I’ve only been to Bali once. It’s not really my kind of a holiday attraction because I’m not much of a beach fan. I like visiting big cities with skyscrapers and buzzling traffic. So when I had a chance to visit Bali some time back and spend many nights there, the only thing that I looked forward to was some cheap shopping experience in Bali.
We stayed in Kuta, more specifically at the Kuta Paradiso Hotel. There is a beach at the back of the hotel and it has some small markets or bazaars within walking distance from the hotel. In Kuta itself, you will find lots and lots of shops selling replica watches and imitation branded goods like clothes, bags and accessories. There are also many Quick Silver and discounted Polo Ralph Lauren boutiques too.
The area of Legian is a short walk away and there are many shops to browse through in Legian too. I find the shops in Legian more suited to my taste than the street market where the hotel was situated. At Legian, I found the many wonderful woodwork products as well as the well made Zen inspired stone products. They were much cheaper than what we saw at Tanah Lot too.
Good bargaining skills will see that you get the best bargains when in Bali. However, I’m lousy at bargaining but I still found the deals to be rather good for whatever little that I managed to bargain for.
We also visited the famous area of Ubud in Bali. The Ubud market is huge but what I enjoyed about Ubud are those nice little shops along the streets. These little shops have quite a bit of gems to offer, from nice clothes, bags and shoes to arts and crafts too. The stuff at the shops are definitely nicer and more expensive than the Ubud market. But generally, things in Bali aren’t that expensive, so shopping is rather great.
I’ve been told by regular visitors of Bali that a place called Seminyak offers even better shopping and a vacation experience compared to all those places I visited. I was highly recommended to put up my stay in Seminyak instead of Kuta should I make another trip there next time. But like I said, I’m not quite a fan of Bali so I don’t think I’ll be headed back there again. But for those who are interested to take a break in Bali, do take heed of the above attractions.
