Well , I loved it , great holiday, loved the way the island has such a lot of culture. Not great on trip reports but these are a few things I really loved.... Ubud was a highlight, Ubud Bungalows great , fantastic room for 30 dollars a night.
We particularly enjoyed the crispy duck in Dirty Duck's

Sanur, enjoyed the peace and relaxation, loved Pregina and Bonsai Cafe for eats also Cafe Smorgas for lunch. Loved the flowers and music of Bali, enjoyed the beach pathway and long strolls, loved the shopping , bought loads even though I said I wouldn;t do a lot of shopping this time

Found Bali to be great value for eating out and buying silver and housey goods , would definitely go back and the spas were great had a hot stone massage which I loved.

I can see why you like it so much Fiona.

Glad to hear that you loved Bali... another Bali convert We are back on the 27th Dec for another two weeks.

What did you think of the Royale Bingtang in KL ? I've read some ordinary comments about it and was worried about staying there especially after going to the Park Royal first. Anyway, we had a good talk to ourselves about Location Location Location and it's only 2 nights and we booked with Go Holiday (Air Asia's hotel booking website) cheaper than Asia Rooms.

Asia Rooms are showing some very silly prices and it pays to check other hotel booking agencies and hotels direct first.

Cheers Geri

Just a note about a Asia Rooms - some people think they are the be all and end all - but i'd be very wary if anyone ever books with them because their prices come back so cheap, and then they come back to you can say 'sorry hotel is full, how about this one'...

If this happens, always check another source or the hotel directly before accepting an alternative..!

http://www.dmahotel.com/blacklist/

Anyway, Bali, has anyone mentioned sunset at Tanah Lot?

Hi Shirley,

Glad that you had a great time - Ubud and Sanur certainly seem to have hit the mark - and you went for the spas

We have 44 days to our next KL / Bali fix (or does 6 weeks and 2 days sound better!)

I think your feedback said it all

Peter

I am so pleased you enjoyed Bali. It is a magical place. Did you go to any of the temple dances?
I think the Ubud Bungalows was next to ours- is it the one with the absolutely stunning flowers and foliage? I've added it to our reviews by the way

Sam

When I say Asia Rooms have silly prices I actually mean their prices are sky high. This time in our case booking direct with the ParkRoyal in Penang is over $AUD600 cheaper for the same category, than Asia Rooms website.

However, I have seen very low prices on AR and I know from experience they cannot be correct as I've priced them elsewhere and as much as I'd like to grab that price I knew it would come back as 'not available'.

We have been to Bali 10 times now and NEVER seen a fabulous Bali sunset . We spend a lot of time at beach bars at dusk and so far there has always been a cloud on the water just as the sun drops out of the sky... Still a lovely sight and wish I was there now instead of a chilly Melbourne Winter Brrrr!!!

We noticed how expensive Asia rooms had got as well - they were charging 7000 baht per night for the hotel we wanted in Ko Lanta in March which we got for 3500 direct.

We did the the obligatory trip to Tanah Lot, Bali a few years ago to see the sunset. Bit of a bunfight as hundreds of other tourists were doing the same thing, and on our visit the sunset was nothing to write home about. Now the sunsets on Lanta they were something else.

We stayed at the the Royale Bintang 2 years ago on our way to Bali- it was fine and did its job- its not 5 star but I'm only interested in a place being clean and comfy and it was both. Good location across from Jalan Alor and only about 10-15 mins walk from Chinatown.
Good breakfast- pretty much what you expect- eggs of varying sorts, western and esatern options, staff were good too and happy to help us out

Hi all, sorry my report was very short but I have been a bit poorly since being home (flu)
Just a couple more things I forgot to mention, we loved the Porch Cafe which is in Flashbacks in Sanur for thier beautiful coffee and cakes
Intan was a great spa for massage and facials, also the one opposite the Swastika Bungalows, sorry forgot the name but it has lovely white silk umberellas outside.
Warung Rib was great for meals too

Gerib I liked the Royale Bintang very much and the location was brilliant for Jalan Alor. We were very happy with the room we booked (deluxe) and the breakfast was very good, would not hesitate to stay there again, we visited the Reborn Spa which is opposite for a fish spa, which I loved

Shirley
sorry to hear you are not good- flu and jetlag
I have added Royale Bintang- I thought I did that ages ago. Looks like a good choice of hotel for KL - esp being close to Jalan Alor

Fiona...what's Bali like compared to Thailand and Malaysia?
We're looking for somewhere "same same but different" after Christmas.

We don't mind the odd expensive meal or hotel stay, but like to travel around, find a good beach, decent hotel, good value spa with massage, food choice...see a bit of scenery and do some exploring etc..

I dont think you can compare. Bali is not the place to go for pristine beaches and lots of shacks.
Its similar to Thailand in that the people are friendly, and will mither you to look at their shop. Food is great( as it is in Malaysia and Thailand). It is very cheap to eat out. There is a wide range of hotels. Bali wins the scenery stakes. I keep saying it is like paradise and it is. Absolutely stunning scenery. Its definitely my favourite place.

Like Fiona says, Bali is not about the beaches. However, it makes a great combination with Lombok, a mere 25 minute flight away, which does have amazing beaches!