Bali - where to stay on the island
 

We are visiting Bali at the end of November, heard it is not the best time because of the Monsoon but this was the only time we could go.

Question-
Where should we stay on the Island? We would like to stay near the beach, around some good snorkeling/sea kayaking spots. Nightlife is not a must, however it should be accessible/a short drive. We can even split up our stay of 3 nights, if there are places that we should not miss. Budget is a little tight, would like to do 3 nights at about 70-85/night, or we could do 2 nights at 50-60 and one night at around 100.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards,

look at the bali hyatt...right on the beach..they have had a $70/nite rate for a while....i am staying there next may/june at that rate...its the bali hyatt, not the grand hyatt, bali

location looks great, especially since you do not need the nite life...although it is not far away....

Do some reading about the various parts of the island to help you decide if you want just beach, or a combination of beach an inland mountain and rice paddies areas. There is a brief description put together by Fodors on this site that would be a good start, click on "Destinations" above. FYI, the beaches in Bali are not white sand and turquoise waters. They are beautiful in their own way, but not in the Caribbean or South Pacific way. The snorkelling is fairly good as is the scuba diving.

I love the inland areas around Ubud the best. You can do white water rafting in this area, and should be able to find an outfitter for kayaking. Ubud is about an hour by car from the airport. Great place for shopping, restaurants and to experience Balinese dance, music and art.

For beaches, I would actually say to head up the east coast to the Candidasa area (or around Lovina, Manggis). This would be about 1.5 hour drive from the airport, perhaps a bit longer. (The other main beach areas are about 20 minutes from the airport.) I think this is a better area for snorkelling, and the tides are not so strong as around the Kuta/Nusa Dua/Sanur areas (the Bali Hyatt mentioned above is in Sanur), which makes it better for watersports and snorkelling. This area is not as heavily travelled by tourists, so you will find more bargains, although I think right now you will find things in your price range all over the island. There are also some lovely black sand beaches. One drawback here is that there is not a lot of nightlife, you need to be in the south around Kuta and Nusa Dua/Sanur to get lots of restaurants, clubs and shopping (esp in Kuta).

BALINA BEACH Resort
Pantai Buitan, Manggis
Phone: 0363/41002
Fax: 0363/41001
(can't find a website, maybe try asia-hotels.com)

FAJAR CANDIDASA BEACH BUNGALOWS
Jl. Raya, Candidasa
Phone: 0363/41539
Fax: 0366/41538
http://www.fajarcandidasa.com

Three nights is not a long time, so to split it up and spend 1 night in one place and 2 in another would not be my plan. If you want to do it this way, I would say two nights in a beach location, and one night in the Ubud or other hill area. If you want to do hiking, biking and white water rafting, you might want to reverse this and spend 2 nights in the Ubud area.

There is lots of info on this site about Bali, run a search. Also take a look at a map to see where all the various villages are located.

My favourite moderate-price hotel in the Kuta area is Poppies Cottages. It is a very nice 3 star, although their rock pool and winding gardens are the most beautiful in Bali IMHO. This hotel has no beach front, it is behind walled gardens in Kuta. Still, IMHO, a very magical place. It is a quiet haven in hectic Kuta. Going down to Kuta beach for sunset is a nightly ritual for visitors and locals alike. Check out their website at www.poppiesbali.com. The drawback here is that the hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the beach, and the beach at Kuta is not appropriate for snorkelling or sea kayaking.

I am not a fan of the big chain hotels in the Sanur and Nusa Dua area; however lots of people like them, and they may be offering deals in your price range. The only place I would recommend (other than the Four Seasons Jimbaran which may not be in your price range, is the following small charming hotel, it may also be a bit higher than your range, but is worth a check:

TANDJUNG SARI
Jl. Tamblingan, Sanur
Phone: 0361/288441
Fax: 0361/287930
tandjungsari.com

There are a very large number of small hotels in Ubud which would be in your price range. Two of my favourites are:

ANANDA COTTAGES
Jl. Campuhan, Ubud
Phone: 0361/975376
Fax: 0361/975375
http://ananda-cottages.com

TJAMPUHAN
Jl. Campuhan, Ubud
Phone: 0361/975368
Fax: 0361/975137
http://www.tjampuhan.com

A pricier but lovely hotel in the Ubud are would be the Alila, which used to be the Chedi. Go to http://www.alilahotels.com/. This group also have a hotel in Manggis that looks beautiful, although I have not stayed there.

Bali is a wonderful place, I am sure you will enjoy it and wish you could stay for more than just 3 nights.

Your best bet for snorkeling is around Menjangan Island. You can do a day trip there from Lovina. This is some of the best snorkeling in the world. You can also do snorkeling on a day trip from southern Bali to Lembongan Island but it is not as good. If there are monsoon winds, the snorkeling won't be good anywhere. As for nightlife, Kuta is your best bet. You could not pay me to stay there but you could stay in the resort areas of Sanur or Nusa Dua which are nearby. I have heard of river kayaking in Bali, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.

I did a lot of research before I went to Bali. Thought I picked "the hotel." It turned out to be disappointing. Not saying the hotel is not good enough. But the island is too big and has so much to offer. Laying on a beach at one side of the island is simply not good enough. Why not laying on a beach close to home? The middle part of the island like Ubud has a lot more to offer. Further up, there are even more - mountains, lakes, spa, ....
Do you have only 3 days?? Too short for Bali!
BTW your budget is not tight according to Bali standard. With that many $, you can stay in very nice hotels. (The inland hotels are even dirt cheap.)
Important: if you take US$ with you, don't take any bill before 1997. Most of our bills were 1996. Nobody liked to take them. It turned out to be a very cheap trip - semi starving....

Try Waka hotels - quite a number around the island you should find one that fits your plans - will do good deals if you book direct go to www.wakaexperience.com - used them last year - fantastic true Bali experience.