2 gals and 2 weeks in Bali
 

Hello,

We are two gals in our 40's. We are fairly fit and like to be active and lie on the beach. We are more into comfort/luxury travel. I have been doing a fair amount of research and would love some feedback on the following trip plans.

South Bali
Seminyak– 3 nights -
Ubud – 3 nights
Gunung Batur ( Can you day trip from Ubud or is there a better place to stay to hike early am?)

East Bali
Candidasa - 2 nights

South Bali
- Gillis Trawagen or Lembongan Island – 2 nights
- Legian – 2 night


Questions: Do these places make sense in this order? Are we missing something we should definitely see? Are we spending too much time in one place and not enough in another?
We appreciate your feedback!

I'll just inject the usual, I think you're doing a beautiful place (and yourselves) a disservice by being constantly on the move.

MmePerdu thank you for your feedback. That is our travel preference.

OK, good, we all have our travel styles.

Bali is a small island. You don't really need to move around that much. But if that is how you like to travel, it's your choice. I'd rather not waste my time moving from place to place. In two weeks, I'd choose not more than three locations. Remember that when you are two nights in a place, it only gives you one full day.

Seminyak
A good place to kick off your visit. Lots of restaurants, spas, clubs, shops. I would suggest that you stay in the northern end of Seminyak in Petitenget. Petitenget beach is one of the nicest (though the surf can be aggressive) and there are many resorts and villas in a range of price points. The Legian would be my top choice for luxury. The Colony for good value and good location.
You will want more than 2 nights.

Ubud
The location for nature and culture. You can either stay in the town itself or in the surrounding countryside overlooking one of the river valleys. I prefer the latter. I'd recommend the Alila outside of town, Uma Ubud in town. The Komaneka groups has several properties in different locations.
Yes, you can arrange a sunrise climb of Mt. Batur from Ubud. Your hotel can set this up for you or you can go through one of the many tour groups. Start time from your hotel will be between midnight and 2:00 AM.
Again, you will want more than 2 nights.

East Bali
I think Amed or Manggis is a better choice than Candi Dasa, but it depends what you want to do -- water sports, cultural activities. Candi Dasa has more nightlife. Amed is a lot more scenic. You can surf, snorkle and scuba, but the beaches are not particularly nice.
2 nights sounds right

Gilis or Lembongan
Starting from East Bali, transport to the Gilis will take up most of a day. Lombongan is a bit closer, but a lot more crowded. If you're going to include one of these islands, then something else needs to go.

Legian
This is one area that I'd cut. Crowded streets, crowded beaches. You might consider extending the other parts of your trip instead. You probably don't want to stay in the Gilis or Amed the night before an international flight, but it's no problem getting to the airport from other parts of Bali.

Have a look at Sanur as well.
The beach there is very sheltered, and runs for several kms, with a continuous boardwalk. Lots of places to eat snd drink.

Sanur is also easy to get to Ubud from, with no need to battle through the traffic that blights much of the southern roads.

Boats go to Lembongan from the northern end of Sanur. Choose the operator wisely.