Bali to Sydney December 2022

[uncletanus]

My wife and I will be aboard the Shadow in December when she sails from Bali to Sydney.  We are planing to spend 2 full days in Bali before the cruise.  We will probably be staying in Denpasar or Ubud.  Does anyone have any hotel recommendations?   Also any suggestions of things to see and do would be greatly appreciated.  If anyone has a tour guide recommendation that would be great.  
 

Thank you. 

[turtlemichael]

Haven't been to Bali much in recent years but, f you have just two days, I'd suggest you either pick a nice beach resort or stay in Ubud and concentrate on that as there will not be much time to do a lot. There are a number of top end resorts and hotels around the island as I'm sure you are aware. We've used a guide previously (sorry, don't now have the details) and that was worthwhile given we therefore avoided driving in the traffic. We are on the same cruise as you and will have three nights prior at the Conrad which is easily accessible to both the airport and the Benoa cruise port. Our plan is to do nothing and just relax at the hotel.

[Fletcher]

Bali has changed dramatically in the last ten years or so - I first went there in the early 1990s and it was a sleepy little paradise with relatively few hotels.  Back then the best beach choice was the Oberoi and in Ubud the then brand-new and game-changing Amandari.  Today, there is massive traffic, huge resorts, junk food joints and all the rest.  Its a cheap beach place for many Australians.  It's OK for a quick two-nighter before a cruise but I wouldn't ever take a long stay there.  It rains an awful lot in December-March, right across the archipelago to the Arafura Sea.

 

I'd try and avoid the Nusa Dua area.  The Four Seasons on Jimbaran beach is probably OK and the new Raffles in Jimbaran gets some good reviews - it looks beautiful..  In Ubud there is a lot of choice - still Amandari in my view.  Best hotel of all is still probably Amankila on the east coast.  

Edited July 8, 2022 by Fletcher

[uncletanus]

Thank you very much for the information.   Turtlemichael is the Conrad the hotel that Silversea uses?

[TER777]

Tour guide recommendation: https://www.recommendedbalidriver.com/. Gede was excellent when 3 of us spent ~ 3 days with him when in Bali on a Crystal Cruise maybe 5 years ago.

[turtlemichael]

3 hours ago, uncletanus said:

Thank you very much for the information.   Turtlemichael is the Conrad the hotel that Silversea uses?

They haven't announced their Bali hotels as yet. It's possible it could be the Simply one. However, I am there because it is quite decent, conveniently located and I'm using up some of the hotel points we haven't been able to use.