Bali Lombok Bangkok trip report
Mar 3rd, 2007, 01:52 PM
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Bali Lombok Bangkok trip report
First of all I wanted to say thank you to everyone on this board for their help in planning a great honeymoon for this past September.
Here is a link to my photos (I hope it works):
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...=0&y=frfzz
We left to Bali from Los Angeles on the Sunday night after our Saturday wedding. We did a nonstop to Singapore on Singapore Airlines in the executive economy section, which was best flight I've ever been on. I was initially worried about the 18 hour flight but it was comfortable and there is great entertainment. The flight attendants even gave us a cake and bottle of champagne because it was our honeymoon. The Singapore airport was also better than anything in the States and not a bad place to spend a 4 hour layover.
When we arrived in Bali, we were a bit worried because our transport from Tugu hotel was not there and we weren't quite sure what to do. A nice man that worked as a driver asked us if we needed help and managed to get Tugu's number and called them for us. He waited with us until they came and we ended up using his services for our tours in Bali.
Tugu was amazing, it was highly recommended on this forum and did not disappoint. We enjoyed the quiet location and the attention to detail. We stayed there for 4 nights with a package from luxurylink.com (which was a good deal). We got pampered, ate amazing food, walked through town, and did a trip to Uluwatu.
After Tugu, we were off to Lombok for 3 nights. Unfortunately our 30 minute flight got delayed by 5 hours so we got very familiar with the Bali airport. When we finally got there we went straight to Qunci villas. The place is great and an amazing value at $75 USD a night. We were a little surprised by the 4 am call to prayer but it wasn't bad after the first night. It might be an issue if you're a light sleeper, but we found it an interesting cultural experience. We also happened to be there for Ramadan which made exploring the town during the day not really possible. We scheduled a daytrip to the Gilis but it was cancelled due to rough water so we asked if we could go to Gili Nanggu. I think it was a great choice for a peaceful, idyllic island. The drive was a couple of hours but it was worth it. We had a great driver (Farosh) which was set up by the hotel.
After Lombok, we were off to Ubud for 4 nights and again airport problems. Our flight was delayed so they rerouted us to Surabaya and then on to Bali. Although Lombok was great I'm not sure we would have done it if we realized we'd have so much trouble with flying. When we finally arrived we stayed at Kajane Mua. Again, a great hotel in the center of Ubud. Here we did a lot of walking first through the Monkey forest (my wife loves monkeys) and then through the villages and the Ayung river. We did a walk that was recommended by Lonely Planet for the latter walk but the directions were not great. As we went down to the river, we had to pass through what seemed private property, we then had a man follow us and eventually guide us. This was a bit strange at first but he was nice and it was helpful to have someone who knew where he was going. In Ubud, we also had great food in the wonderful range of restaurants. We also did a trip to mount Kintamani and through scenic rice paddies. The trip up to the mountain wasn't as great as I hoped for although the rice paddies were awesome.
To finish off the trip we stopped over in Bangkok for two nights before returning to LA. We were a bit weary because the coup had just occurred 1 week prior but the airline would not change our ticket. I'm glad they didn't. We also arrived two days after Suvarnabhumi airport opened and it was noticeably rough around the edges. Our time in Bangkok was short but we managed to go to the Chatuchak weekend market and squeeze in 2 hours of sightseeing to the Grand Palace and Wat Po. We stayed at the Peninsula which was very nice and luxurious but a bit too "fancy" for us. We also had a couple of experiences where taxi's were trying to overcharge us which we dealt with but was not fun.
We did a lot of travelling which was a bit tiring but we got to do so much, I think it was worth it. We enjoyed southeast Asia so much that I'm helping plan a trip over the next New Years to Phuket with my in-laws. I look forward to using the forum as a resource again.
Thanks again and enjoy!
Here is a link to my photos (I hope it works):
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...=0&y=frfzz
We left to Bali from Los Angeles on the Sunday night after our Saturday wedding. We did a nonstop to Singapore on Singapore Airlines in the executive economy section, which was best flight I've ever been on. I was initially worried about the 18 hour flight but it was comfortable and there is great entertainment. The flight attendants even gave us a cake and bottle of champagne because it was our honeymoon. The Singapore airport was also better than anything in the States and not a bad place to spend a 4 hour layover.
When we arrived in Bali, we were a bit worried because our transport from Tugu hotel was not there and we weren't quite sure what to do. A nice man that worked as a driver asked us if we needed help and managed to get Tugu's number and called them for us. He waited with us until they came and we ended up using his services for our tours in Bali.
Tugu was amazing, it was highly recommended on this forum and did not disappoint. We enjoyed the quiet location and the attention to detail. We stayed there for 4 nights with a package from luxurylink.com (which was a good deal). We got pampered, ate amazing food, walked through town, and did a trip to Uluwatu.
After Tugu, we were off to Lombok for 3 nights. Unfortunately our 30 minute flight got delayed by 5 hours so we got very familiar with the Bali airport. When we finally got there we went straight to Qunci villas. The place is great and an amazing value at $75 USD a night. We were a little surprised by the 4 am call to prayer but it wasn't bad after the first night. It might be an issue if you're a light sleeper, but we found it an interesting cultural experience. We also happened to be there for Ramadan which made exploring the town during the day not really possible. We scheduled a daytrip to the Gilis but it was cancelled due to rough water so we asked if we could go to Gili Nanggu. I think it was a great choice for a peaceful, idyllic island. The drive was a couple of hours but it was worth it. We had a great driver (Farosh) which was set up by the hotel.
After Lombok, we were off to Ubud for 4 nights and again airport problems. Our flight was delayed so they rerouted us to Surabaya and then on to Bali. Although Lombok was great I'm not sure we would have done it if we realized we'd have so much trouble with flying. When we finally arrived we stayed at Kajane Mua. Again, a great hotel in the center of Ubud. Here we did a lot of walking first through the Monkey forest (my wife loves monkeys) and then through the villages and the Ayung river. We did a walk that was recommended by Lonely Planet for the latter walk but the directions were not great. As we went down to the river, we had to pass through what seemed private property, we then had a man follow us and eventually guide us. This was a bit strange at first but he was nice and it was helpful to have someone who knew where he was going. In Ubud, we also had great food in the wonderful range of restaurants. We also did a trip to mount Kintamani and through scenic rice paddies. The trip up to the mountain wasn't as great as I hoped for although the rice paddies were awesome.
To finish off the trip we stopped over in Bangkok for two nights before returning to LA. We were a bit weary because the coup had just occurred 1 week prior but the airline would not change our ticket. I'm glad they didn't. We also arrived two days after Suvarnabhumi airport opened and it was noticeably rough around the edges. Our time in Bangkok was short but we managed to go to the Chatuchak weekend market and squeeze in 2 hours of sightseeing to the Grand Palace and Wat Po. We stayed at the Peninsula which was very nice and luxurious but a bit too "fancy" for us. We also had a couple of experiences where taxi's were trying to overcharge us which we dealt with but was not fun.
We did a lot of travelling which was a bit tiring but we got to do so much, I think it was worth it. We enjoyed southeast Asia so much that I'm helping plan a trip over the next New Years to Phuket with my in-laws. I look forward to using the forum as a resource again.
Thanks again and enjoy!
Mar 3rd, 2007, 02:47 PM
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aguila22 thanks for posting your pictures -- you got some great shots ! We did not see the kecak dance (too tired the night we got to Uluwatu) so glad you included so many of those (I'm assuming that's what those were). you both look so happy !!
Mar 4th, 2007, 05:19 PM
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YOUr slide show was wonderful-Congradulations on your wedding. My husband & I will be in Bail in October for our 25th wedding anniversary and Bali looks like I thought it would. We will also be in Thailand. Thanks for sharing-Chris
Jun 12th, 2007, 06:52 AM
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Oh, I'm so glad to topped your report! I must have missed it when you initially posted. You photos are lovely! I especially enjoyed your photos of Qunci Villas, as we just loved the place.
You really had terrible luck with flights to/from Lombok. Usually those short little hops are trouble-free. But
You really had terrible luck with flights to/from Lombok. Usually those short little hops are trouble-free. But
