[Travel/ Food Guide] Itinerary to Bali, Indonesia (巴厘岛，印尼) 2023

Touted as one of the best travel destinations in Indonesia- Bali is famous for its sheer natural beauty, exciting nightlife and culinary delights. The hospitality is extraordinary, whether you are traveling solo, with a partner or with children; there is always a perfect room/ hotel to fit your requirements. It's easy to travel to Bali from Malaysia, AirAsia offers direct flight from Penang/Kuala Lumpur to Bali. The public transportation in Bali is erratic so renting a car or motorcycle would be a wiser option (unless you plan to chill in the hotel room/ villa. But do consider which area you are staying at as the traffic in Bali can be (extremely) terrible (we basically spent hours on the road a day). Finding an accommodation with strategic location and signing up for day tours can be very helpful.

Renting A Car in Bali:

It's easy to find many car rentals over the internet but we recommend looking for reliable service providers. Indonesian is famous for notorious scams, make sure you take sufficient, clear and visible photos of the car condition before accepting and signing the agreement. Or you will put your deposit at risk; ours tried to "scam" us by saying we dented the car but in actual fact, the dent was already there and fortunately, we had photos to prove it. We booked ours through Traveloka and the service provider- Jayamahe was okay only (quite bad in management and the car condition was mediocre/ one of the the cars ran out of battery and we had to contact them to switch another one for us). 

1) Ulekan @ Canggu

Pork-Free

Address: Jl. Tegal Sari No. 34, Canggu Berawa Bali, 80361, Indonesia.

Business Hours: 11 am to 10 pm. Opens Daily.

Contact Number: +62 821-4594-8624

Price is subject to 16% Service Tax

Ulekan Bali Facebook Page

My Kalasan @ Juru Sentral, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Named after a famous dish from Indonesia- Ayam Penyet Kalasan, My Kalasan at Juru Sentral is one of the few places where you get to find this Indonesian delight. But the place is not a one-trick pony, the menu features a wide array of familiar local dishes as well (expect to find Fish Meat Noodles and Fried Rice there). Spicy food lovers would be glad to know that the restaurant serves Sambal at different spicy level. Big menu with good range of dishes to offer at reasonable prices, a place worth exploring if you are in the vicinity.

Restro Uwong Palembang @ Elit Avenue, Bayan Baru, Penang.

Step in this restaurant and you know you are in an Indonesian restaurant... the unique Indonesian Batik-styled table cloth and wallpapers tell you everything. The menu features an array of basic, traditional Indonesian cooking, including Gado Gado and Lontong but beyond the classic dishes, Restro Uwong Palembang churns out a signature Palembang delicacy.... Pempek, a type of Indonesian savory Fishcake (something like Keropok Lekor). While Indonesian dishes are rather off-the-beaten track, this place offers authentic Indonesian food manned by local Indonesians; one of the few places that you get to enjoy South Sumatra delicacies and dining in comfortable atmosphere without putting a dent on the wallet. 

Cafe Lagenda @ Campbell Street, Georgetown, Penang.

It is not often you find authentic traditional Malay delicacies in cafes... especially in Penang. Should you find yourself stranded in Georgetown and yearning for Malay-Indonesian food... make your way to Cafe Legenda. Opened for less than half a year, Cafe Lagenda is housed within one of the old shops along Campbell Street. It has an interesting menu that features traditional Malay-eats or Western-Fusion dishes with a touch of Oriental. The waiting time could be long... as the Chef insists on using fresh ingredients so you could really taste the powerful punch of those Herbs and Spices. The place is simple but cozily decorated, though we would prefer the air-conditioners to work better. The atmosphere is generally quite relaxed, probably due to the large space and high ceiling. Their effort in making the dishes more presentable is most commendable.