“Bali with Sila & Team”

Bali

onefinesunday   8 contributions

Singapore

Aug 14, 2010

My friend and I have just returned from our 8-day trip to Bali. This was my third time there and the first for my friend. Before flying into Bali, I had seek some help from TA's Recommended Driver's List to get hold of a local driver for our intended stay. So I came across Sila and he had a very good record based on the reviews. I visited his website where he had clearly listed his fees and decided to contact him via email. Btw this was pretty much a random shot in the dark as there are quite a handful of drivers suggested in TA and they all had pretty good reviews.

We exchanged emails. I shared with him my itinerary and he recommended some feedbacks based on his personal experience in the business. For this trip, we wanted to do some snorkeling at Nusa Penida (south-east of Bali), some trekking and water rafting. He helped us arranged these activities and we had no problems at all.

As he is a popular choice with tourists, he's been booked most of the days during our stay. We only managed to hire his service for our first day in Bali. But this was short enough to convince me to write this review for all to share. For the rest of the trip, he recommended Made (his team member). All the drivers in his group are family related; hence you can be sure that they all share the same passion with Sila. Made was very friendly although quite reserved at times. He's always willing to explain if you have any questions with regards to Bali and its culture. I picked up a lot of new things about the place during his service. He recommended us things to see/do; and warned us of things not to do. He helped us shape our itinerary for each day of our stay. Punctuality is not an issue at all. Last but not least, he's a very good driver so safety should not be your concern.

One thing to note is that most of the talking was done in Bahasa Indonesia as I'm born Indonesian. However, I don't think language would pose as a barrier as I've read other reviews on their English fluency.

Vehicle conditions are very good throughout. Sarong are provided in case you need one. Bottled water are supplied. Petrol and parking fees are all included in the fee so there's no need for you to fork out any money, except for entrance fees to attractions and your personal spendings. As an extra plus: You pay only at the end of your trip. Quoted from Sila "Just enjoy first!" with a smile.

Overall, we were very satisfied and we highly recommend using their friendly private tour service for your stay in Bali.

Driver Rating: 5/5 - Excellent
Trip Rating: 4/5 - If not for the cloudy skies (which seemed to stick above our heads everywhere we went), our pictures would have been waaaaay better!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294226-r75115874-Bali.html

"Four days Bali trip"

Dear Catherine,Karen,Nini,Azel & Mandy.

Thank you for choosing my service.
Glad that you enjoyed my service as I had a wonderful time with you.
we visited Ubud, the Spring Water temple, mount and lake Batur view, making temporary tattoo, having fun at the water sports in Tanjung benoa, watch the spectacular Uluwatu temple sunset and fire dance, enjoy the fresh seafood in Jimbaran and also bought some oleh oleh home made layer cake and cracker from Bali.

I'm looking forward for your next Bali trip...!!!!!!!!
Best regards,
SILA&TEAM

“ Our 6-Day Bali Visit with Sila (July 18th to 23rd) ”

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our 6-day visit with our driver, Sila. He comes highly recommended in Trip Advisor and he did not disappoint. We were based in Sanur and in our six days there, we visited the Bali Safari & Marine Park (which our kids loved), watched a Barong dance, drove up to Kintamani to get a view of the majestic Mount Batur (an active volcano), played on the beautiful Nusa Dua beach (great for kids), enjoyed a sunset dinner at Jimbaran beach, and visited the Ubud area and the famous Sacred Monkey Forest. While there, we also toured the temples, Pura Tirta Empul and Pura Luhr in Uluwantu. Based on Sila’s recommendation, we also visited a couple artist shops, a wood carving place where you get to see master carvers at work, and a coffee and spice plantation. If you are into shopping for artwork and wood carvings, Sila will be a great help as he will steer you away from the knock-offs and give you a general idea how much discounts you can bargain down.

There are a lot more places we wish we had time to visit, but Bali is a much bigger place than we realized, and we just couldn’t fit it in (especially with kids). Our kids’ favorites are definitely the Bali Safari & Marine Park and the Nusa Dua beach. For me, it was definitely the sunset dinner at Jimbaran beach and the Pura Luhr. For dinner at Jimbaran, make sure you get there by 5 pm to get the best spot/view and to not miss the sunset. Sitting on the beach watching the sunset and soaking in the view is something you simply need to experience for yourself.

Sila also know the better restaurants to go to in each area. Be sure to get his suggestions. The last thing I like to add is there are lots of peddlers everywhere. It is simply part of Bali and cannot be avoided. Just understand that they are very poor and they are just trying to make a living. Best thing to do is simply keep saying ‘No Thank You’ and walk away.

We had a great time and won’t hesitate to go back again (if the opportunity arises). Sila spoke great English, is a very skilled driver (almost too skillful), punctual, and best of all, very personable.

Sila's web site: http://funwithsila.blogspot.com/

Ben, Mary, and family