even at 65,000, that's only about $65---a bargain

The current going rate in Ubud (2012) is about Rp 300,000 = 400,000 for a full 8 hours day, depending on the car. If you are going all the way to Pemuteran for example, that will be more as its harder driving and much farther away than touring rice fields and shops and so forth. There are several different models of cars and if your driver has one of the lower end cars, like an older Kijang, that is therefore usually towards the borrow of that scale. The Kijang Innova is the best of the Kijangs, and the Kijang Kapsul is the second best. For additional hours figure on about rp 50,000 an hour, but often they will drive you to dinner and pick up after for free, since you have booked a whole day. The gasoline hike, when it takes effect later this summer, will add some to this cost.

http://www.balifriend.com/our-service/ explains Putu's pricing...basic price is 500,000/day, additional for some itineraries or destinations.

Don't forget Putu is a guide as well as driver.

putu is a bargain at twice any price quoted..

i have used him on 3 different trips..

thanks to craig and jeane for having found him...

Alas, Bob, your effort to help by topping this antique thread has thoroughly confused Stan.

I contacted Putu and Craig and others who mention 350,000Rp. for Putu for a 10 hour day were misleading you. That was back in 2005-2006. He is now chaging 500,000Rp.550,000Rp. based on where he comes to to start the day. I know this for 2 reasons. I used to pay 300,000Rp. in 2005 but not to Putu and I wrote toi him and he checked his records and he found Craigs and it appears he toured with Craig in 2005 was 350,000 Rp. Because of cost of living he will be raising his rates slightly, so he mentioned in the email, as of Ja. 2013.

Stan, look at the date of the original post - 2004. No one was misleading you - you were misleading you by not noticing the original date and by not reading the responses to your post.

Kathie; You are correct. I suppose I am used to TripAdvisor which is in my opinion more efficient. If there are no comments in 12 months they do not continue the conversation that way a gallery that might have been open 5 years ago and is now closed would not confuse a traveler.
It turns out I paid 650,000 and not 555,000Rp. because Putu did some research for me that unearthed an object I would not have expected from the run of the mill 400-500,000 guide.

this is why i mentioned that rates probably had increased.

stan--this is his job, do you want him to spend the day hauling you around for peanuts? come-on $65... buy one less italian cloth pair of slacks..

rhkkmk; You got me completely wrong. I am an advocate of his rate.Last year he was with us for 3.5 days and we paid for 4 plus tip because he is quite good. Those paying 400Rp. for 9-10 hours are getting what they pay for in 99% of the cases.

I think this thread should be retired anyway. But in any case, the discussion about one particular driver/guide's prices is ridiculous. There are thousands (ok maybe I exagerrate) of wonderful guides and drivers besides just one person on the entire island. I'm sure he's fantastic but threads like this can give people the impression that unless they can book Putu that they will have an inferior experience. That is simply not true.

Really? I didn't get that impression--just that he's one guide that is recommended.

i have personally found a number of guides on this site, as i did find putu originally, and i prefer a 1st hand fodorite endorsement in my selection process

kuluk is correct. It just was imporetant for me to correct his rate at 500,000-550,000Rp./day.

I just think there are other people who might get that impression if they are new to this forum or find it on a search. I recently read a post on Trip Advisor where someone said they didn't heard back from a recommended driver and were "panicking" because they thought they would not be able to find a guide otherwise.

This is from the Bali Discovery site, an excellent weekly resource of news about Bali tourism.

http://www.balidiscovery.com/message...ge.asp?ID=8234
" At present Bali have 5,265 licensed and registered tour guides, 60% of whom are freelance guides unattached to local tour agencies."

does guide#2999 still show up late and try to take you to his cousins restaurant and uncle's jewelers?

I don't know because I don't have a trusted fodorites recommendation.

If I needed a guide and I didn't have a recommended one I would ask the hotel I was staying in to recommend one. We all want a <b>recommended</b> guide, jewelry shop, temple, beach, restaurant, etc. To state that Bali has 5000 + anything is useless to me unless they are good and recommended by you. If there is no recommendation then we defer to the "life is like a box of chocolates" method.......you takes your pick and takes your chances as they say. I would pick the chocolate truffle every time.

Aloha!

i hate chocolate truffles, but love putu

I have found that when staying stayinfg at 4+ or 5 star hotels and request services such as guides, messages (outside the hotel) we tend to pay top dollar unless we give the conceirge $25 USD upfront in Asia except HK. Then we get the best, most often and at the best price and it covers the gratuity.

tips well placed turn tricks, for sure