Bali shopping

Bali is truly, a shopper’s paradise. Though it lacks the skyscrapers and air-conditioned shopping malls of other regional hotspots like Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore, Bali has a world-class arts, crafts and textiles scene and a lot of buys here are as good if not better than anywhere else in the world.

People come to Bali for the surf and the beach and so the first buy of many visitors is a sarong that can be wrapped around the waist over swimwear or used as a handy beach-towel. Tied correctly, a sarong can be fashioned into a shoulder bag or even a hammock.

Balinese sarongs can be found in the national batik fabric, which is an intricately died and in some cases embroidered cloth woven by hand by expert craftspeople. Though plenty of knock-off prints can be bought, visitors should take some time to travel to one of Bali’s famous arts towns and villages where the cloth is maed and dyed by hand.

The markets around the main beaches of Bali are stacked with countless backpacker paraphernalia and general cheap tourist souvenirs. Novelty t-shirts and knock-off designer clothing is available for sale at a very good price. Fake DVDs and CDs are a dime a dozen, though buyers should bear in mind that copyright and bootleg laws apply to these items.

Bargaining is par for the course in Bali except for inside department stores in Kuta and Denpasar, the capital. Follow the general Southeast Asian bargaining rule – start with a price a third of what is originally offered then settle at around half the staring price.

Precious stones, gold, silver and metalware are also very good buys in Bali. Fakes abound, so visitors may want to think twice before investing in what appears to be the real thing unless they have an expert, trained eye. For those that know what they’re looking for, plenty of excellent bargains can be found.

Bali’s art scene is justifiably world renowned and it is centred on the hill town of Ubud. Here, numerous galleries showcase the work of local and expat artists and though bargaining for art may not be quite as liberal as shopping in the markets, some gentle haggling is always welcome.