Bali in May - should we stay in one place?
 

Dear Fodors friends,
My husband and I are planning a 9-day trip to Bali the second part of May next year. We would like to have a relaxing vacation without pushing ourselves too hard - see some temples, nature, enjoy the food, a little shopping (just souvenirs) and spend some time on a quiet beach. After reading about Bali, it seems that we may enjoy staying in either Sanur Beach or Nusa Dua. Should we also plan on staying in Ubud for a few days or can it be easily reached from the beaches so that we don't have to change hotels?

I don't think we will have enough time to cover the entire island, but if there is one place that we should not miss and it's worth taking a day trip to, we are open to it. Also, if there is a better beach town than the ones I mentioned, we can consider another place (we like nice beaches with calm water in which you can swim or snorkel - not interested in surfing or diving).

We will be arriving to Bali after spending three intense days of sightseeing in Singapore, so I thought it may make sense to start with at least a couple of days at the beach to relax before visiting temples, bird park, going for nature walks, etc. Any suggestion of the itinerary (4-5 days beach, 4-5 days other) would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance!

i would divide my time between ubud and sanur or seminyak... look at hyatt at sanur... pan pacific on west coast... alam shanti in ubud...

may is a fab time to go

Either divide your time between a beach location and inland near Ubud, or choose one place. Bali is small enough you can go sightseeing to anywhere on the island from, say, Sanur.

I'd highly recommend that you avoid Nusa Dua. It's a sterile tourist enclave.

I would definitely plan to spend part (even half) of your time in Ubud. The attractions of the Ubud area are not that far from the beach but the commute can be tiring and aggravating -- the last thing you need in Bali. For nature and culture, you want to be in Ubud.

There are many choices both in town and in the surrounding areas. Personally, I like to get out of town. Let us know your budget.

Both Nusa Dua and Sanur have good swimming beaches. Also Jimbaran. Seminyak has big waves, but plenty of people swim.
None of Bali's southern beaches offer snorkling. For that you have to go up the eastcoast or to the far north.

Again, let us know your budget and we can recommend.

Thank you all for the replies! It sounds like we could possibly stay in one place but are better off dividing it. Marmot, I agree with you, the last thing I need is fight the traffic - it's what I do at home every day :).

As for the budget, I just saw a nice deal at hotels.com for Laguna, Nusa Dua at $180 including breakfast. It's definitely within our budget, but we can go a bit higher if needed. Rhkkmk, I'll check out the hotels you recommended. Overall, I am not to concerned about finding a hotel (I can easily do it online), it's more about deciding where to stay and how long. We could do 3 nights in Nusa Dua, four nights in Ubud and two nights in Sanur. Is that too crazy? I thought it would be nice to start off with the beach but also have a couple of relaxing days at the back end before the long trip back home to US (we are also stayng one more day in Singapore on the way back). Or, should we just split it in half between Ubud and Sanur/Nusa Dua?

Kathie, in what way is Nusa Dua sterile? Non-authentic perhaps? The expectation I have after reading about Nusa Dua is that we would have a couple of days of quiet sunbathing, swimming in calm water, a bit of pampering, uninterrupted by the crowds of people or local vendors. If so, I don't mind it, but is that the right expectation? Is Sanur better in that respect? Can we get the perfect beach in Sanur (I'd like to avoid the waves if at all possible) with a little flavor of the local life?

Thanks!

Nusa Dua was developed as a resort area and that's really all you get there. It has a nice long sandy beach, though it's a bit shallow at low tide. There are lots of choices in resorts and consequently lots of choices of resort-connected restaurants.

Sanur was a community before the resorts were built. Because local people live there, there are temples and hence temple ceremonies. It's basically the same sunrise beach as Nusa Dua: sandy, good for swimming. There are restaurant choices both resort and non-resort related. Many of the resorts have lovely gardens.

I like Seminyak because I like the sunset and the variety of restaurants and shops, but for sure, you get big waves. Jimbaran is a good choice too for a calm swimming bech.

I would also advise seminyak/ubud. Ubud is the yoga retreat like place - it is featured in the julia roberts movie, more artsy. Seminyak is the hip eating establishments, more expensive shopping and beach clubs. A tree-top retreat in ubud & a villa in seminyak sounds really heavenly to me.

Pls. go try ultimo at seminyak, jalan oberoi. It's fantastic food at that price.

Thanks so much! Based on your feedback, Sanur sounds better than Nusa Dua, more colorful. I'll be sure to check out Jimbaran as well. I only had time to look into the Hyatt hotel in Sanur that was recommended yesterday and it looks divine, also great rate for May.

I think we'll book 5 nights in Ubud and 5 nights in Sanur or Jimbaran if it looks good. Changing hotels once is not so bad. If anyone thinks of anything else to add, please do so - I'll be grateful. Once we book hotels, I'm sure I'll have other questions.

Many thanks again!