My fiance and I are honeymooning in Bali in June. We are moving about the island, but will be spending three or four nights in Seminyak. Does anyone have any hotel reccomendations? We are looking for something somewhat upscale (we're willing to splurge a bit since it is our honeymoon). We have heard good things about the Legian. Can anyone comment? Also, I can't seem to find the hotel's website?

We'd be interested in exploring any type of pool villas in the area, with the stipulation that it would have to be close to the beach and to town.

Any help anyone can provide would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!!!

i am renting the villa kipis in that area and it fits most of your requirements....you might look at it... or they have other properties too..

The Samaya, smack on Seminyak beach. It is next door to the Legian. The Legian is a small high rise, the Samaya is comprised of separate villas with plunge pools. Many reviews of both on TA.

Thank you very much for the feedback. The Samaya looks incredible, but I think it may be a bit out of our price range for the last leg of our trip. We are already splurgin at the four seasons and the royal pita maha earlier, so I was hoping for something a bit more budget concious (but still nice).

I would email the Samaya, mention it is your honeymoon. Sometimes their pricing might be different from what the website might show.

We also stayed at the Royal Pita Maha. Not to be negative but, while we liked it, we didn't love it. If the RPM is top dollar, equal to some other deluxe properties in Ubud, you may want to look around a bit more too.

K&J, You can access the Legian Seminyak through the GHM website: http://www.ghmhotels.com/
You want "The Legian" not "The Club at the Legian"

The rooms that they call Studio Suites are actually quite spacious with a separate sitting area and a large balcony. Every room faces the ocean, but the top (third) floor has the best views.

Legian is in the same price range as Semaya so it may not work for you. June is a transitional month and you may be able to negotiate. It’s worth a try.

The Sofitel is a good value in Seminyak. The rooms are not outstanding but it has a lovely garden and pool area and is well situated in the middle of things in Seminyak. It’s right on a good swimming beach, but the beach itself can be a bit over traveled, especially on weekends when it’s the site of a popular local soccer game.

For a honeymoon, though, I’d trade up. Overtime you’ll not miss that $500 (in the context of the total trip expense) and after the more luxurious properties, the Sofitel might be disappointing.

Are you staying at the Four Seasons in Sayan or Jimbaran? I been to both several times (though I’ve only stayed in Jimbaran) and consider them two of the most reliably good choices in Bali. I haven’t been to the Royal Pita Maha. I also like the Como Shambhala (!)and Kayumanis.

There are many, many villas in the Seminyak area. Villa living can be a lot of fun. You get a pool, a staff (maid, cook, driver) and plenty of private space. The drawback is that very few villas are actually on the beach. Most are within walking distance – or a short drive – but then you don’t have access to the resort’s beach facilities. There are, however, chairs and umbrellas for rental on Seminyak beach and the sun, sand, surf and sunset are free!

I personally prefer the Petitengit area to the Oberoi area. The key is to find something that is appropriate for two people as many of the villas are multi-bedroomed.

I’d suggest that you take a look at the villas in the Laksmana complex:
They are of varying sizes and designs, well situated (in Petitengit) and well managed. http://www.laksmanavillas.com/
A new addition that didn’t seem to make the Laksmana website is Villa Wibisana.

The Asri Villa complex has also been highly recommended but I haven’t been there myself. They appear to offer a one-bedroom option.
http://www.villabaliasri.com/thevilla.html

IMO you can't go wrong with The Legian....and honeymoon is a magic word there. We've stayed twice thanks to Marmot's enthusiasm.

robbie---were both trips honeymoons?

Thank you all so much for the feedback! Marmot, I think you are right about trading up for the honeymoon. We are going to go ahead and book the Legian as advised by several folks on here.

Thanks again!

You all have been a great help with the Seminyak piece. Can anyone provide any guidance on the Ubud portion? We want a place with a private pool, a good view and access to Ubud. Our top considerations at the moment are the Royal Pita Maha and the Ubud Haning Gardens. Both were rated highly on tripadviser and look very nice in the pictures.

Tengohambre- what didn't you like about the RPM? Any place you thought would offer a comparable set up that would be nicer (and similar in price)?

Between Legian and Samaya the major difference is that Samaya is more "low rise" individual villas, some with private pools and Legian is more like an apartment block -- 3 stories connected. They are both very nice and are directly next to each other.

I'll respond to your Ubud questions on your other thread.

We were at RPM over a year ago. Yet, it simply was not as polished a resort or operation as we thought it should be. Of course we were in Ubud but, the staff, and common areas weren't up to what they should have been considering the price. The price at the RPM may be a bit less than the "top tier" of properties, I think, but not much less.

The staff seemed inexperienced and a bit lost. That started with misplacing our reservation, which had been confirmed a few days before our arrival. That was easily straightened out. All the staff were very kind. Willing to help, etc. Yet, as my wife noted, it seemed like they were "country folk." That can be fine but not so much when you aren't staying in a simple motel. The rooms were huge, outstanding views. Hypnotic. Those views were had from everywhere and were memorable. The bed was just as huge, as was the bathroom. The villa pool was also huge, if cold. The tiles on the bottom of the villa pool were jagged in spots, such that we easily cut our feet on a few. The huge window sliding doors to the villa didn't close completely. They left a small amount of space. That could be Ok, as long as you aren't concerned about bugs flying in. We were. Bkfst was Ok, nothing terrific. Most importantly, some of their famous pools simply were not clean. They had a lot of leaves, bugs, etc. floating on the top. Of course you are in the tropical forest but there was no one making the effort even to clean those up. That might be fine but, again, its a luxe property and a big selling point are their pools. They had photos on their website of a little dinghy type blow up raft/boat that you could use to paddle down their very long pool. We looked forward to doing that. It sat at the bottom of the property with a hole in it.

In addition, they charge for their jitney service into town, which is fine and I believe we knew that in advance. No problem. The ride is about five minutes. Yet, whenever we asked for a jitney we were repeatedly told "that is five dollars" or whatever the price was. Again, that might be fine but, the cookie topper was when we were at dinner in Ubud and asked the waitress to call the RPM to send the jitney to collect us. She phoned the hotel and then came back to the table. She told us, "the hotel can send the car but they want to make sure you know it is five dollars and you are Ok with that? Can I tell them yes?" When I have to tell he waitress in a restaurant whether I'm Ok paying for the taxi back I figured that was that. Yet, I do want to emphasize: the views at the RPM were incredible. As if looking at a painted picture. And the room, really a small house, was huge.

Finally, while it might be heretical, we didn't love Ubud as much as we thought we might. It was cloudy most of the time. We were able to see much of it in a day. Yes it is beautiful and we will return (in fact this summer) but we will keep Ubud for a day trip. It may well be different for a honeymoon but that was just our view. Have a great time. Bali and its people are magnificent.

We just booked at Villa Bali Asri for a few remaining nights at the end of our trip in May, based on a whole lot of research. Laksmana Villas looked great but they didn't have availability and had a 3 night min stay (we're only doing 2 nights). We wanted to stay in the $200-$250 range, and the 1-BR at Bali Asri fits the bill....plus, their rates include the tax. They also do not appear to add the extra 10% surcharge, which is nice.

I just looked them up and their website mentions 15% in taxes so maybe it has changed? Did you like staying there? We seem to be asking all the same questions you did last year at this time!

My vote is for The Legian Suites unless you want a private villa

I believe all villas and resorts are now plus/plus (++) or 11% + 10% tax.