Honeymoon in Bali tips
Nov 19th, 2005, 09:52 AM
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Honeymoon in Bali tips
Hi All,
I'm trying to plan my honeymoon to Bali. We will be traveling there from Feb 27-March 7 (or there abouts). I'm a pretty experienced traveler, but my fiance is not. We would like to have several nights at a private villa (more if we can find something affordable), but the number to choose from is overwhelming. We are also having a tough time figuring out where on the island to stay, and whether we ought have a driver or rent a car, or neither.
The short story is that we don't have much figured out, and need both general tips and some concrete suggestions for where and what. Definitely want to be able to mix in some hiking, snorkeling and adventurous outdoor activities with the usual honeymoon relaxation. But we are also hoping to keep the whole thing as affordable as possible.
Thanks for the help--feel free to email me with anything helpful.
Best wishes,
Daniel
I'm trying to plan my honeymoon to Bali. We will be traveling there from Feb 27-March 7 (or there abouts). I'm a pretty experienced traveler, but my fiance is not. We would like to have several nights at a private villa (more if we can find something affordable), but the number to choose from is overwhelming. We are also having a tough time figuring out where on the island to stay, and whether we ought have a driver or rent a car, or neither.
The short story is that we don't have much figured out, and need both general tips and some concrete suggestions for where and what. Definitely want to be able to mix in some hiking, snorkeling and adventurous outdoor activities with the usual honeymoon relaxation. But we are also hoping to keep the whole thing as affordable as possible.
Thanks for the help--feel free to email me with anything helpful.
Best wishes,
Daniel
Nov 19th, 2005, 02:30 PM
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You might consider splitting your time between 2 or 3 locations. One of them should be in or around Ubud. Then a beach location, and maybe one more of your choice. If you are looking for nightlife and lots of shopping, then the Kuta/Legian area might suit you. The Seminyak area is a bit more upscale than Kuta/Legian, and has some very good restaurants. Nusa Dua is a planned resort community, and is nice in its own way, if a big resort is where you want to be.
Ubud and the surrounding villages are my favorite part of Bali. I find it much less frantic than the south, and the sellers aren't nearly as aggressive there. This is the heart and soul of Balinese dance and arts. If you want to, you can even arrange to learn some of these things.
A third place you might want to include is eastern Bali. The Amed area is still quiet and secluded, but close to some gorgeous rice paddy areas, Bali Aga traditional villages, salt-making. There are some lovely, small villa style hotels in the Amed area.
You are absolutely right about there being a huge number of choices of places to stay. What would be helpful for those recommending places to you would be your budget per night and the style of place that you like...small and personal, absolute luxury, big resort...and what kind of things you enjoy.
Car and driver....absolutely. Don't drive yourself. There are drivers to found virtuallly everywhere. You won't be able to walk 10 feet without someone asking you if you need transport. Some like to arrange a driver ahead of time. I prefer to wait until I get there so I can meet the driver, see the car, and not be locked into a plan to go on an excursion on a set day when I might not feel up to it or the weather might not be good....
Ubud and the surrounding villages are my favorite part of Bali. I find it much less frantic than the south, and the sellers aren't nearly as aggressive there. This is the heart and soul of Balinese dance and arts. If you want to, you can even arrange to learn some of these things.
A third place you might want to include is eastern Bali. The Amed area is still quiet and secluded, but close to some gorgeous rice paddy areas, Bali Aga traditional villages, salt-making. There are some lovely, small villa style hotels in the Amed area.
You are absolutely right about there being a huge number of choices of places to stay. What would be helpful for those recommending places to you would be your budget per night and the style of place that you like...small and personal, absolute luxury, big resort...and what kind of things you enjoy.
Car and driver....absolutely. Don't drive yourself. There are drivers to found virtuallly everywhere. You won't be able to walk 10 feet without someone asking you if you need transport. Some like to arrange a driver ahead of time. I prefer to wait until I get there so I can meet the driver, see the car, and not be locked into a plan to go on an excursion on a set day when I might not feel up to it or the weather might not be good....
Nov 19th, 2005, 02:36 PM
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Posted too soon.
Your hotel will be able to arrange a driver for you if you like. The big places have drivers on staff and nice vehicles. The smaller places also might have drivers on staff, or they have a friend of a friend's brother who is a driver...
One thing to consider about drivers is that if they are not licensed to transport tourists you will probably be stopped by police several times during your trip and the driver will have to pay to continue...not a big deal, but a bit of hassle. A licensed tour guide/driver will be able to accompany you into sites as well...we had this sort of driver last year and it made a real difference in our experience...the car was great, and the things we learned from him were amazing. If I were you, I'd pay the extra (about $10.00/day) for a driver of this sort. A full day will cost $60.00 or less...not sure of current pricing because of the big gas price increase there, but a year ago we paid $40.00/day.
Your hotel will be able to arrange a driver for you if you like. The big places have drivers on staff and nice vehicles. The smaller places also might have drivers on staff, or they have a friend of a friend's brother who is a driver...
One thing to consider about drivers is that if they are not licensed to transport tourists you will probably be stopped by police several times during your trip and the driver will have to pay to continue...not a big deal, but a bit of hassle. A licensed tour guide/driver will be able to accompany you into sites as well...we had this sort of driver last year and it made a real difference in our experience...the car was great, and the things we learned from him were amazing. If I were you, I'd pay the extra (about $10.00/day) for a driver of this sort. A full day will cost $60.00 or less...not sure of current pricing because of the big gas price increase there, but a year ago we paid $40.00/day.
Nov 19th, 2005, 04:40 PM
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kim is correct...do not drive yourself there...roads are narrow and getting around is not as easy as one might think....many of us have used putu as a driver and guide...he is young and has very good english and a great suv....his top price for 10-12 hours last year was about $40 all inclusive...
i stayed my whole week in the south last year and did day trips from there using putu...we had some 1/2 days with him and some long days...
bali is fantasitc and you have choosen wisely...
as to where to stay, almost everyone says ubud...honestly i did not find it all that great, but i was only there twice during my week on bali...eveyone else loves it...
kuta is the go go place...it is also the bombing site...huge groups of young people stay there as it is cheap and there is lots going on..slightly north of it are nicer location, imo...
look at the conrad hotel as a possibility for a good place to either start or finish your honeymoon...it is fabulous....
we liked sanur....the bali hyatt is located there...it has many hotels...it is a small town with shops restaurants and other services all within walking distance of the hotels...quite nice really...
take a look at bali discover tours on line...they are very helpful and have great rates on hotels as well..
i stayed my whole week in the south last year and did day trips from there using putu...we had some 1/2 days with him and some long days...
bali is fantasitc and you have choosen wisely...
as to where to stay, almost everyone says ubud...honestly i did not find it all that great, but i was only there twice during my week on bali...eveyone else loves it...
kuta is the go go place...it is also the bombing site...huge groups of young people stay there as it is cheap and there is lots going on..slightly north of it are nicer location, imo...
look at the conrad hotel as a possibility for a good place to either start or finish your honeymoon...it is fabulous....
we liked sanur....the bali hyatt is located there...it has many hotels...it is a small town with shops restaurants and other services all within walking distance of the hotels...quite nice really...
take a look at bali discover tours on line...they are very helpful and have great rates on hotels as well..
Nov 20th, 2005, 01:54 AM
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Post yr budget for us to help u figure out. For a honeymoon I'd say a villa would be lovely - secluded and private yet well located. I'd say split your time between Seminyak and Ubud - u ahve not specifically mentioned beach so do not kno how imp that is. rom Ubud you can also do some river rafting which is great. Agree with everyone re car driver - I use a great guy on my trips who is a bit cheaper than what KimJapan mentioned - I pay him US$30/day. Real fun guy too. Makes huge sense to have a car driver for a few days at least.
Nov 20th, 2005, 07:41 AM
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Thanks so much for the replies. We are hoping to split our stay between a nice villa (up to $150/night, but less is more) near a beach, and somewhere else less expensive--probably 4 nights at each. Right now it looks like the Novus Bali Villas are at the top of the list. We definitely want to go to the nature preserve, enjoy some nice restaurants and visit a lot of cultural sites along with the usual honeymoon activities.
We are trying to keep the total budget near $3000US for the two of us. This seems reasonable, but the rates on the villas/hotels vary wildly depending on the websites we look at.
So the breakdown is: 4 nights in the Kuta/Seminyak area, villa-style, 4 nights somewhere else--sounds like Ubud is cool, but could use more details on why. Tips on getting great rates would be very helpful.
Thanks again for the advice on drivers--we'll definitely just hire one when we get there, and as we need them to get around.
Daniel
We are trying to keep the total budget near $3000US for the two of us. This seems reasonable, but the rates on the villas/hotels vary wildly depending on the websites we look at.
So the breakdown is: 4 nights in the Kuta/Seminyak area, villa-style, 4 nights somewhere else--sounds like Ubud is cool, but could use more details on why. Tips on getting great rates would be very helpful.
Thanks again for the advice on drivers--we'll definitely just hire one when we get there, and as we need them to get around.
Daniel
Nov 20th, 2005, 02:32 PM
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$150.00/night is a good amount...you should do well with that budget.
I like the Ubud area for the green...trees, rice fields, farm plots, rivers...and for the arts. It is the arts center of the island. Dance, music, painting, pottery, batik...it all happens around Ubud in an abundance. You can see all of it, or if you like, learn some too. The back roads and countryside around Ubud are stunningly beautiful.
Ubud itself is a much larger town than you would expect, now really a mecca for tourists looking for shopping, restaurants, and nice hotels. It's the area outside of Ubud center that I find so wonderful. I think if you do a search on KimJapan Bali you'll be able to pull up some past posts about our experience there last year.
For places to stay, in no particular order, you might consider in the Ubud area
Maya Ubud
Alila Ubud
Alam Sari (their villa is beautiful)
Mandela Desa
Komaneka
Tjampuhan
Ulun Ubud
Kajane Mua
There are many more options...these are just off of the top of my head.
In the south, you might look at the Oberoi and the Legian hotels. The Sofitel Seminyak has been just redone and is reportedly lovely as well. Not villas, but lovely properties that I think would be lovely for a honeymoon. I had a look at the Novus and it isn't very close to the beach...if that's OK for you, then it looks nice. Have you seen Rumah Bali? It's over in Tanjung Benoa and gets glowing reports. I've corresponded with them about villas and though we ended up not staying there, it was because we decided to skip the south entirely.
There are two experiences that you might consider including. One is the Bali Budaya bicycle tour...drive in the morning to Kintamani area, have breakfast, then ride bikes, mostly downhill, through small villages, see how Bali coffee is made from bean to cup, have a nice lunch, then back to your hotel. Sounds simple, but the views are unbelievable, as are the people you meet on the way, not to mention the guide. If you are at all interested in the culture of Bali, you should at the very least, take a look through Alam Sari's website www.alamsari.com, especially their courses and activities and tours sections. One of the absolute highlights of our trip is their rather innocent sounding "village walk, free for guests"...I never imagined I could learn so much, see so much, and be so warmly welcomed.
The other thing you should do is see a dance performace...there are many on offer for tourists, but the one we enjoyed most of all was the JEGOG...it's held in a small area outside of Ubud village, and performed by a local village dance and bamboo gamelon group. What it lacks in polish it makes up for ten times over in spirit and love for what they are doing. it's on held twice or three times a week, there are flyers in the tourist info booth in Ubud.
Also visit the Threads of Life www.threadsoflife.com will explain why.
I like the Ubud area for the green...trees, rice fields, farm plots, rivers...and for the arts. It is the arts center of the island. Dance, music, painting, pottery, batik...it all happens around Ubud in an abundance. You can see all of it, or if you like, learn some too. The back roads and countryside around Ubud are stunningly beautiful.
Ubud itself is a much larger town than you would expect, now really a mecca for tourists looking for shopping, restaurants, and nice hotels. It's the area outside of Ubud center that I find so wonderful. I think if you do a search on KimJapan Bali you'll be able to pull up some past posts about our experience there last year.
For places to stay, in no particular order, you might consider in the Ubud area
Maya Ubud
Alila Ubud
Alam Sari (their villa is beautiful)
Mandela Desa
Komaneka
Tjampuhan
Ulun Ubud
Kajane Mua
There are many more options...these are just off of the top of my head.
In the south, you might look at the Oberoi and the Legian hotels. The Sofitel Seminyak has been just redone and is reportedly lovely as well. Not villas, but lovely properties that I think would be lovely for a honeymoon. I had a look at the Novus and it isn't very close to the beach...if that's OK for you, then it looks nice. Have you seen Rumah Bali? It's over in Tanjung Benoa and gets glowing reports. I've corresponded with them about villas and though we ended up not staying there, it was because we decided to skip the south entirely.
There are two experiences that you might consider including. One is the Bali Budaya bicycle tour...drive in the morning to Kintamani area, have breakfast, then ride bikes, mostly downhill, through small villages, see how Bali coffee is made from bean to cup, have a nice lunch, then back to your hotel. Sounds simple, but the views are unbelievable, as are the people you meet on the way, not to mention the guide. If you are at all interested in the culture of Bali, you should at the very least, take a look through Alam Sari's website www.alamsari.com, especially their courses and activities and tours sections. One of the absolute highlights of our trip is their rather innocent sounding "village walk, free for guests"...I never imagined I could learn so much, see so much, and be so warmly welcomed.
The other thing you should do is see a dance performace...there are many on offer for tourists, but the one we enjoyed most of all was the JEGOG...it's held in a small area outside of Ubud village, and performed by a local village dance and bamboo gamelon group. What it lacks in polish it makes up for ten times over in spirit and love for what they are doing. it's on held twice or three times a week, there are flyers in the tourist info booth in Ubud.
Also visit the Threads of Life www.threadsoflife.com will explain why.
Nov 21st, 2005, 07:47 AM
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Wow, thanks for all the tips and information, KimJapan. We will look into the hotels and activities you mentioned.
It looks like we will be there slightly longer than we anticipated, so we are going to try to get a villa for 4 or 5 days (hopefully at a good rate--preferably around $100) somewhere in the south, either Kuta or Seminyak. Then we will probably go up to Ubud and stay in a cheaper hotel (hopefully $60) for the rest. We will definitely be taking a car up to the nature preserve, as well as to tour the area around Ubud, I think.
Do you have any tips about getting a good rate on our lodging? They seem to vary widely, and since we are going during the off-season I would think we could get some pretty good deals.
Daniel
It looks like we will be there slightly longer than we anticipated, so we are going to try to get a villa for 4 or 5 days (hopefully at a good rate--preferably around $100) somewhere in the south, either Kuta or Seminyak. Then we will probably go up to Ubud and stay in a cheaper hotel (hopefully $60) for the rest. We will definitely be taking a car up to the nature preserve, as well as to tour the area around Ubud, I think.
Do you have any tips about getting a good rate on our lodging? They seem to vary widely, and since we are going during the off-season I would think we could get some pretty good deals.
Daniel
Nov 21st, 2005, 08:01 AM
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For discounted rates on hotels, try www.balidiscovery.com
Nov 27th, 2005, 03:55 PM
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I would recommend Seminyak over Kuta. We just returned 1 week ago and stayed at The Legian in Seminyak. We are both 30 years old and enjoy bars/nightlife but not every night (and we don't want to be in the middle of it). A taxi ride from Seminyak to Kuta was about 10 minutes and cost about $3.00. Taxi's are not hard to find either. Every 2 steps you take, there is someone offering you transport. Since the bombings there are not as many tourists so the taxi drivers don't have as much work, so there is definately an abundance. Also, there are wonderful restaurants in Seminyak (The Living Room, KuDeTa, and la Luccocia).
We also spent time in Ubud and prefered Ubud over Seminyak. It was a little quieter, great shopping, less traffic, great restaurants, cheap beer (althought that is everywhere in Bali), beautiful scenery, the monkey forest (there are 3 monkey forests in Bali, I prefer the one in Ubud),it is a good central location for visiting other parts of Bali,and great cultural performances. I highly recommend the Kecak and fire dance. It was really cool.
Hope this helps.
We also spent time in Ubud and prefered Ubud over Seminyak. It was a little quieter, great shopping, less traffic, great restaurants, cheap beer (althought that is everywhere in Bali), beautiful scenery, the monkey forest (there are 3 monkey forests in Bali, I prefer the one in Ubud),it is a good central location for visiting other parts of Bali,and great cultural performances. I highly recommend the Kecak and fire dance. It was really cool.
Hope this helps.
Nov 28th, 2005, 08:26 AM
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Hi Daniel,
I agree with KimJapan and would split your time between 2 different locations. We divided our stay in Bali between Ubud and a small resort called Agung Bali Nirwana on the northeastern side of Bali, near the village of Sambirenteng. IMO this small resort with it's 3 lovely villas would be a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon. They have a very detailed website at www.agung-bali-nirwana.com that has all the details of this magical place (they offer special packages for honeymooners.) There is good snorkelling right in front of the villas and dolphins swim by the resort on a regular basis. The sea spa is "one of a kind", I don't know where else you could get a location as beautiful or relaxing. The staff go out of their way to make you feel at home and will do their best to accommodate your every whim. It is a popular destination for honeymooners and many people who come to Agung Bali Nirwana are repeat visitors. It's not for everyone as it isn't a place for shopping or large crowds (and thankfully, no hawkers!) but in all the places we visited while in Bali and Thailand for 5 weeks last year, our family rated this place #1. It is forever etched in our memories.
As Bob and Kim suggest, it is better to hire a driver as roads are poorly marked, and can be narrow and windy. We used a very knowledgeable and totally trustworthy guide named Wayan Sueta (www.hiddenbali.com). He lives in a village just outside of Ubud but will be happy to pick you up and drive you wherever you want to go. Wayan has an intimate knowledge of Balinese history and culture. He specializes in taking people away from the major tourist areas to show them parts of Bali that they would never see if they stayed in the south. One of the highlights of our trip was to hike the rice fields close to Wayan's village and then visit his family compound afterwards. In Ubud, we stayed at Alam Jiwa (www.alamjiwa.com) and we were very happy with this small hotel as well. The staff were very helpful and the breakfasts (included in the price) were delicious. Ubud is a great place to sample Balinese culture and dancing. Our favourite was the Kecak. Good luck in researching your holiday. We loved the uniqueness and beauty of Bali.
I agree with KimJapan and would split your time between 2 different locations. We divided our stay in Bali between Ubud and a small resort called Agung Bali Nirwana on the northeastern side of Bali, near the village of Sambirenteng. IMO this small resort with it's 3 lovely villas would be a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon. They have a very detailed website at www.agung-bali-nirwana.com that has all the details of this magical place (they offer special packages for honeymooners.) There is good snorkelling right in front of the villas and dolphins swim by the resort on a regular basis. The sea spa is "one of a kind", I don't know where else you could get a location as beautiful or relaxing. The staff go out of their way to make you feel at home and will do their best to accommodate your every whim. It is a popular destination for honeymooners and many people who come to Agung Bali Nirwana are repeat visitors. It's not for everyone as it isn't a place for shopping or large crowds (and thankfully, no hawkers!) but in all the places we visited while in Bali and Thailand for 5 weeks last year, our family rated this place #1. It is forever etched in our memories.
As Bob and Kim suggest, it is better to hire a driver as roads are poorly marked, and can be narrow and windy. We used a very knowledgeable and totally trustworthy guide named Wayan Sueta (www.hiddenbali.com). He lives in a village just outside of Ubud but will be happy to pick you up and drive you wherever you want to go. Wayan has an intimate knowledge of Balinese history and culture. He specializes in taking people away from the major tourist areas to show them parts of Bali that they would never see if they stayed in the south. One of the highlights of our trip was to hike the rice fields close to Wayan's village and then visit his family compound afterwards. In Ubud, we stayed at Alam Jiwa (www.alamjiwa.com) and we were very happy with this small hotel as well. The staff were very helpful and the breakfasts (included in the price) were delicious. Ubud is a great place to sample Balinese culture and dancing. Our favourite was the Kecak. Good luck in researching your holiday. We loved the uniqueness and beauty of Bali.
