In Reply to: Taking Cash posted by Belza on Monday, 8. February 2010 at 09:42 Bali Time:
Inroom hotel safes are not especially safe (plenty of reports in the archives of thefts from inroom safes - I have one at home & know how easy it is over-ride the combination).
It depends on the length of your stay - if you are only going for a week then cash (with debit & credit cards as back-up) would probably be fine. For a longer period I take half $AU TCs & half cash, with back-up cards.
Look, the thing is that if cash is lost or stolen it is gone forever.
TCs are readily & easily replaced. Cards can be skimmed. People say it's a hassle changing TCs - it is a minor inconvenience every 3 or 4 days having to go to a money changer, usually next to your hotel, with your Passport (and, BTW, all tourists are required by law to carry their Passports with them at ALL times - no-one does, but that is the Law).
Up to you, of course but I can't afford to lose a lot of cash & the cost of TCs is minimal. So I take TCs, cash and cards, for emergencies.