First time in Bali - hotel recommendations?

[coyote25]

Okay I've taken the opportunity to visit Bali in J MEL-SYD-DPS and back using the QF DSC offer.

I'll be there 8 June to 13 June (land 14 June). Never been to Bali. Any suggestions for good 4-5 star accommodation?

 

[Pushka]

Intercontinental at Jimbaran Bay. I've done a trip report - Sept last year. Far from the madding bogans.

 

[coyote25]

Intercontinental at Jimbaran Bay. I've done a trip report - Sept last year. Far from the madding bogans.

Thanks Pushka I'll look up the trip report.

 

[Pushka]

Thanks Pushka I'll look up the trip report.

Here 'tis:
Jetstar to Bali - Grumpy Cat ready to bail

 

[Daver6]

Has anyone taken flights QF43 & QF44? I'll be there 8 June to 13 June (land 14 June). Never been to Bali. Any suggestions for good 4-5 star accommodation?

Conrad Nusa Dua is decent enough. Often during a sale rooms can go at less than US$150/night. Many revues on it on this forum. Also far from the bogans.

If money was no object, I'd love to try out the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay.

 

[Limewood]

Okay I've taken the opportunity to visit Bali in J MEL-SYD-DPS and back using the QF DSC offer.

I'll be there 8 June to 13 June (land 14 June). Never been to Bali. Any suggestions for good 4-5 star accommodation?

You might find my recent Bali travel report interesting.

 

[LadyC]

Have stayed at The Legian, Ulin Villas and more recently FS Jimbaran Bay. Would recommend all of them as options. Plenty of good accommodation - you probably need to work out what your price point is and whether you have a preferred location. Style of holiday will also potentially direct where to locate yourself.

 

[pjm99au]

Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua would be my suggestion for a first timer.

1. Away from Kuta
2. Nice beach (so many including the Conrad aren't)
3. Easy stroll to the Bali Collection shopping centre for groceries, dinning and shopping from stalls to specialty to department store
4. Pretty good club lounge (not as good as the Conrad)
5. Extensive variety of pools
6. Around 20 minutes from the airport.

 

[samh004]

The new Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak looks good... but its opening date has now been pushed back to June. With several date slips, might be a bit risky choosing it over somewhere already open.

 

[albatross710]

Different strokes for different folks. We've been to Bali three times in the past 18 months. We found ourselves staying at a hotel in Legian AUD65/night (IDR650,000)

Not beach front
Not full of bogans
Lots of food options outside the hotel
Nice pool
Simple breakfast
Cheap & cheerful
SPA treatments and massages closeby $6-$20

For us we have the luxury of having the time and work flexibility for a long holiday rather than short and sharp.

We've stayed away from the larger resorts where increasingly things are priced closed to Australia first world prices. When we want to pay those we stay home.

Alby

 

[alieninperth]

Being up there that year (for the first time), I was surprised to find that I hated Nusa Dua. If I wanted that sanitised version of a holiday with $10 beer and $30 pizza I would have gone to Queensland. I much preferred Ubud, cooler (temperature wise), a lot more laid back, less bogans, considerably cheaper for accommodation, drinks and food. Kuta is unashamedly what it is. A very, very busy tourist hotspot. There is a place for everyone there.

I stayed in all three places to try and have different types of holidays. Is that an option for you?

Next time we go I think we'll try Legian and or seminyak.

 

[Ausbt]

Geeze, Villa in Seminyak, no idea why someone would go to some 5* hotel in Bali. Space @ Bali is lovely. Get yourself a pool villa. Go out and eat at some decent Warungs, imbibe at some decent bars and get extremely indecent in the privacy of your pool villa. Sure, go to the Intercontinental for a spa treatment if you must (we did) but really, those 5* hotels are not Bali.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Far from the madding bogans.

Also far from the bogans.

Not full of bogans

Interesting comments! So what exactly defines a 'Bogan'? Middle aged Australian male with a beer gut hanging out of a 'Bintang' singlet? FTR - some of the nicest people I know fit this definition:

Being up there that year (for the first time), I was surprised to find that I hated Nusa Dua. If I wanted that sanitised version of a holiday with $10 beer and $30 pizza I would have gone to Queensland.

Could not agree more - I have stayed at Nusa Dua once - you get the opportunity to walk from 5* resort to 5* resort and get robbed at each.

XMAS 2015 we stayed ad Double 6 in Legian - fabulous hotel - fabulous location right in middle of action and right on beach - just walk 100mtrs and you can eat in 100 different restaurants mostly owned by locals at such cheap prices - and the quality from sensational to questionable - that is a holioday in a 3rd world country.

There is the brand new Alila resort opened right on beach in Seminyak - just down from W Hotel - location is great as walking distance to all the fabulous restaurants in Seminyak

 

[Pushka]

I define bogans by behaviour and not dress . Bogans are the loud, beer swilling (not beer drinking) types who yell across the crowds just because they think they need to be heard, get drunk, take over public places as though they own them, and generally get in my space. They don't talk - they yell. They can be old or young. Fit or fat. Male or female.

 

[Ausbt]

Bogans are the loud, beer swilling (not beer drinking) types who yell across the crowds

Have never seen any in Seminyak, Canngu or Ubud. Saw some at Tullamarine once, replete with Bintang singlets. But in Bali itself? No, haven't noticed any. Guess they weed (!) them out at customs.

 

[BillytheFIsh]

Interesting comments! So what exactly defines a 'Bogan'? Middle aged Australian male with a beer gut hanging out of a 'Bintang' singlet? FTR - some of the nicest people I know fit this definition...

Sorry, no true bogan would be caught dead drinking Duval !

 

[Pushka]

Have never seen any in Seminyak, Canngu or Ubud. Saw some at Tullamarine once, replete with Bintang singlets. But in Bali itself? No, haven't noticed any. Guess they weed (!) them out at customs.

That would be correct. . The odd one or two might do a day trip to Ubud though
Hang around Legian and Kuta beach for a bit.

 

[drivatruk]

Use airbnb to find a nice quiet villa inSeminyak area. Book through QF and get some points for your trouble. Good food in the area includes Chandi, Sarong, and La Casetta, a little out of town but with beautiful home made italian. Breakfast at La Luciola is a tradation after 15 visits for my first breafast. I take 3 hours to look at the ocean and just chill over some coffees and fruit drinks.

 

[Limewood]

Doing it tough at Ultimo restaurant in Seminyak 1st March 2017 on my 75th with the love of my life stayed at Amadea Resort (honeymoon suite).

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

I realise this thread hasn't had much activity for a year, but I don't want to create a new one with the same questions.

Mrs_G and I are travelling through Indonesia from Jakarta, and we finish in Ubud. We are going to stay a few days in Bali before heading home.

I know nothing about Bali. I'm expecting the travel over the previous couple of weeks to take its toll, and so we just want to chill out for a few days.

Should we remain in Ubud (we'll have overnighted there) or head down to the coast? Reading through the thread, I am probably less enamoured by resorts but do want to eat and drink well.