Hi! We are going to Japan for a week and Thailand for a week, late April/early May. We would like to fly to Bali for a weekend in between. Any suggestions for first-timers? We only have a couple of days and are on a budget! What shouldn't we miss out on if in Bali?

I wouldn't recommend Bali for a couple of days between Thailand and Japan. The flight to Bali is 5 1/ 2 hours from Bangkok, and 7 hours from Japan. The flight time, plus only spending a couple of days there, would make me not go. There are also gorgeous beaches in Thailand. I would do a Thai beach like Ko Samet, Hua Hin, Ko Samui or Krabi.

If you have your heart set on Bali and go, I'd say don't miss Ubud. Stay in a village outside of Ubud for a more rural experience, or right in Ubud for a more touristy scene. Drivers are easy to come by, and a day spend driving around the coutryside is great. Bali has a lot of art, culture and scenery, and a couple of days would give you a taste of it, but you'd need much more time there to really get into anything.

i too think it is too far for a couple of days, but if you are determined then go for it...first of all get yourself a good driver, like putu who is often mentioned here....ask him for a suggestion on where to stay and to plan a loaded itinery for you....his max charge last year was 400,000 rp per day---that's about $40 US....he is worth every cent....he will fit everything into your budget....rooms are very inexpensive comparitively in bali...we paid $70 at the bali hyatt...

ubud is central enough to provide you good access to the major sites...the real bali is the countryside...forget the beaches and the far north and concentrate on the center regions and the more rural ones...shopping is great and a good driver will put you where the action is...stay away from kuta and other tourist centered places....you can cover a lot in 10 hour days on the road as there is no traffic really but the roads are paved but rural and all 2 lanes

i missed the word beach...if beach it is then i would see what the bali hyatt could do for you....hang out there the whole time....in a nice town also...

i missed the word beach...if beach it is then i would see what the bali hyatt could do for you....hang out there the whole time....in a nice town also...close to the airport

another suggestions might be a thai beach area like koh samui---1 hour flt from bkk...or phuket or krabi

Thank you for all of your responses. It is a far jaunt for a weekend, I suppose. However, I have always been intrigued by Bali. I will keep you all posted...

I think that, although it is far and will be a quick trip, I don't want to miss out on Bali. We plan on spending 2 days on the beach-Jimbaran is where we are thinking. Any suggestions for a cute villa on the beach? We will then go to Ubud for 2 days. I would like to stay in a village outside of the city-any recommendations? THanks in advance.

tanya, there are zillions of places to stay in Bali in all price ranges. How much were you thinking of spending?