Guide needed in Bali
 

Hi, we're off to Bali in 11 days and need to hire a guide. I know it's very late to be asking, but we only booked a short while ago. I've e-mailed Putu, but haven't received a reply yet. Can anybody recommend a guide/driver ? Thanks

send putu another e mail....it may have been mis-routed...

SidB
I used Dean, who is really well recommended on tripadvisor We absolutely loved him.
[email protected]

Dean may likely be busy but he has recently added some co-drivers. One of my hsb's colleagues used one of them a few weeks ago and was very happy.
http://www.baliwithdean.blogspot.com/

Have a great time -- can't wait to read your trip report

re: the batik fabric your wife wants to buy -- thought I had posted to that but guess I didn't. You're going to see alot of "batik" design material and sarongs in the markets -- but it's printed. One place you might find some is at any dance maker's costume store - they screen gold designs on top of it but often have some around that they haven't screened yet. There's one in Ubud on the main road, walking east from the Palace. Another in Sukawati where Dean took us to buy our puppets.

Do re-send as suggested to [email protected] as PA usually responds promptly unless traveling overnight with customers or working very long hours.

When hiring a driver, I'd advise finding one who is properly licensed, for peace of mind. A driver licensed to carry tourists must have the proper insurance for your protection and his vehicle is regularly inspected for safety. Some drivers who are otherwise very good are not licensed due to the cost. Arnawa is licensed.

I agree with rhkkmk and Becalm - resend your e-mail to Putu. I used him when I visited Bali this past November and had a great time. As Becalm said, Putu is licensed. I know this for a fact because we were stopped not once, but twice at random checkpoints around town and he had to produce all his documents. Also, his vehicle (an SUV - can't remember the brand) was clean, in good mechanical order and (most importantly) air conditioned!

Have a great time...

Dean is licensed. I'm not sure why this forum gets so attached to one driver/guide per country. It's really unfair to the other people who do good work. I emailed Putu three times before I got a response last December, so definitely, do keep trying - I'm sure he's a lovely driver and he takes great photographs. But everyone else I emailed got back to me within a day or so when I was driver shopping.
Dean went so far out of his way to make sure we had a great time in Bali, and since I've been back he's emailed with pictures of festivals; he even sent a gift back for me with one of my hsbs colleagues who went to Bali this month, and I know he's done for that for other customers of his in the past.

I hope SidB won't mind me piggy-backing on this thread. We're heading for Bali in June and expect to be spending a week in a coastal location, possibly Sanur, and another week in Ubud. Mostly we expect to be doing our own thing but we're open to the idea of using a guide for maybe a day or two in each location. Does anyone have a feel for the likely cost per day?

expect to pay in the range of $40-50 per day with auto....that would be an 8-10 hour day...

putu lives in ubud so he might be perfect...

Jenskar -
I don't think it's a matter of being attached to one person over another. It's more about travelers sharing their experiences regarding the person they ultimately chose to use as a guide. You chose Dean, and it sounds as though you had a wonderful time. I chose Putu and I had a wonderful time. Is one better than the other? Who knows? What is important is that whoever is chosen as a guide should be licensed, professional and knowledgeable.

To answer your question Neil-Oz, Putu charged me about $45 (US) for what was to have been 8 hours, but instead, turned into an 11 hour day, not including a couple of unscheduled stops for a mild case of 'Bali Belly'.

You will have a great time in Bali. Enjoy your travels...

Neal -- expect a rate in rupiah -- Dean is 400,000, Putu quoted 500,000 at roughly 9000 to the dollar for someone who's licensed and insured. This includes any parking fees and gas, not entrance to sites. A few days with a driver/guide will give you time to see quite a lot. You might want someone while you're in Ubud to do things that are closer from there (volcano, eastern temples, etc.) and from Sanur you could do a loop and see Tanah Lot and Uluwatu -- pick your sunset stop, they're both great.
Dean is near Ubud as well, but he picked us up in Jimbaran as well as Ubud. Our days ranged from 9 hours to 12 at the same rate - 400,000 a day. I tipped him after the 12 hour day and also at the end.
When I was planning my trip, I know alot of people on the forum also advised that it was easy enough to find transport in Bali -- but I wasn't comfortable with that. But it would certainly be easy enough -- when you walk down the street you hear "transport, transport", we'd smile and say no thank you, they'd smile and say how about tomorrow and we'd all laugh.

i too like those kinds of things all arranged before hand....plus you have some guidance from forums like this as to what to expect from specific people...

Sorry, bit vague with my initial post. What I actually meant was "could anybody recommend a guide if Putu was busy ?" I had anticipated that he wouldn't be available. Got that wtong too. I've booked him for 2 days, starting next week. I'm looking forward to meeting him.

SidB, I'll be interested to hear how it all went. And thanks everybody for your help.

I used Dean last january during 10 days and I couldnt have choose better.
He is a licensed guide, very honest, great car, excellent english (better than mine)and he usually stayed with us more than 12 hours a day without charging any cent more.
With him I could understand the real bali, and he was more than a driver/ guide he became my friend.
Of course I gave him a good tip and many brasilians stuffs at the end of our journey in Bali.
Of course must have been excellents guide/drives in Bali but for me he was perfect.
Fernando - Brasil