First time to Bali in June / July Any suggestions on must sees etc.
 

My grandmother and I are planning to stay in Bali fro approximatley 10 nights in June July. We enjoy the beach and shopping as well as going on tours. I would appreciate any information on tours, shopping, beaches, must sees etc.
Thank you Donna

Still waiting for some suggestions regarding trip to Bali.

I spent nine days in Bali. Loved it! My favorite area was Ubud. We stayed in a hut-like residence in a tremendously beautiful, little canyon. Sorry, can't remember the name of the establishment, but I don't think there are many to choose from in that area. We had a staff person assigned to be at our beckon call. He was extremely kind and helpful. The people in Bali are really wonderful. There are tours available from there and shops very nearby.

If you go into a restaurant that has Black Rice Pudding on the menu, you must try it! It's to die for.

Check out htp://wwtw.baliparadise.com

Bali is a great choice for a vacation and with the exchange rate, shopping is outrageous. I recommend staying a couple of nights in separate locations. Hire a driver for the week and see the island. I stayed in Sanaur which was nice. Stand by for the hagglers.

Just returned from Bali - fourth trip. It is one of my favourite places. There are some good guide books out on Bali and these give you some background info as well as tourist info. To see the real Bali you need to move out from the tourist areas - Ubud and beyond. Candi Dasa is another beautiful spot so is Uluwatu and also Tanah Lot temple at sunset. There is a tourist publication called Bali Plus - available from the airport or hotels. It is filled with a lot of useful info. The Aussie dollar is doing well in conversion around 5500 Ruphiah to the dollar when we were there, which makes shopping great. One of the best things about Bali is the people - they are so warm and friendly. I hope you have a great time.

My husband and I are also traveling to Bali soon as a first visit. We are staying outside of Ubud the first 5 evenings and hope to engage a guide to drive us around the island. The last three in Bali we thought we close our visit at a beach location and closer to the airport. Sanur Beach has been suggested. Do you have a hotel in Sanur to recommend or another beach area hotel?

(OP - original 1998 enquiry: "Still waiting for some suggestions regarding trip to Bali.")

For marygoogo, Bali of course isn't in the Pacific - posting about Indonesia is best done on the Asia forum, where you'll find many helpful trip reports and responses to ad hoc questions.

Unless staying beachside is a "must" I do recommend Ubud and surrounds, central to Bali's traditional culture. For beachfront though you could do much worse than La Taverna, Sanur, which we found very good value. Whatever, I'd avoid Kuta. If I want to watch drunken Australian footie teams I could do that closer to home. I'd also avoid anywhere dominated by sterile Western-style hotels.

It's easy to organise a car with guide - your hotels will do that and the going rate 3 years ago was about US$60/day. Don't forget to buy buy your guide lunch.

Sanur Beach is a very nice place to stay, you may try Peneeda View hotel. It's located almost in the center of Sanur where you can also find restaurants, shops, spas and others close to the hotel. You can hire a car and the English speaking driver who acts as your tour guide for about US$45 for full day tour including petrol and parking fees.