Bali for 3 nights
 

We will be in Bali for 3 nights in early March. Can anyone help with what would be the must dos for this short period of time. Hotels to stay at? Tours? Shopping? Thanks!!

Wide variety of hotels on Bali:
1. Beach or inland?
2. Budget?

There is lots of shopping. Different villages have different specialities (Ubud for painting, Batubulan for stone carving, Celuk for silver work, etc.) With a mere three days, you'll have to be focussed on what you want to see and do, Don't take a tour - hire a car and driver.

i agree with kathie...hire a driver for maybe two days and he will take you to the major sites and lots of the shopping...its the best use of your time...we used putu arnawa...you can reach him at [email protected]
he has a nice suv and he is a very pleasant young man with excellent english and good tourist skills...he will make sure you have a true bali appreciation ....

with only 3 days i would pick a hotel in the southern part of bali, ubud or below...putu happens to live in the ubud area but he will come any place to pick you up...we stayed at the new conrad hotel in june and also at the bali hyatt in sanur...sanur is a nice small town offering some shopping and restaurants along with other tourist services...i would highly rec. this area...the hyatt was quite nice and reasonable for an upscale hotel...

I agree with Kathie and Bob re: tours. We also used Putu when we were in Bali - great driver/tour guide - knows the shopping places too. Shopping IMO is best around Ubud - great hotels and restaurants in that area but no beach.

Thanks for the driver advice. He seems to be pretty popular. How did you guys go about reserving him? How much in advance is necessary to book him? As far as budget goes, I would say about $150 US dollars/night for hotel.
Thanks again.

I used a driver too who I was happy with - Ketut, u can mail him on [email protected]. COmp agree that at prioces drivers charge and given your time frame a driver for all 3 days makes sense. U can budget US$30/day for a driver I think quite comfortably. Shopping - I loved the stuff in Ubud. I used my Luxe guide - www.luxecityguides.com to ensure I got to the right places ion just 3 days. I also bought an abs stunning console table made from the inside of the oyster shells which are discarded after pearls are removed - cost me a bomb to transport but is a never ending source of joy to look at and a memory of a FANTASTIC holiday at a stunning destination. Best shopping IMO is either Seminyak or Ubud. Seminyak if u want to be close to the beach and Ubud for a charming mountain town. Advise which then will suggest hotels.

You can contact Putu via e-mail - [email protected] - probably wouldn't hurt to book him know - it sometimes takes him a couple of days to respond by the way.
I think the hotels that Bob recommended (Hyatt, Conrad) in Sanur would fit your budget. There are also many hotels in Ubud and surrounding areas that would fit but I can't help you with specifics. Check out balidiscovery.com for good rates.

Hobbes,

Wow while I was staying at the Begawan Giri, BEAUTIFUL PLACE, we use Ketut too!

After seeing the areas around Denpasar, Nusa or in another word all the beach area, I preferred the inland or mountain areas much more.

Utlonghorn, If you do stay near Ubud I highly recommend Moziac restaurant for dinner and Dirty Duck for lunch. Good food and cheap!

More than likely, we are leaning towards staying in the Ubud area. I am sure the driver will take us to the beach areas for some stops, correct?? Also if I may ask a question about singapore on here. We will get into Singapore at 1:10 AM and plan on staying one night there since Singapore Airlines is offering a good deal on the there Stopover holiday package. Does anyone recommend one of these hotels (Hilton, Inter Continental, Marina Mandarin, Meritus Mandarin, Pan Pacific, Regent Swissôtel The Stamford, The Oriental) for one night which might be close to touristy things.

Thanks again!!

Your driver will take you anywhere you want to go. I am sure someone else will chime in on the Singapore hotels - if not, put your question in a separate post and you will be sure to get answer.

Singapore hotels are great. I have never had a bad one and I basically stay at the "Y"...and love it... So, I'm sure that any of the hotels on your 4-5 star list will be more than just fine. Happy Travels!

I have stayed at the Marina Manderin, it is connected to a shopping centre and accros the road from another one. Near a subway stop, Orchard Road is a bit of a walk, but not to far. Chinatown is nearby. I also stayed at the Negara Meritus, which is just of Orchard Road on a residential street.
Marina Manderin is a very nice hotel, with an impressive atrium.

Swissôtel The Stamford has a great location in Raffles City (a huge shopping center) and above an MRT stop. The MRT is a great way to get around. You have quick and inexpensive access to anything close to an MRT stop. It's a very good hotel with great views.

book the driver as soon as you can to avoid disappointment

I have been reading these forums a lot and I think we've decided since we will be there for only 3 nights we should be get a moderate priced hotel ($50-100) and spend more money on shopping. Which hotels would someone recommend in Ubud in those price ranges??

Even though many of my friends are drivers (I live in Ubud) I don't like to recommend them on the forum because there are so many good ones around, and I don't want to feel like a shill. However, (since everyone else is doing it) if you do need a recommendation for someone who is incredibly honest, hardworking, great personality and good driving skills you can use Made Jendra. He can be contacted at [email protected] or 0361-975-833.

For hotels in that price range I would recommend Anom Cottage, Villa Sanggingan, Alam Indah, Ubud Bungalow, (and many many more). Since March will be low season you might be able to get a better rate if you just show up rather than booking ahead. There are hundreds of hotels in Ubud proper and usually are not fully booked, especially in March.

I live part time in Ubud, and have used several good drivers over the years, but Made Jendra has been by far the best. All my visiting friends have used him and all come home remembering him fondly, keep asking about him. His English is excellent, his knowledge of Bali profound, his ability to take care of people and make them feel happy, to avoid typical tourist problems, his impeccable driving and...Well, he's been responsible for the difference between a so so visit and a marvellous one time and time again. You can reach him at [email protected] or 0361-975-833

Hi; Have been surfing these sites for the past few days and would appreciate any and all advice from those of you who have been there/done that. Meeting my teenage daughter in Bangkok in early April. She'll have spent 3 mo nths near Chaing Mai. After Bangkok, Siem Reap (any guides? and which 4 -5 **** hotel?), then to Bali. Want to stay in Ubud. Where do you suggest? Which guide for two days? Is it worth going to another town for a night for the "beach" experince? We love to kayak. From Siem Reap it seems we have to fly to Singapore (where we'll be leaving from on 4/17). How to get to Bali from there? prefer not to fly. any other recommendations? Anyhesitations about Bali for Americans this month? I;ve written a lot. Thank you if you have the time to help us out...and happy holidays.

Sometimes it is better for a "newbie" to start a new thread but I will try and answer your questions here. In Siem Reap, the Sofitel is a popular luxury hotel on this board. There have been several guides recommended on this board - others may chime in, or do a search (try "Angkor Wat guide"). How long do you intend to stay in Bali? The more time you have, the more it makes sense to stay in more than one place i.e. Ubud and the coast. We enjoyed Maya Ubud Resort in Ubud and Hotel Tugu on the coast. However there are many diverse lodging options on Bali depending on budget, location etc. You will get many recommendations for Bali. Kayaking is a worthwhile adventure on Bali - we had a great time doing it. Not sure why you would fly from Siem Reap to Singapore and then to Bali. Although Bali is pretty much the same timewise from Singapore as it is from Bangkok, I think it would be quicker to fly Siem Reap - Bangkok - Bali. No matter what, you can not drive to Bali - it is an island. There has been a travel warning for Bali/Indonesia for quite a long time. You should take the normal precautions and read the State Department warning updated on December 17th:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/indonesia_warning.html
When we went we felt totally safe. There are many others on this board that have gone during the travel warning as well. Bali is a great place and you will enjoy it.