bali

[jackieboy]

hi going to bali early next year does anyone know how much to tip the guy in massage places for a happy ending and what the money boys expect for sexdate ?

[danny99]

How long is a piece of string?

It all depends on whether you are in an openly gay massage place [such as M Spa, Banana Spa, Adam's Apple, Young Generation, where there is usually a stipulated 100,000 minimum [$10] and sometimes also a max stated as normal to prevent boys trying to up the ante, unless of course you want to?] or in a normal one and happen to get a horny young masseur who just wants to get off [many in Ubud, auch as Milano and Modena spas on Monkey Forest Rd.] look up 'gay friendly' in www.balispaguide.com (http://www.balispaguide.com), then 100,000 is ok and normal and will probably earn you a kiss as well!

[jackieboy]

thanks danny for the information it will be very useful
now all i need is someone who knows about the moneyboys

[danny99]

now all i need is someone who knows about the moneyboys

In Bali moneyboys usually means ladyboys, and they 95% come from outside of Bali, clean cut Muslim boys who are being naughty away from home, and as in muslim countries everywhere not to be trusted too much. Jln. Dyana Pura in Seminyak has a block of gay bars, all very tacky and over the top. If you prefer non lady boys then just check out any popular place [Beachwalk Shopping Complex in Kuta or Ramayana or Tierra Dewata in Denpasar], or boys working in shops, restaurants, etc where foreigners go and chat up the staff....as they only earn $4-5 per day they can not afford to go anywhere other than their local village warung and then only rarely, so any offer to go somewhere for a meal or drink is readily agreed to, and no horny young boy in any country has ever been known to knock back a free head job [discreetly of course] and they are normally so appreciative that they return the favour!

Even day time walking around the bar area and surrounding resudential streets you will see many moneyboys in their too tight shirts and shorts...maybe you getter cheaper proce for day time...the famous Bali 'morning price!'.

[Nirish guy]

Thanks for the info there Danny, I'll be heading back again to those "tacky bars" you mentioned in Siminyak in a few weeks and am thoroughly looking forward to it as I always had a good time there and actually found there were plenty on none ladyboy MBs working about the place, both there and on the gay beach ( and shops etc as you'd mentioned). You've gave lots of good tips in your post re the massage places etc but the one thing you didn't actually mention was the standard "going rate" these days for a typical MB transaction - have you any idea of a rough figure re that perhaps ?

[jackieboy]

thanks again danny for the info i will be staying in the seminyak area of bali not to far from the beach so i suppose there will be guys there it is my first time in bali i have been to thailand before but have read that the scene is not so in your face as in thailand and the guys more reserved but i am staying in a gay hotel so that might help

[fedssocr]

I was just reading about Bali on travelgayasia.com and noticed several of the "all-male resorts" are clothing optional. Anyone stay at those places? My only such experience was many years ago in Key West which was a little bit scary since my friend and I were the youngest people staying there by about 40 years. But that was 20 years ago...

I'm thinking I might do Indonesia next year. Gotta use my ff miles before they are worth even less. :-)

[Oliver]

I'm celebrating our tenth year anniversary with my Thai boyfriend in Bali. We're not keen on brash cabarets but quiet gay bars (like Panorama in Pattaya) where there's no hassle would be enjoyed. Any ideas?
Any recommendations for restaurants in Seminyak? I assume there are no specifically gay ones.
Next, the gay spas; will we find them similar to the ones we're used to in Thailand....choice of masseurs, happy endings, prices?

Finally, any recommendations on car rental? I want to take P. to various places I visited twelve years ago. Some of them are a three hours plus drive away- I would not wish to be stuck in Seminyak and so the car is essential. However, from what I've seen on the internet. the big rental agencies like Hertz only seem to offer large )6 seater) vehicles. We only require a compact.

[fedssocr]

Maybe hire a car/driver for day trips? I think that tends to be fairly reasonable and then you don't have to worry about insurance and so forth.

I found a couple of travel/tour agents that are supposed to be gay owned or gay friendly but none of them have responded to my emails so I don't know if they are still in business. Utopia-asia has some info. There's baligay.net but they are one of the ones that has not responded to me.

[danny99]

Any recommendations for restaurants in Seminyak? I assume there are no specifically gay ones.
Next, the gay spas; will we find them similar to the ones we're used to in Thailand....choice of masseurs, happy endings, prices?
Finally, any recommendations on car rental? I want to take P. to various places I visited twelve years ago. Some of them are a three hours plus drive away- I would not wish to be stuck in Seminyak and so the car is essential. However, from what I've seen on the internet. the big rental agencies like Hertz only seem to offer large )6 seater) vehicles. We only require a compact.

The restaurant scene in 'Seminyak' [actually mostly Kerobokan but they call themselves in Seminyak as it sounds more trendy!] probably the best value for money restaurant scene in Asia. Check out http://www.balieats.com they list about 1,000 places many with full reviews. No gay restaurants but MANY with gay staff/owners, and clientele. in the general Legian/Seminyak/Kerobokan/Canggu area:

Sarong - much better Thai than you find inthe faeabng popukar places in Thailand, particularly Pattaya. Also some interesting dishes from elsewhere in Asia,
MamaSan - great place for lunch with taste! Street food from all over Asia but from a modern western kitchen
Khaima - Moroccan
Mykonos - simple Greek
Malo's - German
Jemme - English [roasts at weekends]
Warisan - French
Nirvana - best steaks, just an eatery but great steaks at $10
Wah Wah - gourmet hamburgers, wagyu and all
Sate Bali - best Balinese
Kura Kura -French fine dining
Solata - Italian fune dining
Salt Tapas - sensational things from Luke Mangan
Lillit at Potato Head - perfect Indonesian
Ryoshi - best Japanese, always fresh sushi, sashimi
Watercress - organic breakfasts and lunches, unique breakfasts
Biku - highteas, full all day
The Oak @ Swiss-bel Kuta - great food from Aceh
Portabello @ Fontana - great value Italian
Sasa - great Italian
Lestari - Swiss fondue
Layali - Arab and Lebanese

and many, many more.....

as for car rentals a shop on every corner, small cars $10-20 per day but no insurance...better to find a cute driver and hire by the day, $50 go anywhere, if long way stay overnight [most hotels, say in the Lovina area, even have a room for drivers, no extra charge]

[Oliver]

Thanks; that was a great help.

The car rental is a concern. On my two previous visits (about twelve years ago) I hired a car and had insurance. I've no intention of driving in Bali uninsured; are you saying that it is impossible to arrange?
And thanks for the suggestion; a driver (cute or not) would be a sensible option at around that price. My memory of taxis is that they were relatively expensive. $50 a day seems very cheap. Where do you suggest I find one?

[fedssocr]

I came across this agent http://www.balifriendlyhotels.com/ that advertises as being gay-owned. They do tour arrangements as well as accommodation bookings according to their website. Cost for a day trip with car/driver is about US$40 according to their listed prices.

I intend to contact them to see what they recommend for the trip I am planning.

[Oliver]

Thanks....I am doing likewise.

I note that car rental requires an International Driving License. My UK license has my photo; would this suffice?

[fedssocr]

Pretty sure an "International" license is a different sort of thing. I know AAA here in the USA offers them. I believe it is a translation of your home license into some other languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internatio ... ng_licence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_driving_licence)

[Oliver]

Yes, I used to have one when I visited the Caribbean. In those days, the UK license didn't have a photo.
However, Thailand is also "on the list" as requiring an IDL yet my UK license is accepted there. I suspect that the requirement is only for old-style (that is photo-less) licenses.
But I'll have to make sure!

[GVB]

Hi Jackieboy,
At most of spas, tips at Rp 50,000 /around USD 4.5 is okay. But you should add more for more service ;)
If you go to M Spa (not M2 Spa), http://www.balifriendlyhotels.com/m-spa-bali/ , you will get discount for the treatments, so you can save a bit for your masseur tips.

[Nirish guy]

Man I forgot just how good Bali is !!! Im staying in a gay private resort villa place with my own private garden and jacuzzi for less than a typical Pattaya cheap hotel, the bars are GREAT fun and the guys wanting to hook up is just wall to wall - quite literally as the bars aren't that big and in turning grindr on for literally ten minutes last night is over 70 messages in minutes with really good looking chiseled guys looking both free and paid hook ups !

Drink is dirt cheap everywhere ( Beer is around 60 baht a bottle) and the guys (with no off fees anywhere) are either free ( as so many are just happy to party with you) or if paid maybe 600-700 baht tops for long time - and that's not me being cheap as that's the expected "going rate" I'm told both by the guys themselves ( and my gay hotel owner) and everyone's VERY happy with that. Wow, I'm so definitely putting Bali back on my get back to ASAP list now ! :-)

[Oliver]

Lucky you! But I'm surprised by your comments about hotel prices.
I spent a lot of time looking for a suitable hotel in Bali for next summer. I didn't want a villa and my boyfriend didn't want one of the gay resorts like Spartacus. I came to the conclusion that Bali hotels tend to be twice the price than Thai equivalents.
For example, we have stayed twice at a 3/4* hotel in Krabi at about ┬г35 per night, including breakfast. Our chosen hotel in Seminyak (recommended as gay -friendly) is ┬г60 and although it is beach front, I suspect from Tripadvisor reports that it may not be anywhere near as good as the Krabi one.

However, there is certainly one expense that will be much less than in Thailand. I have booked a taxi and driver (from a gay business) for only ┬г20 a day. Renting a car in Thailand costs this much. My two previous visits to Bali convinced me that the hassle of driving was no longer tolerable.
.

[fedssocr]

Man I forgot just how good Bali is !!! Im staying in a gay private resort villa place with my own private garden and jacuzzi for less than a typical Pattaya cheap hotel, the bars are GREAT fun and the guys wanting to hook up is just wall to wall - quite literally as the bars aren't that big and in turning grindr on for literally ten minutes last night is over 70 messages in minutes with really good looking chiseled guys looking both free and paid hook ups !

Drink is dirt cheap everywhere ( Beer is around 60 baht a bottle) and the guys (with no off fees anywhere) are either free ( as so many are just happy to party with you) or if paid maybe 600-700 baht tops for long time - and that's not me being cheap as that's the expected "going rate" I'm told both by the guys themselves ( and my gay hotel owner) and everyone's VERY happy with that. Wow, I'm so definitely putting Bali back on my get back to ASAP list now ! :-)

Mind telling us where you are staying? How are you getting around? (i.e. do you need to rent a scooter or can you walk/taxi?)

[Nirish guy]

Yeah depending on hotels used as a bench mark I guess I might have been just a wee bit out re exact cost comparisons there and I was talking fairly generally whilst typing my comments on my phone over a coffee at a roadside stall sort of thing so no figures in front of me to compare but "in general" I've found the prices to be great here for like for like what you get.

I was basing my comment on staying in say a "room" in mosaik in Pattaya etc for maybe ┬г40-45 a night or Bangkok in tarntawan for maybe ┬г70 a night, whereas here here I'm staying in the "Bali nea" guest house and villas in simenyak (http://www.bali-nea.com) which ( from memory as I booked it a few months back) is costing about ┬г60 ? a night for a lovely totally private room / villa with its own private garden and jacuzzi and lovely outdoor seating area etc and as it's only opened 6 months and no one knows about it yet and I'm only one of three guests staying I think I seem to have the run of the place. Whilst it's 100% gay owned it's not over the top or clothing optional etc and would be perfect as a good in between between a str8 place and full on gay if that's what someone wants.

Also just now the rupiah exchange is great for westerners so I'm getting lots of bang for my buck - quite literally :-)) and the Balinese people are ( or at least seem) genuinely friendly and respectful to tourists and there's just a lovely chilled out atmosphere about the place and the gay bars certainly provide enough noise, fun and cabaret ( and guys) for those who want that sort of thing and all at very cheap prices and with a big smile ...... Hmmm sounds a bit like where somewhere else USED to be maybe 10 or 25 years ago eh !

Oh and re the getting about, I've rented a motorbike from the hotel which is so cheap I didn't even ask but from memory it's something daft like ┬г2 or ┬г3 a day, likewise I just happen to be sitting reading an article in the local paper here saying car hire over Christmas is going to be fully booked with the local rental place saying they're pleased as they're normally charging ┬г15 a day of a top of the range SUV !! But are now getting a whopping ┬г20 a day for Christmas lol.

On a cautionary note the general standard of driving and the traffic here in general is ( or appears to be shockingly bad) and if renting a bike you would definitely need to keep your wits about you at junctions as to is ( it appears anyway) to be a free for all and may the best man win as to who gives way etc, no doubt there is some system but I'm damned if I can suss it out so just drive as carefully as I can and like everything once you get into the groove with everyone else it's not to bad and I think personally I'd rather drive a bike here then a car!

[Oliver]

That's exactly why I'm paying for a driver. The possibility that he may turn out to be cute is a plus....but don't tell my boyfriend! I visited twice about twelve years ago and rented a rattley old Suzuki jeep. The roads around Seminyak were crowded and slow. More than once I was stuck for two hours plus owing to religious processions. The fact that once I was dying for a pee made it worse. I suspect that conditions will have worsened since then.
I'm relaxed about driving in most areas of the world...Thailand is easy. But Bali? No; the lack of insurance and possible problems were I to be in an accident puts me off. And my car and driver cost is embarrassingly cheap.

[Nirish guy]

Well if it makes you feel more comfortable then it's a good idea !

I'm having such a good ( hot) time here that I'm trying debating cutting my Pattaya time down and staying here for a further 4 days right over Christmas as as well as it being a nice place with friendly chilled out people etc that guys are just so damned cute - and up for it 24/7 it seems and who am I to refuse :-)

[paperboy]

hi everyone
its that time of year again, now planing my june holiday, and bal sounds good
ive burnt out thailand and cambodia i think and looking for something new.
the question is, whats the chances of getting a few bottles of popers into Bali
i always take a few to thailand and other destinations.
thanks for all the greeat info on here again

[Nirish guy]

Just to follow up on my post above where I'd said if maybe Vern a bot out re hotel costs etc ( as I couldn't remember exactly what is paid etc), I've just checked and I was right the first time as certainly this place I'm staying is MUCH better value than either Bangkok or Pattaya IMO.

The rate here for my private semi villa type room with private garden and jacuzzi etc is ┬г40 a night and the normal pool facing rooms ( which are lovely and a very high spec) are only ┬г22 a night ! Both of which are by far cheaper than I pay in patts or Bkk for the same thing.

Re the question above re poppers not sure where you buy but a lot of the boys use them regularly and there's no big deal about them so I can only assume they are readily available one way or the other, I try and remember to ask the question later for you from some of the guys.

[danny99]

Poppers!

If you bring any drugs into Bali then expect a 10 year holiday!

International Drivers License...compulsory if driving yourself...one of the many chip on shoulder laws of Indonesia...whilst there is no translation page for Bahasa in IDL's still compulsory...many police roadside checks...you constantly see stupid foreigners on motor bikes no helmet and no license being grilled roadside....big supplement for low police salary!

[Nirish guy]

I think you're perhaps overstating that ten year thing "just a little bit" there perhaps in regards to poppers, of course bali is known for their very strict laws on such things but on behalf of a friend I'd asked several people ( all residents of Bali ) were poppers illegal / available in bali etc, there were a few head scratchings re the actual legality part of the question as they were so common / available there and whilst almost every one eventually agreed that yes I they "thought" they were illegal, each one to a man all then said "but no problem, if you want they have everywhere, do you want some" ( which I didn't as I don't use them as they give me a shocking sore head always) and one of the guys I was with bought a bottle for himself while I was there for only 100,000 Rupiah (about ┬г5 sterling) plus I see there are several Indonesian hosted websites all selling poppers as "room odorisers" so I doubt that anyone is going to jail for 10 years for having a bottle of poppers in their bedroom, not that I'm suggesting anyone wants to test that law perhaps of course but always good just to have a little perspective on such things perhaps.

[jackieboy]

hi its me again thanks for everyone who replied to my original question i now have another one ,what is the average price for eating out in bali ? ineed to have an idea for working out holiday money also price of drinks would help also thanks again if you can help i will be staying in seminyak if thats any help