Craig, considering that you recently return from Bali, why don't you post a "Just Back Report", your experiencess on how you found Bali will be appreciated for all in this forum.... thank you in advance...

Actually, I'm almost done with it. I'll probably post it on www.balitravelforum.com rather than here because it's quite long. I'll post the link(s) on this forum though.

Here's the short version: We returned from Bali last Friday after having spent 3 nights on the southeast coast, north of Kuta, 5 nights in Ubud and 3 nights in Lovina. We had absolutely no problems, except a little "Bali Belly" and one day of too much sun. Hotel Tugu in Canggu was one of the most spectacular places I've ever stayed. Maya Ubud Resort and Damai Lovina Villas were also excellent. We had villas with plunge pools at Tugu and Maya. We had a villa with a hot tub at Damai.

We did not see one American (we're from Connecticut) our entire stay. Visited several Balinese villages, went white water rafting, snorkeling, did the Waka Land Cruise, took the Rice Fields Walk from Maya Ubud, had a couple of massages and did lots of shopping, especially around Ubud. Our driver, Putu Arnawa (e-mail: [email protected]) was the best. We ate lots of Balinese and Indonesian food and enjoyed the Bintang beer. Occupancy rates were 16% at Tugu, 30% at Maya and 100% at Damai.

In Ubud we ate at Ary's Warung (excellent tasting menu), Cafe Lotus (great smoked duck) and Indus (skip it). The food at Tugu and Damai (always at at the hotel) was as good as it gets. Also had a pretty good "free" meal at Asiatique at Maya Ubud (normally pretty expensive). Did not need reservations at any restaurant in Ubud.

Feel free to post questions. I'm happy to reply on this forum to pretty much any question you may have about our trip.

Craig, eh you're fast, I'm travelling to Bali in a couple of days, I will put some questions to you through Bali Travel Forum.. thanks

craig,''

Is your long version JBR ready yet. Did you see other hotels beside the one that you stayed. I'm looking for luxury but also has some bali charm, beautiful spa,room and tropical grounds. Any advise???

Sandra, I'm almost done with the long version. All three hotels we stayed at would fit your requirements, although Maya Ubud might not possess the "Bali Charm" you refer to--it is very modern. It has an awesome spa though, overlooking the river and the villas are very nice. We did check out some other hotels but did most of our research before we went.

Craig,
Thank you so much. Did you see Ritz & Four Seasons? If you did, you thoughts???

I have stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay and the Four Season outside Ubud. The villas at the first two would have the most Bali charm with the bale, the thatched roofs, etc, but all of them are new and modern hotels so I am not sure exactly what you are looking for. That being said, the Four Seasons Ubud is superb and the best of them all, IMO, because of its stunning location and the modern design esp the open lobby area. Great spa at both Four Seasons, the spa at the Rtiz-Carlton was being built last time I was there. I am more of a fan of the inland areas of Bali, but if you want the beach, either the Ritz-Carlton or the Four Seasons would be good. The Ritz-Carlton is on a cliff and the actual beach is a short distance away, there is a little van to take you. However the pool more than makes up for it if you don't feel like going down to the beach. The cliff location is great at sunset.

Probably the most "traditional" luxury hotel in terms of Bali style and charm would be the Amandari up in Ubud. Take a look at amanresorts.com They also have a beautiful property up in the Lovina area, the Amankila.

Cicerone,
Thank you. I read all of the posting including the Hyatt Bali and I'm grateful for everyone advise. Too many nice resorts and we only have 2 weeks. We're looking for beautiful room/grounds/view, somewhat Bali charm, and spa. Beach would be nice but not required. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Which resorts would you choose for 2 weeks stay? We don't mind the modern feel.

Sandra, We stopped by the Ritz Carlton. It is a gorgeous place with an amazing pool. The problem is, this resort could have been located anywhere in the World--not very Balinese IMO.

I think you can do quite well in Bali without shelling out the big bucks for 4 Seasons, Aman Resorts etc. I am sure that these places are intimate and charming with lovely Balinese and Indonesian furnishings but you are captive to their (very expensive) restaurants and spas and you will be less likely to venture out into the "real" bali. The Four Seasons Sayan and the Amandari are about a 20 minute drive from Ubud.

Ahh, but they are a very easy bicycle ride, and there are restaurants along the way as well....

Craig,
Thanks again, My husband & I are thinking of staying at one big resort which would be Ritz or FS and another smaller resort. Your preference,based on the resorts that you've seen, which smaller resort did you like the best & why?

The Tugu was my favorite. It was the most exotic hotel I have ever seen. There are 25 luxury villas. The grounds are lush and highly manicured. The marble-floored villas are filled with Indonesian antiques. Our canopy bed was huge. The was a mini lotus pond and fountain in the bathroom. The attentive staff went out of their way to please you in every way. Twice a day your bathtub and sink are filled with water and fragrant flower blossoms. They even put some flowers in the plunge pool.

There is no restaurant per se at the Tugu. You can eat anywhere you choose--by the lotus pond, on the beach at sunset, by the pool or in one of several private rooms off the spectacular main lobby. The food is delicious, nicely presented and reasonably priced. I especially enjoyed the Indonesian and Balinese specialties. The spa was excellent also and there are several venues (both indoors and outdoors) where you can get a massage. All-in-all, the attention to detail was amazing.

If you are going to be in Bali for two weeks, you need to stay in Ubud for some of that time-are you looking at the FS there? It is actually a small resort-25 units. (By the way, in reference to Cicerone's note above, I wouldn't even think of riding a bicycle in the Ubud area with the traffic and the hills.) The other FS (Jimbaran) is much larger-147 units. I consider Maya Ubud large at 70 units.

guys, how about the Intercontinental is it also secluded. Someone said me that this hotel is as far as the RC, and located at Jimbaran Beach... any comments?

craig,
Thank you. which room category did you stay in Tugu? We have 12 nights, I'm thinking 4 Ritz, 4 Maya and 4 Tugu/ your thoughts? . Do they have seafood at Tugu's menu? Did you book through the hotel or specific web site? Looking forward to reading your JBR. Many thanks to everyone being so kind and helpful.

We stayed in a Dedari Suite at Hotel Tugu. The Rejang suites are nice too but they have in-room spas instead of a plunge pool. They probably have better views since they are located on top of the Dedari Suites. If you want to spring for the extra $, the Le Mayeur suite is truly grand. There is a lot of information on www.tuguhotels.com - click on Hotel Tugu Bali. I do not recall if they had seafood on Tugu's menu.

We booked our hotels through Bali Discovery Tours (www.balidiscovery.com). This is also a great site to compare the various hotels.

As for your itinerary, it depends on what you are looking for. If you plan to spend a lot of time relaxing and enjoying the pools and the spas, your itinerary sounds like a good one and a good way to sample three great resorts. If shopping and/or seeing as much of the island as possible are more of a priority, you will need more time in Ubud. I would suggest you spend one more day in Ubud anyway and one less at one of the others.

Our itinerary permitted us to do a lot of things on our 11 night stay. We did 3 days on the South Coast (Hotel Tugu), 5 days in Ubud (Maya) and 3 days in Lovina on the north coast (Damai). We covered almost the entire island this way. It depends on what you want though. When we were planning our trip we debated between the Ritz and the Tugu. We didn't want to stay at both because they are technically both on the South Coast. We opted for the Tugu because for us the location was better (and it seemed like a really cool place).