Padang Bay Bali

[lynsteve]

The Radiance calls here and just wondered is their anything there??

 

Thanks Stevo

[John Bull]

Padangbai is small & a little remote, I think its a tender port for all cruise ships. There's a few shops & stalls near the jetty, and a couple of beaches, called Secret Beach & Blue Lagoon, by walking, boat or taxi.

 

Or negotiate a taxi/van for the day (small van only about US$50) There'll be plenty of taxis/vans at the jetty, they know when a cruise ship is due. Drivers are well-used to catering for cruise ships, they can suggest an itinerary, & they know the importance of back-on-board time. As usual, agree a price before you get in, pay on return.

 

Choose between:

 

- for arts & crafts (the Balinese are a very talented race), the Ubud region - super monkey sanctuary with tourist shopping street adjacent, & various nearby craft villages each specialising in stone carving, wood carving , jewellery, painting, etc

 

- for scenery, Kintamani volcano/Lake Batur.

On the way back down, be sure to stop off for lunch at the terrace buffet restaurant overlooking paddyfields. Super spread, silly-cheap. And feed their pet bats, hanging at the front door :cool:. Way better than the big restaurant at the main viewpoint at the top, which takes the coach groups. Don't know the name, but drivers will know the place.

 

- for history/scenery, the Mother Temple (closed when we were in Bali)

 

With any of these, stop off on the way back, for as long as you have spare, at Klungkung for its small historic palace, law court, bell tower etc .

You'll want time in hand for any delays, if you are back near the ship with that time still in hand mebbe spend ten minutes at the bat cave/temple though its hardly spectacular.

Sadly, although there's a few stalls & shops at Padangbai, if you're back early you wont want to stick around, because of very insistent hawking - you'll just want to run the gauntlet to the jetty.

Which is a great shame because that gives you a poor impression of Bali when you arrive.. But I assure you its not typical, once clear of the Padangbai you'll find the Balinese are lovely laid-back friendly people.

You'll enjoy Bali.

 

John Bull

[lynsteve]

thanks mate.

 

stevo

[MercedMike]

The Radiance calls here and just wondered is their anything there??

 

Thanks Stevo

 

We are on a cruise from Australia to Singapore that calls at several ports in Indonesia, including Padang Bai.

 

The method I usually do to research a port is this:

 

First I check out the ship's excursions. Usually they will feature the most popular and interesting tourist attractions in the port. Often, there is an excursion that particularly appeals to us and that settles it.

 

Then with the ideas in mind from that, I will Google "Padang Bai day tours" and usually get some interesting hits from companies and review boards like tripadvisor. I will also check Frommer's for attractions in that port. Usually this will add a few attractions to the list.

 

From all that I begin to narrow it down to what I really want to do. Then from this board, tripadvisor, frommers and google I begin looking for tour operators in that port. Usually I email several and consider the offerings they make.

 

After all that, we have decided to tour with "Romeo" in Padang Bai http://www.romeotoursbali.com/. Here is what we plan to do: "from padang bay we goin to visit goa lawah bat cave temple, rice terraces,reptile park,balinese local market,the beautiful view of volcano and lake,ubud art villages as paintings,wood carving,batik hand made textile,and gold and silver smith,and enjoying local food for your lunch or dinner,balinese kecak and fire dance.if you like we can see monkey forest is well." Well, the English is a little shaky ;) but you get the idea.

 

Yes, there is plenty to do in Padang Bai!!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[John Bull]

 

After all that, we have decided to tour with "Romeo" in Padang Bai http://www.romeotoursbali.com/. Here is what we plan to do: "from padang bay we goin to visit goa lawah bat cave temple, rice terraces,reptile park,balinese local market,the beautiful view of volcano and lake,ubud art villages as paintings,wood carving,batik hand made textile,and gold and silver smith,and enjoying local food for your lunch or dinner,balinese kecak and fire dance.if you like we can see monkey forest is well." Well, the English is a little shaky ;) but you get the idea.

 

 

Hi, Mike,

Sounds broadly like the first couple of alternatives on my post. Yep, try to fit in the monkey sanctuary, worth 30 mins plus.

The bat cave temple is only ten minutes from the jetty, well worth asking Romeo to put that at the end of your tour, to add to your safety-margin - better to miss that cave than miss the boat ;)

Even with pre-booked, its the norm to pay at the end of the tour.

And take a roll of $1 - small donations are expected at temples

Have a great time

JB

[High C's Sailor]

Hi Just joined and we are cruising out of Singapore on 27th November on the Diamond Princess.:)

[Keith1010]

Hi Just joined and we are cruising out of Singapore on 27th November on the Diamond Princess.:)

 

Welcome to cruise critic. I wanted to let you know that there is a roll call for your cruise where members of cruise critic who are booked on your cruise pots and chat. The roll call is quite active and this link will take you there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1307543

 

Keith