stephenmat

i just booked my trip to bali arriving on dec. 27th. i will have 15 days for everything to see. i would like a couple of days on the beach in bali otherwise i need to see as much as possible. ive read lots of info on here but if someone wants to give me a breakdown of how much time to spend on each island. or should i skip lombok and stick with java and bali only. hopefully they have flights daily between the islands, i havent gotten that far yet. i will also contact the guides reccomended once i get a game plan going. thanks for all your help....

rhkkmk

you need to tell us more....who are you, what do you like, how old are you, what is your budget....this kind of info....your interests....what you expect from the trip....then we can help....lombok is worth about 3 full days imo and qunci villas is fabulous

marmot

stephenmat, Bali is fairly busy during the period between Christmas and New Years. Many of the resorts have special events on New Years Eve that they expect you to attend. These can be very pricy.

You could do all three places in 15 days if you plan consecutively and don't backtrack. For example, first Bali, then Lombok, then C.Java.

(As rhkkmk says, whether you SHOULD plan all three depends entirely on what you like to do.)

I would think 3 nights in Lombok, 3 nights in Central Java and the rest in Bali would be a reasonable balance.

You can fly between Bali (Denpasar) and Central Java (Yogyakarta) and between Lombok (Mataram) and Bali and Lombok and Central Java (Solo/Surakarta).

Kathie

The main reason to go to Lombok is for the beach. So I'd recommend you spend your beach time in Lombok, and stay inland in Ubud. If you aren't really interested in beaches, you might want to skip Lombok. Lombok is quiet, basically no nightlife. It's a place to relax.

stephenmat

thanks for the replies. im 40 y.o. in excellent shape.enjoy all temples and scenery etc.loved ankor and driving across tibet. . i like to keep moving. looking to hit all the highlights in bali and java and possibly lombok. would like to be in bali for new years. just need an estimate on how much time with each area. planning on a few beach days in bali either at the begginning or the end of the trip. since im flying into bali i was going to stay there till after new years. how should i go to java , by boat or plane ? where would be the best place to land with either ? really would rather not go into jakarta as it seems theres nothing of interest. i guess flying into yogy would be the best to maximize my time ? any thoughts.........

stephenmat

oops forgot, im gonna be looking for a driver and not sure where the guides mentioned are located. during this time of year should i book my flights and hotels or can i wing it once i am there. looking to spend between 30 and 80 per night...

Kathie

No reason to go to Jakara when going to central Java. You are best off to fly from Bali to either Yogya or Solo. Ferries are best avoided in Indonesia.

marmot

You probably will want to concentrate on Central Java -- Yogyakarta and Borobudur. If you fly from Bali you fly into Yogyakarta airport. If you fly from Lombok you fly into Solo, which is also called Surakarta.

The ferry from Bali to Java is okay (for the most part I would agree with Kathie: avoid ferries!, but this one is acceptable). However, it leaves from northwest Bali and arrives in fareast Java which is a different geographic area from what you're looking at.

East Java has some great scenery and adventure travel centered around Mt. Bromo, but in I don't think you'd have time for it.

marmot

The period between Christmas and New Year's and a few days on either side is the busiest time of the year in Bali. You definitely should reserve in advance, both rooms and flights.

$30-80 will be tough in Bali, especially over the holidays. Java should be doable, and parts of Lombok. You'd probably get better advice on places to stay on the Lonely Planet board.

thursdaysd

"The main reason to go to Lombok is for the beach." - well, not entirely. I had an interesting visit to Lombok with minimal beach time - I did beach and snorkeling on one of the Gilis. I remember time trekking through the countryside, including a good waterfall; a market; a crafts village; horse drawn carriages, and a village festival we encountered by accident.

Agree you could skip Jakarta - the National Museum was mostly badly-labeled Hindu statues and models of houses, but the puppet museum was quite interesting and extensive. I enjoyed the ambiance and the food at the Cafe Batavia, though.

Tommmo

Had a ball last year. Rented a scooter and toured Bali based in Ubud (forget Kuta!) .Flew to Lombok and really enjoyed Senggigi (budget gourmet) then boat across to Gili Air and around (Bali 20 years ago) and over to Kuta Lombok beaches (ditto).
Jogjakarta and Borubador are great, rest of Java disappointing after though.

stephenmat

sounds like i have some work to do !!!!! thanks for all your replies !

stephenmat

i have a flight already booked from new york to bali arriving on the the 27th of dec. looking to spend 6 nights there and on the 1st of jan fly to central java for 4 nights. then on jan 4th fly to lombok for 3 nights. go back to bali on weds jan 7th leaving for the us on the 11th.. its a rough guess with the days for now but thats why im here. i can always add here and there if needed. since some are telling me to avoid the ferries , why is this ? dangerous or dirty ? and would it be better to take one instead of the flights ? are flights usually somewhat organized ? i have also driven across tibet and india before and enjoy the drives and stopping along the way . should i take a ferry to eastern java and see mt bromo and drive to central java ? would anybody recommend staying in kuta ?i like to drink and party a bit.. how much time to check out the sights in bali ? how should i break up the nights in other towns when not in kuta ? some say to stay in ubud for some time ? i enjoy sightseeing and seeing great temples and anything else there is to see except museums etc.. also would like a hike for a couple of hours to a waterfall possibly . well still working on it and thanks for the input...

marmot

sm, I’d suggest you stay longer in Bali and Java and skip Lombok. I like Lombok and agree the beaches are better than Bali, but from your interests I think you'd be better served in concentrating on two out of three.

I’d choose Seminyak over Kuta. Still plenty of nightlife but not so frantic. Your budget is tough anywhere in the Bali beach area, especially at the holiday season. But you can make up the difference in Java. Try the Sofitel in Seminyak -- a young friendly crowd. The Bali Padma is also good for reasonable and lively.

I would definitely spend a few days in Ubud. I’d recommend Ketut’s place. You can fan out in day trips from there. Lots and lots to do.

You could also fit in a few days in North Bali for a laid back beach and some very good snorkling -- or SCUBA.

Bromo is spectacular, but December-January is the rainy season. Still spectacular but could be wet. (Actually this is true of all of Java and Bali.)

If you start in North Bali it’s a whole day’s journey by ferry and car to Bromo. If you decide to do this you can arrange for your Bromo resort to pick you up at the Java side of the ferry. At Bromo I’d recommend the Lava View Lodge in Cemoro. Very basic but good guides.

From Bromo to Yogyakarta is a good 15 hours drive. If you fly you can fly from Surabaya (about 2-3 hours from Bromo) to Yogyakarta or Solo. The scenery along the way is beautiful, but it’s a much longer drive than the map would indicate.

For Central Java you can either stay at Borobudur Monument or in the town of Yogya. I’d suggest the Manohara at Borobudur. Again, quite basic but right on the grounds of Borobudur.

I like the Hyatt in Yogya. I’m not much of a fan of Yogya, but from the way you describe yourself you’d probably be bored silly at Borobudur for more than a day or two. Either way the area has a ton of culture and phenomenal scenery, but very little nightlife or social activity.

Don’t drive yourself in Java. Getting a car and driver for long distance travel will take some organization but your resorts will help you. There is simply no concept of car rentals, maps are unreliable and people haven’t a clue how to give directions. Remember that night falls at 6:00 p.m., every day of the year. In December you may get flooding.

The touristy ferries as in between Bali and Lombok and Bali and Java are okay. A bit gritty, but functional. The long distance ferries are the ones you want to avoid. They are slow, dirty and unsafe – the trifecta of travel misery.

Try to stick to Garuda Airlines, it’s the best of the worst. It’s generally safe, and generally reliable, though once in while the flights get backed up and you wait for hours. Try to arrange your flights so you are not backtracking – e.g., New York to wherever you’re stopping to Bali to Yogya to wherever you’re leaving from to New York. The less time spent in Indonesian airports the better!