I'm taking the CA Bar in July and then am going to Bali for 2 weeks in August with my husband. We'd like to see Bali and experience the people and culture, but also relax. Any suggested itineraries? Hotels/inns you recommend? I am thinking 3 locations would probably be the max we could handle. Many thanks!

I agree, you don't want more than three locations. One of them should be the Ubud area. As a beach location, I'm fond of Sanur, but everyone has their favorite. I guess I'd recommend against two beach areas: Nusa Dua and Kuta.

If you want a very quiet beach location, I'd recommend going to Lombok. We stayed at Qunci Villas and loved it. The beach is much nicer than most Bali beaches. We paid about US$70 a night which included breakfast and airport transfers.

Thank you very much! I did want to go to the Ubud area and I will check out Qunci Villas. If you have any other thoughts or recommendations, I'd be happy to hear them.

sfgal, For two weeks you might consider adding a stop in Java to see Borobudur monument and spend some time in the Yogyakarta area. It's a profoundly beautiful part of of the country -- volcanos, rice paddies -- with rich cultural and artisan traditions.

I would definitely concur that the Ubud area would be a primary destination -- not necessarily the town itself, but in the surrounding countryside. The resorts along the river valleys offer spendid views and access to the heart of Bali -- masked dance, temple ceremonies and a whole host of outdoorsy activities like hiking, biking, climbing, rafting etc.

I'm one who enjoys the big beach in Bali, even though it leans less to the pristine and more to the lively. I always stay in Seminyak where there are many restaurants, shops, spas, clubs within walking distance or a short taxi hop. The beach is not exactly unspoiled but the waves are magnificent and the sunsets inspirational.

Lombok has some very nice beaches, but I personally would choose to fill up two weeks with Java and Bali.

There are many resorts that range from ultra deluxe to basic with prices to match. Let us know what you like to do and what your price range is. Sometimes a combination of upscale and downhome is the best bet.

sfgal,

I was in Bali in mid-Feb and did the following route:

4 n/ Ubud
3 n/ Yogya
3 n/ Sanur

At Ubud, I stayed at Tegal Sari which was a fantastic small hotel about a 15 minute walk into town. I purchased a flight to Yogya on Garuda from one of the many travel agencies in Ubud and then returned to Bali and stayed at the Sanur area at Bumi Ayu Bungalows.

In Ubud, I went on a bike tour of the countryside, hired a driver and toured north/central Bali and also went to a Kecak performance.

Sanur is a nice beach although Bumi Ayu is about a 10 minute walk to the beach and you have to pass through an apt complex to get to it. The best section of the beach is at the northern end at the Inna Grand Bali Hotel area. I rented a beach chair from them for $4 for the day.

I took a local Perama bus (inexpensive) to get to Kuta and the waves there are for surfers. Also, other travellers warned me about the beach touts coming up to you at Kuta beach but I still wanted to hang out there. I didn't get to go to Nusa Dua in the short time there.

I agree with Marmot about seeing Borobudur and Prambanan in Java. Travel agents in Ubud advertise either a day trip or a 2day trip to see these sites and their prices include RT air and tour. I booked independently and stayed at the Duta Garden Guest House.

Next time I get to Bali, I plan to do Lombok and some other sites. It's a beautiful place with beautiful and friendly people.

I'm blogging from the road at http://stgabriel.vox.com if you are interested.

Thanks, BKK95 and Marmot - you are both so helpful. The suggestions about Java are terrific. I'm only starting to research Bali now - have the Rough Guide to Bali and an OLD (2001?) Fodor's guide which is helpful in terms of getting the lay of the land, albeit outdated. If there are other guides you like, please let me know.

Marmot - we would indeed like a combination of upscale and more down-home places. We can't afford 2 weeks of very fancy resorts, and I also am not sure we'll see the true Bali that way. Ideally, we'd spend a third of the time at upper-end spots and then the other time at more moderate places. I think our max per night would be $300 and that would be our "treat" and the other nights we'd like to spend around $70-$150/night. About 6 years ago we went to Thailand and were really happy with the moderate places we found for around $80 a night and I am hoping we can have a similar experience in Bali.

sfgal, everytime I see your thread title I get the image of someone heading to Bali after a night of pub-crawling.

It's hard to find an uptodate guide book on Bali or Java. The web is your best bet.

There are plenty of places at the high and low end and plenty in the middle. Everyone has favorites and the good news is since they tend to keep going back their favorites must be good!

My suggestions:
In Java
Highend: Amanjiwo
Very very deluxe and very very pricy. Worth it I think.

Medium: The Losari Coffee Plantation
I've not stayed there, but it's highly recommended. About an hour from Borobudur, but nicely situated.

Low: Manohara
Basic, but you can't beat the location right on the grounds of Borobudur

Medium: The Hyatt Yogyakarta
I think the best in town. Basic, neutral, but nice gardens and pool.

BALI
Beach
Highend: Legian Seminyak My favorite

Medium: Sofitel A good value

Ubud and area Highend: Kayumanis
If you get a room with a view

Lowend: Alam Sari
Well run, pretty location, great activities

Lowend: Ketut's Place
Right in town. Simple accommodations, family run, good cultural input

Medium to High: Alila Ubud
Lovely views, good view, great pool, quirky architecture

Having suffered through the CA bar myself, I can understand the need to unwind. When we did a combo pricey/non-pricey stay in Ubud, we stayed closer in town, as we like to wander through shops and be close to restaurants. On two separate trips,we stayed at Kajane Mua and had a lovely Bali style villa room with our own private horizon pool for less money than Alila or the other lovely resorts further out of town. Our villa still felt remote, even though we were in town. The service was very nice and they gave us rides to restaurants and dance performances anytime we asked. For the lower priced stay, we went to Tegal Sari, as the previous poster did. It is very popular and was just fine. Our room looked out over the rice fields and it was interesting to watch life go by there.

We used Putu Arnawa as a guide on both our trips. He is very interested in temple ceremonies, photography and hiking. He will customize an itinerary to whatever you're interested in. Several people on this forum have used him, and he has a website (which escapes me at the moment, but google him). Good luck on the bar!