In Reply to: Price increase??? posted by bali kelly on Thursday, 19. August 2010 at 14:19 Bali Time:
I have noticed the increase in the meal bills and agree that this seems to be linked to the charges that used to be included. In a reasonably sized group the charges on top of the menu price can really add up, and suddenly you are paying AUD$100 for a meal. However, that same meal would be more expensive in Australia so it is all relative.
Some items have starting prices that are way more excessive than in the past, but apparently the area has become a lot more popular with Japanese and Korean travellers who do not do a lot of bartering and tend to pay first price! However, we have found with solid bartering the prices paid are still a lot cheaper than in Australia.
I agree with someone else that mentioned maybe in 5-10 years time Bali will not be as affordable, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Enjoy your holiday - we haven't left Bali yet and have already booked to return next February!