Bali - how much days pre-cruise ?

Embarking in Denpasar Bali next March for a cruise.

How much days pre-cruise can you recommend for seeing some of the highlights in Bali ? Ubud, maybe Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple, ...

What's best - staying in Ubud or Denpasar (Benoa beach, Seminyak, Jimbaran) ?

Choose the best hotel you can afford - start with Amandari or Amankila. Cheaper but maybe just as good is The Legian. Then the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay if you want a bigger resort.

Bear in mind that Bali is very touristy these days and unpleasantly busy in the area around Denpasar and Nusa Dua which I would avoid at all costs.

Also bear in mind that March is generally the hottest, stickiest and wettest time of year.

Embarking in Denpasar Bali next March for a cruise.

 

How much days pre-cruise can you recommend for seeing some of the highlights in Bali ? Ubud, maybe Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple, ...

 

What's best - staying in Ubud or Denpasar (Benoa beach, Seminyak, Jimbaran) ?

Not sure how much time you have, but a week either pre or post cruise would be ideal and give you a chance to see more of the island and absorb the culture. Perhaps split whatever time you have between Ubud and Sanur ?

Bali was one of my biggest travel disappointments and I have been to almost 100 countries. If you are prepared for traffic nightmares, garbage everywhere, including on rice paddy treks outside Ubud, ocean water in Jimbaran and in Nusa Dua with plastic bottles floating and taxi drivers that rip you off you will not as shocked as I was.

I would do no more than 2 days. I stayed at le Meridien in Jimbaran, the Conrad in Nusa Dua and Kajane in Nusa Dua. I did enjoy the Conrad and Kajane.

I second the traffic nightmare. There are probably very beautiful places on Bali, but I won't return.

Embarking in Denpasar Bali next March for a cruise.

 

How much days pre-cruise can you recommend for seeing some of the highlights in Bali ? Ubud, maybe Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple, ...

 

What's best - staying in Ubud or Denpasar (Benoa beach, Seminyak, Jimbaran) ?

Hi Nast,

Bali is a fabulous place to visit, which has a little bit of everything for everyone, depending on what you want. You can have the hustle and bustle of Kuta & Legian, with all their shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and markets or the quiet, more traditional areas of Ubud or Candi Dasa. These places also have shops, bars restaurants and markets but are less busy. Day trips to any part of the island are easy to organise either through your hotel or with the plentitude of drivers you will find on the street outside your hotels. These guys are reasonably priced and honest and if you build up a good rapport with them they will go the extra mile for you:D

As you are coming out of the cold of an European winter to a tropical climate, I would think at least 3/4 days to acclimatise would be a minimum. Of course this will depend on how much time you can spare.

Depending on your budget, you can find hotels in any price range from the most basic clean accommodation to the luxurious 6* hotels. We like to stay at Sanur, which is a good mix of plenty to offer, but with a quieter vibe. It is also popular with people from Europe.

When arriving in Denpasar (if it is your first time) it can be a little overwhelming when you first come out of the airport and the one thing I would recommend is to have organised a driver before you arrive as it can be a mad house.

It is true that there is rubbish around, but there has been a concerted effort in recent years to clean it up. Of course the more built up the area, the more untidy it looks, but once out in the countryside it is beautiful. The best thing about Bali is the beautiful people, who seemingly can never do enough to help.

Like any holiday, Bali will be what you make of it. If you go there thinking you are going to get a remote tropical island, untouched by the western world you will be disappointed. In the tourist areas it can be modern, busy, loud and touristy but out in the country there is a peaceful and relaxing vibe.

If I can be of any more help please don't hesitate to ask.

I wish you the most wonderful holiday and cruise:)

I agree with the comments by Wangeling Gal. Bali is what you make it and you definitely need time to see the wonderful sights.

Seminyak is now a very trendy and upmarket location with great restaurants and cafes but these can be expensive. Jimbaran Bay has some fabulous resorts and every night there used to be seafood restaurants pop up on the beach. (I haven't been to Jimbaran for a few years so not sure if this is still the case).

I think spending some time at a resort area and then a few days in the country area such as Ubud is the best way to go. As Wangeling Girl said it's easy to find 'transport' in Bali. You can arrange it through your hotel or engage a driver from the street however on the street you need to bargain for the fare. Most drivers have modern, air con vehicles and you can hire them by the day if you wish.

Make sure you visit some of the temples (you will need a sarong, both men and women) or you can hire one. Tanah Lot is beautiful to look at as it is situated in the ocean. Yes it's touristy with lots of stalls but I still think it's worth a look.

There are heaps of other temples that aren't touristy that your driver can take you to if you get a good one.

Also make sure you go to some Balinese dance performances as they are just wonderful. We have seen heaps and still like to go to a performance if we get the chance. ;) I'm no expert, but probably the Ubud area is the best place for this as the performance is held in the grounds of a temple. Yes, these are also aimed at tourists but they are still fun. The top dancers used to hail from nearby Peliatan so you may be able to go to a performance there. Check with your hotel.

If you choose to stay in Candi (pronounced Chandi) Dasa, makes sure you visit the Water Palace and see some of the surrounding countryside.

Bali has certainly changed since the first time I went there many years ago, but it is still beautiful and fascinating. If you go with the understanding that with the beauty there will be some less than beautiful sights.

PS I wouldn't stay in Denpasar as this is a busy city area.

Have a great cruise and stay in Bali and enjoy doing your research. There are heaps of sights to see in Bali outside of the main tourist haunts.

Any reviews of this hotel in Denpasar? It looks beautiful......is it removed from the masses?

Any reviews of this hotel in Denpasar? It looks beautiful......is it removed from the masses?

I'm sure the hotel would be beautiful. We haven't stayed there but from what I could see on the internet, the hotel is in the Nusa Dua area. If this is the case, it's in a tourist enclave which is just full of hotels catering to tourists. It depends on individual tastes but it's not for me.

I'm not sure what you mean by getting away from the masses as the areas where there are lovely hotels are going to have tourists. The busiest areas would be Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. Sanur is a lot quieter with a pleasant beach (at least it was last time I looked). Jimbaran Bay is also quieter with lovely hotels and Candi Dasa is quite a way to the east of Bali but would be well away from the masses. Ubud is in the countryside, it's beautiful and a lot quieter than Kuta but still a lot busier these days than in the past. There are also some lovely hotels here and it sounds that Ubud would suit your tastes as a lot of the hotels are 'isolated' and away from the town.

I suggest you do some research based on what activities are important to you.

Have a great stay in Bali whatever you choose.

Bali is a small island with 3 million people living there. Add to that the thousands of tourists that arrive there everyday, it can seem pretty busy. But once through the front doors of your hotel, it's normally a quiet oasis, and you forget that it is hustle and bustle outside. As Bronte2 said there are quieter areas you can stay at, outside of the Kuta/Legian/Seminyak areas. The hotel you are interested in does look very nice, but I would research the Nusa Dua area to make sure it had plenty of what you want from a holiday. It looks like a family hotel, which normally means lots of kids. My personal preference is Sanur (and yes the beach there is lovely).

Have you thought about getting a villa? There are many of these on Bali. Most come with their own private pool, someone to service it everyday and a lady who comes in to make your breakfast. Many offer transfers within their prices. These can offer you all the peace and quiet you could want, yet still be in the middle of the action.

The only true way to get away from them 'masses' in Bali, would be to look at the outlying areas and choose what would be right for you..........though these are getting more and more popular all the time.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday :D

I second Sanur which evolved from a fishing village, but would avoid Nusa Dua which was an area purpose-built for tourists with smart hotels but no character.

We just returned from a weeks stay in bali.... We stayed at the Anapuri resort villas which were excellent.... We stayed in the six room villa but they do have a one room villa... They aren't cheap but included you have your own villa, pool and staff to fuss over you....breakfast is included and there is always a chef on hand to fix you lunch and dinner from the menu. They will pick you up from the airport and deliver you where ever you need to leave from... Also included is a driver that will take you anywhere. ( you only pay for fuel)....

Whilst there we visited Sanur ( just 20 min down the road), Ubud, butik and the big volcano..... We dined on the beach at jimbanan, avoided Kuta like the plague, but we did watch the sunset at Ku Te da

We had a great time in bali....

Sorry for any Grammar or spelling error this is Sent from my iPad

Embarking in Denpasar Bali next March for a cruise.

 

How much days pre-cruise can you recommend for seeing some of the highlights in Bali ? Ubud, maybe Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple, ...

 

What's best - staying in Ubud or Denpasar (Benoa beach, Seminyak, Jimbaran) ?

Two night at Four Seasons hotel is my top choice.

We will stay at the four seasons!

We will stay at the four seasons!

Where is the 4 seasons please? Is this at Sanu?

We were stayed in Bali for 3 days after our Crystal Cruise. To see Bali you have to hire a private driver. We had a delightful young gentleman by the name of Made Sabar who took us to Ubud (Sacred Monkey Forest), a Balinese dance, shopping, the volcano, etc. Made's email is madesabar@hotmail.com. Take lot's of Indonesian rupiah (1 US dollar + 12,100 rupiah !)