Supermarkets & Makro Store in Bali

Matahari's : Always stock up here : Check into your hotel , empty the minibar/fridge and set sail for the supermarket. Good range of beverages, alcohol / fruit / soft drinks. (including spirits, cocktails and mixers ) Great range of Toiletries, food for all types of meals and snacks ... It's also fun looking at all the different items that you can't get at home and you will be surprised by the amount you "wished" you could get at home. [ Kuta : at the end of Kuta Square ] or ask at your hotel for the closest one. Pic's Of Matahari's Kuta Sq The Makro Store situated on the Denpasar bypass Rd to Sanur. At Makro you will be able to stock up on many many everyday items available in "Bulk" Great if you have a large family or there are a few of you. Makro stocks everything from electronic equipment, fridges, Microwave ovens to noodles, beer, soft drinks, water, fruit and vegetables. They also have a great range of Lollies ( Sweets ) for the children, pens pencils etc. You have to pay 1,000Rp entrance fee p.p. ( in 2001, may be a little more now. ) They will not permit any bags or camera's into the store. There is a taxi rank outside the store in the car park. Situated app 10 mins from Kuta and 15 mins from Sanur it's well worth a visit..... ( Check they take your credit card before entering or have at least 500,000rp in cash on you. hehe )

Bringing back Food : I have brought back many items from Bali including sauces, spices and tinned fruit juices unavailable in Australia ( like soursop ) for cocktails. Generally anything that is in an unopened air tight container are fine to bring back to Australia. ( Not Tupperwear ) Declare all food items anyway to be on the safe side.

Department Stores : Larger stores in Denpasar.However the one above, Matahari's in Kuta square has a great range. Great place to get a good Idea of the local prices for goods. They also have an honest money exchange counter with good rates. [ Well worth a visit.] You can purchase a dress / trousers from the racks , at very good prices , and have them altered for free while you wait. Ladies will love the prices of the cosmetics, under ½ price , and they are the real thing [ Revlon , Clinique and most of the famous brands. ]

TimeZone Game's arcade : If you have kids this could be a good answer to some free shopping time. Both TimeZone game's arcades are located at the Matahari department stores. Kuta store ( Kuta Square ) on the top floor ( 4Th floor ) and in Legian its on the ground floor.( Matahari store JL Legian ) They are very cheap @ under 20c Australian a Token. OR 1,000Rp ea. Great chance to leave the teenagers with 20-30,000 Rp ( $6-$7AUS ) while you shop in the department stores and they will have 20-30 games , which should give you over an hour's shopping. ( The same games in Australia are $1AUS ea go. )

International drivers licence : If you intend to hire a CAR in Bali , this is a must. Always carry your insurance and registration papers with you for the hired car when driving.

Travellers cheques : Handy if you are taking a large sum of money and it is insured when you purchase this style of currency. Downside : Not as good an exchange rate.

Credit cards: Visa , Amex , Bankcard are all accepted credit cards and can be used in 90% of the stores and Hotels. ( Some hotels may ask for a 3% surcharge for using a credit card but you can generally argue this or retrieve it from your credit card company.) Great if you need to have some "stand by" cash in case you find that bargain of a life time or wish to make a large purchase and would rather keep your cash for day to day purchases OR for peace of mind. If you do lose your cash or travellers cheques you have something to fall back on. ( I generally split my spending money into my VISA card and cash. )

Cash : Larger notes attract a better exchange rate AUS , CAD , Pounds Sterling and US notes in 50 and 100 denominations and are easily exchanged anywhere. Your hotel should have a safety deposit box available free of charge for security. USE IT !!! ( I generally split my sending money into my VISA card and cash. )

ATM's : Although there are more and more ATM's ( Automatic teller machine's ) around in the Kuta area and a few less in Sanur ,there is a transaction limit of 400,000 Rp ( App US$40 ) So you may have to insert your card a few times to get the amount you need, also every transaction will be met with a bank fee when you get home. There are 3 ATM's at the airport in the international arrivals area where you pickup your suit cases. A small problem in Bali is that ATM's aren't always reliable as they go offline often and if they do this during a transaction , your account maybe debited and you may not get the cash.

Money Exchangers WARNING : Don't rely on their calculators. Ask what size notes they have and if they only have 5,000Rp or 10,000Rp notes there is a very good chance they are going to try and rip you off. ( Look for 50,000Rp or at least 20,000Rp notes.) The less notes you recieve, the less you have to count and the less chance of being ripped off. Try and always change an amount that will give you a round and easy figure to work out in your head. EG: $100AUS @ 5200Rp to the Aus$ = 520,000 Rp

10 x 50,000 notes + 2 x 10,000 notes OR 104 x 5,000 notes ( thats 12 notes to count OR 104 whats easier ? )

Look for the guys that charge NO commision and ask again when you are in the shop if there is a commision. Be wary of any money changer offering a surprisingly high exchange rate. Take them on if you wish but be the last to count OR touch your money , as soon as you are handed the cash for the last time and before you walk out the shop...count it again!!! Understand before you start exchanging money with money changers , exactly how much you will recieve back. Be wary of changers ending with 90RP they will quickly swap a 50,000 for a 5,000. EG $100AUS @ 5490 = 549,000 They will give you 10x 50,000 OR 500,000 Rp in one form or another and say because its 49 at the end , do you have a 1,000Rp note and we will give you a 5,000Rp back. If you are confused by all the 000's you may quickly say okay..and you just lost 45,000Rp

Buying Furniture : The moisture content ( humidity ) in the air in Bali is very high so unless you come from a tropical area with a high moisture content , be careful not to purchase things with large wood panels. This is because once you get it home it will start to dry out and large splits may start to appear due to the lack of moisture. If you can, buy teak but make sure it is teak and not treated pine OR buy kiln dried timber to avoid the cracking. ( this maybe hard as they will claim everything is kiln dried ) Unless you pay a large price for quality don't buy a dining table as they tend to fall apart at home. Warning: If you plan to order things to be made. Don't pay for it until you have seen it packed in the container and definitely be there for the packing and closing of the container.

Duty Free : There isn't much at the airport in Denpasar and what there is is the same price as you would pay at an Australian airport prior to departure. So if you would like to have that bottle of scotch, rum or whatever in your room, I suggest you get it before you leave Australia. If you like wine,bring it with you as wine is VERY expensive in Bali. Perfume/Aftershave , although it is available in Bali , the perfume on the streets is a copy and at times bad copies. Any electronic gear. There isnt a great range available in Bali and what is available is either the same price or a little under. [ Its best to spend the extra $10 and have the warranty in Australia.] If you smoke , get them in Australia as well , although there are now export cartons of Winfield blue and B & H available in Bali for around $12 a carton, they arent quite the same flavour.

Travel insurance : A must . From as little as $70 AUS per person , you can cover yourself for 8 days travel ( Whole Family cover is available ) If you are from Australia and travel frequently , ask about Executive travel insurance. This will cost around two times more than a fortnight's family insurance - however it will cover you AND your family for a full 12 months. [ Including internal travel. IE : those easter or christmas holidays interstate.]

First Aid Kit / Bali Belly : A kit similar to what you may have in the car. Something small that may contain "immodium" anti diarrhoea tablets , "charcoal" tablets taken if Bali Belly is suffered, "dettol" ( antiseptic ) for cleaning any cuts and abrasions, panadol, anti fungal powder, insect repellant , some burn cream ( for relief from sunburn ) and some bandaids. There are chemists in Bali , however not all drugs are available. *** If you can, take a bottle of Raspberry Juice Cordial usually found in the "Cascade Brand" in Oz.( Not Raspberry Flavour ) For some reason this has been proven to help prevent and cure stomach problems. "Bali Belly" It worked for us.

Your Doctor : If you are in any way worried about what you may catch in Bali , a trip to your local GP will help with any prescribed drugs you may wish to take and he will be able to help with any recommended Innoculations that maybe required by your country. ( Malaria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B are recommended if you are going to visit remote areas of Bali. ) LAST RESORTS : Foreign Consulates in Bali Netherlands, Jl. Imam Bonjol 599, Denpasar (tel. 0361-751904 or 751497, fax 752777) France, Jl. Raya Sesetan 46 D, Banjar Pesanggaran, Denpasar (tel. 0361-233555) Japan, Jl. Moh. Yamin 9, Renon, Denpasar (tel. 0361-231308 or 234808) Germany, Jl. Pantai Karang 17, Sanur (tel. 0361-288535); Italy, Jl. Padang Galak, Sanur (tel. 0361-288996 or 288896) Switzerland/Austria, c/o Swiss Restaurant, Jl. Pura Bagus Taruna, Legian (tel. 0361-751735) Sweden/Finland, Segara Village Hotel, Sanur (tel. 0361-288407 or 288408) U.S.A., Jl. Sanur Ayu 5, Sanur (tel. 0361-288478 Norway Denmark, Jl. Jayagiri, Gang VIII/10, Denpasar (tel. 0361-235098 or 233053) Australia, Jl. Prof. Moh. Yamin Kav. 51, P.O. Box 243, Renon, Denpasar (tel. 0361-235092 or 235093, fax 231990).