Access Bali Online - Bali and Beyond

Shopping

Bali is a virtual shopper's paradise with a huge array of treasures just waiting for you to find them.

Bargaining is almost compulsory and forms a large part of the fun of shopping here. Remember to bring your cash, as not all places accept credit cards. Shopping hours is generally from 10 am to 10 p.m.

You will find that shops selling similar items are generally grouped together. It is the same in the villages, so that Celuk has become the area to go to for gold and silver, Mas for woodcarvings and so on. This make comparing prices easy as you just have to go next door to find the same thing! If you are more into browsing for many different things, you have a few choices.

KUTA, LEGIAN, SEMINYAK

The main road in Kuta has a multitude of shops and restaurants on each side selling a variety of goods including swimwear, sarongs, handicrafts, cassette's, CDs, jewelry, clothing, furniture and leather goods. You will also be hit for watches, transport and bracelets from the ever-present street hawkers. If you are not interested in their wares, do not make eye contact. If you look at the goods, they will follow you for the next kilometer or so, even if you insist you are not buying!

The upper end of JI. Legian from Seminyak to Kerobokan has turned somewhat into an enclave of boutiques specializing in men's and ladies clothing, interior and home wares stores, antiques, furniture and some interesting deli's and warungs. There are not many hawkers up this end of the street, which makes for a nice change.

Kuta has some department stores, shopping centers where the prices are fixed, try Kuta Square and Kuta Centre located very close to each other in jalan Kartika Plaza.

DENPASAR

The capital of Bali is not generally a tourist area but there are a few main areas worth checking out. The Kumbasari market near the river gives an interesting overview of an Indonesian market with household wares and clothing on the third level, spices and dried goods on the second level and fresh produce in the basement. It can be a bit dark in the basement so watch your step.
Nearby is jalan Hasanudin, a whole street of gold shops, selling 18-22 carat gold jewelry.

Not far away from jalan Hasanudin is jalan Sulawesi where all manner of fabrics are available. The whole street consists of fabric stores on both sides with a few household ware stores in between.

If you are looking for handicrafts there are quite a few shops in jalan Gajah Mada selling similar items to those seen in Kuta, but without the hawkers. It's a good idea to check out the government run handicraft center in Tohpati (Sanggraha Kriya Asta) which has a range of handicrafts at fixed prices and will give you a measure as to what's available for a certain price.

Denpasar has a large selection of department stores. Try Matahari, Libi, MA Department store, New Dewata Ayu, Tiara Dewata or Tragia. Supermarkets are located within the areas of most of these department stores.

NUSA DUA

Nusa Dua has a small market at the entranceway to Nusa Dua where you can still find some bargains. If you venture out of the gates there is also the Tragia Supermarket and Department store and some leather shops and tailors close by. The main shopping complex, the Galleria has just been renovated with a variety of restaurants and stores. The stores have mostly fixed priced selling high quality items. The Kris Gallery is worth checking for some unique items.

All the hotels have shopping areas with nice products and nice prices to match!

THE BYPASS

Proceeding on the main road (the bypass) from Nusa Dua to Sanur you will see on either side of the road, many pottery, wrought iron and furniture stores.

You can find some good pieces if you look carefully and bargain hard.

SANUR

Sanur,s main shopping street is jalan Danau Tamblingan and it is somewhat more peaceful than shopping in Kuta. There are still a few hawkers about but they are not as aggressive, except at the beach market. Sanur has an interesting variety of shops with lots of nice restaurants dotted between. There is also an Art Market (Pasar Seni) with woodcarvings and other handicrafts.

BATUBULAN

Batubulan is renowned for stone carvings. Traditionally, stone sculptures carved from soft volcanic rock (paras) were used to adorn temples and palaces, Now they are sold for export too. The artisans can make practically anything you request from a Garuda to a garden gnome.

Recently many "Antique" shops have sprung up on the same road, selling items from all over Indonesia Discerning buyers may well find a bargain.

CELUK

Continuing on the road to Ubud, you will pass through Celuk, home of silver and gold artisans. Huge stores house a variety of all types of intricately designed pieces. The silver filigree work is quite amazing. Bargaining is necessary. If you can go off the main road into the village where the artisans work and live you will get better prices.

Sukawati has a new art market and a traditional market on the main road and side streets. A large assortment of woven baskets can be found here along with Balinese ceremonial items made from colorful "Prada" gold painted cloth. These include dance costumes, fans, umbrellas and clothes worn at tooth filings and weddings.

UBUD

Ubud is undisputedly the center of the artistic scene in Bali. It has changed remarkably from the small artist's village it was ten years ago to a bustling center of activity with a wide range of Balinese paintings on offer. Respected galleries such as Neka, Agung Rai and Rudana are worth visiting. Western artists Antonio Blanco has his collection displayed at his gallery and home and Hans Snel exhibits his paintings at his restaurant and hotel off the main road.

A walk down the main road will take you past countless smaller galleries with varied styles of paintings and an eclectic collection of stores selling clothing, home wares, antiques, jewelry, handicrafts and a few good bookshops. The central market sells a variety of goods.

The neighboring villages of Peliatan, Penestanan and Pengosekan are also home to many artists and galleries.

TEGALALANG

Home to woodcarvers, this village and nearby villages specialize in the carving of soft wood figures. Brightly painted flowers, frogs, fruits, and animal figures and Garudas feature heavily.

GIANYAR

Many textile factories producing all manner of cloth, ikat and some batik. You are able to observe the weaving process and of course to purchase!

TENGANAN

This small Bali Aga village is unique in that it is the only place in Bali that produces "Geringsing" cloth - In the making of Geringsing cloth the weft and warp threads are dyed to a final pattern before being woven together. It takes remarkable skill to weave the threads to match exactly. As a result it is produced only in small quantities and can be quite pricey. Do not forget to bargain! Other items for sale in Tenganan are woven grass baskets and "Lontars" - palm leaf manuscripts - books telling a story through script and pictures drawn on dried palm leaves.

KAMASAN

Home to traditional Balinese "Kamasan" painting where a line drawing is made in black ink by a master artist and colored in with natural pigments. Eggs, banners, paintings, bags, hats and many other goods decorated with Kamasan painting are all available here. The Kerta Gosa (Hall of Justice) at Klungklung features some impressive displays of Kamasan style paintings.

KLUNGKUNG

Klungklung has a busy traditional market and is home to some of the oldest antique stores in Bali. You can find krises, songket, sarongs and some nice quality 22 -carat gold pieces in Balinese designs here.

BONA

Bona is a village known for bamboo growing and goods produced from bamboo such as furniture and mats. The villagers also produce goods made from lontar leaves.

BEDUGUL

In the cooler mountain region, Bedugul is renowned as a farming area. The local market sells fresh fruit and vegetables and specializes in orchids and other plants.

DUTY FREE SHOPPING

Plaza Bali and DFS have duty free shopping outlets in Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and the airport in Bali. They have a wide range of designer label boutiques. Bare in mind some products in Indonesia do not have a high duty, such as cigarettes.

BALI SHOPPING TOURS

If it is all too much for you, why not let someone else do all the hard work? Bali Shopping Tours will take you on half day tour of up to 8 outlets, (factories, not shops) The goods featured are clothing, handicrafts, pottery, silver and glass beads. The factories, will give you whole-, all prices and you can pay by credit card. The tour also includes a meal.

Whichever area you go to, you are sure to find some wonderful artisanship and souvenirs of your visit to Bali.

Source : Bali Visitor Guide

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