After traveling throughout southern Europe, from country to country, end to end, for 4 weeks, moving from my beloved Portugal to stunning Italy to my newest flame, Greece, with a quick stopover (airport only) to quickly meet up with Singapore, I finally arrived in Denpasar, Bali, exhausted and without any more love to dispense. Or so I thought.
The 6-hour leap ahead in time from Greece to Indonesia and the 30-degree Fahrenheit spike in temperature didn’t help any. By the time I got to baggage reclaim, I was ready to reclaim my sanity, and any knowledge about why I had decided to make this trek from Western world to Eastern sphere. My body was sore from another long-haul flight in a month’s time and internally screamed at me, “Bed, bed, bed!” Keep in mind, I still had 2 online lectures to prepare for the morning, upcoming midterm papers to grade and a new business that required my execution.
Exiting the airport with baggage finally in hand, I was greeted on arrival by Ketut, the driver, who would deliver me to my bungalow in Sanur. Two quick things to note here regarding digs selection in Bali, or any tropical locale for that matter.
Bungalow versus Villa
When considering accommodations in the tropics, take care to consider whether you might want to stay in a bungalow or a villa. Knowing little about Bali firsthand, I thought staying in an open-air bungalow would be the perfect way to happily immerse myself in Bali’s tropical climate and lifestyle. Note again, the word: “happily.” I was soon immersed in Bali’s sticky, buggy climate and, was not so happy about it. Especially at night. I was greeted by round-the-clock heat and nighttime mosquito attacks. The kitchen was well-stocked with 2 fans, but the kitchen was virtually outside in the open, as was the bathroom. The A/C in the bedroom helped to keep some of the bloodsucking fiends at bay, but no amount of cold blast or mosquito net around my bed was able to save my legs, arms and back from dozens of bites by week’s end. So, be sure to load up on bug repellant before your arrival! You can buy some on the island, but it can sometimes be hard to get spray or lotion for the body in local minimarkets. They tend to sell spray for the room itself. You can easily find the much-needed protection at the supermarket. And, of course, this will not be foolproof. In other words, expect to get bitten, and often. Alas, this is life in the jungle. Bugs and jungle creatures, of all sorts, will make their way into your living space, day and night.
While in Bali, you can expect to be greeted by both small and giant lizards, Geikos, snails, frogs and, yes, snakes, as well as a plethora of other animals who will mainly remain outside your door. That said, a bungalow tends to provide a more rural tropical experience. You may find your kitchen and bathroom are not fully protected by sealed roof or 4-walls to keep the creatures out. While a villa may also have an open-air bathroom, which is quite common and lovely to experience while in Bali, the latter is usually a bit more upscale (depending on price range) and offers you more cover and closure. Of course, there are also a long slew of upscale to midrange hotels, motels, hostels, boarding houses and surf camps from which to choose, as well. If you are able, I recommend experiencing a villa for the greatest comfort and a full tropical experience.
