rhkkmk

the rhk's and gpanda's hope to visit bali next may...

fodorites have made wonderful accomodation suggestions in the past, but i never wrote any down.....could you repeat them here please?

not particularily interested in the 5* variety, i.e. four seasons, etc.
would prefer 4* type or unique....must have a/c...

walk to outside restaurants near to the hotel is a plus

beach is a plus

ubud suggestions especially welcome...

northern beach locations also welcome.. or other beach locations...someone posted about a wonderful small hotel in sanur which of course i cannot remember the name of.....have stayed at bali hyatt on a past trip so know it...

the thought is to spend a day or two near to the airport, then move on to ubud and finsih up at the beach....

lombok suggestions also welcome...

thanks...

boston GTG oct 13---don't forget

Kathie

Bob, I've already sent you my Lombok recommendation, but I'll repeat it for future readers. We loved Qunci Villas. The beach there is very nice. Accommodations are nicely designed. It's a small place - 20 rooms. We paid about US$75 several years ago. The price included tax, daily breakfasts and airport transfers.

KimJapan

I wouldn't spend any days near the airport. It's just an hour to Ubud.

Right in Ubud, stylish but still reasonably priced with a fantastic location you will love is Komaneka Resort.

As much as I love Alam Sari and the unique experiences they offer, I don't imagine you being happy 20 minutes drive from town. It also might be borderline too rustic compared to what you are used to.

Ulun Ubud is individual cottages set into the hillside just outside of Ubud. It's walkable for some, but not a pleasant walk along the road. A car would take 3 minutes or less, and they always seem to have one on standby. The setting of this place is stunning, with other hotels with similar views charging much more. A lot of stairs.

The Kajane Mua is another place that's right in the middle of Ubud. The villas are beautiful, if a bit crammed into the sight. It's very popular with honeymooners.

The Tjampuhan hotel is right at the edge of town overlooking the river. This place is well known and for a good reason...good rooms, good service, nice spa, good views, good location. The only thing I'd suggest is not selecting the lowest grade of room as their views are not as nice. A lot of stairs.

The Uma Ubud has quite a few who love it, but it was not our style at all. We visited friends there, and found the staff and service stiff and the feeling of the place a bit crowded. The rooms are very nice though, and the pool is nice. Location is near Ulun Ubud, pretty much across the street from the Mozaic restaurant.

A really interesting place to stay in the northern part of the island is Puri Lumbung. They have a great program for culture and crafts. Munduk is isolated, about 40 minutes to Lovina (which I would skip...it's like Hampton Beach after a 10 year tourist drought and I really don't think you'd enjoy it). http://www.purilumbung.com/index.html

There is an Anantara being built in Seminyak t hat you might enjoy...modern style. The Sofitel Seminyak was redone last year and should still be in pretty good shape for next year. Unless the Oberoi gets some attention, I'd not recommend it. You migiht really enjoy Seminyak for the restaurants, and it's less tacky than Kuta and Legian...I remember you didn't like Samui's Chaweng...if you didn't like that, you'll really not like Kuta/Legian.

KimJapan

In Sanur, maybe Tandjung Sari is the place you are thinking of?

rhkkmk

thanks for those quick responses.....

kim, that might indeed be the place....i was hoping that you would see this post as i know you have done tons of research on bali and enjoyed your trip or trips there...thanks..

kathie i have booked marked that from your previous mail....thanks again...
any comment on the sheraton there? did you visit?

rhkkmk

bookmarked...duh

Kathie

On Lombok, I looked briefly at the Sheraton - a brief look was all it took to know for sure I'd never stay there! We also looked at the Novotel on Lombok. It's located at a glaringly white beach at what many consider to be the hottest spot on Lombok. It has some thatched roof villas, four around each shared pool that are nice, but rather close together. They also have rooms that are in a motel-like buidling that really looked awful to me. The public spaces look nice, and they have a nice infinity pool by the beach.

By the way, there are photos of Qunci Villas at www.marlandc.com Look for the Lombok section.

marmot

As you're probably aware I'm a great fan of the Legian in Seminyak. I think you get the best combination of beach, walkable restaurants, spas and shops, beautiful tranquil surroundings and excellent service.

The rooms are large and well designed and all have roomy balconies with sea and sunset views. The pool is not the biggest but it is one of the most beautiful I've ever encountered with an infinity edge overlooking the sea.

The beach is kept clean and the resort grounds offer shady respite to watch the waves. This area is known for its aggressive surf so it's better suited for walking than swimming.

The food is great for breakfast and lunch and their seafood barbeques are very popular. There are zillions of choices for dinner in the area. Both La Lucciola and KuDeTa are easy walks and the Legian will provide transport to other Seminyak eateries.

In Ubud I favor the Alila and the Kayumanis. (I've visited the Kayumanis several times though I've not actually stayed there.) Both are on the rim of the Ayung River valley and offer spectacular views. I personally like to get out of Ubud as the Bali nights on in the countryside are magical and many of the dance performances and festivals are in the area.

If you prefer the town of Ubud itself I like Komeneka and Ketut's. Both offer a high degree of accessibility to Balinese arts and culture. Ketut himself is a favorite of the expat community here in Jakarta and many people just turn their itinerary over to him on arrival!

I've stayed at the Sheraton in Lombok and although the beach was one of the best on the island I found the resort very commercial. The Oberoi on Lombok (not Bali) is especially nice -- secluded with lovely grounds and a nice beach and pool. Good food and spectacular sunsets.

FromDC

We are leaving for Bali and Java in a few days and I will let you know about the accomodations upon our return. We selected the Oberoi for 2 nights upon our arrival because we will be travelling for over 24 hrs, arrive at 10:30pm, and didn't want to be more than a few minutes from the airport. Although there have been some negative comments about it, we will see, we'll be there only one full day. I didn't pick the Legian because the beds are only queen size and that would make us uncomfortable (I even wrote to the hotel to confirm because otherwise it sounded wonderful). Then we fly to Java for 3 nights at Amanjiwo, then back to Bali for a week at a villa outside of Ubud. Does that interest you at all? (we will be with another couple, that's why we decided to go that way rather than a hotel).

Jim0884

what are anyone's thoughts on the Inter-Continental Jimbaran? i've heard good reviews, especially about Jimbaran but worry about ICs...thanks

rhkkmk

DC---what is the name of the villa you will stay in and how did you reserve it?


marmot---thanks i knew i could rely on your comments

bob

Becalm

Centrally located on the beach in Sanur, Griya Santrian is very nice and has good reviews.

Based on great reviews and much research we chose the Ibah Luxury Villas in Ubud. Unique 4* boutique (15 Villas)that is on the very edge of downtown yet totally secluded in a quiet tropical setting on a lush river bank. Only 3 minute walk to the Ubud Palace (Ary's Warung, Cafe Lotus) or free shuttle on-demand to anywhere in Ubud. Intimate feel, Balinese architecture and details throughout with luxury appointments and very convenient. Nice spa, restaurant, even afternoon tea. We loved our stay and will return here again.

Someone recently mentioned a hotel in Eastern Bali on the grounds of the Water Palace in Tirtagangga, Tirta Ayu Hotel which looks really cool and very unique. Reportedly a 3 minute walk to local shops, cafes and restaurants and a 15 minute drive to an undeveloped white sand beach. I looking forward to staying here.

Becalm

A possible alternative to Lombok to consider is Yogya/Borobudur if you've never been.

tengohambre

We too are thinking about Bali for next year, most likely February or March. Where are the best beaches? I've read on the forum that you don't really go to Bali for the beaches. Is that true? We would want a nice hotel (4 or 5 star) and someplace close to a town for restaurants and the like. Overbuilt, a la Patong, however, is not for us.

We would combine a beach with some place like Ubud.

I've also seen good reviews of the Intercontinental and the Conrad. And, the Ritz Carlton seems to be in the same price range, although there may be two of them there. Anyone been to these properties? We will be two adults and two pre-teens.
Thanks.

And, is flying time from BKK to Denpasar about two hours or so? And, is it easy/quick to get from Ubud to the beach areas? Thanks

FromDC

We started out by looking at villas recommended by a friend who had stayed at one but she had considered several others. She also had a friend who had stayed at another. We ended up at the latter because of the configuration, we need 2 master suites because we are two couples travelling together. But I saw lots of pictures of these two and I did look at many others on the internet. The ones we seriously considered are very luxurious looking and reviewed that way by our friends as well, but the prices are incredible. Ranging from $200-$300 per night for two couples including breakfast, staff and in the case of the one we chose, a driver as well. Downside is that they are not walking distance from anything, no internet. But these were not important considerations for us.

Gpanda

This is great, keep them coming. We're hoping for dream accomodations to make up for spending time with Bob.

FromDC

After hearing from people who had good experiences renting villas in Bali, we decided to go that way for a few reasons. First, I have a villa in Anguilla which we rent out, so I am not wary of staying at a villa elsewhere, know what kinds of questions to ask, etc. Second, I knew that it would save alot of money and that would enable us to splurge on the Amanjiwo without feeling too bad about it. Third, I knew we could stay at a villa without sacrificing BEAUTY of the surroundings. Finally, as long as we could have two master BRs, I knew we would be able to share a place without either one of us resenting that the other had a better room (there is always sibling rivalry of some sort between my sister and me).

aguila22

rhkkmk,
I think you saw my trip report a while and wanted to recommend the places we stayed, some have already been mentioned. We stayed in great places that were all smaller boutique style.

We stayed at Tugu in Canggu (north of Seminyak) which was on a black sand beach that is not swimmable. It's a beautiful boutique style place with a lot of Indonesian character and great food.

In Ubud we did Kajane Mua, which is close to everything but manages to make you feel like you are far from the hustle and bustle, the plunge pools are huge if you are interested in that. The breakfasts there were not great (they didn't have a restaurant at the time), but there are plenty of amazing places to eat nearby.

I also second Kathie's recommendation of Qunci in Lombok. The place is a great value. It's sleek has a nice pool, great service and amazing sunsets. Getting there can be a bit tricky (was for us), but the beaches on the island are worth it (much better than Bali).

We booked Tugu on luxurylink.com,
Kajane directly thorugh the hotel, and Qunci on asiarooms.com

Here are pics again if interested:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...=0&y=frfzz

You'll have a great trip.

rhkkmk

DC...you posted a very nice answer but would you be willing to share the name of the place you stayed....it is just what we might need---are there locks on the bedroom doors (gpanda roams at nite)??
would also be interested in any other places that you considered...
thanks
bob

rhkkmk

thanks all great info....keep it coming.