I might cut out Lovina. The beach isn't great, and the town area, restaurants and hotels suffered quite a bit from the lack of tourists since the first Bali bombing. Though tourism is increased now, Lovina hasn't recovered as well as other parts of island. You can also see dolphins often off the Amed coast, though not as often as in Lovina. We've done the dolphin boat, and quite honestly, it felt like a dolphin chase, with lots of boats out there in hot pursuit of them. While the dolphins didn't seem bothered by the boats (I'm sure they are used to them), it felt weird...they were neat to see, but none of us, even my daughter, would repeat the boat trip.

In the Ubud area, my favorite is Alam Sari in Keliki, about a 10 minute drive to town. Some great things about them are the care they take of their guests, the great food, and the village connections they have. They do a great village walk for guests, and can arrange countless other cultural and arts activities for you if you like. www.alamsari.com Other good choices include Ubud Village Hotel, Ketut's Place, Taman Harum (also about 10 minutes out by car), and Tegal Sari.

In Munduk, Puri Lumbung comes highly recommended by several friends who have stayed there. http://www.purilumbung.com/

In Lovina, a place that has a great pool is Rambutan Cottages. It is a great place for kids, and has rooms for all budgets. Do try to get one of the newer deluxe rooms with AC, as they are near to the new and nicer pool and the restaurant. They will arrange a dolphin boat for you if you like, and the boatman himself will come to fetch you before dawn to go out. http://www.rambutan.org/

In Amed, Hotel Uyah is unique and eco friendly. Blue Moon Villas have a great pool, though small, and nice views. Life in Amed is fairly new and well done, and the Santai is one of Amed's original hotels and is nice as well. Apa Kabar is right next door.
http://www.naturebali.com/AMED_ECO_HOTEL_BALI.htm
http://www.bluemoonvillas.com/
http://www.lifebali.com/
http://www.apakabarvillas.com/accom.html

There is no need to stay near the airport on your last day. You would be an hour away if you ended your stay in Ubud, which is nicer and easier than packing up and moving for one night.

Many thanks for the suggestions so far. Sounds very good, and I will definitely check out the recommended hotels - and probably skip the one day close to the airport. Though I still have to convince my wife not to go to Lovina - she says that there are also quite a few temples around that she's like to see...

Three more questions:
a) We do not want to pre-book and guide/driver - with a two-year old, you never know whether they are actually in the mood to go anywhere. Is it difficult to find a good driver on the spot? And what about simply renting a car?

b) Has anybody every made any experience with Jaringan Ekowisata Desa (http://bali-homestay.tripod.com/index.htm)?

c) Someone recommended the Bayu Cottages in Amed to me. Any experiences?

Many thanks!

tarndt, my son first visited Bali when he was 3 and it's still his favorite place some 20 years later. He especially liked the dance and masked drama -- so be sure to see the Barong and Kecak.

I'm not much of a fan of northern Bali either (unless you want to scuba). There are temples everywhere so it's hard to imagine what would be on your wife's mustsee list in Lovina.

I second the suggestion of Alam Sari. It's rather isolated so you might also like to spend a few days in the town of Ubud. I would recommend Ketut's Place -- A family run place that offers a lot in the way of cultural activities.

I've never had a problem finding cars and drivers at a moment's notice but the quality may vary. If you do some research is no problem to get along without a guide, but good guides can take you to out of the way events like temple festivals. Bali is definitely NOT an overly structured place and people are very sympathetic to children's needs.

You can easily see what temples she is interested in from Munduk...less than an hour to Lovina. We've been twice to Lovina, 10 years apart, and neither time was it special.

It's dead easy to get a car and driver at any time of day or night to go anywhere you want. You will be spoiled for choice. I wouldn't drive myself there...not only are roads narrow, windy and sometimes poor, but road maps are poor as well and being lost would be likely. A driver is so easy to get that I wouldn't give a car rental a second thought. A driver for a day is between 300,000 - 400,000 rupiah...very reasonable. Know that there are also cars/drivers that are licensed to carry tourists and those that are not. Licensed cars/drivers are the way to go, for insurance coverage and for nicer vehicles most of the tiime. You can also get a licensed guide, who will be able to accompany you into temples and guide you, whereas a driver who is not a guide cannot do that. Also, every place that you might stay will have someone on staff or a friend or relative that is available to drive you around should you like. No problems about transport, ever, I promise.

I have heard about the homestay, but not done it myself nor do I know anyone who has.

Bayu Cottages, last I heard, were nice enough but showing age. Pool is miniscule, more like a plunge pool. They are well priced. If I remember correctly, it's across the street from the beach.

I hate to be so down on Lovina, since Rambutan Cottages is very nice, and the owners Richard (Australian) and his wife Tini (Balinese, t he whole family works with t he hotel in one way or another) are so nice. But, we found Lovina depressing 10 years ago, and had hoped it had improved in 10 years so we gave it another go, a second stay at Rambutan, which had grown a lot since our first visit. The beach, though, is not clean, and has what smells like and looks like sewage running into the water via a big pipe from just below the dolphin statue. The water isn't very clear. There is a place for snorkelling off shore which is pretty good though. There are a few beach vendors who are quite sad...they don't sell much, and will be happy to sit down and chat with you about how business has been in a downhill trend for years. We used Lovina as a place to relax really, but it could have been anywhere that had a pool and cocktails. As much as Rambutan is a good place, it's unfortunately in a place that just isn't that appealing anymore. I'm trying to think of the good parts of Lovina...Richard stocked some nice Australian wine, I met some nice boatmen on the beach one morning and I helped them sand their boat and chatted a while, the snorkeling was nice and the boatman was cheerful, Rambutan was nice with a great pool. Those things aren't enough for us to give it a third try, and aren't enough for me to recommend it to anyone else.

I think you'll find Amed a bit nicer, as it never developed to point Lovina did, so didn't have a chance to decline so much. It is smaller scale, and basically a string of small villages with hotels along the single coast road. Some places are across the street from the beach, so be careful about that if being on the beach is something you want. There are a few places to eat, but not many, outside of the various hotels. Nearby there is a lot to see in Eastern Bali.

With 15 days, I would go to Ubud first as it is closest to the airport, and spent 4 days. Then up to Munduk for 4 days. Then Amed for 3 days. And Ubud for the final 4 days. You could even try a couple of hotels in Ubud if you like, though going back to a familiar place that was good is kind of nice to look forward to.

We've been traveling with our daughter since she was 10 weeks old, and you are right to want to take her moods and feelings into account and plan your days accordingly. Bali is great for kids, as they are warmly welcomed and fussed over a lot. You will really enjoy your trip I think.