Beach breaks and resort getaways in Bali are back as the popular holiday destination seeks to kickstart tourism.
Indonesia is welcoming tourists back to Bali, with mandatory quarantine gone and a streamlined visa-on-arrival process now in place for travellers from Australia and 23 other countries.
That visa will cost around A$50, can be obtained only when you land at Denpasar and will permit entry for 30 days.
You’ll also need to show proof of accommodation booked for at least four nights and hold travel insurance with Covid-19 medical coverage of at least US$25,000.
Indonesia Institute President, Ross Taylor, said he expects the initial uptake of flights to be a little slow as some travellers may initially be hesitant to head overseas, but as the Australian winter sets in and Bali enters its dry season, cravings for a winter escape will be high.
Getting to Bali is a little trickier than it once was, with flag carrier Garuda Indonesia flying from Sydney to the Indonesian holiday hotspot just once each week, with a return leg via Jakarta.
Qantas and Jetstar make things a bit easier, with direct flights from both Sydney and Melbourne returning from next week; Virgin Australia will follow, with flights from Sydney and Melbourne from May 2.
All tourists must be fully vaccinated to enter Bali and along with the usual PCR test prior to leaving Australia, just need to do one test on arrival. If this test comes back positive, you can still enter the country but will recover at a central isolation facility.
Any traveller wishing to visit another part of Indonesia can do so after taking another PCR test on day 3 of their visit and returning a negative result.
Famous for its temples and beaches, Bali attracted some 6.2 million foreign visitors in 2019, the year before Covid-19 struck and has for many years been Australia’s second most popular overseas destination after New Zealand.
“We cannot wait to welcome Aussies back to Bali,” enthuses Uday Rao, General Manager of Four Seasons Resorts Bali, saying that “Aussies have always been the first to return and the last to leave.”
And the roots go so deep that in the past, Rao explains, “some Australian guests made such a strong connection with our Balinese staff that they invited them to Australia and sponsored their visa, hosted them at their home, treated them like VIPs – which is testament to the strong bond we have.”
New experiences added to the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay include an ‘Ocean-to-Table Fishing Adventure’ where guests catch their lunch with a local fisherman on a jukung-style fishing boat, and Indonesia’s only ‘smoke oven’ barbecue feast where meats, seafood, sweets, and plant-based dishes are cooked over coffee wood for unique melt-in-your-mouth succulence.
Rao also highlights the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay’s revamped program for kids, with hands-on activities such as crafts and kite-flying, Balinese dance and martial arts, cooking and even making mocktails, while adults relax at the new Healing Village Spa.
Indeed, ‘all-villa’ resorts like the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay – where each of the 147 private pool villas set on 14 hectares of oceanfront gardens is a self-contained retreat – may prove even more appealing to visitors who place a premium on seclusion.
