Hi -- I am going to Bali for 2 weeks in mid-October and would love advice on which hotels would be best for me, and also how long to stay in Ubud vs the beach. I'm spending the first week there as part of a fitness/adventure week and will be staying near Canggu on the beach. After that, I'll have 5 days on my own. I'm 40 years old, single, from San Francisco but most people think I'm much younger (mostly because of my demeanor). I love great hotels and fine dining, and I'm hoping to meet other fun people while on this trip. For this reason, I don't mind larger hotels, but I still want them to be luxurious for this trip.

1) Of my 5 nights on my own, I'm wondering how many to stay in Ubud and how many to stay on the beach. Though I'll be spending my first week near Canggu, I think I'd like a few days in a luxe resort near Seminyak because of its proximity to dining/social life. I've chosen the Legian but am not sure how many days to stay there vs staying in Ubud.

2) In Ubud, I was thinking of staying at the Chedi, but now I think the locale won't be right for me. Also, I want a hotel where I can be social, i.e. where the other guests aren't all honeymooners or looking for seclusion. Any ideas?

Your ideas and help will be so appreciated!

I would spend the whole 5 nights in Ubud. My wife, a tad older than you, enjoyed Ubud tremendously!

Luxury but travelling alone... I would pick somewhere close to town perhaps the Uma. Great pool area and only a few minutes walk to the art galleries and one my favourite restaurant there, the Moziac.

Get a good guide and driver, like Putu, and enjoy yourself.

For the Uma Hotel - http://www.uma.como.bz/ubud/default.asp

For the Mozaic Restaurant = http://www.mozaic-bali.com/

Ubud would be good for 5 days. Putu is a great guide. Go to MyBaliFriend.com Early morning runs through the Monkey forest are fun.

i think the 5 nites in ubud would be about right...

Another very good local restaurant is the "Dirty Duck". Rhkkmk aka Bob introduced the restaurant, as well as Putu, to us from his trip report years ago and we love the smoke duck there.