Bali

zippy1969

I'm looking at the possibility of a holiday in Bali, Indonesia.

It'd be for two adults, hopefully leaving at the beginning of July and staying for two weeks. A reasonable hotel would be ideal and very close to a beach if possible?

Not too bothered about all-inclusive resorts etc. Just a decent hotel and the opportunity to eat out at reasonable prices.

Obviously I'm giving very general details of what we'd like but I'm literally playing dumb and starting from there.

Thanks if anyone can help.

PompeyPete

Had 4 weeks in Bali and Java last September/October.
Depends what sort of beach resort you want.
Kuta and Legian are in-your-face and imo tacky. Lots of party type accommodation, so if you like a good nights kip take ear-plugs. The surf can be harsh along that part of the coast.
So I wouldn't fly all that way to stay at either of them.

We stayed in Sanur, about 40 minutes drive from the airport for our first week, and loved it. Plenty of places to stay, eat and drink, the sea there is protected by a reef, so there's no harsh surf. And there's a 4 mile walkway which is right on the beach.

I can't recommend a hotel as we stayed in a homestay booked with Airbnb.

About 50 minutes inland there's a place called Ubud. Think rice fields, and a zillion shades of green. I don't think a visit to Bali is complete without a few days there.

Excellent value hotel in Ubud is...

http://www.baliagungrakaresort.com/

I booked it on Agoda, and got a great deal. Beautiful place, but there are many others.

We flew with Garuda from LGW. They're alright, but we flew via Amsterdam in both directions, and it was a pain.

Visa on Arrival is US$35. You can pay in £sterling, but you'll pay the equivalent of almost US$50.

There's a departure tax, payable in cash at the airport when you leave of 200,000 rupiah (about £10).

Be very wary of the money changers, as there's a few dodgy ones about in Bali. If the rate looks too good, then the chances are they'll try and rip you off.

Before you book have a look on the Trip Advisor forum for Bali for useful tips.

Pollycat

Apart from the advice to look at the Tunisia forum on TA (;)), I couldn't disagree with what PompeyPete has said.

What's the weather like in July? We've only ever been in September.

We like Sanur too, there's lots of hotels right on the beach.
It's been a while since we last went but it was very cheap to eat out.

PompeyPete

Pollycat wrote: »

Apart from the advice to look at the Tunisia forum on TA (;)), I couldn't disagree with what PompeyPete has said.

OMG.:o
Edited.

Pollycat

PompeyPete wrote: »

OMG.:o
Edited.

:rotfl:

Did you visit Borobudur when you were on Java?
We've been twice, wonderful place.

Also Prambanan although we were really sad to see that it had been affected by an earthquake the second time we visited.

We loved Ubud too.
Did you eat at the place that does suckling pig?
Suckling? The one they brought out when we were there was as big as a German shepherd dog!

Also spent a day on Lembongan.

eDicky

zippy1969 wrote: »

Not too bothered about all-inclusive resorts etc. Just a decent hotel and the opportunity to eat out at reasonable prices.

I think you have the right idea. Bali is a uniquely magical place. I have not visited for many years so cannot make specific recommendations, except to hire a small car or motorbikes and explore. It is safe to wander anywhere, as long as you don't offend local spirits, and you are sure to come across village festivals with food stalls, Gamelan orchestras, Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) shows etc, and happy friendly people. Always carry a colourful scarf or shawl to tie around your waist for entering temples respectfully. When I first visited forty years ago I wrote a (rare) postcard to my mother thanking her for bringing me into a world where there's a place so beautiful as Bali!

DUKE

I've been looking at Bali since January, & finally booked a few weeks ago with ebookers. I'm staying at Nesa Hotel, Sanur for 4 nights, & 10 nights at Ubud Wana Resort. Both places include breakfast, food's supposed to be pretty cheap there anyway. These are both new hotels, & have great reviews on TripAdvisor. Have a bit of a google & see what you fancy, there's sooooo much to choose from! We've got a driver for our transfers to & from the airport, & transfers from our hotel in Senur to Ubud. We'll also be hiring the same person to take us anywhere we fancy, for an 8-10 hour day he charges about £35. As from February 2015 there's no Departure Tax.

PompeyPete

DUKE wrote: »

As from February 2015 there's no Departure Tax.

Thanks for corecting me.:o
I've had a look at the recent rule change, and it's for tickets purchased after 9 February...

Effective Feb 9th 2015 all airlines will include the passenger service charge (PSC) in the ticket price.
This was long overdue and finally saves us from lining up in front of another counter.

If you have purchased your ticket before that date but are leaving Indonesia after that date you might be asked from the airline to pay this fee online. Otherwise the PSC payment counters are still there at the airport. So one way or the other, you will be reminded to pay. The fee for international flight is Rp. 200.000.

The hotels you've picked look spot-on. The one in Ubud is a little bit out of the way, and a 30 minute+ walk to the main part of town, so make sure you take a torch for after dark. As you've got a car/driver sorted out then you'll have a great time. Just make sure he takes you to restaurants and places that YOU want to go to, and not just ones HE wants to take you too! And be v.careful with money-changers in Sanur, especially those close to Hardy's Superstore.

PompeyPete

Pollycat wrote: »

Did you visit Borobudur when you were on Java?
We've been twice, wonderful place.

No, and I know that we really ought to have done. Tbh, over recent years we've started to suffer from Temple fatigue! So we no longer go out of our way to visit any, and most are swamped by Asian Tour Groups, and I hate tour groups with a passion.

We stayed in and around Yogyakarta for a week...

http://wikitravel.org/en/Yogyakarta

Pollycat wrote: »

We loved Ubud too.
Did you eat at the place that does suckling pig?
Suckling? The one they brought out when we were there was as big as a German shepherd dog!

Yep! I hope they give us suckling pig in Vietnam in September, and not German shepherd dog.:eek:

Pollycat wrote: »

Also spent a day on Lembongan.

While we were in Bali, at least two of those fastcat ferries caught fire and sunk between Sanur and Lembongan! Most set off from the north end of Sanur, and we used to watch them coming in and going out. Some looked seriously dodgy boats.

Pollycat

PompeyPete wrote: »

While we were in Bali, at least two of those fastcat ferries caught fire and sunk between Sanur and Lembongan! Most set off from the north end of Sanur, and we used to watch them coming in and going out. Some looked seriously dodgy boats.

OMG!
It's 8 years since we last went to Bali.

We've been on the inflatable boats like RNLI inshore boats (called Island Rafting Cruise), there seemed to be lots of different choices of boats, run by a company called Bali Hai Cruises, sailing from Benoa harbour.

Maybe if we went back, we'd have a serious think about going to Lembongan again.

janiebaby29

Im off to Bali late september with my husband to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary
we have 2 nights at the Bali spirit hotel in Ubud , 3 nights at the prama Sanur beach hotel in Sanur and 6 nights at the Melia in Nusa Dua then flying back to Hong kong for 3 nights at the Metropark causeway bay hotel before coming home
Flights are with Cathay pacific and its my first long haul holiday ever , ive only been to europe .