Two Bali hotels can both advertise a room at IDR 1,000,000 a night and still finish more than 200,000 rupiah apart at checkout. The gap almost always comes down to two small plus signs after the price, plus a tourist levy that many first-timers only hear about in the arrivals hall. Get those details right and Indonesia is one of the best-value hotel markets within a short flight of Singapore.
The bigger decision, though, is where you sleep. Indonesia spreads across more than 17,000 islands, yet most trips from Singapore revolve around a handful of bases: a few Bali neighbourhoods, the Gili Islands or Lombok, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Labuan Bajo. Choose the wrong base and you can lose two hours a day sitting in traffic. Choose well and the beach, the temple or the fast-boat jetty is a short walk away.
Plan your bases before you look at a single hotel
The most common mistake on a first Indonesia trip is booking a hotel because it looks lovely, then discovering it sits an hour and a half from everything on the plan. Start with what you want to do each day, then work backwards to the area, and only then to the property.
A useful rule of thumb is one base for every three or four nights. Every hotel change costs roughly half a day once you count checkout, the drive and check-in. For a week in Bali, the classic split is three or four nights on the south coast, then three in or around Ubud. If you add the Gili Islands or Nusa Penida, give them at least two nights; a one-night island stay mostly means watching your watch.
It also helps to understand scale. Bali is around eight times the size of Singapore, has no rail network, and moves by car or scooter on two-lane roads, so 30 kilometres on the map can take 90 minutes at 5pm. Jakarta has an MRT line and an airport train, but the city is enormous, so the neighbourhood you pick matters even more there.
Rough guide to the main bases
The ranges below are typical asking rates for a comfortable mid-range room outside the July to August and year-end peaks, before tax and service. They move a lot with dates, so treat them as a starting point for your search rather than a quote. As a rough conversion, one million rupiah has recently been worth around S$75 to S$80; check the live rate before you budget.
| Base | Best for | Getting there from Singapore | Typical mid-range room (before ++) |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Bali (Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur, Nusa Dua) | Beaches, dining, first trips, families | Direct flight of about 2 hours 45 minutes, then 20 to 60 minutes by road | Roughly IDR 700,000 to 1,500,000 |
| Ubud and central Bali | Culture, rice fields, wellness, cooler nights | Same flight, then 60 to 90 minutes by road | Roughly IDR 600,000 to 1,300,000 |
| Gili Islands and Lombok | Slow island days, snorkelling, surf | Fly to Bali, then a fast boat of about 1.5 to 2 hours or more | Roughly IDR 500,000 to 1,200,000 |
| Jakarta | City breaks, malls, food, business | Direct flight of under 2 hours | Roughly IDR 450,000 to 900,000; big-brand five-star hotels are good value |
| Yogyakarta | Borobudur, Prambanan, batik, Javanese food | Direct flight when one is scheduled, otherwise via Jakarta or Bali; or the train from Jakarta | Roughly IDR 400,000 to 900,000 |
| Labuan Bajo (Flores) | Komodo boat trips, diving, sunsets | Usually via Bali or Jakarta; around an hour's flight from Bali | Roughly IDR 650,000 to 2,000,000 |
If you are still deciding between islands, our Bali budget travel guide breaks down daily costs beyond the hotel, which is useful when you are weighing a cheaper room against higher transport spend.
Where to stay in Bali, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Most visitors land at Ngurah Rai International Airport in the south, so drive times from the airport shape the choice. Off-peak, Seminyak and Nusa Dua are typically 20 to 30 minutes away, Sanur around 25 to 35 minutes, Canggu 50 to 60 minutes and Ubud 60 to 90 minutes. Late afternoon can easily double those numbers, while the same run after 11pm is often much faster. Here is how the main areas compare.
Seminyak and Legian: easy first-timer territory
Seminyak suits travellers who want restaurants, shops, spas and the beach within walking distance, without the late-night edge of Kuta. Petitenget and the streets around the main dining strip are full of boutique hotels and smaller pool villas, and the beach is wide, sandy and good for sunset. The catch is the swimming: Bali's west coast has strong surf and rip currents, so swim only between the lifeguard flags and keep children in the shallows.
Legian, just south, is a little cheaper, and Kuta beyond that is the budget and nightlife end of the coast; for quiet evenings it is better visited than slept in. Traffic around Sunset Road is heavy from mid-afternoon, so beach-side Seminyak hotels usually beat cheaper inland rooms on convenience. A south Bali base also makes evening outings easy, such as an evening street food guided tour from S$46.27, with no long drive home afterwards.
Canggu, Berawa and Pererenan: cafés, surf and congestion
Canggu is the area most travellers have heard of from social media: surf breaks, beach clubs, smoothie-bowl cafés and a large crowd of remote workers. Batu Bolong is the busiest, social core. Berawa has more beach clubs and newer villas. Pererenan, a little further north-west, is quieter and greener, and many people now prefer it for exactly that reason.
The honest downside is traffic. Canggu's roads were built for village life, not for today's scooters and cars, and walking can beat driving at peak times, though patchy pavements mean sharing lanes with motorbikes. Pick a place close to the part you want, whether Batu Bolong, Berawa or Echo Beach, and stay local in the evenings.
Ubud: the centre or the rice-field edge
Ubud is Bali's cultural heart, set in the hills about an hour or more from the airport. It is the base for rice terraces, temples, dance performances, yoga studios and cooking classes, and evenings are noticeably cooler than on the coast, which many Singapore visitors appreciate.
The real choice in Ubud is between the centre and the edges. Staying near Jalan Raya Ubud or Monkey Forest Road puts cafés, the palace and the market on foot, although the pavements are narrow and the main streets are busy by day. Villages on the outskirts, such as Penestanan and Sayan above the Ayung river valley, offer jungle views, infinity pools and silence, but you will rely on a driver, a scooter or the hotel shuttle, so ask how late that shuttle runs.
Ubud is also the sensible base for a Mount Batur sunrise. A 4WD jeep caldera sunrise experience, from S$52.69, starts in the small hours, and the pick-up is noticeably less brutal from Ubud than from the south coast. One more detail worth checking: many Ubud rooms have open-air bathrooms, which look lovely in photos but come with geckos and cooler showers in the wet season.
Sanur: calm water and the fast-boat beach
Sanur sits on the east coast, around half an hour from the airport. A reef keeps the water calm for most of the day, a long paved beachfront path runs past cafés and hotels, and the pace is slower than the west coast. It suits families, older travellers and anyone with limited mobility, and it is the main departure point for fast boats to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. Island boats leave early, so a night in Sanur turns a pre-dawn drive from Canggu into a short ride to the jetty.
Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa and Jimbaran: resorts and calm beaches
Nusa Dua is a planned resort enclave on the southern peninsula, reached from the airport in around 20 to 30 minutes via the toll road over the water. The large international resorts sit along a reef-protected beach with gentle swimming, tidy gardens and kids' clubs, which is why it remains the classic choice for families and for travellers who want to switch off. The trade-off is that it feels separate from everyday Bali; you will take taxis out for most food and culture.
Tanjung Benoa, the thin strip just north, is the island's water-sports centre, with parasailing and banana boats on calm water. Jimbaran Bay, on the other side of the airport, is famous for seafood grilled on the sand at sunset, and many visitors stay elsewhere and come just for dinner; the Jimbaran seafood dinner by New Dewata saves hunting for a table. The Sailorman dinner cruise, from S$15.20, is another easy evening from these resort areas.
Uluwatu and the Bukit: cliffs, surf and sunsets
The Bukit peninsula, around Uluwatu, Bingin and Padang Padang, has some of Bali's most dramatic scenery: limestone cliffs, clear water and world-class surf breaks. Hotels and villas here lean towards couples, honeymooners and surfers, with clifftop pools and sunset bars. Many beaches are reached by long, steep staircases, and properties are spread out, so you will depend on a driver or scooter.
In mid-2025, officials demolished dozens of unauthorised cliffside villas and businesses at Bingin Beach, a good reason to favour established, registered properties over cheap listings with vague details.
North and East Bali: Munduk, Lovina, Amed and Sidemen
If you have more than a week, the quieter corners repay the long drive. Munduk, in the northern highlands, is cool, misty and surrounded by waterfalls and clove plantations. Lovina, on the north coast, has black-sand beaches and early-morning dolphin boats. Amed and Tulamben in the east are diving and snorkelling bases, with the USS Liberty wreck close to shore, and Sidemen is a peaceful valley of rice terraces with views of Mount Agung.
All are typically two and a half to three hours or more from the airport, so they work best as a two- or three-night stop mid-trip. Expect small guesthouses and boutique lodges, good value but with limited restaurant choice nearby.
Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida: stay over if you can
The Nusa islands sit off Bali's south-east coast, roughly 30 to 45 minutes from Sanur by fast boat. Lembongan is small, relaxed and easy to explore, with good snorkelling and a range of mid-range hotels. Penida is larger, wilder and famous for its cliff viewpoints, but its roads are rough and distances between sights are longer than they look.
Most visitors do Penida as a day trip, which means the famous viewpoints are busiest from mid-morning. A night on the island lets you reach them early or late, when the day-trippers have gone. If you only have a day, a Sanur departure such as the Sanur to Nusa Penida fast boat by Ocean Speed, from S$9.02, keeps the logistics simple.
Villa, resort or guesthouse? Choosing the right kind of stay
Bali in particular offers very different kinds of stay, and the right one depends on who you travel with and how much you want handled for you.
Private pool villas
A private villa with its own pool is one of Bali's great pleasures, and for a family or a group of friends it can cost less per person than a resort. Good villas come with daily housekeeping, a cook or breakfast service and staff who can arrange drivers. Before you book, check four things: whether the pool is genuinely private or shared with neighbouring units, how cars reach the gate (many villas sit down narrow lanes, known as gang, where drivers drop you at the end and you carry your bags), whether there is a backup generator or reliable power, and whether staff are on site overnight.
Also check that the property is a registered business. Bali's provincial government spent much of 2025 targeting unlicensed villas, many of which were not registered for regional hotel tax. Registered properties must report foreign guests to immigration, which is why a legitimate villa will ask for your passport at check-in. A host who suggests skipping that step is a red flag.
Resorts and boutique hotels
Resorts make sense when you want pools, kids' clubs, several restaurants and a front desk that sorts everything out; Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Seminyak and the Ubud valleys have the most. Rooms cost well below Singapore equivalents, though resort restaurant bills can feel close to home prices. Smaller boutique hotels are the sweet spot for many couples, with more character than a resort and more reliability than a villa.
Guesthouses and homestays
Family-run guesthouses offer simple, clean rooms, often inside the family's own compound; in Ubud you will see daily offerings being made. Expect basic air-conditioning, sometimes lukewarm water, and breakfast on the veranda. Value is excellent, but standards vary, so read recent reviews.
Beyond Bali: the Gili Islands, Lombok and Labuan Bajo
The Gili Islands: picking the right island
The three Gili Islands lie off north-west Lombok and are reached by fast boat from Bali's Padang Bai or Serangan, typically in around one and a half to two hours depending on the route and the sea. There are no cars or motorbikes on any of them. You get around on foot, by bicycle or on a cidomo, a small horse-drawn cart, and on arrival your luggage usually goes from the beach to your hotel by cart or porter.
- Gili Trawangan is the largest and liveliest, with the widest choice of hotels, dive schools, beach bars and a nightly food market. The south and east coasts are busiest; the west side is quieter and better for sunset.
- Gili Air sits in the middle in every sense: plenty of cafés and dive centres, but a gentler pace. Many travellers find it the best all-rounder.
- Gili Meno is the smallest and quietest, with fewer places to eat and few direct fast boats. You often connect via Gili Air or Gili Trawangan on local boats.
Two practical points. First, the crossing can be rough, especially when the wind picks up, so avoid booking a tight connection on the same day as your boat. Second, cash machines on the islands can run dry, so arrive with some rupiah. The fast boat from Bali to the Gilis and Lombok by Wanderlust Cruise starts from S$41.92, and many hotels will arrange the cart from the harbour if you message them in advance.
Mainland Lombok
Lombok is larger and less developed than Bali. Kuta Lombok and the Mandalika area in the south have surf beaches and newer resorts, and room rates jump when major events are held at the nearby racing circuit. Senggigi on the west coast is the older resort strip, closer to the Gili harbours. For beach ideas, see the best beaches in Lombok.
Labuan Bajo and Komodo: town, beach resort or boat
Labuan Bajo, on the western tip of Flores, is the gateway to Komodo National Park, roughly an hour's flight from Bali. The town climbs a hillside above the harbour, so staying there puts restaurants, sunset bars and the early boat departures within walking distance, with hostels from around US$11 a night and plenty of mid-range hotels. Beach resorts at Waecicu are about 10 minutes' drive away, and a few island resorts sit a short boat ride offshore.
Many travellers also spend a night or two on a traditional wooden phinisi boat, which doubles as accommodation and transport through the park. If you do, book one night in town first as a buffer against flight delays. The drier months, roughly April to November, are busiest, so book July to September well ahead.
Jakarta: choosing a neighbourhood that beats the traffic
Jakarta is under two hours from Singapore and often overlooked as a holiday city, yet big-brand hotels here cost far less than at home. The key is staying near a rail line or the places you plan to visit.
Menteng: central and leafy
Menteng is a tree-lined district laid out in the Dutch colonial era, close to the National Monument (Monas), Istiqlal Mosque and the National Museum. It works well for first-time visitors and has good restaurants, plus the street food along Jalan Sabang. The Bundaran HI MRT station is within reach of much of the area.
Sudirman and SCBD: the five-star corridor
The business district along Jalan Sudirman and the Sudirman Central Business District is where you find the international five-star hotels, rooftop bars and big malls. It sits on the MRT line and near the airport train terminus at BNI City, which makes airport runs less of a gamble. Because demand here is driven by business travel, weekend rates are often softer than weekday ones.
Further south, Kemang is known for restaurants, bars and an expat crowd, and Senayan surrounds the main sports complex and several big malls, handy for families on rainy afternoons.
Kota Tua and Ancol: history and the waterfront
Kota Tua, the old Dutch town around Fatahillah Square, has the Jakarta History Museum, the Wayang Museum and colonial warehouses, with Glodok's Chinatown close by. It is worth a day, but most visitors prefer to sleep further south. Ancol, on the northern waterfront, is the family option, home to Dreamland theme park, Sea World and the Gondola Ancol cable car, which starts from S$4.21. Jalan Jaksa, near Gondangdia commuter station, is the long-standing backpacker street, cheap and convenient but with a rougher edge.
Yogyakarta and Central Java: Malioboro, Prawirotaman or near the temples
Yogyakarta, usually shortened to Jogja, is the base for Borobudur and Prambanan, the Sultan's palace (the Kraton), batik workshops and some of Java's best food. The city is compact by Indonesian standards, and three areas cover most needs.
Malioboro and Tugu. Jalan Malioboro is the city's main shopping street, running south towards the Kraton, with Tugu railway station at its northern end. Hotels here range from large international brands to simple guesthouses, and you can walk to markets, food stalls and the train. It is the most convenient choice for a short stay or for arriving by train from Jakarta, a journey of roughly seven to eight hours.
Prawirotaman. South of the Kraton, this street and its neighbours have a cluster of boutique hotels, guesthouses with pools and relaxed cafés. It is quieter than Malioboro and popular with independent travellers, though you will need a short ride for most sights.
Near Borobudur. Borobudur is around an hour to an hour and a half by road north-west of the city, so many people book a night in the Magelang area to reach the temple early and avoid a pre-dawn drive. Access rules for the upper levels have tightened in recent years, so check current arrangements before paying extra for a sunrise package. Prambanan lies east of the city and is an easy half-day from any central hotel.
Yogyakarta's international airport (YIA) is well outside the city to the west, but an airport train runs to Tugu station in under an hour. To combine Jogja with Jakarta in one trip, a private driver for the long road sections is a comfortable option; the full-day car rental from Jakarta to the Central Java area starts from S$72.00. For where to eat once you arrive, our Yogyakarta food guide lists the dishes worth tracking down.
Reading an Indonesian hotel price: plus-plus, levies and deposits
This is where most budget surprises come from, so it is worth understanding before you compare listings.
What the "++" means
When an Indonesian hotel or restaurant quotes a price followed by "++", it means the price excludes a service charge and a regional government tax. The service charge at hotels is usually up to 10 per cent, and the regional hotel and restaurant tax is typically 10 per cent. Because the tax is charged on top of the service charge, the two compound to roughly 21 per cent. A room listed at IDR 1,000,000++ therefore works out at about IDR 1,210,000. A price marked "nett" should already include both.
Online listings vary: some show the all-in total from the first page, others add taxes only on the final payment screen. Compare final totals, not headline rates, and when booking directly, ask: is that nett or plus-plus?
The Bali tourist levy
Since February 2024, foreign visitors entering Bali have paid a one-off tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per person, per entry. It is separate from your visa and your hotel bill. Pay before you fly through the official Love Bali website or app run by the Bali provincial government, and save the emailed QR code somewhere you can reach offline. Counters in the arrivals hall are the fallback. Ignore lookalike websites and anyone offering to collect the levy for you.
Deposits, cards and cash
Larger hotels usually take a card guarantee at check-in; villas and guesthouses may want a cash deposit. Pay only through the booking platform or the hotel's official channels. When a card terminal offers Singapore dollars or rupiah, choosing rupiah generally avoids an extra conversion margin. Keep some cash for small places, tips and the islands.
| Charge | Typical amount | When you pay it | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service charge | Up to about 10% | Added to room and food bills | Whether the quoted rate is nett or ++ |
| Regional hotel and restaurant tax | Typically 10%, charged on top of service | Added to room and food bills | The final total on the last booking screen |
| Bali tourist levy | IDR 150,000 per foreign visitor, per entry | Online before arrival, or at the airport | Use only the official government portal or app |
| Security deposit | Varies; common at villas | At check-in, by card hold or cash | Get a receipt and photograph the room on arrival |
| Airport pick-up | Varies by distance and hotel | Usually added to the bill | Compare with a ride-hailing car from the official pick-up zone |
How to compare hotels online without getting caught out
Hotel search sites line up hundreds of Indonesian properties side by side, but local quirks mean the cheapest result is rarely the best value. These checks take ten minutes.
Search by the map, not the area name
Area names stretch. A listing called "Seminyak" might sit in Kerobokan or beside a busy bypass, and one labelled "Canggu" might be several kilometres inland among the rice fields. Switch to map view, zoom in, and check the walking distance to the beach, restaurants or the places on your plan. "Five minutes to the beach" in Bali often means five minutes by scooter.
Look at the last few months of reviews
Indonesia's popular areas change quickly. A quiet villa from two years ago may now have a construction site or a beach club next door. Filter reviews to the most recent three to six months and search them for words like noise, construction, hot water, power, ants and road. Reviews that mention a specific staff member by name are usually a good sign of a well-run property.
Check the photos you are not shown
Professional photos highlight pools and views. Look instead for the bathroom, the room you are actually booking and the entrance; for villas, a photo of the lane outside tells you whether a car can reach the door.
Compare the final price, the terms and the host
Line up the all-in totals including tax and service, then read the cancellation and prepayment terms for each rate. Prepaid, non-changeable rates are cheaper but leave you exposed if flights change around the big holidays. Note which rates include breakfast, since a good one saves a meal and a taxi each day. Finally, message the property with a quick question about pick-up or a quiet room; the reply tells you a lot. Keep that conversation on the booking platform or the hotel's official email, and if anyone asks you to pay a "discounted" deposit by private transfer, walk away.
Timing your booking: dry season, Nyepi and Lebaran
Bali and most of the islands south of the equator have a dry season from roughly May to October and a wet season from November to April, with December to February usually the wettest. Rain in the wet season tends to come in heavy afternoon or evening bursts rather than all-day downpours, a pattern Singapore travellers will recognise. July and August bring the highest hotel rates of the year, along with Christmas and New Year. May, June and September are often the best balance of weather and price, while January to March typically has the lowest rates outside the year-end spike. For month-by-month detail across the country, see Indonesia weather by month.
Singapore's June and year-end school holidays also push up Bali prices, so book early if your dates are tied to the school calendar. As a rough guide, book peak-period stays two to three months ahead and popular villas earlier still; outside the peaks, a few weeks is usually enough.
Nyepi, Bali's Day of Silence
Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, falls on 8 March 2027. For 24 hours from 6am the whole island shuts down: no flights, no traffic, shops and restaurants closed, and everyone, visitors included, expected to stay inside with lights low. Hotels stay open for guests already on the island and serve simple meals. The evening before brings giant ogoh-ogoh effigy parades. If you will be there, choose a property with a restaurant and outdoor space you can use quietly, and check your flights avoid the closure.
Lebaran, the end of Ramadan
Idul Fitri, known locally as Lebaran, is expected around 9 or 10 March 2027, with the date confirmed nearer the time. It is Indonesia's biggest domestic travel period: trains and domestic flights sell out, and hotels in Java's holiday spots, Yogyakarta among them, fill with local families, while Jakarta often feels quieter as residents head home. With Nyepi and Lebaran days apart in 2027, plan early March carefully if your trip combines Bali and Java.
Arrival and check-in: passports, arrival card and the first night
Entry. Singapore citizens can visit Indonesia visa-free for up to 30 days, but that stay cannot be extended. Many other nationalities use the visa on arrival or its online version, the e-VOA, which costs IDR 500,000 for 30 days and can be extended once. Rules change, so check the current position for your passport in our Indonesia visa guide before you book anything non-refundable.
Arrival card. Indonesia uses a digital arrival declaration, the All Indonesia arrival card, which you complete online before landing at the main airports. Do it the day before you fly and keep the confirmation on your phone along with the Bali levy QR code.
Passport at check-in. Since 2025, accommodation providers have been required to register foreign guests with immigration through a reporting app known as APOA. Expect staff to scan or photograph your passport's photo page at check-in, at hotels, villas and homestays alike. This is normal and a sign the property is operating properly.
The first night. A 4pm landing in Bali can mean a slow crawl to Canggu or Ubud, while late-evening arrivals often move quickly on empty roads. If you land tired at peak hour, a first night near the airport in Sanur, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua can be the calmer option. Arrange the pick-up with your hotel or use a ride-hailing car from the airport's official pick-up area.
Frequently asked questions
Which area of Bali is best for a first trip from Singapore?
Seminyak or Sanur are the easiest first bases. Both are around 20 to 35 minutes from the airport off-peak, have plenty of restaurants within walking distance and offer hotels at every budget. Seminyak suits couples and friends who want dining and sunsets; Sanur suits families thanks to its calm water and beachfront path. Add two or three nights in Ubud for culture and rice terraces if your trip is a week or longer.
Do Indonesian hotel prices include tax and service?
Not always. A price marked "++" excludes a service charge of up to about 10 per cent and a regional tax of typically 10 per cent, which compound to roughly 21 per cent extra. A price marked "nett" should already include both. Online listings differ in when they show these charges, so compare the final total on the last payment screen rather than the headline nightly rate.
Do I need to pay the Bali tourist levy if my hotel booking is prepaid?
Yes. The IDR 150,000 levy is charged per foreign visitor, per entry to Bali, and is separate from your hotel bill and your visa. Pay it through the official Love Bali website or app run by the provincial government before you fly, then keep the QR code handy on arrival. Counters in the arrivals hall are available if online payment fails.
Will my hotel in Indonesia ask for my passport?
Yes, and it should. Accommodation providers are required to register foreign guests with immigration through the APOA reporting system, so staff will usually scan or photograph your passport's photo page at check-in. This applies to hotels, villas, guesthouses and homestays. A property that offers to skip this step may not be properly registered, which is a good reason to look elsewhere.
Is a private villa or a hotel better in Bali?
For families and groups, a private pool villa often gives more space and better value per person, with staff to help with breakfast and drivers. For couples or short stays, a boutique hotel or resort is usually simpler, with a front desk, restaurant and more reliable facilities. Whichever you choose, check car access to the door, recent reviews and that the property is a registered business.
When are Bali hotels cheapest?
Rates are usually lowest between January and March, during the wet season, excluding the Christmas and New Year spike. Rain tends to fall in short afternoon or evening bursts, so days are still usable. May, June and September offer a good mix of dry weather and moderate prices, while July, August and the year-end holidays are the most expensive and need booking well in advance.
How many hotels should I book for a one-week Indonesia trip?
Two is the sweet spot for most seven-night trips. In Bali, that might be four nights on the south coast and three in Ubud. If you want to add the Gili Islands or Nusa Penida, take two nights there and trim elsewhere rather than adding a fourth base. Every move costs roughly half a day once you count checkout, transfer time and check-in.