Sanur travel tips for first-timers to Bali

So, you’ve planned your trip to Sanur, Bali and now the waiting begins. All your friends are telling you the dos and don’ts of this magnificent island, and now you are a little worried. There’s so much to remember, so much to do, and so much to organise.

Never fear, our Sanur travel tips for first-timers to Bali will have you exploring like a seasoned traveller.

No matter what you decide to do on your holiday in Sanur you will come to need these Sanur travel tips. While you may not think of it at the time reading this amazing and helpful guide will stick in the back of your head and you will be able to easily navigate some of those tricky situations that Sanur and Bali are known for.

Our top Sanur travel tips

Visiting Sanur and any other destination for the first time is always an eye-opener. One thing that you can be assured of is that there are plenty of ways that you can have a good time and plenty of ways people will want to take advantage of tourists in Sanur.

Many forums will tell you you paid too much for something, or you ate at the wrong place in Sanur. In the end, if you came home happy with your Sanur holiday and safe, then you have had a great time.

One thing we have to say is to holiday in Sanur for yourself, don’t always follow what someone else says is no good or great. Find what suits you and that comes with trial and error. So this Sanur travel tips post is to help you navigate the day-to-day basics of your trip to Sanur.

Let the successful holiday in Sanur begin!

Our friend’s advice did save us on a few occasions while we were first visiting Bali and there are a few things we had to learn the hard way, as you do!

We hope our top Sanur travel tips will keep you from getting into strife the next time or the first time you visit this amazingly beautiful island for your Bali vacation.

Accommodation in Sanur

So many people are looking for cheap Bali holidays and why not? With the cost of travelling within Australia skyrocketing every year, you can come, stay in Bali and have a brilliant time at a fraction of the cost.

There are so many amazing places to stay in Bali and some of the best places to stay in Bali are places like Sanur.

You will find all of the different types of accommodation in Sanur that you would find anywhere else on the Island.

For accommodation in Sanur, we recommend you look for:

• Ease of travelling to where you want to go on the island
• Kids club, if you need a break – check the ages of your children, are they too old or too young?
• Does it have EVERYTHING you need? Wi-fi, air con, pool, etc
• Cost. This is a big one. Whether you are doing Bali on a budget or you are splashing out, know what you get for your money on your vacation in Sanur
• Check-in time: Make sure you know what time you can check into your hotel or villa in Sanur
• Check out from your Sanur hotel. What time are you leaving? Will you be left hot and sweaty in Bali hours before your flight leaves? Sometimes it is a good idea to book an extra night at your accommodation if you ahve a late flight.

Top Sanur travel tips for accommodation

There are also a couple of things that we do recommend looking at when booking your hotel, or villa in Sanur.

• Check some reviews: BUT remember everyone’s opinion differs, and there may be some issues that could have easily been fixed if the management had been spoken to
• Booking a Villa: Make sure it is secure and has up-to-date security on the property. What are the cleaning or rules that the villa may have
• Late check-in: Flights from Australia can land in Denpasar at strange times. If you have one of these flights, see if you can book your hotel room in Sanur for an extra night (if your budget allows) to give you time to settle or stay longer

Getting from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Sanur

While you can Google it, there are a few things you need to know about transport in Bali. You can have a great plan, and Google Maps will tell you it is a 15-minute drive, but with traffic in Bali, this can take much longer than expected.

Sanur from Ngurah Rai International Airport is only 13 kilometres and while the estimated time is 30 minutes, this can take up to double the time depending on the time of day and how many flights are landing.

Your best bet is to book a hotel transfer with your hotel or use one of the Bali drivers. Below, we have recommended a couple that we have used on numerous occasions, especially Putu from Bali Travel Times.

This helps you get out of the airport, spot your name on the paper, and your driver will whisk you away to your accommodation in Sanur.

We have a great in-depth guide on arriving in Bali and getting transport to Sanur. We hope this guide makes your trip to Bali easier.

Money in Bali, Indonesia

There are so many zeros and they can be so hard to work out when you first get to Bali. I remember the first time we went shopping and they said it was 135,000…I did a double-take straight away and didn’t know what to do.

Then it dawned on me that it was like $13.50 AUD! Wrapping your head around the money as fast as you can will save you from getting ripped off during your holiday in Bali.

So one Aussie Dollar is 10,000 Rupiah. 10 cents = 1000 RP

Money changing in Bali

This is something that we have seen a lot of people having trouble with on their holiday to Sanur.

They use the wrong money-changing facility and get ripped off sometimes by a couple of hundred dollars. ONLY use official money changes that DON’T charge commission.

If you are worried you can ask at your hotel and they should be able to point you towards a good one but the saying goes ‘if it is too good to be true it normally is’. If a place is offering a higher rate there may be a reason why!

Do I need to arrive in Sanur with cash?

Many people take money to Sanur with them and then change it over there at a money changer.

The advice we had been given was to take money with us and exchange it as most ATMs will only disperse a small amount of cash around 3 million rupiahs in some of the bigger tourist spots in Bali which is $300AUD at a time to as little as 1.5 million in less popular tourist spots in Bali.

What we have found after a few trips is that we PREFER not to take money with us and get out a large sum from an ATM. We budget travel so we get out the largest amount we can and then return to our hotel immediately with the money to put it away safely. The largest amount of 3 million will last us a couple of days or we return to the ATM.

You will need smaller notes for Warungs, GRAB and some trinkets if you want them so it is a good idea to make sure you have some with you.

ATMs in Sanur

ATMs in Sanur are located mainly on the main street area of Danau Tamblingan. Here you will find some local ATMs and a Commonwealth Bank ATM right near the Smorgus Cafe and JI Pantai Kerang

We use our ANZ debit card and our ING card to take out cash and have no issues with it. Both have withdrawal fees that are reimbursed to us.

Credit Card facilities in Sanur

We have found that most larger restaurants and bars along the Sanur beachfront have credit card facilities for you to pay. If you are unsure, just ask the server when you approach the restaurant or bar before you order anything, and they will let you know.

Basic prices in Sanur

One thing I couldn’t find in all my research was the basic prices in Bali for groceries and food. Western-style food is expensive, expect to pay prices similar to home but you can go to a local restaurant (warung) and enjoy a brilliant cheap meal in Sanur.

Item	Price	Item	Price
Beer (Bintang)	23,000	Water 600ml	7,000
Sunscreen (small)	180,000	Noodle cup	7,500
Toothpaste	10,000	Yakult 5 pack	10,000
Chicken and veg dinner	20,000 (warung)	Nasi Goreng	20,000 (warung)
Fresh mango juice	15,000 (warung)	Apples (royal gala)	54,500 per kilo (supermarket)
1kg of washing	20,000 per kilo

These prices are from a Circle K, mini mart or an Indomart.

Foreign shops and supermarkets in Sanur

While Sanur is not as busy as some of the other areas of Bali like Kuta, Legian and Seminyak you will still find a great selection of shops that have items from Australia, England and even Germany for you to purchase.

You will pay more for these items as they are imported, but if you are stuck for items from home, it is worth having a look at them.

You will find Grand Lucky is a short GRAB Ride from the centre of Sanur if you are staying near the Port area. The Pantry has plenty of foreign goods and UHT milk if you need it.

Sanur has some great places to eat, but after a long day, you might just prefer to stay in and eat. You can read our guide on food delivery services in Sanur

Food in Sanur and Bali Belly

Eating is one of the top things to do in Sanur. But your holiday can be severely affected if you get a terrible dose of Bali Belly. You do need to remember there is a big difference between the traveller’s runs and Bali Belly.

Our doctor told us that if we had a small case of the runs, it was just our body getting rid of something that did not agree with us, and to try and let it run its course. If you did not recover quickly or had other severe symptoms, then you should see a doctor.

Many people will tell you to have pro-biotics every day before you go or red cordial on your vacation in Sanur. While some of these Sanur travel tips came in handy especially Yakult for our youngest, it seemed to work until we didn’t do it for a few days. We also used hand sanitiser and didn’t drink the water but we have all managed to be sick in some way.

I think unfortunately from the many forums we have read about other people’s Sanur experience, if you are going to get sick you can get it from so many different places and there is no telling where you got it from. It is best to just be careful and hope for the best during your Bali vacation.

Travel Insurance – Doctors in Bali

We always say if you can’t afford travel insurance you cannot afford to travel and this is no different from travelling in Bali. We have had 2 situations where we have had to have a Doctor visit us in Bali. I was extremely worried as to how were we going to navigate our way to a doctor in Bali and back.

What I didn’t know was how easy it would be. All we had to do was call the reception at our accommodation and they organised for the doctor to come to the hotel for us. He was seriously at our bedside in under 30 minutes and I was astounded at how easy it was to see the doctors in Bali.

We were assessed by the doctor on both occasions and told us what he thought was wrong (upset tummy but did not say Bali belly) We were given some medication that he bought with him and told us what to do if the symptoms persisted over the next few days and the WE PAID THE DOCTOR BY CREDIT CARD! Can you believe it? Just one tap and we were ready to go.

Cost of a doctor in Bali

The Doctor’s visit in Bali cost 1.7 million rupiahs ($170AUD) and they were happy to provide a doctor’s certificate right then and there for our insurance. Our excess is $200 so we decided to cop it on the chin so if we need a huge amount at some stage we hadn’t used it up already or increased our excess early on.

Some of this can vary on where you are staying and if the doctor is not already with a client. For more complex needs you can visit the BIMC.

Drinking in Sanur, Bali

It doesn’t matter if you are going to have a cocktail by the pool, a beer on the beach, or you are just going to enjoy a glass of water; there are some things you need to know about drinking in Sanur…even brushing your teeth needs tips!

Water in Bali

It is really important to remember not to drink that water while you are staying in Bali. This also means you need to use bottled water to brush your teeth as well. Most accommodation in Sanur will supply you with bottled water in your room complimentary.

Some people have been posting lately that they use the tap water and boil it in the room kettle and use it. To be honest, I would still use bottled water in the kettle as well. I just don’t want to risk it.

Ice in drinks is where you can also get into trouble but most places use the correct ice that is government regulated. If it is round with a hole through it you should be right.

Alcohol in Sanur

If you are planning on going out on your vacation to Sanur, you need to take a little extra care with your drinks. It is reported that Arak is sometimes substituted for alcohol, and it can be very dangerous.

You are best to drink bottled already mixed alcohol if you can rather than mixers made by the bartenders. Same as at home never leave your drink unattended as well.

We have to admit we have enjoyed cocktails at a few different places in Sanur and have not had an issue. There was one place where I just wasn’t sure, so I had a Bintang instead, but this was a once-off feeling.

Getting ripped off in Sanur

This will happen to you at some stage during your Bali holiday and maybe before you even know it. There are so many ways that it can happen and it is really disheartening when it does.

If it does happen, learn from it and then make sure it doesn’t happen again or don’t return to that shop. Some people get very angry and return to a place to make it known. Normally, in a mini-mart or small shop, it is a tiny amount, but it can be very frustrating.

If you do have an experience where a lot of money is taken from you, you feel threatened at any time in a shop or you have a query go back and ask. If you don’t get anywhere you can contact the Tourist Police and have them assist you.

Our top Bali travel tips so you don’t get ripped off!

1 – Change your money at an authorised money changer. They don’t charge a commission, and they will count the money in front of you. COUNT IT AGAIN. Make sure you have the correct amount before you leave. Pay attention, and don’t take anything with you that will distract you while you are changing money in Bali. This is the best piece of Bali info we can give you.

2- If you go to an Indomart, Circle K or any sort of mini-mart, they MUST SCAN YOUR ITEMS. If they aren’t scanning them and using a calculator, you are more than likely getting ripped off. This happened to us…he used a calculator and the amount was 243,000rp. I then politely asked him to scan it all and give me a receipt, and suddenly it only came to 208,000. Maybe he was just really bad at using a calculator.

3- Know the amount you hand over and know the amount you should get back. This can be so hard with all the zeroes getting thrown about but KNOW YOUR MONEY. Best Bali travel tip you will ever get!

4- GRAB is a very unpopular form of transport for many of the local drivers, but there are so many that just rip off people with no meters, change the price when you arrive at a place or get lost on the way, and the bill can triple. With GRAB, you know exactly what the trip will cost you BEFORE you even get in the ca,r and they are a fraction of the local taxi costs.

*Side note. There are some places that GRAB will not go to due to it being so unpopular so don’t get stranded on your trip to Bali.

Bartering in Bali

This is something that I struggle with whenever we visit a country that has a bartering system. I am not used to it and I have a problem with going as low as I can.

We have been told that going half of what is originally asked for is a fair start, and then go from there. These people still need to make a living off what they sell, so please remember this when you are bartering for something you want.

My theory is that if I’m happy to pay a price for something, then its all good. I have seen people just go nuts and barter over $1. I’m not doing that and if I am happy to pay $5 for something from Kmart or Cheap as Chips, then I can do that in Bali too.

Transport in Bali

There are so many ways to see all of the top Bali destinations on your Bali vacation but one of the top ones we can recommend is getting a Bali tour guide.

You can hire a Bali driver for the day for as little as AUD 70. A brilliant Bali driver knows exactly where to go in Bali and we found it to be the best way to travel in Bali.

Your Bali tour guide will pick you up at your hotel or apartment and show you the best of Bali. They will wait for you or they will go with you into the place and give you a private tour with all the Bali info you will need.

A Bali tour guide will make your holiday in Bali unforgettable and here are three of the best Bali tour guides.

1. Bali Travel Times – Putu
2. Family Bali Tours
3. Bali Customized Tours

In Sanur, you can hire anything, and we mean anything

When we were first considering our Sanur holiday, there were so many things to think about.

I was stunned when talking to a friend who said you can have your washing done for as little as $10 Australian dollars. So I looked into some other things that you can hire in Bali and the list is never-ending.

Things you can hire in Bali:

So many services will come to you at your hotel or your resort on your vacation in Bali. You can also ask in forums for people to recommend the services they have used before. We used both a driver and a washing service that our friends had used on previous Bali trips.

General Bali travel tips

Before I left, I liked to ask people who have been to a place to give me the most honest and best travel tips they can.

I am lucky that we have some great friends who have been on a holiday to Bali and were happy to share their experiences with us, and now that we are veteran travellers to Bali, we have had so many more experiences of our own.

I was also a barista, so people were normally very happy to share experiences, sometimes in a very blunt way, too. Here are some of the best Bali travel tips we got…but be ready, some are not for the faint-hearted!

• Never trust a fart in Bali. No, seriously, stop laughing, they can be dangerous!
• If you do put too much trust in one, always make sure you have spare undies, some wipes and a sarong in your backpack. These will help you get back to the hotel if you are out.
• Bring the lightest weight clothes you can find. It is HOT over here!
• Be prepared to sweat…then sweat some more all over, all the time on your holiday in Bali.
• You are going to say no thanks, so much you will just end up saying it to each other accidentally! Yep, we did that!
• Sunscreen is super expensive over there. If you have checked luggage, pop some in there.

Tipping in Sanur

While it is not customary in Bali to tip, we always just rounded up every bill or left a small amount. You can pretty much guarantee you will get awesome service and a warm smile everywhere you go on your vacation in Bali.

I remember hearing a man going off at a lady for her bad service in a restaurant we were at. We had the same lady and she was awesome…I believe the way you treat someone from the get-go affects them and the service you are perceiving to get.

She looked afraid of him and to be honest from what I saw, the 5 star treatment would still not be good enough for this guy.

We also found that when we went to a place with a Bali tour guide or driver, if we ate, then we asked them to eat with us, and we paid for their meal. If we got a cold drink, we got an extra one for them as well.

We like to be able to sit and talk to the people we are with so we can better understand their lives and what they do; this is a perfect way to do that. This is a great way to connect with locals on your holiday in Bali.

We hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to explore more content on the Things to Do in Sanur website. For additional resources, tips, and updates, visit our Facebook Group and our TikTok account.

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