Cruisinred's sun, sand & palm tree dilemma

We have our tickets to Bangkok booked for next May! (In first class no less, thanks to a post from Rex about a pricing era on Gulf Air). Given the restrictions of the ticket, we have slightly less time in Asia then I would have liked, 9 days. Now, I know that at least 4-5 of those days will be in Bali. My husband has made a request for beach and palm trees and nice diving or snorkeling for the remaining 3-4 days. I am not too worried about only have 4 days in each destination, as we did only 3 days in each place this year, and that suited us fine.

We were very spoiled this year with our private pool villa on a totally secluded beach at the Evason Hideaway in Nha Trang, and I am having trouble finding another beach option (preferably with private pool) that will meet our expectations for “stylish luxury” away from crowds.

Can you help me decide from the following options? All seem fairly accessible from BKK and Bali with the various budget carriers, but I would be open to other suggestions.

1) I would stay on Bali, but as is often discussed, the island does not have the most beautiful beaches. North or East Bali perhaps?

2)The Sarojin in Khao Lok: on a secluded beach, with a chance to go the Similans, but worried about the rain. Would it be all day downpours or just a few showers in the evening etc?

3)Koh Samui? Weather might be better, but I can’t find any place that looks secluded, and avoids the cheesy touristy stuff

4)Langkawi? Haven’t really researched this too much

5)Somewhere off the beaten track in Indonesia?

My take: stay in Indonesia. You could certainly spend all of your time on Bali. If you opt to do so, half the time should be in Ubud, half the time at the beach. It isn't that the beaches on bali are terrible, it's just that Bali has so much to offer other than beaches, it's not the primary reason to visit. The beaches are nice, not spectacular. I like the Sanur area for a beach on bali.

Another option is to go to Lombok for a few days. The beaches there are nicer than Bali, IMO. We stayed at the Qunci Villas, a lovely small (20 rooms) resort. It was very inexpensive - I think it was US$70 a day including breakfast and airport transfers a couple of years ago. It's not a place here you get a private pool. There is a nice infinity pool and a lovely beach just beyond. The food was very good and the staff were wonderful.

Oops - I hit post too soon. The problem with many of the places you've mentioned is that getting there will eat up too much of your precious time.

Thanks Kathie. I should have mentioned that the 4-5 days in Bali already scheduled would be in Ubud.
I will take a look at the Qunci. On tripadvisor I read comments about being awoken by the mosque next door. Do you recall this?

There is a mosque nearby, so you do hear the chants. I don't find that disruptive - it reminds me of many other trips to exotic places. I usually awoke enough to know the calling was happening and fell back to sleep. Some people may find it more disruptive.

at samui....the pansea is quite nice and off the beaten path....the meredien is way away from everything and so is laem set inn (check it out carefully as it changed hands recently)...

langkawi is quite nice....the datai is fantastic and i think there is now a four seasons or ritz near by....tons of gold if that intrests you also in same area...

cruise---are you going to come to the boston GTG???

"My husband has made a request for beach and palm trees and nice diving or snorkeling for the remaining 3-4 days."

Cruisin, I think you're going to have a hard time finding your husband's ideal beach in Bali. The best scuba and snorkling are in the north and east but the beaches in those areas -- in my opinion -- are not so nice.

Bali is fairly compact though and it's not out of the question to travel from Ubud or even the southern beach area for a day trip to scuba or snorkle. It's a long day but commonly done.

I was greatly disappointed by the scuba and snorkling options in Lombok. There may be better sites for advanced divers, but for an easy low-stress dive the coral and sea-life was substandard.

I do like the beaches in Lombok quite a bit though. I've never stayed at Qunci, but the Oberoi is lovely. As for the mosques, at the risk of being politically incorrect, I would say that they are getting more aggressively loud throughout Indonesia (including parts of Bali). No one dares complain.

Don't know your budget, but if Amankila fits it's my idea of a divine getaway.

I'm also quite satisfied with the beach at Seminyak. Admittedly it's not the of the pristine beach with clear turquoise water variety, but it is big, sandy, long, lively and with dramatically crashing surf and out of this world sunsets.

As far as off the beaten track in Indonesia, I'd suggest North Sulawesi. You can fly non-stop from Singapore to Manado on Silk Air. This resort is one of best for divers and snorklers and even those who prefer to stay on the surface would find it enchanting.

http://www.kungkungan.com/

There are also many choices in the Bunaken area, but to my mind, none as inviting as Kungkungan.

Thanks for your responses everyone.

Bob- I am planning on attending the GTG lunch. I've been meaning to send you an email and will do that right now.

Marmot- Amankila would be my #1 choice, but the cost....
I've added the Sulawesi places to my favorites for a potential "all Indo" trip someday (Sumba, Komodo, etc).