Qantas and Bali/Denpasar

I’m hoping to book J reward return flights from CBR-DPS for late May/early June 2024.

10 days duration.

Can anyone assist with availability of J flights? I have ~210,000 QFF points and have access to 90,000 velocity + 200,000 flybuys that can be converted to velocity points. What would you recommend?

Prefer either lay flat or daytime flights.

Happy to consider stopover in SIN on the way home…
Virgin has day flights (and late flights) in each direction MEL - DPS...seat is poor obviously. There would be an overnight connection at MEL though before getting a CBR flight. At that time of year Qantas typically is operating 737 although I haven't checked if the A330 is sticking on SYD post peak season. Qantas points will get you into Jetstar business as well obviously.
 
What is your VFF/QFF tier.
The higher tier, the more chances you will get to those J seats.
As Bcworld mentions, go via MEL, its an easy walk to change from dom - int flights/terminals.
Also, you avoid the small planes, with link via SYD/or with QFlink via SYD.
Put on here, for someone with access to Expertflyer, its a website that list open seats by class of service, for airlines.
I don't have a paid one, some on here do pay for it, and they can see a lot of info.
If you are happy to go via SYD, maybe use the VFF and FB points to use the small planes provided by link to fly CBR - SYD and back.
JQ has daytime flights from MEL - DPS, not sure if they still use the 787 on this route, they might use the 320 without a J cabin.
QF might also do the routing, on the 737 with a J cabin.
The MEL QFi J lounge is in the basement, so not a very good start, ie, no outside view, its like a dungeon with fake windows curtains!
The SYD QFi J lounge is a bit better, with views to the outside.
I haven't checked the required number of points, but with QF, they want your QFF # to start, if you use the "use points" selection button.
You probably will have to do an overnight on the way back from DPS - MEL/SYD tho.
Best of luck.
===
Ah, QFF SG, that would hold you in good stead, as you are above those on lower status when QF releases seats.
Use VFF points to get from CBR - MEL/SYD.
With VFF PS, you will get 2 lounge access passes, so one in CBR, to go out, and one to use in MEL/SYD on return for flight to CBR, if you haven't used yours yet.
 
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I’m hoping to book J reward return flights from CBR-DPS for late May/early June 2024.

10 days duration.

Can anyone assist with availability of J flights? I have ~210,000 QFF points and have access to 90,000 velocity + 200,000 flybuys that can be converted to velocity points. What would you recommend?

Prefer either lay flat or daytime flights.

Happy to consider stopover in SIN on the way home…

Revenue flights MEL-DPS are cheap. Therefore I would only use points for something that was going to be a bit special. One possibility would be SQ First Class via SIN (with the SIN-DPS sector in J but costing no extra above the MEL-SIN route). Because it is a mixed class booking, it would have to be booked by phone through the KrisFlyer switchboard (transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer to make it happen). If there are not enough points to do this both ways, it could be fun to do it one way and revenue JQ the other way. Note that if you do a one way saver award on SQ you don't get a stopover - but you can stay overnight on a connection of 24 hours or less.
 
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Revenue flights MEL-DPS are cheap. Therefore I would only use points for something that was going to be a bit special. One possibility would be SQ First Class via SIN (with the SIN-DPS sector in J but costing no extra above the MEL-SIN route). Because it is a mixed class booking, it would have to be booked by phone through the KrisFlyer switchboard (transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer to make it happen). If there are not enough points to do this both ways, it could be fun to do it one way and revenue JQ the other way. Note that if you do a one way saver award on SQ you don't get a stopover - but you can stay overnight on a connection of 24 hours or less.
I'd need ~290,000 VFF points for two of us to do the SIN-MEL leg one way in First (minimum) - well outside my budget
 
Revenue over is cheap? $1190+ pp one way. Sorry, that's not cheap.

Points + $250pp taxes one way is cheap...
 
Revenue over is cheap? $1190+ pp one way. Sorry, that's not cheap.

Points + $250pp taxes one way is cheap...

I just popped in a random date for one way MEL-DPS and this is what I got. If you want to spend a stack of points to save a couple of hundred bucks then knock yourself out.

Screenshot 2023-09-07 at 7.51.41 pm.png
 
As this seems to have a number of Bali 'old hands' on it, can I turn to accommodation. I've asked a few people about this and the replies have been diverse as the choices. Seminyak, Nusa Dua, etc etc.

What we are looking at is 'far from the madding crowds' (we hope), quiet, relaxing, birdsong etc - for instance, up in the Ubud area. We aren't interested in beaches (or not much), or glam dining.

View attachment 339891

For example Five-Star Ubud Boutique Retreat within Payangan Rainforest, Ubud, Bali (ignore the LE frame - we may or may not get that).

Anyone stayed up that way? Heard of drawbacks (we don't think distance to good restaurants would be a deal breaker)? Yes, it'll be a long drive.
We spend 5 days in Ubud and 6 days in Nusa Dua in late August 2023 With Ubud, you would end up staying in a resort and not really going out too much as the crowds were crazy. You would need to make sure you liked the food at the resort. It was a 3.5 hour drive from the airport at 2.00pm. We preferred Nusa Dua - although people will say its not the real Bali or that it is manufactured/artifical. it is basically a huge row of lovely resorts which you can walk along the beach and never see a road if you don't want to! We found it a refreshing quite change from our previous visits which have been at Seminyak and Canggu. 30m from airport.
 
It was a 3.5 hour drive from the airport at 2.00pm.

Wow! Longer than I was thinking of, although we arrive at DPS at 10pm. Departing at 3pm though (but its JetStar, with a 70% late record).

This is really a strange one for me. Never really felt like going to Bali, except for a few passing 'wonder ifs', but friends are the key here. I liked their 'remote resort' idea.

Did I ever post what we booked - this, by Luxury Escapes.

Once I get there, I'll hopefully be able to make more sense of the various areas that people speak about; might get the return transfer extended and not go straight to the airport, and maybe I'll do a beach resort next time
 
Wow! Longer than I was thinking of, although we arrive at DPS at 10pm. Departing at 3pm though (but its JetStar, with a 70% late record).

This is really a strange one for me. Never really felt like going to Bali, except for a few passing 'wonder ifs', but friends are the key here. I liked their 'remote resort' idea.

Did I ever post what we booked - this, by Luxury Escapes.

Once I get there, I'll hopefully be able to make more sense of the various areas that people speak about; might get the return transfer extended and not go straight to the airport, and maybe I'll do a beach resort next time

I hope the wifi there is on a faster connection than the server hosting their website. Image loading reminded me of the days of dial-up internet!
 
Wow! Longer than I was thinking of, although we arrive at DPS at 10pm. Departing at 3pm though (but its JetStar, with a 70% late record).

This is really a strange one for me. Never really felt like going to Bali, except for a few passing 'wonder ifs', but friends are the key here. I liked their 'remote resort' idea.

Did I ever post what we booked - this, by Luxury Escapes.

Once I get there, I'll hopefully be able to make more sense of the various areas that people speak about; might get the return transfer extended and not go straight to the airport, and maybe I'll do a beach resort next time
It looks wonderful. I think this is the destination rather than try get an appreciation of all that Bali is. We tend to stick to one region only as the traffic is pretty horrific trying to get from one place to another.

Dont try make friends with the monkeys in monkey forest. The rice fields are spectacular.
 

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