a budget target would help us..

lombok is a nice place to relax... we loved our stay at qunci villas--the older section..

ubud is perfect for all your bali stay... i love the gangga room at alam shanti---so private... the yamumna (sp) room would be my 2nd choice..

sanur is a nice beach location..

many of us have used putu for a guide. he lives near ubud and can take you all over the island on day trips.. he is young and fun..

google: my bali friend

September/October is a good time because it's low season and not too much rain.

What's your budget for accommodation? There are so many good choices all over Bali.

Lombok has some nice beaches but you have to factor in the added aggravation of getting there. Moreso if you go to the Gilis.

I would start out with a villa or an upscale resort on Seminyak beach. You will have a private pool and your own dedicated staff and can de-stress at your own pace.

Seminyak is a long, lively big wave beach with splendid sunsets. You can take advantage of the nearby restaurants, spas and shopping or not as you like.

Then I would go to Ubud for at least a week. I like the area outside of Ubud rather than the town itself, but either way you'll be well positioned for culture and nature.

If you still feel you need a third place I'd consider East Bali, Lombok or possibly even Central Java (Borobudur and Yogyakarta).

We did not find Lombok particularly interesting. The beaches are nice but the klovely beaches of Bali are fine just more guests having a good time and more expensive but overall nicer accommodations.
If you are interested in going to Central Java and seeing the great Temples of Boboburur and Prehamban and solme magnificant scenery that rivals Bali let me know on this thread and I can put you in contact with a great guide we have used 2 times and will be using again in Dec. and tell you where else to go. His contact is Wiedyantara@hotmail.com

We recently stayed at The Samaya in Ubud and it was simply fantastic. We loved Ubud but loved the Samay more. Idyllic with wonderful staff and fabulous service, oh and the food is great too.... They also have a hotel in Seminyak.

If your budget allows and you have interest in excellent snorkeling you might want to add Bunaken National Park. You fly into Monado from Bali and you are right there. The flight can be be $300+/- as I remember but there are resorts where they will take you out snorkeling each day for 3-4 hours. You need to stay 4 nights (3 full days) to justify the airfare but it is great. With 8 days in Bali, 2-3 in Java you might be able to do it with 15 nights (14 full days) in Indonesia. The snorkeling is far better than in the Gilli Islands though the Gilli's are closer but for the extra few hundred dollars in air and a little more on the hotel rate you likely will not be returning for a few years.

The rules of the Fodor's Forum are vendors like vera are NOT permitted to advertise their services here. The reason is they have not been vetted by other Fodor travelers so you do not know what you are getting. Just a word to the wise jml. Fodors tries to monitor and remove but they slip up I have noticed.

>>So we wanted to ask some advice on where people thought three good locations would be<<

1. Ubud, was a good and relaxing place and perfect for honeymoon. Moreover you are interesting in Bali's culture, and Ubud is the center of it.

2. Nightlife, If you are looking for nightlife, then Kuta is the perfect match for you. Kuta street has become popular nightlife destination for tourist either local or foreign, lot of bars,cafe,pub,lounge and well located.

3. Beaches. I would say beaches in Lombok are more quiet than Bali. But Gili beach was wonderful one and perfect for couple.

We stayed at Villa KeCapi in Seminyak. Reasonably priced private villas surrounded by rice fields and only a short walk to the beach. Make sure you visit the Rock Bar, Ku Te Da & Cafe Bali. Some delish food and amazing drinks!

I have one suggestion: The Oberoi hotels in both Bali and Lombok. They are VERY romantic, peaceful, civilised, with a superb location and Balinese in design. The one in Bali, in particular, is a "classic". If you take both hotels, they would probably work-out a deal, giving you free transport between the hotels and a special rate, or maybe even an upgrade considering its your honeymoon. Especially since Oct/Nov is low season. Moreover, the food and service are excellent!
I would suggest you contact the hotel directly at reservations@theoberoi-bali.com
All the best!

Thank you all so much for your help so far.  We are at the point where we are booking everything, and we wanted to reach back out to get some additional lodging advice.  We prefer to stay in places with some local character, rather than a Western hotel in Indonesia.  With that being said, since it is our honeymoon, we'd like to stay at more 'upscale' places.

We arrive at midnight, and are going to spend our first 4 days in Seminyak.  We have our lodging reserved there, and are staying at a villa.

We are going to spend our next 5 days in Ubud.  Here, I think we'd like to stay towards the edge of town, somewhere with some scenic views, but still with easy access to Ubud and the surrounding areas.  We are planning on doing at least a couple day trips from here.  Any recommendations for places that fit this criteria?

Then we are going to head over to one of the Gilis.  We are looking for this part of the trip to be full on beach relaxing, walks on the beach, sunsets, naps, massages, very low key.  Part of me thinks Gili Air is the match, but we'd still like some fancy dinners, which makes me think finding a quieter part of Gili T is the match.  Any recommendations which Gili to head to?  We'd like to be as close to the beach as possible, but still stay in something 'upscale'.  Any recommendations on specific lodging spots?

We are going to head back to Bali after that since we have a 1 AM flight the next day and want to be sure we have 2 full days in case any complications arise getting back to Bali.  We haven't really decided where we are going to head for this night, but the plan is to do some shopping wherever we end up, then spending the last day in Denespar before our flight.  If anyone has a great spot to recommend for one night in southern Bali, let me know.

Thanks in advance to everyone for the help, my fiancé and I can't wait for the honeymoon to start!

Just out of interest, which villa did you choose in Seminyak?

In Ubud I like Uma Ubud on the edge of town, Alila and Samaya outside of town. Como Shambhala is phenomenal, but not so easy to get in and out of.

I'm not a fan of the Gilis but look forward to reading about your experience. I wouldn't count on the "fancy dinner" aspect.

I'd go with The Legian in Seminyak for your finale. Beautiful and convenient to everything.

The town of Denpasar is actually nowhere near the airport. Jimbaran/Kuta/Seminyak are closest.

Restaurant recommendations in Seminyak: Sardine, Sarong, Metis, Mamasan, LaLucciola. KuDeTa for sunset cocktails. There's also a new Mosaic on the beach in Batubelig, but I haven't been there yet.

IOt's been years since I was last in Lombok, but at that time there weren't even any nice places to stay on the Gilis, let alone have a nice dinner. I'd read carefully about the places you are considering in the Gilis. Another option would be to stay on Lombok and do a couple of day trips to the Gilis. We loved Qunci Villas - we stayed in the hotel part, they were still constructing the villas. The villas look gorgeous!

I actually really liked the time I spent In the Gilis, following time in a villa in Ubud. Gili T is kind of flash-packerish rather than Lux, but the beaches nearby are lovely and it is quiet as there are no cars on the island, only pony carts are walking. Don't miss going out for a day trip on a boat. I saw sea turtles while snorkeling!
Here are links for a few places that look rather nice, although I can't vouch for them first hand.

http://http://www.alamindahbali.com/alam_gili.htm ( this is part of the same group at runs inns in Ubud that many on here recommend)

http://giliecovillas.com/

qunci villas are very nice on lombok

Since you are in the process of booking, I would suggest you write to The Oberoi at the address given in my earlier post. They will make your honeymoon very special with candle-lit private dinners etc. They have hotels in both Bali and Lombok which are indeed "upscale" and have tons of atmosphere and "character". By the way, the Oberoi Lombok has its own jetty and speedboat to take you to the Gili Islands which are 15 minutes away.
In Ubud, you could try one of the villas at the Maya.

We eat at the Oberoi and were in the lobby for 15-20 mintes before and 10+ minutes afterward dinner. Based on our observations it catered to an age group 40-50++ so for young honeymooners I would not think you would enjoy it. The Chedi Club and the Four Seasons-Sayan are both understated elegance and upscale with good dining right on-sight.The rates at the Chedi club for some reason are $80-$100 less than the Four Seasons and that may be because FS draws on it's name though both are lovely.
We are returning to the Chedi Club in a few months for 4 nights prior to going on a 12 day liveaboard in the Raja Ampat Islands. It's quite a change from elegance to upscale camping so to speak but with our passion for going underwater thr Raja Ampat's are almost like the Everests to hikers. At the Chedi the shuttle bus was like having our own car service. Even though they had a schedule they took us into Ubud, 10 minutes away, anytime we requested. On many days we toured with Putu and this yer will take the long haul to West Bali with him.The Chredi is slightly more a honeymoon haven I think.
At the Oberai on Bali we found the food (one dinner) o.k. but the service a bit abrupt.