last minute Christmas trip to Bali- hotel advice please.
 

After snagging amazing biz class flights from London to Singapore just before Christmas, we have ( I think) settled on Bali for a few days (5)over Christmas.
It's been about 9 years since I have been to Bali and we stayed just outside Kuta so wouldn't want to go back there.
I would like somewhere that feels like I am in Bali but is within walking distance to a village with some restaurants/ shops etc. bob (RHKK) thinks Ubud is a good bet ( and i do love the sound of it) and I am also looking at Sanur etc... Availability ( and affordability) as it's the busy season is probably an issue. D really fancies the club rooms at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran but I'm not sure about Jimberan, any advice?
I guess my max budget is $450 ish per night ( although ideally I would want to spend less but I am being realistic about peak prices.)
I also LOVE the look of the hanging gardens but think it looks a bit too remote?
Sorry, I am rambling but I think I need to nail this in the next couple of days.
Advice much appreciated.

I should add D hasn't been to Bali before.

Hyatt Sanur my fav for beach

Ubud komaneka.com especially monkey forest for me.

booking.com asiarooms.com

With that budget, you should be able to stay pretty much anywhere you like.

Ubud and Sanur are both great choices. I don't care for Jimbaran all that much because it is too close to the airport - can pretty much see the runway from the beach. Sanur isn't far from the airport, but it is on the opposite shore, so there is some distance.

I personally would go with a smaller locally-owned hotel than an international chain like the Intercontinental to feel like you are in Bali.

hyatt is ok, but the rooms are oldish...

i do like sanur...

how about a villa with staff??

Ubud definitely!

One of the most beautiful room or suite that we have ever stayed in is the owner's suite(master bedroom suite) at the Wanakasa residence. Everything was beautiful including the fantastic views - http://begawan-giri.com/wanakasa.htm

Before the take over by the Como group you could call up the resort and negotiate the price. Now a days I'm not sure if you can do this. The only bad thing about this resort is that it's a bit far from Ubud town so only car transportation.

Christmas might be hottish in Bali but Ubud is usually cooler than areas around the coast.

What airline Nicky - middle eastern?

Smeagol, I'd go with three days in Ubud and two at the beach.

First, rates WILL be excessively high over Christmas and it appears that Bali is heavily booked this year. Remember that all resorts in Indonesia add 21% service and tax so $450 becomes $550 real fast. You might be able to cost average -- pay more at the beach, less in Ubud.

In Ubud, you can choose between a place that's right in town (or close enough to walk) or outside of town. Personally, I prefer outside. The atmosphere along the river valleys is magical. I'd look at the Alila, Kupu Kupu Barong and Alam Sari. Alila would be my first choice for lovely setting and an all-service resort. In Ubud town I like Uma Ubud.

Como Shambhala is spectacular, but very very pricy. I haven't stayed at Hanging Gardens, but I've visited. It's a bit more remote (maybe 40 minutes to town) and very vertical. Beautiful views, though.

South Bali is experiencing severe traffic congestion which is sure to be at its worst at Christmas, so whatever beach you choose, plan on staying there. For that reason I prefer Seminyak -- nice big wave, sunset beach and lots of choices in restaurants, spas, clubs, shops. Right on the beach, I'd look at the Seminyak Resort and the Grand Seminyak. Off the beach but convenient and charming, I'd highly recommend The Colony.

I'm not much of a fan of Jimbaran. Good swimming beach, not so good for walking. Many people like the beach barbeques (not me). The Intercontinental does have lovely gardens though. Same for the Hyatt in Sanur. Older property, but beautiful garden setting and a nice swimming beach (sunrise).

i stayed at the Hanging Gardens and it was heaven on earth! They have a shuttle to Ubud.

We are going back for our second trip in January. Stayed outside of Ubud at a hotel with a shuttle to town -- worked perfectly well the last time. Easy enough to get a taxi back out the night we went in for dance performances at the Palace.
All things being equal, if I had to pay full price for rooms I would probably stay in Seminyak for things to do other than the beach. Sunset is magical on the west facing beaches (like Seminyak) -- Sanur faces east.

Pook - I will send you an email been an odd few days. airline is British Airways CLUB. Cheaper than economy!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone, will have a look and let you know. The are lots of full places so availability is also a bit of an issue. I like the look of tha Alilal but D wasn't so sure. I don't think we will split the time but will look to concentrate on Ubud. I may come back with some more Questions. I'm sure I have asked before but will it be really rainy or can I expect some sunbathing weather?

Alila's architecture gets mixed reviews. I like it because it combines both traditional and modern elements in a resort (versus villa) layout. The public areas -- the pool, restaurant, ground -- are beautiful and serene. The regular rooms are smallish, but well designed and either have a balcony or a veranda overlooking the gorge. The suites, which are really big rooms with wrap around terraces, are wonderful.

Expect some rain with interspersed with ample sun. Or some sun interspersed with ample rain.

I have just returned from Bali(my first time) and we stayed in Seminyak and Ubud.

In Seminyak we stayed at the Ulin Villas. these villas are just gorgeous.
They are close to Eat Street and a 10 - 15 minute walk to the beach just outside Ku De Ta.
They have a drop of service in the area if you do not want to walk.
Great breakfasts and afternoon tea.
The area has some really good restaurants and bars.
While I really liked Ubud, If i only had 5 days I would return to Ulin Villas

Ulin Villas are full, So is Como Shambhala Pooks suggestion...

There are literally hundreds of villas in Seminyak and more coming. I like the Petitengit area best. Here are a couple of websites to peruse:
http://www.laksmanavillas.com/

http://www.seminyakvillas.net/

The Colony is a good choice for a regular (non-villa) resort. Boutiquish, but lovely and well located.

In Ubud I would add Kayumanis and The Samaya.

Wow thanks Marmot will check them all out. Love the sound of the colony. Everything I seem to like is full( I guess we are very last minute)
We are now considering Khoa lak too!!!!

The Legian is still my favorite in Seminyak, but I believe the Christmas rates would be exorbitant. The Colony has lots of charm, but it's very small and bare bones. Good access to everything you need, though.

the legian is beautiful. so is the Samaya in Seminyak.
Or try Royal Beach Seminyak.

tengombre loved the samaya

>>>After snagging amazing biz class flights from London to Singapore just before Christmas, we have ( I think) settled on Bali for a few days (5)over Christmas.<<<


Warm holiday greetings Nicky, from a warm and pleasant Singapore evening. Congrats on forthcoming holiday and hope you enjoy flying British Airways. (And one of these days, I'll finally lure you into flying business class on Singapore Airlines out of LHR! Trust me from personal experience, SQ has some fine J-class seats - and service - waiting to fly you from London.)

Now, re Bali, can't resist giving a promo to the Four Seasons properties, particularly Sayan. That particular holiday (albeit a few years back, and in low season) the fine FS management stepped up with comped nights at both places and quite the upgrade to a 'cabana' lodging upon our return to the FS Bangkok hotel. Doubt that specific itinerary is in the cards for your upcoming visit, but perhaps in future for you. (And will add I was a much more frequent Four Seasons business travel guest in BKK and SIN in those days.)

Another potential option for you: do you have a friendly and generous business colleague or client with a villa in Bali?! That happened on one occasion and it was a delight. (As well as flying SQ J, SIN-DPS, naturally.)

(And - completely off topic - will add that a most recent stay at one of your favourite hotels, the Peninsula in beloved Bangkok, was as memorable as ever. I'll have much more to report on that property at a later time.)

Wherever you stay, have fun!

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Girl, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

Maya Ubud! Don't bother with the beaches, unless children demand them. Our 20 somethings were sorry we left Ubud for the beach. Maya Ubud runs a shuttle to town, as I'm sure all the other hotels do. It is, I believe, locally owned and quite lovely. We happily stayed in the less expensive, and simpler, main building, but the cottages are quite pretty.

And even from Ubud, you'll want to venture farther afield. We did the Bali Ecotours (I think that is the name), biking down from the mountain through rice fields, villages and back roads. A great day. Stunning temples within a short distance of Ubud -- hire one of Maya Ubud's drivers for a couple of half days.

We have now decided to extend our days in Bali to 6 days 3 in Jimberan (D wants to stay there) and 3 in Ubud or Seminyak. REALLY must sort out the flights from Singapore......
thanks for all your help everyone.
Robert - the 4s are full!!!

pan pacific might be an option

Where is it?

When is "over Christmas"? The Semaya has rooms next week http://www.jetsetter.com/sale/ayana2...nm=asia1&cl=32

They do have rooms through some booking web sites
the Jimbaran Puri Bali (run by Orient Express) has rooms 12/23 - 12/27

if your usb really wants Jimbaran -- or you could try the 4Seasons -- if they have anything they might do a deal this close to the holiday, you never know ...

Be careful with the Semaya in Seminyak. It's still undergoing extensive renovation (rebuilding really) and is pretty much a construction site.

it is not far from seminyak, but off by itself...

Sorry, meant the Ayana -- not the Semaya (which I had read was under renovation this winter) -- the link is to the Ayana.

The web site for the Pan Pacific says you can walk to Tanah Lot -- so that would put it northwest of Seminyak, proper. Good luck finding something that feels right for you!

The Pan Pacific is on the cliffs in the middle of a golf course that overlooks and encompasses Tanah Lot temple. It's quite scenic, but is also very controversial to the Balinese. To Seminyak it's about 45 to 60 minutes, about the same to Ubud. There's a lot of new resort and villa development going on in the area but at this point it's somewhat isolated.

In Ubud I would second the Maya, and add the Uma Ubud, or any of the Komaneka hotels. Because of traffic I wouldnt' want to necessarily stay in "downtown" Ubud (only a few streets but very narrow and poorly planned) so places like Maya, Uma and Komaneka Bisma are far enough out that you don't have to look at traffic every day, but can still go into town for dinner every night and tour sights during the day. Ubud is slightly higher elevation than Seminyak and is much more lush, so it does rain more often. But weather these days is so unpredictable...usually it's some rain most days, but for only an hour or two, and usually at night or after 5 pm. If it rains heavily it doesn't last that long, and the sun comes back out. If it drizzles it will likely last most of the day. But then again even the rainy season is not all rain. Does disturb my afternoon badminton games sometimes though.

Just booked the samaya for the first 3 nights, got a fantastic prepay rate thru a consolidator. Flights finally booked from Singapore so just the last 3 nights to book still looking at Jimberan or seminyak. 4 seasons are exorbitant.
Be there this time next week, can't wait.

That's the Samay in Ubud not Seminyak as I heeded the construction warning

have a fantastic time...

I haven't been to the Samaya in Ubud as it's quite new, but it looks really nice. The one in Seminyak is going to be really nice again too when the renovation is complete.

The Samaya's on the same river valley as most of the other big name resorts so you can check them out for next time.

If you plan to go to any of the popular restaurants in Seminyak (like Kudeta, La Lucciola, Sardine, Metis or Sarong) you should make reservations. It's annoying to have to do that in Bali, but it looks like a busy week coming up. Same for Mosaic. Your resort could do this for you.

Have a great time! If you 'need something to do' those extra 3 days, come on up to Bangkok! I'm heading there tomorrow.

Thanks for the restaurant advice Marmot, we will be sure to do that.
Carol - have a fab time in BKK. How long are you going for?

So where did you pick for your last 3 days, or did I read over that?

Enjoy your trip! I'm headed back to Bali for the third time next year. I've stayed in Ubud and in Sanur; this time I think I'll try Seminyak. I was glad to see this thread as it gave suggestions on villas.

Happy travels to you!