Leg 1 — Canggu
26–30 June. Soft landing, surf lesson, shopping, Waterbom, and the 15th birthday on the last day. Based in Berawa, on the northern end of the Canggu strip.
Leg 2 — Uluwatu & Bingin
11–16 July. Cliffs, temple culture, beach days and a final-day choice between two very different vibes. Based in Pecatu, the same district as Bingin and Padang Padang.
Both legs fall right in the dry season — expect warm, sunny days around 27–31°C and cooler nights around 22–25°C. Rain is unlikely but not impossible; if it comes, it's usually a short burst, not an all-day washout.
Private driver (Nyoman) — recommended for both legs, especially Uluwatu where most things are a drive, not a walk. Confirm pickup windows the night before.
Grab/Gojek — fine for short Canggu hops in daylight. Less reliable in Pecatu/Uluwatu where roads are quieter and pickups can be slow.
This replaces the separate PDF guides — your full Bali Presto travel system is built into the tabs above: pre-arrival admin, first 24 hours, on-the-ground essentials, and medication & safety, alongside the trip-specific itinerary, villas, and packing list.
Arrival + Soft Landing
Arrive Denpasar 16:35. Nyoman airport pickup, then straight to the villa in Berawa.
Sunset stroll near Berawa Beach (right at your doorstep), easy first-night dinner nearby.
Surf + Settle In
Slow breakfast, then a beginner-friendly surf lesson. Odysseys and Bali Green both run lessons around Batu Bolong / Echo Beach.
Keep the afternoon light with pool downtime back at the villa. Sunset at La Brisa.
Shopping + Flexible Afternoon
Start at Love Anchor Canggu, then the Batu Bolong shopping strip for surfwear and teen-friendly finds. Add Samadi or La Brisa Sunday Market if timing suits.
Keep the afternoon free for pool or beach time back at the villa.
Waterbom Day
Full day at Waterbom Bali. This is in Kuta, so it's a proper drive from Berawa — build it into the morning, not a quick add-on.
Keep the evening low-key — relaxed dinner back in Canggu, early night before the birthday.
15th Birthday
Relaxed breakfast, light shopping or beach time, then an age-appropriate beach club afternoon — swimming, music, sunset. Celebratory, not nightclub energy.
Birthday shortlist: Finns Beach Club, Café del Mar, La Brisa — all close to the villa.
Surf zones: Batu Bolong + Echo Beach (drive, not walk, from Berawa)
Shopping: Love Anchor + Batu Bolong strip
Right at the villa: Berawa Beach, Finns, Café del Mar — these are your easy, no-driving options
Arrival + Settle
Transfer to the Pecatu villa, check in, pool time. Unwind, sunset nearby, casual dinner close by.
Surf + Beach Day
Slow breakfast, surf lesson or surf-watch at Padang Padang/Bingin. Pool downtime back at the villa, sunset dinner.
Culture Day — Uluwatu Temple + Kecak Fire Dance
Easy morning, early lunch, then Uluwatu Temple and the Kecak Fire Dance at sunset.
Easy Beach Day — Melasti Beach
Road access makes this the easiest beach for the group — swim, sun, relax, beach clubs and cafés. Lunch at a beach club or local warung.
Final Full Day — Sundays Beach Club or Single Fin
Sundays: beachfront, swim, restaurant + sunset bonfire, live music 5–8pm. Best for a full beach day, more family-friendly.
Single Fin: iconic cliffside views, great sunset + dinner, more bar energy as evening builds. Best for an epic sunset.
Departure
Easy morning, breakfast, final swim, pack and check out. Transfer to airport.
Almost everything on this leg is a short drive, not a walk — the Pecatu villa sits back from the cliff-edge beach clusters. Private driver recommended for comfort and flexibility, especially after dark.
Book ahead: Temple + Kecak Dance tickets, beach clubs, private transfers.
Berawa Villa
Villa 37 — The View Villa
Both legs sit in the heart of dry season — warm days (27–31°C), cooler evenings (22–25°C), low humidity, minimal rain. Pack light, breathable layers rather than anything heavy.
- ✓Reef-safe sunscreen (SPF50+ — pack from home, it's 3x the price in Bali)
- ✓Hats + sunglasses
- ✓Swimwear (x2–3 per person)
- ✓Rash vest or swim shirt for the boys' surf lessons
- ✓Quick-dry towel or sarong
- ✓Dry bag for beach days
- ✓Light, breathable daywear (linen/cotton) — days are warm and humid
- ✓One light layer or shirt for cooler evenings (22–25°C)
- ✓Comfortable walking shoes/sandals — most days involve some walking on uneven paths
- ✓One smart-casual outfit each for the birthday dinner / Kecak Dance evening
- ✓Light cover-up or modest layer for Uluwatu Temple (shoulders/knees covered)
- ✓Hydralyte or electrolyte tablets — heat + travel = faster dehydration
- ✓Hand sanitiser — use before every meal
- ✓Basic first-aid kit (antiseptic, band-aids, any personal medication in original packaging)
- ✓Probiotics — ideally started 2 weeks before departure
- ✓Insect repellent
- ✓Power bank + universal adaptor
- ✓Cash (small notes — parking, warungs, temple donations)
Airport transfers with Nyoman, pre-arrival admin, and on-the-ground essentials are all sorted in the tabs to the left — no separate guide needed.
Complete these official steps before you leave Australia — not at the airport, not on the plane.
- Visa on Arrival (eVOA) — IDR 500,000 (~$43 AUD). Apply online before departure via the official Indonesian immigration portal: evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Pre-payment skips the cash queue — straight to e-gates.
- Tourist levy — IDR 150,000 (~$15 AUD). Mandatory since 2024, paid online before departure: lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Proof needed at the border.
- All Indonesia Tourist Card (FREE) — the official Indonesian government arrival card, now combining immigration, customs and health declaration into one digital form, replacing the old separate customs site. Complete within 72 hours before arrival: allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id.
- Travel insurance — sort before anything else. Cover-More Comprehensive Travel Insurance is a trusted Bali Presto partner — click through to secure coverage for this trip. Medical evacuation alone can run $50,000–$150,000 AUD without it.
- Don't exchange AUD to IDR in Australia — rates are 15–20% worse than in Bali. Exchange there only.
- Screenshot all docs offline — eVOA approval + tourist levy receipt, saved to camera roll before boarding.
- Activate eSIM from Australia — Simify (code PRESTO15 for 15% off), turn on when you land on the tarmac.
- Start probiotics 2 weeks out — builds gut resistance, reduces Bali belly risk.
- Pack your own sunscreen — 3x the price in Bali tourist areas.
- Handle your own bags. Don't accept help from anyone at the airport — unofficial porters dress similarly to staff and demand $20–50 AUD after grabbing your luggage.
- Don't mention it's a first Bali trip. It marks you as a target for inflated pricing across taxis, tours and money changers.
- Book Grab/Gojek inside the terminal before walking out — use airport WiFi, lock the fare before you move.
- Blue Bird taxi only if metered — download MyBluebird before landing if that's the backup option.
- Stop at Circle K en route for water, snacks, any last bits — cheaper than hotel shops.
- Never exchange at the airport — rates run 15–25% below market.
- Use only trusted changers — Central Kuta Money Exchange, BMM Money Changer, BaliCASH.money. Glass-fronted, air-conditioned, main streets only.
- Count every note twice before leaving the counter — never let them take notes back to "recount."
- Don't buy big in the first 4 days — first-timers commonly overpay 200–400% before they understand local pricing.
- Never drink tap water — not even to rinse a toothbrush. Bottled or filtered only, every time.
- Don't swallow shower water — same tap source, same rules.
- 2x Hydralyte each morning in 600ml water, sipped over breakfast.
- Sanitise hands before every meal.
- First meal at an established restaurant, not street food — let the gut adjust for 24–48 hours first.
- No gold jewellery — snatch theft from passing motorbikes is common.
- No scooters in the first 24 hours — jet lag + unfamiliar roads is a bad combination, and most travel insurance voids cover without a valid motorcycle licence.
- Decline free bracelets, flowers or "blessings" politely before they touch you — nothing is actually free.
- Skip Monkey Forest on day one — save it for once you're rested. With teenage boys around, reinforce the animal safety rules in the Meds & Safety tab before this one.
- On-demand apps: Gojek Indonesia, Grab South East Asia
- Money exchange: Central Kuta Money Exchange, BMM Money Changer, BaliCASH.money
- Laundry: Easy Day Laundry, Moon Laundry Bali, Lazy Laundry Bali
- eSIM: Simify — code PRESTO15 for 15% off
- Translation: Google Translate (offline Bahasa pack)
- Currency: XE Currency Converter App
- Doctors: Bali Belly Doctor (mobile), Halodoc app, Dr Ari Mobile Clinic, Pharmacy Bali
- Hospitals: BIH Hospital Sanur, BIMC Hospital (3 locations)
- Authorities: Polres Bali, Australian Consulate-General Bali
- Insurance: Allianz Comprehensive, Cover-More Comprehensive
- Live alerts: Smartraveller Indonesia, BMKG Indonesia Meteorology, BMKG Live Extreme Weather Display
Massage/Spa: Zahra Spa (classic, reliable), Sundari Day Spa (more elevated)
Yoga/Healing: Alchemy Yoga and Meditation Center, The Yoga Barn
- Festivals & events: Bali Untold — Festivals & Events
- Bahasa Indonesia basics: Holidify — 62 Common Phrases, Jembatan Bahasa School — Basic Phrases
- Weather & seasons: Bali.com — Weather & Seasons
- Immersion & volunteering: BaliSpirit — Local NGOs & Non-Profits, The Broke Backpacker — Volunteer Guide
Not every product that's normal in Australia should be packed without thought. Some items are low risk, some need extra care, and some simply aren't worth the risk. Always check the active ingredients, not just the brand name.
- ✓Protein powder in sealed packaging, creatine, electrolytes
- ✓Vitamins and minerals, magnesium, collagen
- ✓Standard paracetamol, standard ibuprofen, basic antihistamines
- ✓Prescription medication in original packaging, inhalers, EpiPens
- ✓Prescription medications generally, ADHD medication, sleeping tablets
- ✓Anti-anxiety medication, strong pain medication, injectable medication
- ✓Large quantities of tablets or powders
- ✓Cold and flu tablets with stronger active ingredients
Not codeine-based (generally fine): standard Panadol, standard paracetamol, standard ibuprofen, some Sudafed products.
Needs extra caution: Sudafed products with stronger active ingredients, cold and flu tablets, combination pain relief products.
Codeine-based — treat as a stronger medication, don't assume it's safe without documentation: anything labelled codeine, codeine phosphate, paracetamol + codeine, or ibuprofen + codeine.
- ✓CBD products, THC products, medicinal cannabis
- ✓Unlabelled powders, loose tablets with no box
- ✓Non-prescribed steroids, SARMs
- ✓Anything not clearly for personal use, or suspiciously large quantities
- Keep everything in original packaging — don't mix tablets into random containers
- Bring a copy of your prescription, and a doctor's letter for prescription medication
- Bring only what you need for the trip
- Keep essential medication in carry-on, not checked luggage
- Keep supplements sealed where possible
If travelling with prescription medication, be ready to declare it and support it with: original packaging, prescription copy, doctor's letter, and a reasonable quantity for personal use.
Bali Presto tip: don't assume airport staff will "just know" what your medication is — make it easy for them to see it's legitimate.
This is directly relevant to your itinerary — Uluwatu Temple has resident monkeys known for grabbing bags, sunglasses and phones, and with two teenage boys, it's worth setting the expectation before you go: admire from a distance, don't make yourself part of the interaction.
If bitten, scratched, or licked on broken skin, you may need urgent medical treatment. Smartraveller advises talking to a doctor about pre-exposure rabies vaccination before travel, and warns that rabies treatment access in Indonesia can be limited — you may need to travel elsewhere for immediate treatment after a bite or scratch.
This doesn't mean everyone automatically needs the vaccine before Bali. It means it's worth discussing with a doctor beforehand — especially relevant here given the trip includes children, an Uluwatu Temple visit, and beach/villa areas where animals are present.
Important: pre-exposure vaccination does not mean a bite or scratch can be ignored afterwards — it may simplify the treatment required, but urgent medical advice is still needed.
- Wash the wound immediately with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes
- Apply antiseptic if available
- Seek urgent medical attention immediately — do not wait to "see what happens"
- Contact your travel insurer for guidance
- Don't rely only on advice from venue staff, drivers, friends, or social media
- Keep receipts, medical notes, and treatment documents
Don't feed monkeys or carry loose food around them. Don't stare at or tease them. Don't take selfies close to any animal. Don't touch stray dogs or cats, and don't let the boys approach animals even if they seem calm. Keep bags, sunglasses, phones and food secured around monkeys, especially at Uluwatu Temple. If an animal approaches, stay calm and move away slowly.
Book a GP, pharmacist, or travel doctor appointment before you fly — not the week before, since some vaccines need time to take effect. Worth asking about specifically:
- Am I up to date with routine vaccinations (tetanus, measles-related protection)?
- Do I need any travel-specific vaccines for Indonesia/Bali — hepatitis A, typhoid, influenza, Japanese encephalitis, rabies?
- Should I consider pre-exposure rabies vaccination given this trip includes temple visits and two teenagers?
- What should I do if bitten, scratched or licked on broken skin by an animal?
- What medications should I pack for gastro, fever, dehydration, bites, allergies, nausea or pain relief?
- Do I need a doctor's letter for any medication or supplements I'm bringing?
- Are any of my medications restricted or likely to cause issues at customs?
- What travel insurance health cover should I check before leaving?
- ✓Oral rehydration salts, gastro medication, nausea medication
- ✓Pain relief, antihistamines, motion sickness medication
- ✓Electrolytes, probiotics
- ✓Insect repellent, bite cream
- ✓Antiseptic wipes or solution, band-aids and wound dressings
- ✓Hand sanitiser, sunscreen, after-sun care
- ✓Any personal prescription medication + copies of prescriptions or doctor letters
- ✓Travel insurance emergency contact details