Hello - <BR> <BR>I am going to Bali in October for my honeymoon and would like to get some feedback on which hotel to stay at. I am looking at either the Grand Mirage or the Aston Bali. Has anyone stayed at either one before? I would like my hotel to be on a nice beach, and that is good to swim in. A good location would also be great. <BR> <BR>Thank you!

Just curious, what is the approximate cost of those hotels per night? <BR> <BR>If they are on the high end, it might be hard to see them being any better than the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I was in Bali in April this year - stayed at the Holiday Inn. Beautiful location right on the beach - in Tuban. Away from the noisy Kuta area, yet within walking distance. The food was excellent and much cheaper than in Kuta or other restaurants.

elizabeth, don't stay at the grand mirage or aston which is at the tg benoa beach. the beach there is lousy and dirty! and the surrounding area unsightly. stay at the nusa dua area (which is 1km fr grand mirage) consider the following hotels: nusa dua hotel, grand hyatt, le meridien, bali hilton. they all have wonderful beaches or better still, stay at the wonderful ritz carlton on jimbaran bay.costs US$125 only!

Thanks for all the responses, guys! <BR> <BR>Phil - I'm not sure how much the Grand Mirage or Aston Bali cost per night because they are part of a package. <BR> <BR>Farida - The Holiday Inn is one of the hotels I have to pick from. Is it too American though? <BR> <BR>Wayne - Thanks for the heads up! How these hotels manage to make their beaches look great on their web sites is amazing. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if any of the hotels you suggest is an option with my travel package...

Elizabeth, <BR>If you can stay at the Ritz for $125 a night, GO FOT IT! (One caution, sometimes a hotel will create a very low rate if it is in the middle of a construction project. If not, could be a great deal.) <BR> <BR>Have a great time! <BR> <BR> <BR>

Re: Holiday Inn Bali Hai - I didn't think it was too American! I got a package deal including hotel, breakfasts, air, transfers, and 5 sight seeing tours. You can choose from a variety of hotels and I decided to go with Holiday Inn - You should check out a website on Bali, and all the hotels and prices etc. are listed there, including photographs. That's how I made my decision as to which hotel to pick.

Elizabeth: check out this webpage on your left - scroll down to Item 7 - and read comments from others on Holiday Inn. I don't agree with the comments about the beach - at least the Holiday Inn beach was beautiful

i agree with farida that tuban beach at holiday inn is nice. it stretches all the way to kuta and legian beaches. it is definitely better than the tg benoa beach at grand mirage. however because of the surf and the number of people in that area, the water is murky. nusa dua has clearer waters. if you don't like peddlers pestering you during your honeymoon then don't stay at tuban, kuta or legian. choose the more upmarket (but some say less culture and buzz) nusa dua/ jimbaran bay area.so it depends what you are looking for. <BR> <BR>elizabeth why dont you give me a list of your hotels and what you are looking for in the surrounding area and i'll tell u which is my favourite.

Thanks again,everyone, for all your great feedback. <BR> <BR>Wayne - Following is the list of hotels I can choose from for my package. I was hoping to stay away from the 5-star ones to save some money. I would, however, like to stay at a 4-star hotel, because after all this is my honeymoon and want some pampering. <BR> <BR>As I mentioned before, I want my hotel to be on a pretty beach that has clear water and that I can swim in it. But, since I'm not only going to lounge on the beach, I'd wouldn't want it to be too isolated, such as the Bali-Cliff. I definitely do not want to stay in Kuta, or be harressed by peddlars. <BR> <BR>Here are the hotels: <BR> <BR>5 star: Melia Bali, Sheraton Nusa Indah, Le Meredien <BR> <BR>4 star: Bali-Cliff, Holiday Inn, Aston Bali, Grand Mirage <BR> <BR>4 star: Bali Intan Village, Dewata Bali <BR> <BR>3 star: Century Saphir, Wina Cottages, Rama Baruna <BR> <BR>There are other hotels that my travel agency works with, but are part of different packages. I may be able to talk them into stay at one of them. Here's that list: <BR> <BR>Ritz Carlton, Ramadalu Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Bali Spirit at Legong Suite. <BR> <BR>Thanks for all the help!

We stayed at the Nusa dua Indah in march of this year - the beach isn't amazing at all like the caribbean. You are not going to get the turqoise blue water. The hotel is amazing, love the service and the location. The decor is amazing. We had an ocean view room that we paid extra for when we arrived at the hotel. Just to let you know that they have a long and lagoon style pool (although smaller than it's sister which is right beside it) - when you go to the back of the hotel, you will notice that all the hotels are connected by a path that is continuous throughtout all hotels on the beach. They have beautiful ornate massage huts on the beach and on the hotel grounds...you will love it. they have several restaurants on the hotel property. Yes it is a 5 star hotel...if you want pampering you definitely have to spend a little more. Elizabeth this is your honeymoon...enjoy it and spend extra on the hotel as it will be a memory that you will keep forever. Go all out!

liz, <BR>this would be my "ranking" of the hotels on your list: ritz,nusa dua,sheraton nusa indah,le meridien,melia.these are in the nusa dua area which has good beaches (as compared to kuta and sanur). kamandalu is in ubud and does not have a beach. it used to be run by banyan tree.bali cliff is too isolated, aston and grand mirage are in lousy areas with dirty areas and holiday inn is too noisy for a honeymoon and the area is full of peddlars trying to sell you things. <BR>if this is your honeymoon do stay at the ritz or nusa dua resort.they have great spas!more importantly they are hardly above US$150. good luck!

Nusa Dua it is! Thank you so much, everyone, for all your help. I'm sure I will love the hotel, and more importantly, Bali. <BR> <BR>