katkat

Does anyone have a favorite there? (Preferrably reasonably clean.) I know the driver will take us somewhere, possibly owned by his friends, but I want to hear about what people have enjoyed.

Thanks,
Kat

katkat

I meant LAKE Batur.

KimJapan

At Kintamani your driver will likely take you to the buffet restaurant that all tourists seem to go to. Although I don't know of any alternative, as when we went it was 10 years ago, I would skip the buffet in favor of just about anything else. Perhaps you can confer with your driver, and tell him you really are not going to eat the buffet, and ask him to take you somewhere that is good.

BACanuck

Hi Kat,
I would certainly avoid those huge restaurants along the road in Kintamani as Kim has suggested. This area caters to large tourist groups that arrive by bus daily from southern Bali. When we were there in December 2004, most of these restaurants were empty (due to it being off season and fewer tourist numbers coming to Bali since the bombing.) We were "swarmed" with very persistent hawkers the minute we got out of our vehicle. They followed us around the whole time we were in Kintamani which wasn't long. We were with our driver and his companion from Eastern Bali and they tried to sell their wares to them as well. We stayed just long enough to look at the view (which is lovely) and then we were "out of there." I hope your experiences are more positive than ours in this area. Hopefully you will have a reliable, honest driver who can take you to a more appealing place for dining.

marmot

I don't know what it is about Indonesians and volcanoes, but they seem to bring out the worst in the national character.

My son is interested in geology so we've slogged up and down calderas from Tankuban Prahu to Bromo to Batur and have found the same sorry lot of dismal, aggressive, unpleasant people living around all of them. Maybe I'd feel the same way if I were exposed to volcanic ash 24/7!

As much as I like the scenery, I don't advise going to Batur at all unless you intend to trek and really get away from all the nonsense. It's just one giant aggravation and antithetical to the serenity and hospitality of the rest of Bali.

The answer to Kat's question about a good restaurant in the area? I'd agree, if you can possibly convince your driver that you don't want to go to a tourist-y buffet, avoid the big places. Any small warung or local joint in Bali will serve good simple food like nasi goreng (fried rice), satay, or ayam goreng (fried chicken). There are countless rice variations that are steamed in palm leaves and served with different types of accompaniments. Just look for the word nasi.