Calling Bali experts please!
 

I need your expertise to review our 1st-time-to-Bali itinerary please. We'll be in Bali for 15 nights starting 5/20. Here's the itinerary so far:

- 3 nights (I don't know where we should stay yet, may be Sanur or Jimbaran)
- 7 nights in Ubud at Tegal Sari. I'm thinking of additing 2 more nights there. I would prefer to spend a few nights in town but my husband doesn't like to change hotels just for 2 nights.
- 2 nights Lembongan
- 3 nights Sanur

Do you think we're changing hotels too many times? Do you recommend staying 2 nights in Lembongan or should we just do a day trip? Is it kind of like Samui in Thailand? We were thinking Lombok but Lembongan is easier to get to, plus from what I've read, it's very pretty there and the beaches are prettier than Bali.

Thank you so much for your help!

try the conrad, not far from the airport, when you first arrive...a bit of international lux...

7 nites is a long time in ubud...

we loved lombok....much different from bali....the qunci villas is fantastic...they also have a brand new place almost next door..

flying is easy...qunci arranged it for me...

rest looks fine....

rhkkmk, thank you for the info. I didn't mention that we'll spend 4 nights in HK at Langham Place in Mongkok. Do you still think we should stay at the Conrad? I was thinking of staying somewhere smaller and more intimate after HK.

We'll just stay 5 nights in Ubud then. How many nights for Lombok would you recommend? I've read great reviews about Novotel Lombok on www.tripadvisor.com but Qunci Villas look lovely.

Thanks again.

Haven't been there myself, but heard Lembogan is not worth the trip. Lombok would be much different, though you'll want two more nights there. You might consider Seminyak for your first stop - Legian or Samaya for lux.

Agree the 5 nights in Ubud may be a little much.

paige, Tegal Sari is in the middle of Ubud Town. Is that what you meant?

I'm not a great fan of Ubud, though I find the surrounding area very appealing. I don't have any opinion about Tegal Sari one way or another but think you could do better on location.

I personally like the beach in Seminyak better than Sanur, Jimbaran or Nusa Dua. It's a long sandy beach, good for walking, big waves, beautiful sunsets, excellent shopping, restaurants, spas.

I haven't been to Lembongan, but for sure it's no where near as sophisticated or pretty as Samui. Lombok would be a better choice if you're looking for a good beach location.

With 15 nights my suggesstion would I'd do 6 Ubud area, 4 Lombok, 5 beach, preferably Seminyak.

paige, we cross posted. Novotel Lombok is on a spectacular beach but it's quite isolated and baren. I haven't been to Qunci myself; it always gets good reviews and there's a sense of community in the area.

Conrad is a fairly new property -- big and shiny -- beautiful landscaping and lagoons, but a truly awful beach.

I'd also suggest that you look at Novotel or some of the villa-type properties in Seminyak, like Laksmana or Elysian.

I was in Bali over the weekend and it is very, very quiet. You should negotiate hard.

Thank you everyone for your wealth of info. We're definitely considering Lombok and Qunci villas. Re: Seminyak, we're not much of party-animals, we don't go clubbing or bars so prefer to stay at smaller, quiet and intimate B&Bs or boutique-type hotels which are close to good restaurants, shopping, night markets, etc. Do you know of such a place in Seminyak? Or Jimbaran? I thought we'd stay here for a couple of days to relax and walk to seafood restaurants on the beach at night.

I wish we could fly business class on Cathay, but it's $5000-6000 per person which is way out of our budget. We've already booked our air through an agency but would like to know the best seats on Cathay that have good leg room, but not too close to the restrooms. I can check Seatguru but your input is more valuable. Our agent didn't think she could request seats in advance and said we needed to be at LAX early. There are only 2 of us.

Thank you so much!

Paige, we stayed at Qunci Villas soon after they opened and absolutely loved the place. It's very quiet - something like twenty rooms (plus the new villas which are separate). The staff are wonderful - very helpful.

Seminyak 'proper' is not a party place. If you stay in the area around the Petitengit temple, you'll find lots of great restaurants, a few beach clubs, and almost no touts as you'll find in every other part of Bali. It really is one of the most relaxing places to stay. I was in Bali over the weekend too, and found it quite busy for the low season.

I've already suggested the Samaya and the Legian, which are expensive. My current favorite place on a budget is Putu Bali Villas. It's a short walk away from the beach, but still in easy reach of several nice restaurants.

Michael, Putu Bali Villas website is lovely. Their rates are very low. We were happy to pay at least twice that much but I'll check it out, thank you.
Kathie, I'll contact Qunci Villas, Marmot had suggested it also.

Thank you everyone!

Putu was a surprise. It's not fancy, with a lot of amenities, but the value for money is unbelievable. Check out the Bali Catering shop just down the road. You may decide to skip a restaurant some days and just take home some stuff from the shop.

i traveled to all ends of bali and have to say that gerger beach in nusa dua was by far the cleanest and the sand was what beaches should look like .the only thing your giving up is the culture i will say. not much to do around there in the evenings but the hotels look great.....