Hotel Losmen Rempen: Threadbare Accommodation in Kuta, Bali

Kuta is the place to be if you are looking at budget accommodation in South Bali. Even though I hate the place for its bad traffic, I still end up going there because it has many budget accommodation options especially around the Poppies 1 and Poppies 2 lanes. During my recent trip to Bali, I stayed at the Hotel Losmen Rempen, situated on a side lane from Poppies 1. I stayed here for 2 nights and the below review is based on my recent experience of staying here.

1) There is board pointing to this hotel saying ‘We sell magic mushroom here’. Well, they do sell magic mushroom, but there is nothing else magic about this place as they are very basic. For 100,000 rupiah, you will get a double room (fan cooled) with an attached bathroom (cold shower only) and a balcony. Everything else is supremely basic or threadbare.

2) The place is actually an old Balinese house managed by a local Balinese family. The place needs maintenance, but I guess the family needs funds too.

3) The place comes with free wi-fi, which is slow at times.

4) Breakfast is not provided, but most of the eating joints are just a short walk away.

5) The best attribute about this place is its proximity to the happening areas. It is a 5 minute walk to the beach, a similar walk to all the small shopping areas, a 5-10 minute walk to all the different restaurants and a 5 minute walk to the Hard Rock Café and bar.

6) Jalan Legian or the drinking street is also just a short walk away.

7) The rooms come with a sit-out too, but again like the room, they are basic. The lights in the room are also very dim.

8) There were no bed bugs, less number of mosquitoes in the night time and overall the place was very safe and quiet.

The place is got for really budget travelers, especially students, surfers and the likes. I would not recommend this place for couples, even though hardened couples would be comfortable here.

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Uluwatu– Bali’s temple at Cliff’s Edge

A stunning location. A beautiful temple that you can only see from the outside unless you pray in the local style and follow local traditions. A set of rowdy monkeys that steal tourist’s belongings. And the cliff’s edge and the lovely Indian Ocean view. This is how I would describe Uluwatu, one of South Bali’s main hotspots and also home to a temple that is on the edge of a cliff and that faces the Indian Ocean.


It is famous for is lovely sunset views, but as with any equatorial country, the sunsets are very unpredictable and depends on how lucky you are. But, in spite of that the sunset is the main draw here and tourists ensure that they reach as early as 3 pm. The entrance ticket is about 15,000 rupiah and if you are wearing short dresses, the temple authorities will give you a full length sarong to help obey temple traditions.


It is just a short walk from the ticket counter to the temple, but the views are spectacular. The wide cliff with the sheer drop is very spectacular. But even better is the sound of the waves ramming against this cliff. Amidst all this awe at nature’s construction, be aware of the naughty macaques that are known to steal your ear rings, sun glasses, hats, bags and more and they only give it back when you exchange it for some food. Apparently, these monkeys are trained by the temple staff to do such naughty things. In most cases, you can get your belongings back by paying the temple priest some money and he in turn would bribe the monkey with some fruit or food items.


As the sun sets and nature’s vibrant views disappear into the darkness, the man made cultures and traditions of Uluwatu can be seen through the Kecak dance, a fire dance where the music is provided for by the mouths of the artists and their feet. The modulation and synchronization of voice is so good that this ends up being a captivating performance. The entrance fee to this show is 70,000 rupiah and the show starts at 6 pm sharp along with sunset and lasts one full hour amidst vibrant sound and drama. Uluwatu is one place that you will end up visiting if you are in South Bali. Such is its charms.

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Bali’s Kuta: A Big Tourist Trap

South Bali became really famous due to its surfing. But, one of its main areas, Kuta, is today a busy and chaotic and nightmarish place where locals do not want to tread and the worst part is that surfing is just a small piece of it. Rest of it is concrete jungle, lots of traffic, no true Balinese culture, Western brands, lots of coffee shop, bars, watering holes and tons of shopping.

Visualize this! Starbucks, Black Canyon Coffee, McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Wendys, Pizza Hut, Dominos and many more such Western brands. You will feel like you are in a city of a Western country and not in a small beach side location on an exotic tropical island. If it is not these brands that do not fit the island status, it is the unlimited shopping frenzy that again includes a lot of Western labels, which don’t fit into the Bali scheme of things. In the evenings, people move between shopping malls, watering holes, restaurants and the many small to large size shops. There is zilch Balinese anywhere in any of this.

In fact, Kuta feels like Singapore or Hong Kong or any other large American city. Why would I need to come to Kuta to buy Western clothes and taste Western food. I might as well be in a city in California and buy the best stuff and even more indulge in better surfing. I don’t know why so many travelers get trapped in this so called tourist trap. The trap is out there and you can see it very clearly. In fact, the pull is so much that the entire area of Kuta is choking today with heavy traffic and serious traffic bottlenecks that ensure you take 2 hours in a car if the place you want to visit is in Kuta. The water is also getting affected and the air is also getting polluted with more burning of garbage and vehicular pollution.

I still don’t understand why normal people get pulled into this rut. Some listen to other travelers. Some follow the guide books and some follow the internet. My feedback is simple: Goto Kuta if you want a busy city with a beach, lots of Western labels, lots of shopping and very close to zero local culture. If you wish for a good island, then look at West, North or East Bali or the islands to the West or East of Bali.

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