Anybody been to Bali?

[mrssandro]

Any tips? We are planning out 10 year anniversary trip. (next year) So far the only downfall is that it will take over 24 hours to get there. We likely stay in Ubud. 

[rupertpenny]

mrssandro
I went last month and it was great. The weather was so nice, the food was great, and the people were lovely.

I think staying in Ubud is a good idea. Unfortunately we only had one night there as our flights in were delayed because of the volcano. We will probably go back someday (we live relatively close) and will definitely spend the majority of our time in Ubud. We stayed at Ubud Wana Resort and were happy with it ubudwanaresort.com/. You might want something fancier for an anniversary trip though.

We also spent time at the beach. We stayed in Nusa Dua which I would not recommend. It is all hotels and the beach isn't that fantastic. From talking to friends who have been I've heard mixed reviews for Seminyak (no one hated it, but it can be very busy), a good review for Canggu, good reviews for beaches in the Uluwatu area, and everyone says avoid Kuta by any means necessary. I also know several people who have been to the Gili Islands which are about 1.5 hours away by speed boat and everyone LOVES them.

One thing I wish we had done before we booked was check the Balinese religious calendar. We were there during Galungan and pretty much all of the local restaurants and food stalls were closed down for three days. Some of the streets close down for the main day as well so you pretty much just have to stay in your hotel that day. It wasn't a huge deal, but we didn't get to eat any babi guling because all of the warung were closed.

I'd also like to recommend the driver we used. We arranged airport transfer and a half day tour/hotel transfer through Bali Made (http://www.balimadetour.com/) and our driver Sweca was great. He recommended additional stops on the tour that were really interesting and he taught us a lot about Balinese culture.

One last thing, I'm not sure about whether or not you plan to bring your child, but we brought our daughter who was 22 months at the time and she had the time of her life. Besides the whole 24 hours in a plane thing it is really very kid friendly.

[dorothyinAus]

I've never been, but I'd definitely take out trip insurance that covers volcanic eruptions. Every other day lately, it seems the news is reporting flights into and out of Bali have been cancelled or delayed because of volcanic eruptions and ash in the air.

It may not be a problem for your visit, but you never really know with those kinds of things and I'd hate for your vacation to be ruined by delayed or cancelled flights.

[wise_rita]

Ubud all the way, and/or the widely unexplored north of the island. Kuta is feral and not worth the time of day, and I wasn't impressed with the beaches of Nusa Dual, but that could be my beach snobbery talking.

[Raggedeannie]

I would also recommend not staying in Nusa Dua -- I stayed at the Hyatt for work and while the hotel was freaking gorgeous... I also felt like it could have been anywhere (Hawaii, Florida, etc) so why go all that way to stay in a western bubble, KWIM?

I didn't get out much but have also heard great things about Ubud. Seminyak is fun for dinner and nights out!

[kpol]

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran and it was beautiful. It was near all the restaurants right on the beach and we could walk to a little market just down the road. After a few days there, we headed to Ubud and enjoyed our time there as well.

I'll second what PP said about the Gili Islands. I haven't been, but friends have been a few times and rave about it. If we would have heard their reviews before we went, we would have definitely spent some time there.

[mrssandro]

Thanks guys! I have a list of places that I need to choose between. I think breaking it two different places may help.

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[larzhope]

Aug 13, 2015 9:38:49 GMT -5 kpol said:

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran and it was beautiful. It was near all the restaurants right on the beach and we could walk to a little market just down the road. After a few days there, we headed to Ubud and enjoyed our time there as well.

I'll second what PP said about the Gili Islands. I haven't been, but friends have been a few times and rave about it. If we would have heard their reviews before we went, we would have definitely spent some time there.

We also stayed at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran and loved it. Highly recommend.