and peaceful, a wonderful place for an artist looking for inspiration.
The beaches are terrific for soaking up the sun whilst sipping an ice cold coconut drink.
The shopping is a bit crap if you want to go out and get wild with a credit card, but plenty for normal day to day needs.
As Arnie often says, "I'll be back".

However, that's taking nothing away from Bali. I've yet to have the pleasure of that island, but I hear there are many wonderful places to visit, and it can be very relaxing - and you can go wild with a credit card.
The down side for me would be the drunks we so often hear about, but I understand they're pretty much limited to one or two areas.
Could you enlighten us a little more , please?

Both Islands are idea for a young family. But why Kuta where its just concrete hotels, tourists and t-shirts. There far more interesting places and calmer, less congested places on Bali.

Fred, I agree with you about Lombok, and yes, I've been there several times for pleasure and business. 

Most of the best areas are in the south (Kuta, Lombok) the upper western coast (Senggigi) and to a much lesser degree these days, the Gili Islands.  Unfortunately, Gili “T” (Gili Trawangan) has already gone down the same path as Kuta, Bali…in that it's been trashed, overdeveloped and a haven for all night drunken debacles, druggies and whores.

Frankly, for me, the idea of moving to Kuta, Bali with a kid isn't much different than the idea of moving into the Nana Plaza in Bangkok. 

For Bali, with a few exceptions, one has to get out of the South to have much of a chance to enjoy what Bali really has to offer which is spectacular scenery, quiet remote beaches, and of course an amazing culture.  Nusa Dua in southern Bali is home to many 5 star resorts and hotels; it's exclusive, but it's also totally contrived (our Disneyland) and getting about Bali to other areas from Nusa Dua is no fun (traffic, traffic, traffic). 

Sanur, in southern Bali remains somewhat of a unique jewel, and that's ironic in that Sanur was the very first place on Bali where tourism really began to develop (long before Kuta).

I'm looking for month to month rental. My partner will fly in on his r&or for 9 days so don't want to be more than 1hr from airport. Would like walking distance to beach, markets & local food. Not interested in western shopping. Friendly mix of local & expats to save me from going stir crazy.

Ubudian is the man for this job. His advice will be sound.

I've looked round Sanur & Ubud as I've realised its cheap enough to just book a resort or apartment for $1000 a month & move around. After 60 days I might as well go to Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia for a month & then return to Bali.
If we can keep our budget to $2000 (incl) a month then we will be happy.

Right now it is definitely a "buyer's market" for housing rentals on Bali.  Most realtors are flooded with available properties and of course the currently weak IDR is a big help as well.

And as of today.....all must be charged in Rp not USD

Do you have any advice on realtors? At present I'm using airbnb & trip advisor. I don't want much. Clean, walking distance to the beach & a kitchen (basic) as I only eat 1 main meal & I'll eat out for that where the locals eat. I'm not needing western food other than the odd bread & milk etc.

happyhour wrote:

And as of today.....all must be charged in Rp not USD

Been illegal for ages - see UU 7/2011 Pasal 21
However, this was commonly considered to be for cash transactions only, and could be opted out of.
The new regulation seeks to make clear - only the Rupiah is acceptable for normal use within Indonesia.

Fred, I would have to think really hard to recount all the times visiting friends from the US would comment along the lines of "and they wouldn't even take my US dollars!"   

Or even worse, "how much is that in real money?" 

What I'm wondering is...will this apply to visas on arrival as well?   

Ubudian wrote:

Or even worse, "how much is that in real money?"

My mum says the first when she come here.

Ubudian wrote:

What I'm wondering is...will this apply to visas on arrival as well?   

Refusal for VOA would be a killer - can you imagine the mess at the payments counter?
Still, add a money changer just before it, and someone will make a killing on the exchanges.

Hey, that would be a great little business, offering Rp5,000 against the dollar at the VOA counter.
I'm going to email Jokowi with the idea, and ask how much the stand rent would be.

Orang nakal!   

But!  Count me in! 

Do you think they'll ever go to a 1 million note?  You hear rumblings every now and then, and then it goes away...just like the volcanoes. 

A Swiss friend of mine recently came over with 30 1,000 Swiss Franc notes.  One heck of a beautiful note, btw.  Off to the money changer, and what a hoot.  Even the guys at PT Central Kuta had to take photos of the small pile of 30 notes along side the heaps of 100,000 IDR notes.

The last time I came into Jakarta on a VOA it was 470,000 Rupiah and I was given change from 500k. Which then afforded me the 2 bottles of Mizone from  a cheap warung in the car park!!! so instead of being ripped off by immigration, the food stalls now do that out side. Hooray for Indomaret tucked away in the corner.....

Dear Natasja,

Check out rumah123.com for houses to rent.
Kuta (legian, seminyak) has lots of shops, bars and restaurants. It is more for younger people (more noise too).
Sanur is quieter and cheaper. I live 6 km from Sanur and pay 100 million per year for nice villa with large pool, two bedroomd with ensuite. Many restaurants and bars in Sanur too, but frequented more by older people (>50 years).

Regarding visum: contact Indonesian embassy in your country or contact a visum agent in Bali. THe last is more expensive, but will take care of all the paper work and necessary "fees" to get the visums in a reasonable time.

Kind regards

Marc

By the way I am at present applying for a visa. I can recommend xxx

Dear Natasha, I'm sure that you're completely sorted by now, but just to let you know that my Son and Daughter-in-Law have twice stayed in Bali for long periods, (once for a 6 month stay, and once for 1 year) both times they were with small children (the first time babies and the second 6 - 8 yr olds).  BOTH times they stayed in and around Ubud, moving when necessary (i.e.: when their leases ran out and they felt for some reason they'd like a change).
Neither time did they feel stressed or threatened in the places they chose, and OFTEN my Daughter-in-Law was alone with the children when my son had to work outside Bali.  They had to leave (often separately, so that the other one could look after the children for 36 hrs or so) for visas every two months, but it really depends on how long you want this arrangement to last, it would probably be possible to get a Kitas of some sort if you're not working in Bali, and you want to be there for quite a while.   However, "the Visa run" can be a way to travel a little and have a bit of fun.   Good luck with it all, and remember it is unlikely that you will be entirely alone when your husband is away, as most places at least have a girl/boy who comes to clean up, quite often once a day.

Hi it's Kevin again. I am dealing with Wihdi at xxx. She speaks excellent English and is a real professional and that's a lot coming from me.  Good luck.   Kevin