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Finally, We will be going to Bali from Novem ber 27 (arriving Nove 29 to December 13). I read most of your comments on this borad and I need advise. My husband does not want to spend Four Seasons price but his limit/max is up to $300 per night. Since we have 14 nights, which area should we stay at and which resort? Ritz, Tugu, Sheraton Laguna, Grand Hyatt, Maya, Natura, Komeneka Suite, Nusa Dua and etc? We want modern/deluxe room (luxury would be nice)/bathroom and beautiful grounds, amazing view, pool & spa. It will be nice, if there is a work out room too. We would like to stay at one resort that is on the beach. Please share your thoughts. I truely appreciate your help. My husband is the type that not sure of going to a third world country & not knowing what to expect. I'm worried because since we are going so far, I want this trip to be a memorable trip & also do not want to hear my husband complaining to me. He is going because I wanted to go and to shut me up, lol. Thank you for your time.

Craig

You are fortunate to have 14 nights. You might consider spending a couple of nights in Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong prior to Bali as you have to connect through one of these to get here (assuming you are coming from the USA).

I enjoy working out but none of the places we stayed had workout facilities so I had to make do with push-ups and lots of walking for exercise. The Ritz, Sheraton or Hyatt probably have these facilities but are lacking in Balinese charm - we preferred character over western amenities.

I checked some of your other posts just to help understand what you might like. Bali is not really a beach place. It is nice to spend a few nights at a hotel near the water but it really is not the reason to go there.

With the amount of time you have, you should spend time on the coast, time in central Bali (Ubud) and time in the North (Lovina) or the East (Candi Dasa or Amed). If you truly like modern, the Ritz (coast) and Maya Ubud will fit the bill. Tugu is probably the most expensive and exotic of the choices and I would recommend it over everything else just for the experience. I assume you read my trip report so I don't have to go into the details. Komeneka has a good reputation - Komeneka Suites is outside of Ubud and Komeneka Resort is in central Ubud. Natura is very isolated and not convenient to anything. For views, the Ritz is spectacular...Maya has unbelievable views of the rice fields and surrounding area. Maya's spa is excellent as is Tugu's. Consider Damai if heading north - very reasonable with an excellent restaurant and great views. The bathrooms in our Tugu villa and our Damai villa were acutally outdoors. The Tugu bathroom had a little lotus pond in it. The Damai bathroom had an outdoor shower and hot tub. At Maya Ubud we had a huge tub and the bath opened into our private plunge pool (our unit was more than $300 though).

Contact the folks at Balidiscovery.com and tell them where you want to stay and for how long - you should be able to negotiate a better deal than the already reduced prices listed on their web site.

Finally, get a driver to take you around so you don't have to worry as much about 3rd world concerns.

Kathie

I'm going to make a recommendtion to you I usually don't make: stay at Nusa Dua. Nusa Dua is a rather sterile enclave built for tourists. It could be in Hawaii. If you husband is really phobic of travel in third world countries, he'll hardly know he's left the US. While I would normally recommend staying at other places on the island, as does Craig, in this case, you might benefit from staying in Nusa Dua. You could hire a car and driver and visit various culturally interesting places and your husband could either go along or he could stay at Nusa Dua and relax.

You should definitely do a stop in one of the major cities Craig has named (they are all wonderful in their own ways). While my favorite of the three is Bangkok, if your husband is truly phobic of third world travel, choose Singapore - the cleanest, safest city in the world. It also has wonderful hotels and fabulous restaurants.

rhkkmk

ok---i come from a slightly different perspective in some respects....i too would have a few days at maybe the peninsula in bangkok, or secondly the shangri-la, or sheraton...i would then fly on to bali...i am doing this in june and i got airfare of 352 r.t. from bkk on thai air from sea tours in bkk...$600 in usa by the way...

now for bali.... we love places with lux, but not the more stiff places where you are the center of attention with loads of pampering...we like to do things on our own terms and blend in to the woodwork...just now both hyatts have great deals on their web-site...also the conrad hotel just opened in march---it is brand new...
try bali discovery as craig has suggested...i am using them for the hyatt for a slightly better deal than i got from hyatt directly...
www.balidiscovery.com

when we are in 3rd world places we like to have an oasis to escape to and that is our hotel....we like the western standard generally...the western hotel chains provide a reliable standard....maybe not the lux standard of pricate plunge pool, etc but they provide a lovely pool...

many people on this board are constantly saying that bali is not a beach place....if this is so, it seems strange that so many hotels are built on the beach??? hotels that are in it for $$$, like sheraton, hyatt, ritz, 4 seasons, oberoi, etc... yes ubud does offer the real bali, but this is not for everyone and i think that is what you are telling us about your husband...he deserves comfort on his level and that is what he will get in nusa dua and select other parts of bali...
we have choosen the bali hyatt at sanur because it is on the beach, has fabulous interior gardens with great pools and a small town with shops and restaurants within walking distance...

i agree with craig that splitting your bali time might be a good idea...the majority of days at the lux western hotel and maybe a few days at one or two other places..bali discovery will help you with that...give them a clear idea of what you want...i would leave out the cost factor at first...see what they come up with...you have plenty of time...your timeframe is not prime time in bali, by the way...the summer is prime...

i do think that 14 days is a long time so maybe a few days elsewhere might be nice...singapore, K/L or my choice bangkok

kang

I think what the OP says is that her husband is unsure about the 3rd world stuff due to lack of direct experience, not that he is in anyway against experiencing it.

Encourage him to discover it.

It is almost a sure thing that the most memorable moments of a trip is from enjoying the differences, and Indonesia happens to be such a country with plenty to offer.

Keep mind open and keep curisity up, and that is all it takes. Looking back at your trip years from now, you are far more likely having very fond memories of things that have little to do with what you askeded in your original message.

orgy7

this is one of the rare times where I agree with most posts... 14 days is just a massive amount of time too spend in a resort in one destination.. but maybe thats a good thing. after 5 days of beach. pool. dinning. beach, pool dinning. beach pool, dinning. etc. your husband will be scratching at the door too see the real Bali. which is actualy in the center and north of the island.

Singapore is a good stoppover. it's a modern city/state. or maybe Hong Kong where the avarege income is $25.000

come too think of it. you can go anywhere in the planet and shade yourselves from the realities of life by taking limos too a resort/5 star hotel and spending most of the time in luxorty..

Richard1148

I too agree with just about everything that the previous posters have said and recommend a stopover before going to Bali. I think Singapore would be to your husband's liking, and if you like to shop, you will enjoy it as well. The stopover point may depend, however, on what airline you are taking. As far as Bali goes, we have been there three times and have stayed each time at the Grand Hyatt in the Nusa Dua area. It has beautiful grounds, a large beach area, and is easy walking distance to a shopping mall. If you decide to stay there, go for the Regency Club room. Check it out on Hyatt.com.