Hi Marmot and KimJapan (and anyone else who may be reading...)

I have been reading your knowledgeable posts on Bali for some time. I am planning a brief Bali trip for next spring (in conjunction with BKK). I have been to Bali before, but it was a long time ago.

I would like to spend several days in the Ubud area, and then conclude with some beach time divided between the Legian (Marmot: your posts have sold me!) and either Nusa Lembongan Resort or Alila Manggis. Any ideas on how to split 2 or 3 beach days? I don't mind moving around, as we will most likely be touring by car each day anyway.

In Ubud, I was wondering if either of you have heard about Kajane Mua (www.kajane.com) or if you could give me a sense if it is too close to the very busy part of town? I would love to spend a few days somewhere with a private pool overlooking the river/rice paddies, and these villas look great for the price ($165) but I am wondering if it is a bit too close to the action.

I was also wondering if you may have heard of Mandala Desa (www.mandaladesa.com), south of Ubud? It seems like it might be a nice place to stay on the way in from the airport (villas only $75 and the chef there used to be at Batan Waru). My husband has not been to Asia before (and has not travelled much in the developing world, so I thought it might be best to ease him into it by staying somewhere nice but quite and serene. Other suggestions? I am trying to stay in mix of places both to even out the cost and also to experience both a bit of luxury and more rural type places. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

Cruisinred

make that quiet, not quite...excuse my sloopy typing

Heard of both, seen neither in person. Kajane Mua is on Monkey Forest Road, about halfway between Ubud Market and the Monkey Forest. It is right in the busy part of town, but apparently quiet inside the compound there.

Mandala Desa...that's a place that has interested me, too, except with a child I think it would be too quiet. I haven't corresponded with them, but I do think I've seen it, though at the time I didn't know what it was. Looked lovely. I'd e-mail them with what you are looking for and so on and see how they answer. I always use the first few e-mails as a measure of the feeling of a place and it hasn't steered me wrong yet.

I'm going to recommend Alam Sari...close to Ubud, but quiet. The price is absolutely right, and an incredible value. The time from Alam Sari to Ubud is the same as from the Aliila Ubud to Ubud. The Villa Teratai there is lovely, and the staff there will take care of you very, very well. All of the rooms, standard and suite, are decorated with lovely antiques and very, very clean. The pool is also beautiful. Their guide/driver/main man kind of guy, Dewa, is wonderful...kind, soft spoken, big hearted, generous, and incredibly knowledgable. A new offering they have is a cooking class over a traditional wood Balinese stove at Dewa's family compound. Also at his home I believe is a class in making coconut oil from coconut to oil, and coffee from bush to cup. They have many tours they will arrange for you, and if you can Dewa to be your guide and driver, it will be excellent. You can ask for him.

Nusa Lembongan Resort...we almost booked there for 6 nights in January...but ended up in Amed instead. Their place looks lovely, gets great reviews, and their correspondence is great. They will lower the rates significantly for the asking, even in peak season (New Year's week). Now I "think" we will do a day trip, possibly with one overnight, on their Sail Sensations (or Overnight Sensations package). Still can't decide.

To ease your husband into Bali a bit, Alam Sari might be perfect. It's quiet and out in the countryside surrounded by trees and rice fields. The first morning, take the free village walk through Keliki and you can learn about religion, rice growing, funeral rites, chickens, housing compounds, family and village structure, fruit and vegetables.,.anything you want to know. Fascinating.

Nusa Lembongan may also be really enjoyable. The island itself has some interesting things to see and do, that I'm sure you know from the website. I might spend 3 days at Alam Sari and 3 at Nusa Lembongan Resort...or check out the Waka Nusa as well...it's a bit more rustic and environmentally friendly. The Legian or the Oberoi or the Sofitel Seminyak might be considered as well...Seminyak has the hustle and bustle, lots of shops and restaurants, but is more upscale than Kuta. I'm not a fan of the area - it's just too busy for me, but it does offer great hotels and eating.

If you wanted to look at a few more places in Ubud, the Alila and the Maya might be two choices to investigage. If you want to keep withing a lower budget, which you can do very easily and not be want for anything, there are loads of places in and around Ubud for under $100.00/nights.

I suppose that didn't help much...
Here's the help -
Send e-mail to everywhere you like, inquire about rates, availability, and describing the kind of place and experience you want. See their responses. That exercise always helps me choose.

Hi Kim

Thanks so much for your feedback and ideas. So many nice places to stay so little vacation time....

I totally agree with you about emailing the hotel, and seeing what kind of tone the replay emails have. So, far Kajane and Mandala Desa have been very friendly and responsive to my questions, while the more expensive Tugu has not responded at all.

About Tegal Sari, did you stay in the large villa or in a suite? Do you know what their "honeymoon" suites are like?

Have a great time in Amed. I look forward to your trip report.

Sorry, I meant to ask you about the rooms at Alam Sari, not Tegal Sari...too many saris

At Alam Sari we stayed in a standard room. It looks exactly like the picture on their website. The difference between the standard and the suite is that the suite has a canopy and the suite bathroom has a bathtub as well as a shower. We've requested a suite room for our next stay there because the one on the end on the right as you face up the hill (that's how I described it to them) overlooks the neighboring farm with simple rice terraces and a cow or two...nice view. When you look at the pictures on their website, you'll see a bed with a canopy and a bathtub....that's the suite.

The Villa Teratai pictures are in the Villa section of photos, and don't do the villa real justice. When we were there, a lovely couple was staying in the villa, and they showed us around....it's lovely. It's up behind the row of cottages, with the spa right behind it. The views from up there are very nice, and it's very relaxing.

Level of luxury...the rooms are very clean and comfortable, air conditioned, with hot and cold water. Drinking water is provided in plastic dispenser in the fridge, free of charge. The rooms are not on the level of polish that that a 5-star place would have. We saw the rooms at the Uma where our friends were staying, and in comparison, the Uma rooms were lovely, in a sparkling, sterile, highly thought out kind of way. It wasn't my style, but it is liked by many. The staff at the Uma was professional and efficient, but were not friendly. The Uma staff were "strictly service." At Alam Sari, we could talk to the staff, use the computer behind the front desk, at quiet times during the day when not many were about, if we wanted something to drink or a snack, we could stick our head into the kitchen and someone would be there with a big smile...Alam Sari is very relaxed in every way, yet we never felt like there was inadequate service. They quickly learned that our daughter liked vanilla milkshakes (which are out of this world there), and that I like red wine, not white. The classes they arranged for us went off without a hitch.

If I were looking to balance out an expensive stay at the Legian or Nusa Lembongan or Tugu...I'd go for Alam Sari or Mandela Desa. I like being outside of town. I like simple. I like to get to know the staff and interact with them on a real level.

I have just finished reading some recent reports about the Villa Angkasa. http://www.balitravelforum.com/msg/87007.html is a link to the first one I read. Then I googled, and found some more glowing reviews for this property group. http://www.tamugroup.com
I think this might be my luxury pick for a romantic getaway or for a close group of friends.