Wakatobi and Bali
Ramone Cila
dive resort in the Banda Sea). The only flight to Wakatobi picks us up in
and returns us to Bali. We will spend only a week at Wakatobi and are
looking for some another place to spend time while in the area. Since we
have to be in Bali coming and going I was wondering if it is a place worth
visiting and a place where one could relax (hopefully no hustle/bustle) as
well as have interesting sites to visit.
If Bali is nice that would make it easier than flying to some other
location. By nice I mean clean, maybe some resorts or areas that are not
crowded, welcome Americans, good food, variety of sites (historical or
novel) to visit...etc. We will probably not be looking for diving in Bali. I
think it will be more along the lines of veg, and short trips of interest
followed by good food and drink. A luxury resort would not bother me at all.
Any help would be appreciated.
Miguel Cruz
I don't know anything about resorts, but Bali one of the nicest places on
the planet.
Maybe if you said a little about your budget people would be able to
recommend a place to stay. I usually stay in the $3-$5/night places because
they're plenty nice enough - private bungalow with bath, fan, breakfast.
From there you can go up, really, as high as you want.
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 30 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
Ramone Cila
"Miguel Cruz" <m...@admin.u.nu> wrote in message
news:fI6dnWY_5O_...@speakeasy.net...
My apologies, I thought I addressed that when I said "a luxury resort would
not bother me at all".
I am not looking for budget accommodations in Bali, we'll spend our time in
Wakatobi in a bungalow. In terms of pure US dollars, up to 3 or 4 hundred
dollars a night for two is the range I hope would get us on a nice quiet
property, with privacy and services. And while I am concerned with
accommodations I am also concerned that Bali isn't an Asian Vegas or
DisneyWorld. I have heard a few different opinions on that point. Some
people find it overwhelmingly crowded, loud and commercial while others have
said it was relaxingly quiet and private.
I am looking for the latter and my wife will be wanting a high level of
accommodation and service. And am asking if Bali offers a diverse menu of
things to see and do. Hikes, trips etc to ruins, markets, scenic vistas etc.
Thanks for your help Miguel!
Miguel Cruz
> My apologies, I thought I addressed that when I said "a luxury resort would
> not bother me at all".
>
> I am not looking for budget accommodations in Bali, we'll spend our time in
> Wakatobi in a bungalow. In terms of pure US dollars, up to 3 or 4 hundred
> dollars a night for two is the range I hope would get us on a nice quiet
> property, with privacy and services.
Ok - I'll leave the accommodation question to others as I don't think I can
be very helpful.
> And while I am concerned with accommodations I am also concerned that Bali
> isn't an Asian Vegas or DisneyWorld. I have heard a few different opinions
> on that point. Some people find it overwhelmingly crowded, loud and
> commercial while others have said it was relaxingly quiet and private.
It's both - depends on where you are. There are some areas of dense tourism
development, full of hotels and western-food restaurants and people offering
tours and transportation to every foreigner they see. Almost all of these
areas are in the south, within a few km of the airport.
> I am looking for the latter and my wife will be wanting a high level of
> accommodation and service. And am asking if Bali offers a diverse menu of
> things to see and do. Hikes, trips etc to ruins, markets, scenic vistas etc.
All of the above. Not necessarily so many ruins, but many things
(particularly temples and related facilities) are still built in the same
styles as hundreds of years ago. Here's a typical building on temple
grounds:
http://travel.u.nu/photo-id-22.php
This kind of stuff is everywhere you look, once you're outside of the
touristy areas (and it's there too, but you often have to wander down the
back alleys to fid it). If you're in a town, you're never more than about a
5 minutes' walk from a temple.
In addition to the island-wide holidays, each temple has an annual festival
of its own. As you can imagine, with that many temples, you're never very
far from a festival. They're beautiful affairs; dozens or hundreds of women
in beautiful dresses walking down the road with offerings of fruit piled
high atop their heads; men in matching sarongs, sashes, and shirts playing
music as they walk along. If you are away from a touristy area you will
surely be invited to come along and watch the festivities.
Markets are all over the place; personally I enjoy the night market in
Gianyar (on the main road through town) which is very friendly and offers a
wide sampling of good (but spicy!) food.
You can wander as you please through the rice terraces, there are also
national parks, rivers, and mountains to hike. You're supposed to hire a
guide to climb the volcano, and I have to admit the guide culture at the
base of the mountain is pretty annoying.
And of course there are the beaches. Surfing, swimming, diving, boat rides,
whatever you like.
Sue Wright
Wakatobi in a bungalow. In terms of pure US dollars, up to 3 or 4 hundred
dollars a night for two is the range I hope would get us on a nice quiet
property, with privacy and services.
Hi Ramone
The best place for questions re Bali is the Bali Forum
http://www.balitravelforum.com/index.html The people who run the site are in
the business of renting villas etc but there is plenty of advice available
from regular visitors.
A lot of the resorts are in the South as Miguel said, such as the exclusive
Nusa Dua area, luxurious but in my opinion sterile. I would opt for a
private villa if I were in your price bracket, or a hotel away from Sanur,
Nusa Dua etc. There are many in the area of Ubud, which is the centre of
arts and culture in the heart of the rice terraces, thronging with tourists
now but still a great place to be. Where ever you decide to stay a car and
driver-guide will be able to show you magical places, not too far away.
Regards Sue www.wright-photo.com Look for the Bali Map.
Mediakzar
http://www.travelforum.org/bali/index.html A very good source for lots of
info.
If you've got a week in Bali, you might consider visiting a couple of
locations. The real touristy area is in the south. At Kuta Beach you'll find
a lot of partying but not much of what I think of as the real culture of Bali.
Some of the nicer places are in Tanjung Benoa / Nusa Dua. We've stayed at the
Aston Bali Spa and it was very nice and way under your budget.
We've also stayed at The Oberoi Bali on Seminyak beach and it is probably more
along the lines of what you are describing. A very nice property with private
accomidations, some with private pools and gardens. We've never stayed there
but I have heard that The 4 Seasons is pure luxury.
If you get the chance, I would strongly recommend traveling up into the
mountains for a couple days in Munduk and a stay at the Puri Lumbung Cultural
Hotel. It is set in the middle of ponds and rice fields around 800m above sea
level.It is and extremely tranquil area between Lake Bratan / Buyan /
Tamblingan and the north coast. Wonderfully isolated area offering
traditional rural Balinese culture. Aain this is way under your budget but I
can't imagine anyone not falling in love with this place.
Hire a driver for most or all of your stay. For $30-$40 a day he will drive
you and be your own personal tour guide. We really like Wyan Merta who has a
web page at http://www.bali-paradise.com/see-bali/ Very nice dependable guide
and a safe driver.
>Subject: Re: Wakatobi and Bali
>From: "Sue Wright" suewR...@hotmail.com
>Date: 9/8/04 1:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <NKH%c.37614$Nd6.8...@news20.bellglobal.com>
grinszju
Hi,
a very good place in bali is the amed area on the east coast: it's a
very quiet place with a lot of beautiful resort. I was in santai hotel
(http://www.santaibali.com) and it was beautiful (very clean, quiet,
...) and for a very reasonable price (about 50-60 $ night with breakfast
wich is very expensive for bali).
The problem (for me it wasn't a problem...) is that it's a remote area
and you need a lot of time to get there in car from airport (about 4
hours...).
For diving (you don't plan to dive but diving can be very good in
bali...) there is some of the best dive in bali: the liberty wreck, Gili
selang, ...
In conclusion Bali is a beautiful area (except the south - kuta).
best regard,
julien
www.diveinredsea.com
Ramone Cila
particulalry for one such as me having never visisted Bali before. Once
again thanks so much for the assist.
"Mediakzar" <medi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040909231451...@mb-m17.aol.com...
Ramone Cila
register on my radar and I am thankful you pointed it out. It looks great.
Now my problem is that I cannot visit every place and just a week ago I was
wondering if there was enough to spend a week exploring :^)
egmacrae
My wife and I went to Wakatobi last year and stayed at the Pansea Puri
Bali Hotel while in Bali in a beach bungalow. Here is the web address
http://baliwww.com/pansea/. We liked it there very much. If we did a
second trip to Bali here are the two other places we would stay.
http://www.begawan.com/ , http://www.thebale.com/. Ask Crispin at
Wakatobi to hook you up with Radi to give you a tour of some Bali
sights while you are there. Gar MacRae
Ramone Cila
"egmacrae" <egma...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:14f8aadc.04091...@posting.google.com...
> My wife and I went to Wakatobi last year and stayed at the Pansea Puri
> Bali Hotel while in Bali in a beach bungalow. Here is the web address
> http://baliwww.com/pansea/. We liked it there very much. If we did a
> second trip to Bali here are the two other places we would stay.
> http://www.begawan.com/ , http://www.thebale.com/. Ask Crispin at
> Wakatobi to hook you up with Radi to give you a tour of some Bali
> sights while you are there. Gar MacRae
Very nice Gar, thanks for the info. Actually I have been in touch with
Crispin to find out if they have yet installed AC in the beach
Bungalows...Ha ha (he keeps telling me they don't need it, then later says
it would be nice to have it. I keep wondering why it would be nice if it
wasn't needed :^)
Now I have something else to bug him about.
Thanks again!
egmacrae
I really don't think air conditioning is necesssary because of
tradewinds. We were there in July and it wasn't unbearable. If you
have any other question regarding Wakatobi you can e- mail me
directly- Gar
Miguel Cruz
> "Ramone Cila" <do...@nt.spam> wrote:
>> Very nice Gar, thanks for the info. Actually I have been in touch with
>> Crispin to find out if they have yet installed AC in the beach
>> Bungalows...Ha ha (he keeps telling me they don't need it, then later says
>> it would be nice to have it. I keep wondering why it would be nice if it
>> wasn't needed :^)
>
> tradewinds. We were there in July and it wasn't unbearable. If you
> have any other question regarding Wakatobi you can e- mail me
> directly- Gar
night because it was too chilly.
Markku Grönroos
"Miguel Cruz" <m...@admin.u.nu> kirjoitti viestissä
news:cPadnb996Kd...@speakeasy.net...
>
> I was in Bali just a few weeks ago and I found myself turning off the fan
at
> night because it was too chilly.
>
any knob to ease the blow somewhat. The spinning blades have never caused
this though.
egmacrae
Ramone,Here is another website for you to browse. Aman resorts has
some great places in and around Bali. They are a little pricey but how
often to you get to that part of the world. Check out Amanawana.
That's my favorite.- Gar
Here their website http://www.amanresorts.com/
Gavin
www.divetheworldindonesia.com should tell you all you need to know about this area
egma...@yahoo.com (egmacrae) wrote in message news:<14f8aadc.04091...@posting.google.com>...