Here's my rough draft of trip for this coming April.

hoping to get some feedback before booking flights

Vancouver -- Seoul 1 day stop over
Seoul -- Jakarta arrives at 825PM, stay in airport hotel and sleep off jet lag
Jakarta to Yogyakarta, one night in Phoenix hotel
3 nights in Amanjiwo, visit borobudur, prambanan
flight to suraboya, 1 night stay in majapayit suraboya ** is it easier to eliminate this hotel night?
suraboya private driver/tour to bromo, 1 night bromo
sunrise bromo, onwards to ijen
2 nights bandering breeze hotel including trip to mt ijen
ferry to bali, stay in either beach resort near airport area or ubud 2 nights
redye flight to Sydney, 3 night visit with friends
direct flight home to Vancouver

Couple questions. Should I do 2 or 3 nights in AmanJiwo? After flight to suraboya, should I just arrange direct transport to hotel near Bromo? Was initially thinking of going from Yogyakarta to Malang (still flying) and doing Bromo from that side, but thought it made less sense if going on to Ijen?

Realize this is much shorter than most people spend in Bali but thats ok with us.

I think it would be a great shame not to spend a few more nights in Bali. Would it be possible to change your long haul flights to eliminate the stop overs in Seoul and Jakarta? You might look at Cathay through Hong Kong to Jakarta. Or to Bali if you reverse the order of your trip.

Important note: April 13 is an Islamic holiday which will morph into a long weekend. If you can, try to avoid the major temples and tourist sites on April 13-15.

I think you could condense your Central Java time to 3 nights but I would suggest that you spend all 3 at Amanjiwo (if you can afford it). The Phoenix is quite nice, but the Amanjiwo is an Experience. I'm not that keen on Yogyakarta city and much prefer the countryside.

Prambanan temple is close to Yogya airport and can be visited on the way.

The Majapahit is a lovely colonial era hotel, but I'd let this one go too, in order to spend two nights on Bromo. It's not just one mountain with a crater and sunrise, but a complex of volcanoes. The scenery -- all day long -- is phenomenally beautiful. Sunrise at the lookout points can be a bit of a zoo

I like Malang and the Tugu Hotel a lot, but getting there from Yogya is not so easy. Overland by train or car is long and the flight schedule seems to come and go. If you can find a flight that fits your needs, you should consider it. Malang to the Bromo area is about 2.0 to 3.0 hours.

Getting from Bromo to Ijen or Bangsring Breeze Resort will take about 5.0 to 6.0 hours hours, so plan accordingly. I haven't been to Ijen but I believe Bangsring is about 2.0 hours from the trekking launch point. If you intend to do the blue fire night trek, you should ask for detailed information on timing.

Garuda now flies from Banyuwangi to Bali/Denpasar (with a stop in Surabaya). It takes 5.0 hours in all, but if you're not inclined to spend time in North Bali, flying might be less aggravation than taking the ferry and driving down to Ubud.

Note the holiday weekend: All of East Java will be on the move!

Bali airport to Ubud is about 1.5 to 2.0 hours depending on the time of day and your destination. From the ferry at Gilamanuk Ubud is about 4.0 hours.

I'm quite fond of Bali's west coast beaches (especially Petitenget) but if your time is limited, I'd choose Ubud. The Ubud area, especially the countryside outside of Ubud, is still pretty special. Don't underestimate it.

We went from Malang to Bromo to Ijen and then to the ferry. It worked for us but we had more time. Approaching Bromo from that direction is supposed to be more scenic, driving through the Sea of Sand etc.

The drive from Gilimanuk to Denpasar took forever so, if I were to do it again I would head to Ubud. Which is a little closer. I would look into getting your accomodation arming transport from the ferry terminal.

Bromo to Ijen is along drive with little of interest along the way. At Ijen you will have two options 1.30 am start to see the Blue Flames or around 5.30 am for a dawn ascent. We chose the latter and having walked the path down into the crater we were really glad we took that option. Not something I would want to do in the dark! We also spoke with people who did do the blue flames and were very disappointed. However, this did have the downside of arriving in Denpasar at night.

Thank you!

I will cut Phoenix and 3 nights Amanjiwo
Will also cut Majapahit. This should leave me an extra 1/2 nights in Bali, leaning towards Chedi club in ubud.

Not seeing much accommodation wise near Bromo, looked at Jiwa Jawa some mixed reviews, you think 2 nights here still worthwhile? Any other tips on where to stay if so?

Would we be better off getting Ubud hotel to pick us up from ferry, and dropping original driver/car once we get to hotel in Banyuwangi

Chedi Club is a lovely spacious property with good management; however, the rooms are a bit dated and the rice paddy setting doesn't afford the spectacular views that you get with the resorts along the Ayang River valley, like Como Shambhala, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Alila, Samaya. Como is extraordinary, especially if you're interested in wellness activities.

Bromo accommodation is fairly rustic. Jiwa Jawa (formerly Java Banana) is generally liked, though I've not stayed there myself. The amount of time that you devote to Bromo depends on what you envision doing. If you're interested in trekking and photography, it's a wonderful environment at different times of day. Just to give you an idea:
http://www.melbournethephotographer....bromo_2015.pdf

I would suggest that you use the same driver from Bangsring to Ubud. The driver will help you negotiate the ferry logistics on both sides. Just make sure that the driver knows the location of your Ubud hotel. Most Banyuwangi drivers are familiar wth Bali, but some of the access roads are hard to find. Plan on at least 4.0 hours from Gilamanuk to Ubud, longer at night.

If you have five days in Bali you might want to spend 3 in Ubud and 2 at the beach, closer to the airport.

ok now down to:

Vancouver -- Seoul 1 day stop over
Seoul -- Jakarta arrives at 825PM, stay in airport hotel and sleep off jet lag
Jakarta to Yogyakarta, 3 nights in Amanjiwo, visit borobudur, prambanan
flight to suraboya, private driver/tour to bromo, 1 night bromo, sunrise bromo, onwards to ijen
2 nights bandering breeze hotel including trip to mt ijen
ferry to bali, stay in either beach resort near airport area or ubud 4 nights (considering 2 beach 2 ubud)
redye flight to Sydney, 3 night visit with friends
direct flight home to Vancouver

If we arrive in Suraboya late morning, could we do some Bromo activities that afternoon as well, ie hopefully when its not as hectic as surise? Then do the sunrise portion and off to Ijen. I've presviouly sworn to myself never to buy into sunrise/sunset hyped activities due to crowds (last one was siem reap) lol

typically we are not beach people, with 4 days, is it worth splitting up Bali into Ubud + beach, if so does the order make a difference? Our flight home would be at 10Pm so not exactly rushed departure after checkout

It's about 2.0 to 3.0 hours from Surabaya Airport to Jiwa Jawa, so you'll have time to look around, but not for a longer hike.

From Jiwa Jawa to Bangsring is a long drive. I'm not sure exactly but I would think 6.0 to 7.0 hours. Remember that the sun sets early on the equator, around 6:30 PM, and you don't want to be on the road in the mountain area after dark.

Again, it's a long journey from Bangsring to Ubud by ferry, 6.0 to 7.0 hours, so you don't count on doing much in Ubud on that day. I really like Petitenget/Seminyak beach and the beach hotels and restaurants, but because your time is limited, I would concentrate on Ubud this time. Consider paying for a half-day on your departure day, so you can relax. You'll want to leave Ubud around 5:00 PM.

You’ve already gotten some great advice. I’ll just note that I chose to skip Ijen in favor of other places in both Java and Bali – but since I didn’t visit it, I really can’t say whether it would be worthwhile in light of your particular interests.

You might find some useful information in my trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...a-and-bali.cfm

Hope that helps!

Top 8 things to do in Amazing Bali!

Top 8 things to do in the amazing Bali! Ubud, Uluwatu, Kuta Beach, Lake Batur, local food, elephant safari park, civet coffee plantation, … & more! You may visit the https://knycxjourneying.com/2017/10/...-amazing-bali/ for more details ~

That's certainly NOT my list of top 8 for Bali -- but to each his / her own.

We al have our own tastes, but only three of the things you list, knycx, would even make it into my top 50.

Thanks for further tips!

Now leaning towards Mandapa (suite rather than villa) in Bali.

The issue i'm still on the fence about:

1. Would you recommend 2 nights in Mt Bromo to enjoy the area, maybe do a daytime hike and early AM sunrise/hike + make section of trip less hectic; but as a result losing a day in Bali?

2. Flight from Yogyakarta to Surabaya, either departs at 9am WING prop plane, or Garda jet departs at 1640, but will involve driving to Mt Bromo in the dark. Which is safer option, bad airline + day driving or better airline night driving in mountains (not me driving)?

FWIW, I thought the scenery en route to / from Mt. Bromo absolutely stunning and would not want to have missed it -- particularly the route through the "savannah" to the south, but also the route to Surabaya on the north. YMMV.

aside from views, is driving to mt bromo at night considered unsafe? most searching i've done shows Garuda is much more reputable which makes me lean towards this

The Mandapa is fairly new and I haven't visited yet. It looks nice, though and the location is good. The suites appear to be some distance from the ridge, so not sure about the view. You might also look at the Valley Villas at the Alila Ubud. It's one notch down from the luxury properties like Como, Four Seasons and Aman, but the villas perched on the edge of the ridge are delightful and the pool is stunning.

I'd be in favor of spending 2 nights on Bromo, but I think your Bali time is already too short. You might consider skipping Ijen this trip and returning to Surabaya after to Bromo for a flight to Bali. Otherwise you'll spend a day going overland to Ijen and another by ferry and overland to Ubud.

Alternately, you could expand your time in Java and just fly from Surabaya to Bali to catch your connecting flight.

Millions of people fly Indonesia's budget airlines everyday. If the Wings Abadi flight works best, then I would take it.

I haven't been to Jiwa Jawa and I'm not familiar with the access roads. Presumably a driver from the resort would be, but if you have a choice, travel during the day. Even though some parts are well touristed, the Bromo area is still quite rugged. You don't want to chance a breakdown, a flat tire or a landslip at night.

@ marmot: I hope you and yours are well. News of the eruption is unsettling!

We are fine, thanks. No ash here in Seminyak, but who knows what's coming next? It's the volcano that cried wolf: As soon as everyone got tired of waiting for it and looked away, it exploded. The airport is closed for 24H which means total chaos, though.

@ marmot: I'm glad to hear that you are safe. Sending lots of good thoughts to everyone there.

The vast majority of people wil just spend in the one night in Bromo. We arrived mid afternoon went for a walk around the town and the hills overlooking the valley, dinner and then an early night for the 02.30 rise to get the jeep to the viewing points for the sunrise. After dawn we returned to the hotel had breakfast and then had a look around the plains before ascending Bromo and then left for Ijen late morning.

I don’t think it is necessary to spend a second night in Bromo but it is along old drive to Ijen. Personally, I though Ijen was equally as impressive as Bromo and wouldn’t miss it out.