Planning on going to Bali in September, stopping off en route in hong kong, i am trying to find a nice boutique feel hotel, on a nice beach, or villas with private plunge pool, the problem is that when i do a search every where looks so good, i have not even been able to narrow it down to an area.
I would like it reasonably quiet, but within a short taxi ride from bars etc, am i lookiing for the impossible? Many Thanks in advance for your advice.

With those requirements I think you should look in the Nusa Dua, Sanur or Legian areas. Nusa Dua is mostly hotels and nothing else, but is not too far from the Kuta bar scene, Sanur has some small village areas and again is not too far from Kuta. Legian is more built up than either Nusa Dua or Sanur and is closer to Kuta.

Small boutique hotels may be hard to find in Nusa Dua and Sanur, as it is mostly large chain hotels. Personally I don’t think Nusa Dua or Sanur are at all like being in Bali, there are like being at any beach resort on an OK but not spectacular beach. In fact, many Nusa Dua hotels are on cliffs and have beaches either in other locations or at the bottom of a long flight of stairs, and the beaches are generally not wide or long. Sanur is a bit more “old” Bali, than Nusa Dua, as is Legian. Sanur’s beach is wide, long and flat. Legian’s beach has a bit of an undertow, but is also wide, long and flat.

Assuming you don’t want larger chain hotels like the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons which have nice properties in Nusa Dua, then “boutique” hotels (whatever that means, assume it means small and upscale and not part of a large chain) to consider would be:

The Legian, go to ghmhotels.com/thelegian - luxury hotel in Legian, I have not seen this, but gets reccos on this site)

The Oberoi Legian, go to oberoihotels.com - luxury hotel in Legian, some recent comment that this needs a redo)

Tandjunsari Hotel, go to tandjungsari.com, - charming small hotel on Sanur beach, not as luxurious as the others listed here

The Bale - go to slh.com/indonesia/bali/hotel_balbal.html, this is a small luxury hotel in Nusa Dua

If you can drop the “close by taxi to bar” requirement, you could look up along the north east coast of the island which is much less developed, quieter and you will get a feel for the Balinese. If you can drop the beach requirement, you could spend a few days in the hill areas around Ubud. Although Ubud is developed, there are outlying areas that are quieter, and you can get into Ubud for night life.

try asiahotels.com. You can search by price on their website. Another suggestion is http://www.baliwww.com/bali/roomfinder/ubudx.htm. For luxury hotels, take a look at slh.com and lhw.com for other hotels. This is an association of mostly non-chain hotels. I have always been happy with hotels in this group. Several of the hotels listed above are members of either shl.com or lhw.com.

Finally Bulgari is opening its first resort in Bali sometime later this year. The hotel will be in the Nusa Dua area. As there is only one other Bulgari hotel in the world (Milan), this may be the most boutique of them all. Go to bulgarihotels.com

Thanks for the reply cicerone, we are spending a few days in ubud so its the beach area i am looking at. i have looked at the oberoi and have read that it needs a makeover so that is out, i emailed bulgari yesterday and they are not taking bookings for their new hotel yet.( The Milan One looks fab ) I love the look of the bale but just a bit out of our price range. I Will look at your other suggestions.

kate, we just returned from a week in Bali. Our favorite beach resort is the Legian. We like the regular rooms which are right on the beach as opposed to the villas (club) which are across the road. I've stayed there many, many times and have never had a bad experience. The hotel is beautiful with spacious, serene grounds, but still within walking distance (or a short taxi ride) of Bali's best restaurants and shops.

One caveat about the Legian (same goes for the Oberoi) that I like to include: the surf here is very rough, big waves and frequent riptides. We swim in it, but it's only recommended for strong swimmers. Great for walking and sunsets though!