LazyPaul

arnesen

I hope that I didn't mislead people to think that Maya Ubud is not nice. On the contrary, Maya Ubud is a very nice resort with a distinct Balinese and a very relaxing feel to it. You can probably see that quality from my pictures of the Maya Ubud spa villas and the infiniti pool which looks out over the amazing river valley. It also has more dining choices than the FS Sayan. The grounds were well kept.

The resort has both a main hotel wing and also a section for villas. Again both had very Balinese feel to it. Since I didn't visit the hotel rooms, I will only describe the villas as best I can. I believe the villas are divided into 2 types, but I don't remember what the 2 types are. I just remembered that they were the same price. I also don't seem to recall a preference of one type over the other in terms of view.

The villas themselves were more like very well-furnished Balinese bungalows in my opinion. The FS Sayan and Ritz Carlton villas had a distinct doorways separating the bedroom and bathroom and closets while at Maya it seemed like 1 big Balinese studio room.

I hope this gave you more overview of the Maya Ubud.

NYinJA

I am planning a first trip to Bali the end of March, and will be traveling w/ my wife, 10y/o son and 20y/o niece. We are having a tough time deciding which hotel to stay at; Conrad Bali or the Sheraton Laguna (both in Nusa Dua). Both hotels appear very nice, and rates are comparable (1 Lagoon room and 1 ocean view room). The Sheraton seems to offer the benefit of being in the enclosed compound w/ the Melia and other hotels, whereas the Conrad is new and seems to have a more open architecture.

Any advice/recommendations are very much appreciated.

LazyPaul

Someone asked which villas at the Ritz have the best view:
I suggest villas 3005, 3006 (they say from 3005 ~ 3010 are the oceanfront villas with unobstructed views). However, in my opinion 3005 and 3006 are more private with their location/orientation relative to neighboring villas.

As for whether to stay at Sheraton Laguna or to stay at the Conrad. I'm not sure. I passed by the Conrad and it looked pretty nice. In talking to local people, they seem to have a high regard for the Conrad and their employees. I personally would pick the Conrad because it's newer and has a nice neo-Balinese style.

NYinJA

Thanks...

arnesen

NYinJA, have a look at this post:http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...n_name=arnesen

some good information about The Conrad here

NYinJA

Thanks for the link- and sorry for the late reply... We are now at the Conrad Bali...so far so good. Rooms are very nice, and staff is outstanding. Food cost is probably high by Bali standards, but quite reasonable compared to in-hotel prices elsewhere in the world - and I highly recommend having breakfast included with the room; very good buffet. Overall very good value so far...

Thanks again,

LazyPaul

There were some problems with the previous link to our photos to Bali. Here is a new link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...Dtrue&Ux=0