Hello,

My fiancee and I are traveling to Bali for the first time and could use some advice on picking the best places to go based on our interests in Southern Bali. We are thinking 2-3 places total over the course of 14 days, with the first place at least 5 or 6 nights. We know for sure we will stay in Ubud for 2 nights but the rest of the time we are looking for a relaxing vacation preferably on the beach. We are also looking for an area that has activities, with things to see and do. We both walk the fine line of liking activity around us but not being overwhelmed by it, if that makes sense. A place that is not crazy busy but not remote. Whether it be water/beach or sports activities we like to have options. We also like to sight-see, people watch and enjoy dining and checking out bars. For those reasons I am thinking we would not enjoy staying in Kuta as it will be too touristy for us. However, we like the option of being able to go over there at night if we wish to do so.

As far as accommodations and parts of Bali to stay, again we walk the fine line of wanting luxurious and creature comforts but we dont want to sacrifice the benefits and feelings of all that Bali has to offer. We don't want to be in an area that is sterile or so void of any local influences that we could be anywhere and not even feel like were in Bali. Also we are seeking places that are less family and kid friendly if its possible to find these without sacrificing some of our other desires. We are considering Nusa Dua, Sansur, Jimbaran Bay, Seminyak and Legion. We like the sounds of the white sandy beaches of Nusa Dua however one of my questions about this area is whether there might be too many families and young children. The other places sound good but Im concerned they may be too quiet and/or remote.

Thank you for all your help. The people on this site are always respectful and helpful.

Stay more nights at UBUD, my favorite place in Bali, you have a lot of things to do there with excelents restaurants and hotels.
I think its not necessary to stay more than 2 places cause the island is not so big and choosing two points, one at the beach and another one at UBUd (interior) you can cover all Bali doing day trips.
If you want you can see the vídeo that I made about my trip to Bali.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...96592557137286
You can find many tips that I posted at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/ba5ec/66f/ you you cant open search for my name fernandocramos
And if you didnt hired a driver/guide you can contact Dean that we hired for 10 days and he was perfect, he made the diference in our trip and we are friends until now.
You can contact him at :http://www.baliwithdean.blogspot.com/
or
[email protected]

Have a nice trip.
Fernando & Luiza
Brazil

Ubud is definitely worth more than two days. Two honeymoon couples we met were staying in Ubud, East Bali and Seminyak Beach. They appeared to be having a great time even when talking with Bob.

Stay away from Nusa Dua, Kua and Legion if you want peace and quiet, yet you still would like local atmosphere. Personally, two good choices, IMHO, would be Armankila and Alila Manggis (previously The Serai)which are both at Candi Dasa. The Alila also has a place at Ubud (formerly the Chedai) and they do deals if you stay in each place. Both are superb and cheaper than the Armankila. The Alila Manggis has outstanding food and is very romantic at the evening meal.

I think Jimbaran Bay is the pick of the beaches. If the Four Seasons is out of your price range, then try somewhere else on the same beach. It's a lot quieter, has gorgeous sunsets and is yet only a 20 minute drive from Kuta and barely 5-8 minutes from the airport.

Good advice so far. You'll definitely want to spend at least a third of your time in Ubud, if not half. I'm a little cool on Jimbaran. The resorts there are lovely, but there's not much else there. Have dinner on the beach there one night, for sure, but I wouldn't stay there.

I'd suggest Seminyak or Sanur, or both, for your beach time. Seminyak has some great resorts, in all price ranges, and many of Bali's best restaurants, without the incessant touting you'll find in Kuta and other places. Sanur is even more laid back, and the beach there is very different from Seminyak.

You might start out in Seminyak, move to Ubud, and wind up in Sanur.

do not plan on nusa dua....UGH!! like a tourist island...

ubud is worth 4-6 days, imo..

look at alam shanti...the gangga room is fantastic...very bali...free shuttle to town whenever you want...new spa on location...book early...reasonable, about $150++...

sanur is a nice place for beach and small town feeling, but tourist oriented totally...good restaurants....the hyatt is ok...puri santarian is nice and very bali--choose the club rooms...

many like north of kuta

Good advice so far about avoiding Nusa Dua if you don’t want families and want an opportunity to see more of the daily life of Bali. I feel a bit the same about Sanur, although that is older and therefore has some local bits; Nusa Dua was purpose-built for international chain hotels and really does not have much in the way of local interest (nothing wrong with international chain hotels, it just does not seem to be what you are looking for).

IMO you don’t want to or need to move 2-3 times in Bali in a 14 day trip. Bali is tiny, you could in fact see most everything in day trips from one location, but it is nice to settle into different locations to get more a feel. I would pick 2 locations at most and split the time evenly. The mountain areas of Ubud and then a beach are a typical choice and a good one. Ubud has a lot to offer in terms of culture and activities and I would not short-change it. Besides dance, painting and sculpture, there are local handicrafts, and great walks and biking, not to mention white-water rafting in the area. In terms of beaches, I like the north east beach areas, more remote and less crowded. Bali beaches are nice but not spectacular, so you are going for the culture more than the beach scenery. I like Seminyak if you really want to be in the thick of restaurants and shops, not sure if that is your intent. I have stayed in Seminyak on several occasions (and am doing so again in Jan) and like it a lot, but that is always with friends when we want to have more of a party than to get away from it all. There are <i>plenty</i> of tourists in Seminyak and Legian (which is why you, who have never been to Bali, have heard of them….) Sunset on the beach at Kuta is actually quite fun and very memorable (my first one was in 1986 and I still remember it vividly, and it has not changed much over the years.) However, I like the north east beach areas if you want to be a bit quieter and explore temples and smaller villages. The Candidasa and Menggis area are a place to start. But Seminyak and Legian are fine if that is what you want, it really is all about expectation. (And the Four Seasons is perfectly divine if that is what you want. Or really the Bvlgari is to die for if that is what you want.)

You don’t mention a price range for hotels, so I am not going to advise anything at this point. However, with that much time, you might want to consider renting a house, many come with staff (or the option to have them come in and cook on occasion), see vrbo.com I have not rented from them in Bali, but have had very good experiences renting houses in Europe, Canada and the US through this website. For Bali, although I don’t know it, I am in love with Villa Jepun which comes with its own <i>boat and skipper</i>!! http://www.villajepun.com/. You could also rent a house with a pool inland in the hill area of Ubud and enjoy some really beautiful rice paddy views. For the house I rented in Seminyak, see
http://www.laksmanavillas.com/villajemma/index.html. This is a compound of several villas of varying sizes and prices. I have rented Villa Jemma.

My scenario for a 14 day honeymoon in Bali would be 3-4 nights on the eastcoast, 4-5 in Ubud, the rest in Seminyak.

If your budget can bear it (very pricey) I'd start with the Amankila on the eastcoast. Very romantic, on a cliff overlooking the sea, stunning architecture. Just an okay beach (none of the eastcoast beaches are especially noteworthy) but great facilities, water sports, cultural opportunities.

Then I'd head over to Ubud. There is a wide range of choice of accommodations. The Four Seasons is well liked. Magical, mystery location. Also upscale, Como Shambhala. A little less expensive but still luxe, Kayumanis. All of these places are on the Ayung River valley, about 20-30 minutes outside the town of Ubud. Wonderful views and access to culture and nature. Very quiet, though.

I'd finish in Seminyak, which of all Bali sounds the most like what you're looking for. I'm a great fan of the Legian Hotel (make sure you get the one in Seminak). It's right on the beach, spectacular sunsets, walking distance or a short cabride to the shops, restaurants, spas, clubs of Seminyak. The Legian also has villas, but I think the regular rooms -- which are either one room or two -- are better because they all have seaview balconies.

We returned from Bali yesterday. We had a wonderful time staying in Legian. There are places in Legian that are not so busy but you don't say what month you are planning for?
It was a bit quieter than normal we were told as there were lots of cancellations due to the looming execution of the bali boomers. We recieved an email for the Aust government recommending that we not go but decided that we would be comfortable with the risk involved.
I would try to stay in a private villa. The are many in Bali. We atayed in one we got through a friend. We hired a guide/driver husband and wife team. They organized everything that we wanted to do and we saw a lot of the area around Ubud. I prefer to stay near the beach. The are lots of advantages to having a guide and a driver and the cost is only slightly more. The best thing was that we could be dropped at the door while the driver went off to find parking and the returned and collected us at the door when we were finished. Do not under estimate the heat of the sun in Bali.
The name of the couple is Connie and Made. Contact email [email protected]
If you are from the US remember the Aust school holidays will means lots of kids in Bali. Have a great time.