Advice for long term stay - The perfect place

[ronb]

Yes, Internet is a must for me too. But I don't need a high-speed connection. I am assuming that I can get by with mobile internet. But maybe I am wrong? Do these places in the north and east have poor mobile coverage?

Most areas of Bali have OK mobile phone coverage if what you want is just phone calls and text messages. But to get a reasonable Internet service from your mobile phone company you need the so-called 3G service (3rd generation) for reasonable data speeds. This means the equipment installed at the cell tower you are connecting to needs to be up-to-date.

In Bali, areas where mobile phone usage is growing rapidly (i.e. the cities and tourist centres) the equipment is frequently updated to cope with demand, and these updates bring 3G services. But away from these growth centres you may be out of luck.

As an example, I was recently in Lombok, and in Kuta (a small place in the south) Telkomsel had no 3G services, while one of the other operators did (XL I think). But in Mataram/Senggigi (more of a growth area) Telkomsel services were excellent.

[zoyra]

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. I will definitely avoid living in a kos (which, as I understand, is a condo-like accomodation). I mean, what would be the point going to Bali to live a city-life? (But of course, I understand it's convenient and probably less expensive).

Hi, "Kos" is definitely not a condo style accommodation. The total opposite - 'kos' (origin: Kosthuis - dutch - boarding house) is renting a bedroom in a house, sharing facilities (kitchen, bathrooms etc) with the other occupants or landlords. The modern style 'kos' has probably an en-suite bathroom. Hope this helps to avoid any misunderstanding.

[ushi]

I read you and I know how difficult is find a place here, I speak bahasa Indonesia, enough to communicate and I can show you a few places that I saw around when I was looking for my place and you see if that suit you. I´m new in this forum.