Hi All!
I'm off to Bali in a week and a half. My boyfriend and I plan to spend 3/4 nights in Ubud and then 4 nights doing the beach bum thing.
I ve been reading the lonely planet but I am still unsure about where i wanna go. People have suggested places such as Sanur, Lovina and Candidasa but the lonely planet don't give them a good wrap up. I don't want to stay at Kuta. I have heard that it is very touristy and I couldn't stand Patong beach, Phuket for that exact reason. Nusa Penida sounds nice. can anyone tell me what it is like or hit me with some suggestions?
Wrap up of what we are looking for. Not overly touristy, Happy to spend $50AUS a night, a few accommodation and restaurant options, not too hard to get to and above all. beautiful beaches with snorkelling, swimming and diving options.
Thanking you in advance for your help and suggestions!
I've been to Patong and I've been to Kuta. They are nothing alike, especially now. You can get lost in Kuta and I enjoy it. You can go down to the beach and you will be approached by touts but after a few no thanks they disappear. Kuta is still worth visiting if only for a couple of nights, or stay at nearby Legian. Ubud is just as touristy, but more arty.
Candidasa and Lovina are not reknown for their beaches. Penida is very unusual. You go to Nusa Lembongan first, which has the beaches, snorkelling etc. you're looking for anyway. Stay at Mainskys, it's cheap and good. It connects to Nusa Ceningen by a bridge and it's worth hiring a motor bike for the day, but don't pay anymore than 50,000 rupiah a day. This is more expensive than Kuta, you may do better, but probably not. Ceningen has a magnificent surfing spot off a point called "Secret". The locals are wonderful. Lembongan has surfing spots "Shipwreck" and another one. There is a lot of seaweed farming on all three islands for Japanese export.
If you want to get to Penida, my best directions are, from where you arrive walk away from the coast. Turn left on the first road you come to and travel down to "Mangroves". Ask there for a price to go over to Penida, it's a lot cheaper than the more commercial way, we got it for 80,000rupiah for the two of us. It's a beautiful boat ride over. We hired a bike and did the island in a day. I loved it, but the locals were not used to tourists. We found no English spoken, which is fair enough, but you should be aware of that. You need to do some research beforehand. You can stay there, but there aren't too many places. There are good beaches, the hills are fantastic and go on and on with monkeys on the road, but they can get a bit territorial.
Personally I would get to Nusa Lembongan the commercial way. The public way is cheaper but takes a lot longer. Also if you want hot water (and it's really not that good) you'll pay big time for it. Most of the places including Mainskys doesn't have hot water, but you can score a room with A/C.
You'll enjoy.
I love Dreamland beach. I went twice when I was in Bali last. You can rent a chair and umbrella for little money. It is gorgeous! The water can be a bit rough, so be careful.
Sanur is nice, but the beach is not great.
If you want to be alone, you may consider Pemuteran on the north. Dark sand beach. Almost alone. And great diving.
You can also try Padang bai area look for with many beaches options surrounding such as :
1. Blue Lagoon beach, a very nice white sandy beach with good snorkelling site near the beach.
2. White Beach (Pantai Pasir putih), white sandy beach with pristine water, nice for swimming
You can easily find good accomodation for any range, stayed for 80.000 Rp Last April on a two storey bungalow which is common there.
My boyfriend and I just returned from 2 1/2 weeks in wonderful Bali.
For great diving and beaching out (and a really cool adventure), I highly recommend heading to Lombok and daytripping to the gilis. The most relaxing part of my trip was at www.quncivillas.com They arranged a great diving trip (at the standard fixed price), interesting cultural tours and hikes-- and it was lovely to return there for swimming, a massage and really good dinner in the evening. The newly opened Quake restaurant nearby has great food, a loungey vibe, and good value.
Trekking near and through Ubud is amazing!! I recommend the www.ubud-village.com hotel, cafe wayan and three monkeys restaurant (don't eat salad anywhere -- be careful of bali belly). Buy crafts directly from the local artists for good quality and mutually fair prices --- and be sure to ask them which is the best local performance to see each and every evening you are there. The drumming and dancing are unique and sort of mesmerizing -- and each show is different.
Bali is very quiet for tourism right now, so you can negotiate low rates at hotels (we paid about 50K or $60US per night for a suite at both places).
Practice saying Thank you and Good morning/afternoon/evening/night Selamat pagi! siang! sore! malam! People will appreciate your attempt to learn their language and greet you with a really warm smile.
Hey thanks for everyones words of advice. I have been forced to post a lot of questions because i have been following up a lot leads but i find that the accommodation is usually always booked out or they don't reply to my emails. This appears to be met with some criticism by some thorn tree'ers but i have no other choice i cant find any accommodation! Thanks for everyones advice on stuff. I have followed through with pretty much every lead. I did study indonesian for about 7 years so I am not worried about the language barrier! so is the accommodation at www.ubud-village.com good or are you only recommending the cafe?
so it has been decided that we are going to Nusa Lemobongan and Ubud. Can someone please recommend nice accommodation for my partner and I in Ubud for under USD$40 a night - we leave in 3 days. I have also had problems with Nusa Lembongan accommodation.. likewise any suggestions?? I would prefer recommendations on places which are reliable and respond to contact. I know it sounds straightforward but you would surprised.. I have now followed up about 8+ leads on accomm in ubud alone and either noone has got back to me or it has been booked out!
hii.. you can find the best beaches in bali ini this website: bali beach ; I think most of the best beach in bali listed here, with its accommodation info too.
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