Moving to a new country takes a lot of research, a lot of trial and error, and usually a lot of patience.
When you are living in Bali as an expat, or if you are considering moving to Bali, it can be really helpful to get your tips from others who have done the same before you!
We have some key businesses and services that really help with making our Bali life easier, and also help with our cost of living in Bali too.
Read about each of them below…
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1
Using AeroConnect (link only works for mobile devices) to take care of our visas in Bali has not only saved us a lot of money, but the process has also been far more professional than anyone we have dealt with in the past.
Using the AeroConnect app we can track every step of where our visa process is at, and they have a money-back guarantee in the case your visa does not get approved.
The AeroConnect team is also who we highly recommend when it comes to setting up a company as a foreigner in Indonesia, their rates and professionalism takes all of the guesswork out of what is required to legally establish yourself a company in Indonesia.
When we first started using AeroConnect it was largely for our visa renewals, then we discovered that they also offer a whole lot more. You can also use the app to rent cars, book a driver, pay your bills and top up your phone credit, book tours, and even book boats all over Bali and surrounds too. Most recently they have added the Airport Butler under their services section.
This service gives you an assigned airport butler on arrival who fast tracks you through the immigration process at the airport and guides you through the entire process (this is especially helpful during times of COVID when landing abroad and following new protocol can be confusing!). AeroConnect is certainly a Bali lifeline for us now, we love the professionalism of this company and highly recommend their services.
*This link only works on phones
2
As much as we love the local cuisine in Bali, there was always going to come a time when we missed some of the home comforts… like a delicious roast meal with all of the trimmings! Seeking out a home-delivered roast was what led us to discover Vivre Gourmet, to begin with.
I’ll always remember that first roast meal being delivered to our house, we’d never experienced a professional food delivery service in Bali such as this.
Once their new website launched last year we then realised that Vivre Gourmet was a lot more than just their delicious roast meals. They deliver all kinds of ready-to-eat meals, featuring many different cuisines. They also have a large range of yummy frozen meals to keep in the freezer for those days when you just want to pop something healthy and delicious in the microwave or oven.
The wine selections at Vivre Gourmet have also been our way of accessing well-priced import wine on the Island. They have a great range and we’ve found their pricing has been unbeatable. They also have a large range of charcuterie and grazing platters for when you want to entertain (or just indulge).
Vivre Gourmet is also a complete grocery store with over 1,000 products and menus. You can order meat & fish, cheese & dairy, deli items, eggs, all kinds of beverages, and more. And they recently released fruit and veg boxes catering to different eating styles (for example if you eat Keto you can order a Keto-friendly veg box!). They even make their own ham and cured meats in-house.
Their industrial kitchen and premises are located in Nusa Dusa, they offer free delivery in the South of Bali for all orders over 300,000 Rp. When you receive a delivery from Vivre, their clever systems ensure your hot food is hot and your cold food is cold. We also appreciate that with each delivery we are put in the Whatsapp group with the driver as he leaves and is given a live tracking, so we know exactly when to expect our order.
Orders are to be placed the day before by 2 pm to ensure next-day delivery. The best part is that you only need to select an hour delivery window (no more waiting around for half the day!), these guys are never late on deliveries.
Vivre Gourmet has been a game-changer for us when it comes to ordering our food in Bali. It’s been impressive to see the professionalism of this company and how their offers keep expanding.
3
If you are living in Bali there is no doubt you have seen some of the disturbing images coming out lately of the plastic situation on the beaches during the extreme rainy season. We feel it’s everyone’s responsibility to do what we can, when we can, to reduce single-use plastics being used.
Easy things we’ve always done are to always carry a reusable shopping bag, refuse plastic straws and take a water bottle with us and refill where we can (rather than buying water bottles). When it came to reducing single-use plastics in our home we found this task a little overwhelming, and this is where Zero Waste Bali has become an integral part of our Bali lives.
Late last year we heard about their new REFILLution Bali program. Basically, it’s a monthly delivery/subscription service where they will bring you whatever you need, and this includes swapping out your liquid items (think oils, shampoos, body wash, laundry products), meaning no more throwing away plastic bottles every month! You hand back your empty glass bottles and they give you new full ones.
Your used glass bottles are then cleaned and then reused. Their service is great and there is nothing to be locked into. You can create a recurring, monthly delivery, which you can also make changes and additions/exclusions as you need to each month.
For those like us who found the idea of changing out household items to be zero waste a little daunting, Zero Waste has created starter packs for each of the rooms in your house. That way you can just start with one room and transition slowly (every bit helps!). The best part is, we’ve done the math, when you compare buying these items from traditional stores gram for gram the zero waste alternative often works out cheaper.
Zero Waste Bali is always really supportive with any questions that you have about their services and switching from single-use plastics. We also have taken to gift buying from Zero Waste. Their starter kits make a great gift. What better gift to give (both to Bali and your loved ones) than to help someone start their own zero waste journey.
4
Living in Bali as an expat means that you usually have money both in your original home country and in Bali, and quite often you need to transfer between the two countries. Not only can this work out to be super expensive, but it can also be so time-consuming if you try to do this through the local banking systems. We absolutely can not live in Bali without Wise, we use it both for business and for personal use.
Wise is easy to use both in the app form and in the desktop version. You can not beat their exchange rates or their low fees when it comes to transferring money between countries. Better still it is super quick! Often when we send money from Australia to Bali, it hits our Bali bank in under a minute.
If you are transferring money between countries for any reason, definitely set yourself up a Wise account.
5
I wish we had discovered Rebtel earlier but alas, now we’ve found it, it’s here to stay! When calling our banks etc back in Australia (any business that doesn’t use internet-based contact options) we’d end up spending a lot on landline calls. Someone gave us the tip about the Rebtel app.
We now have a monthly subscription for $5 USD per month that gives us unlimited calls to Australia (including 13 and 1300 numbers). You can either choose one country or you can choose worldwide numbers for $10 USD per month.
After 15 years of visiting Bali as a tourist, Karlie moved her family to Bali 4 years ago. She loves helping others to enjoy Bali and founded Bali Buddies to encourage others to explore the island she now calls home.
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During October Westin, Nusa Dua is hosting Prego Crafternoon Sunday Brunch. Prego Brunch has always been one of our favourite family Sunday Brunch options, and now you have a chance to enjoy their delicious Italian food, family fun AND get crafty with their special activities during October.
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This month at W Bali you’ll get to experience a touch of the city, without leaving Seminyak’s beachfront! From October 13 until 31, two of Marriot Bonvoy’s Top 100 Restaurants & Bars will blend capital city and beachside vibes.
