Everyone on this forum has been so absolutely amazing in answering this first timer's questions! I have a bunch more (as usual, and some of these are very random), and I figured I'd put them all in one post. I promise everyone the JBR to end all JBRs when I get back for the trouble!
* Anyone have an opinion of the Uluwatu Resort? My new itinerary is: Aug 12 - night @ Uluwatu Resort; Aug 13-16 - Hotel Barong in Kuta (going to use this time for activities like cruises, shopping...); Aug 16-18 - Tegal Sari in Ubud; Aug 18-20 - back to Barong (more to just chill out and drink!), then depart for one night at Conrad Singapore on my layover back to NYC. I've found lots of reviews of everything except Uluwatu. What think? And does this itinerary sound good?
* Do you generally need to prebook spas?
* If I take a taxi to Dreamland from Kuta, do I need to have the driver wait all day, or can I catch a cab back to Kuta?
* Are there things that I can buy in America (I'd imagine similar to Australia!) to give some of the poorer Balinese I encounter? I read something here once about pens...
* Any scams, other than the ones I read about here a lot (money changing, etc) that get pulled on solo females a lot that I should know about?
* Any recommendations for not having my stuff on the beach stolen while I'm swimming? (don't laugh if that seems paranoid - I'm from New York)
* I plan on spending about $75-100 USD on a unique wedding present for my boss while I'm there. She's an editor with eclectic tastes, and her fiancee is similar. Has anyone found some unbelivable, similarly priced object unique to Bali that they might point me in the right direction of?
* And please, Americans, don't be offended by this - am I better off telling locals I'm Canadian or something? I have U.S. friends who've been harrassed, doublecharged, etc when travelling internationally recently. I know the Balinese are very friendly, just wondering.
Any answers to any of these would be much, much appreciated. Thanks so much!