utahlover

Just bought our travel book and would love direction on the best spots for our interests. We are a couple interested in a 2 week trip, mainly interested in photography mixed in with several days of lovely beach and snorkling. Travel time would be in the Spring. We enjoy somewhat remote cultural experiences yet are also interested in nice lodging if possible. Budget is not the major concern. From what I can gather Ubud seems a place not to miss. Sumba looks good too. We are just back from Fiji and found the experiences and culture and reef amazing.

Ericka

Bali (and Ubud) will provide some wonderful cultural experiences and the rice paddies are exquisite. But if you are just back from Fiji, the beaches and snorkeling on Bali will not appeal to you. There are Indonesian islands further east that are better known for this. (Flores sea?)

I'll let others comment on specific islands for beach/snorkeling as I have only been to Bali and Java.

P.S. Do you have any interest in Komodo dragons?

cruisinred

Check out this place in Sumba.....looks amazing. www.nihiwatu.com

Kathie

You'll want to visit a couple of places in Indonesia. Bali's culture is unique, as it is the only Island in Indonesia that is Hindu. So do plan some time in Bali, probably in the Ubud area.

Another place that is a real cultural treat is central Java. Fly into Jogjakarta and visit Borobudor and Prambanam, see a performance of the Ramayana story in the open air pavillion near Prambanam, drive to some scenic outlying areas like the Dieng Plateau or to some old temples out beyond Solo. There have been a number of reports by Fodorites on this area in the last year or so.

I'll leave it to others for the diving/snorkeling recommendations.

marmot

utah, Indonesia is a big country so for 2 weeks you'll have to pick and choose. I'd definitely include Bali/Ubud and Central Java/Yogyakarta/Borobudur. You could fill up your time with those two places alone but if you were to add one more destination then I'd suggest Sulawesi.

Central Sulawesi offers Tanah Toraja a fascinating culture in a profoundly beautiful setting. North Sulawesi has incredible reefs and rain forests. I especially like Kunganan Bay Resort.

The Amanwana on Moyo Island would also combine a lot of what you're looking for.

I haven't been to Sumba, but the place mentioned by cruisinred, nihiwatu, was written up by Conde Nast Traveler recently.

There are wonderful places to stay all over Indonesia -- both pricey and reasonable. After you've finalized your itinerary come back for more resort recommendations.

FromDC

We were in Indonesia for almost two weeks this past summer and could only manage Bali and Java (a week+ in Ubud, 2 nights at the beach and 3 in Java). It takes a full day to get from one place on one island to another, even though the flight between the two islands is only an hour. Between the heat, the condition of the roads and the amount to see in any one island, I would suggest limiting the trip to two places.

rapunzll

Yogjakarta is pretty much the cultural center of Java. If you have time to go there, check it out.

What guide book did you get? I think Moon Handbooks Indonesia Handbook is the best out there. When we lived there, it was a banned book because it was so honest about the country.

CFW

From DC, How did you like the Oberoi. We are looking at it for July 08.

ekscrunchy

Here is a vote for Mt. Bromo!

FromDC

We actually liked the Oberoi alot even though there have been some cautions about it. Here's a bit more detail. I would have stayed at the Legian based on everything I read except for one problem: all the beds are queen size. We really need a king size bed because my husband has bad arthritis and really needs to stretch out when he sleeps so for ME to be able to get any sleep, we really need a large bed. We have an Amex platinum card so I tried to book an oceanview lanai with them but they told me there were none and there didn't seem to be any available on the website, only garden view. I didn't want to be on the beach in Bali without an ocean view from our room. So I emailed the hotel and asked about it. They told me they would release an oceanview room to Amex for me. And they did. When we got there, we were upgraded to an oceanfront villa which was simply FANTASTIC.
We arrived at around 11pm after travelling for about 30 hrs, spent one full day there and then the next morning we left for Java, so we were there only two nights. Based on that, my assessment of the property was that it was well maintained, the service was excellent and friendly, it was convenient to town (we walked to KuDeTa). The food was OK,not the sumptuous breakfasts we have had elsewhere in SEAsia. We had dinner at the hotel the one night we stayed and again, it was just OK but we had a nice setting right on the beach.
On the negative side, I didn't care for the beach area that much, I thought the water was kind of smelly but I don't know if that is typical of Bali or not. We didn't go there for the beach....we stayed at the Oberoi to rest up from the long flights. We have a house on Anguilla, so we don't travel elsewhere for beaches!
So bottom line, we enjoyed our stay, I would recommend it but I can't say it was the very best place we've stayed in SEAsia, and alot will depend on the room that you get (I don't think I would have been as positive if we had a lanai). Hope this helps.