In Reply to: Thanks for the info! posted by Monica on Monday, 4. October 1999 at 22:28 Bali Time:
Om Swasti Aastu (Welcome)
Just got back from a great vacation in Bali. Here are a few recommendations regarding hotels, restaurants and drivers.
Hotels
I stayed at the Oberoi on Legian and Ritz Carlton in Jimbaran. The Oberoi is probably located on the best beach in Bali so its worth staying just for that. Its quite simple but also less expensive than the 5* in Nusa Dua. If your after that boutique hotel experience the Oberoi is unparalled. The staff know you within a day and are extremely helpful. The Oberoi can be best described as a Shangri-La and is a great place to travel to the rest of Bali.
The Ritz is very different in the sense that it is definatley a 5* hotel with all the trimmings. Its position is great but the baech is tough to get to. I'm quite athletic yet the walk down to the baech knocked me out. But don't let this bother you too much as what the Ritz lacks from a beach prospective it makes up with great grounds and a fantastic pool. The restaurants and bars are equally brilliant, all outside and nicely set out. The Damar terrace is exceptional with a lounging area you will be fighting the other guests for. The hotel is patronised by the Japanese frequently - I can only comment that this speaks for the quality of the hotel.
Nusa Dua hotels are not recommended. Big, impersonal, drab are a few adjectives I would use, others that I would like to aren't suitable for this forum. The whole area is devoid of any character. The night life is sadly misssing, the restaurants are the worst in Bali (the street food is substantially better)and the general atmosphere is soul destroying. The Galleria is equally bad - rip off prices, dodgy art work and loads of dodgy taxi drivers with no insurance.
Ubud is a great place to stay - try the Kamandalu, Kupu Kupu Barong or the Four Seasons at Sayan. I visited all of these and they are top notch. The Kupu has I think the best views of all.
If you don't manage to stay in Ubud it's a must for visiting. The area is teeming with great art work and fantastic views. Avoid the galleries for art work - they are about 100% more expensive than the local shops.
Restaurants
Go to:
Warisan (The Best)
Roma/Rosa on Jimbaran Bay (one of many seafood restaurants but easily the best on the bay)
La Lucciola (Nice place - OK food)
Oberoi (Good Indian food - great breakfast)
Bumbu Bali (Best Indonesian restaurant in the world)
PJ's (Good pizzas - great location)
Rasa Sayang (Good chinese - indoors though)
Made Warung (Not Bad)
Hard Rock (if you miss your burgers)
Avoid:
Made Warung (if its late)
All Galleria restaurants for lack of atmosphere
Ema restaurant
Street food (hygiene reasons only)
La Porchetta (heard it was good but I thought it was rubbish)
Drivers
I used a chap called Wayan Nama - my Balinese guru. A great guy who helped me pay for purchases when I ran out of money, taught me about Balinese Hinduism, spoke near perfect English, helped me with bargaining, framed all of the prints I bought and a whole host of other things I can't remember. He introduced me to the real Bali, the villages the people and the spiritual lifes they lead. A real find and one person I will remember from my trip.
I hope this is useful. E-mail me at zauq@hotmail.com for any further info.
Terimakesih (Thank you)
RT