marya_

We just figured out that the miles are there for me to go back to Beijing next week and then on to Indonesia. Beijing is a repeat visit but Indonesia is completely new to us. We'll be based in Jakarta, but the tantalizing possibility of adding (just) 5 or 6 nights of vacation in Bali has come up.

I have swept up the books I could find locally -- LP Indonesia, DK Bali & Lombok, Frommer's Bali & Lombok, and Secrets of Bali by Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni. I am reading trip reports here. I will keep reading as I travel, but time is short so I am hoping for help in two ways from the knowledgeable people here.

1. Jakarta does not sound like an ideal and obvious tourist destination but life is going to give me some time there on my own, so if you know the city and can personally make any recommendations for cultural exploration aside from what will be in the guidebooks, many thanks. Cafes, parks, or other public spaces where one can sit and read and watch the world go by always appeal to me.

2. Since we have not so brilliantly stumbled onto the possibility of 5 or 6 nights of vacation in Bali in high season, I should book lodgings as soon as possible. (Yes, I realize how late in the game this is but so be it.) I like to move as slowly as possible and savour a place so we will pick just one destination rather than try to split the scant time we have between a coastal area and Ubud. Reading frantically has suggested to me that the Ubud area is what what we want although I have gone from confusion to clarity to confusion again. We are drawn to temples, dance, masks and puppetry, artisans' studios, rice field walks, and good food. We are not athletic nor are we drawn to much serious shopping.

Some of my favorite hotels have been La Residence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, La Residence in Hue, and the Ananatara in Chiang Saen. I would love to find a place in Bali with the sort of charm we found in those three hotels. With more time or more people, I would likely opt for a villa but maybe a guesthouse or small hotel works for this trip. Our pockets are not very deep -- think bohemian academic rather than chic, with some periods of austerity and some splurges. Our dates are likely 6-12 July.

Thank you for any thoughts about securing a hotel reservation in Bali while I scramble to plan.

Kathie

Lucky you!

I'm afraid the hotel reservations will be a scramble, as it's high season and late. But you may be able to get a prime property when someone cancels.

I haven't used them, but a number of people like balidiscovery.com for booking hotels there. I'd also check agoda.com

marmot

I'll concentrate on Jakarta as I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice on Bali. You are correct it's not much of a tourist destination, but it is one weird and fascinating place.

The downside is that it's sprawling, trafficky, bewildering. Walking is unpleasant; it's hot and polluted and there are massive holes in the sidewalks. There is NO practical public transportation and hotel drivers are mostly clueless. Take a cellphone and the number of your destination so your driver can call for directions en route.

If you can arrange it, try to stay at the Dharmawangsa Hotel. It's architecturally charming and situated in a quiet residential neighborhood.

There are several good -- albeit disorganized and dusty -- museums: the national museum, the puppet museum, the textile museum, the maritime museum. Check the hours as they are erratic.

The old port area -- Sunda Kelapa -- is interesting for a glimpse into Colonial Jakarta. It's been semi-restored, but is also disorganized and a bit dreary.

There are no real parks or outside areas that are worth wandering through unless you get to Bogor (about an hour's drive) to the botanical gardens. Jakarta residents tend to spend their weekends wandering around the many large shiny shopping centers.

Food, both local and foreign, is good and cheap, except alcohol which is exorbitant. When I get back to Jakarta next week (I'm actually in Bali!) I can give you some suggestions.

There are several venues for traditional performances -- shadow puppets, masked drama, gamelan, dangdut (which is a crazy kind of middle-eastern inspired popular music).

I would suggest that you try to get to Central Java -- Yogyakarta and Borobudur. It's far more civilized and interesting than Jakarta. About an hour's flight from Jakarta. You can continue on to Bali from there.

marya_

Thanks, Kathie. I am grateful for wonderful advice from you in the past. You haven't used these booking sites because you have previously booked directly with your Bali hotel or villa? Just curious.

Marmot, thank you. I was hoping that you would reply. The Dharmawangsa looks very appealing but we are obliged to stay at the Grand Hyatt. Do you have an opinion about that hotel/location?

I am taking notes from the rest of your post and I would absolutely love to follow up with your restaurant and arts recommendations when you return to Jakarta. Thanks and enjoy the rest of your stay in Bali.

Oh, yes, I would rather spend time in Yogyakarta and Borobudur. I had planned to stay on in Jakarta with my husband and his colleagues, at least on this first trip, but maybe I should rethink it.

marmot

The Hyatt is a big modern hotel. It has a beautiful pool area and several very good restaurants. It's contiguous with two mega shopping centers full of restaurants and all kinds of shops including some good arts and crafts and contemporary art galleries. It's located in the Central Business District so it's definitely central but also highly trafficked. I just wouldn't recommend walking in that area, not because of crime (Jakarta is actually quite safe) but because the sidewalks, overpasses and street crossings are nightmares.

rhkkmk

hyatt in sanur is good, but rooms were old if they have not been renovated...

we stayed last week at the pan pacific which overlooks tanah lot... its a bit issolated but a nice hotel...

alam shanti is for you... check on the sister hotels as well, but some do not have a/c... best room is ganga but any room at AS is a bonus..

see if putu has any time for you... use him for two days max and you will see tons of the real bali... he does not use the main roads..

marya_

Marmot, this is very helpful. I did read about Jakarta shopping malls being a sort of recreational attraction but you are giving that phenomenon more context.

Bob, I am bleary-eyed for tearing through Ubud hotel websites and the two booking sites Kathie recommended. Some of the attractive properties are way too much of a splurge. Many places are booked, of course. I just wrote to Alam Shanti and, well, begged. As Kathie says, one can hope for cancellations...

Do you -- or does anyone-- have a proven-to-be-current email address for Putu?

Has anyone stayed in the Bali Spirit Hotel and Spa? They have one 'villa' available. Reviews are mixed. Some of the comments about noise from road traffic and nearby houses partying into the night are unnerving and some consider it too far out.

Thank you for any and all suggestions.

marmot

In the Ubud area you can either choose to stay in the town (it's really more of a large-ish village) or outside of town in the countryside. The advantage of being in town is that you can walk to many restaurants, shops, spas, galleries, performance venues. The advantage of being outside of Ubud is greater natural beauty and serenity.

Either way you'll end up driving to various attractions, so choose the place that you want to be when you wake up in the morning.

I've been staying at the Alila Ubud for several years. It's more of a resort with two story block style buildings, than some of the other smaller properties. It gets mixed reviews: you either appreciate the architecture -- minimalist with Balinese influence -- or you hate it. The rooms are small but well designed. Upstairs rooms have balconies, downstairs have little terraces. Across the walkway is a million dollar view. The same river valley as the Four Seasons, Aman, and Como.

The pool is stunning, the restaurant lovely (though pricey for Ubud), the spa very good and the cultural and nature activities excellent.

Also outside of Ubud I'd take a look at the Alam Sari. It's homey and charming with very, very nice people. The three Komenekas also have a good reputation. One is near the Alila (but a different river view)and two are in or near town.

Becalm

[email protected]
www.balifriend.net
www.baliartphoto.com

marya_

Becalm, thank you for the links!

Marmot, I loved the look of the Alila Ubud and checked it out right at the beginning of this process, but it is booked. Just wrote to the Alam Sari on your advice. I thought previously that it might be a more family-oriented place than we preferred for this trip, but I'll certainly consider it if they have room. If.

Bob, I wrote to the Alam Shanti on your advice and learned that they could accommodate us for 4 nights (not 5), starting with 1 night in a deluxe room, followed by 3 night in a lesser (i.e., "superior") room, then with our last night apparently not covered at all. Ouch. One more night and we might cease to exist...

I am usually the queen of off-season, off-peak, value-priced everything -- Paris in January, anyone? -- so this "no room at at the inn" exercise is...er...character building. It sure is easier when you want what everyone else doesn't though.

Thank you to everyone for help with this work in progress. I'll keep looking for something for the 6-11 July and will let you know if anything works out. Meanwhile, it sounds as though the economic downturn hasn't terribly hurt Bali in summer season 2010.

kuluk

If you liked La Residence you would love the Hanging Gardens, (also Orient Express) although it's a 20 minute drive out of town, it's set in beautiful gardens and a total retreat. They also have free shuttles into downtown. I can also recommend Uma Ubud, located above the Wos River but just 5 minutes out of downtown Ubud. Another choice is the Maya, lovely place with an out of this world spa.

The Grand Hyatt in Jakarta is a beautiful hotel and it's connected to Plaza Indonesia, so easy to hop over for book browsing and a frozen yogurt, not to mention a new Vuitton bag! The National Museum is not to be missed, especially the Gold room with amazing treasures from old kingdoms.

marya_

Oh, Kuluk, I did indeed love the description of the Hanging Gardens and it was one of the first places that I tried to book. No luck. I also tried Uma Ubud and the Maya but found them booked solid as well. Nothing yet. I am glad for the Balinese that bookings are so robust -- I am just not sure yet what we should do.

Thank you for the helpful words about the Jakarta Grand Hyatt. I will definitely hop over to the Plaza Indonesia for book browsing and a frozen yogurt -- probably more than once. The Gold Room at the National Museum is now on my list as well.

If anyone reading this is thinking "She should give up on Ubud and consider staying in .....," please advise. Also, if anyone ever had luck getting last minute bookings based on cancellations, I would love to hear your story and get your advice.

marmot

Alam Sari is laid back and friendly but it is not luxe. In the same range as Hanging Gardens you might try Kupu Kupu Barong, Kayumanis or the Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah. The Chedi doesn't have river views but it's a lovely environment. Same group as the Legian -- excellent service and attention to detail.

Yes, Bali is definitely on a roll. The downside is that there is construction everywhere.

marya_

Marmot, all three of those sound absolutely sensational but even if we could squeak in, I am blanching at the idea of spending well over $400 per night. I was hoping for a lovely experience at a lower price point.

How is the Arma Museum and Resort?

marmot

Did you try Komeneka?

ARMA is an excellent museum, but as a place to stay it's a little past its sell by date.

Maybe you could do three nights in town at Alam Shanti and two out of town at Alam Sari or Komeneka Tanggayuda. The Alila in Manggis is also nice for a couple of nights.

marya_

Wow -- the pendulum has swung. On a third party site, I found -- and booked -- a room (not suite) at the Alila Ubud.

Then I got a lovely reply from Alam Sari apologizing for the delay and saying that they could indeed accommodate us. (I had never heard from them and written them off.)

Also well after the Alila was all booked, Alam Shanti wrote back to say that they had a cancellation and could accommodate us for the 5 nights if we would move after one night from a deluxe room to a ricefield-view room.

Befuddlement.

My sense is to stay with what we booked and visit the others in order to prospect for the future. My husband has just these 5 days of vacation so I want something restful that doesn't involve changing rooms. The people at Alam Sari and Alam Shanti sound so lovely. I have got the cooking class schedule from Alam Shanti, for example, and would love to take a class there.

My notes say "Marmot loves suite 303" at the Alila. We have booked a room, not a suite alas -- an upstairs room which is a little less expensive than ground level but the idea of the view appeals to me. If there is any more advice out there with regard to particular rooms, I would be grateful.

I appreciate the help offered here since my choices are otherwise reliant on the "knowledge" I have from reading guidebooks and viewing websites on the fly.

marmot

marya, I’m glad to hear that your options have expanded. My guess is that the weak Euro is affecting forward reservations in Bali.

The Alila is much more of a hotel/resort than either of the Alams. You will get a higher density of guests, less intimacy, but more services. It’s a notch up in polish from the Alam Sari. I haven’t been to the Alam Shanti so I can’t comment but it certainly has some loyal supporters. I think the main difference – other than size – between the Alila and the Alam Shanti is location, in Ubud versus in the countryside. Both have positives and negatives, but I always found the Alila’s setting to be magical.

The single rooms are quite small but the design is clean and contemporary. I’d go for the upstairs too because the views are better. I don’t see a lot of difference among rooms but I prefer to get farther away from the pool and restaurant.

I have a friend staying at the Alila Ubud right now who’s a very critical traveler. I’ll give you her appraisal next week.

Did you decide if you would stay in Jakarta or venture out to Yogya? Jakarta traffic is legendary. On a weekend morning I’m about 40 minutes from the airport. This last Friday the trip home was over two hours – and that was just normal rush hour traffic.

These are the venues for traditional dance, drama and music performances in Jakarta: Taman Ismail Marzuki, The Bharata Theatre, The Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. Your concierge should be able to help you with information but sometimes the obvious is hard to come by here. Check the internet and the Jakarta Post.

It’s difficult to find good restaurants that are not in hotels or shopping centers. Here are some of my favorites. There are also plenty of coffee houses, satay and nasi (rice) places and options for other Asian food. Cantonese Seafood is excellent and a fraction of the cost in Hong Kong.

Western: C at the Hyatt, Social House at Grand Indonesia, Potato Head at Pacific Place, Sri Wijaya at the Dharmawangsa, Emilie in Kebayoran Baru. You can find out more on their websites.

Indonesian: There are zillions of choices, but these are some of the more upscale, visitor friendly. Dapur Baba, Lara Djonggrang, Kembang Goela, Bunga Rampai, Merade Lima, Harum Manis, Cengeh.

If I had to choose favorites I’d go with Social House for casual, C because it’s in your hotel, Emilie for elegant (and pricy) and Kembang Goela for Indonesian with Dutch Colonial nostalgia. Café Batavia and Oasis are well established and well visited but they’re not on my list.

kuluk

Marya, you are spoilt for choice! The Alam Shanti is well known, much more like a traditional bungalow style (although I have never stayed there I have seen it). The Alila is contemporary cement/marble but beautiful style. If you will have already stayed at the Grand Hyatt you might prefer the Alam Shanti for a different feel. Nyuh Kuning is a smaller village, with several restaurants within walking distance. The Alila is in a spectacular location in rice fields (but that's not so special in Ubud, really) but you will have to get the shuttle or arrange transport to go anywhere.

I wish I could recommend some restaurants in Jakarta but alas my well-paid expat days are over and now I eat in the smaller "local" places. Live it up in Jakarta and then when in Ubud go to the small cafes and you will be able to experience both! Have a wonderful time!

kuluk

Oh, and can't remember if anyone mentioned this before, but in Jakarta it's best to only use Blue Bird Group or Silver Bird taxis. Even locals don't like to take the others. If you are in a situation where the hotel or restaurant can't find a Blue Bird, call them yourself and schedule a pickup. http://www.bluebirdgroup.com/contact.php

Oh, and buy a small cheap mobile phone and have them load a pre-paid card into it. Will cost you about $30 for the phone and $5 for the card. Invaluable when you are lost or late for something and have to call someone. Then sell the phone back to one of the phone stores when you leave Bali! (or give it to your driver as a super tip)

marya_

Thanks to marmot, kuluk and others for help along the way. I am looking out over the remarkable Welcome Monument roundabout after a lazy day with few accomplishments beyond drinking coffee and traipsing through nearby shopping centers.

My day at the Museum Nasional was spectacular not only on account of the collection but because the Heritage Society tour guides were both very sophisticated and very friendly (to the point of giving me a ride back to my hotel). The new building was closed for a fashion show so I plan to go back to tour it.

We spent another day going to Bandung for meetings so that meant long hours in the car (7 altogether) but also a chance to look out at the countryside and...er...savour an authentic Jakarta traffic experience.

This isn't the easiest city to figure out but people are very warm and welcoming. Our week-end trip to Yogyakarta/Borobudur/Prambanan unfortunately got canceled so I am on the lookout for something interesting to do in central Jakarta. If any of you Jakarta-savvy fodorites have ideas to recommend, please do so. The bits of information that I have picked up about the Jakarta Fair and tomorrow's car-free Sunday are somewhat inconclusive.