We just got back after 18 days in Bali. Its a very long flight from uk so it takes quite a few days to get over jet lag.
In our view Bali was a flawed paradise. A combination of the stunning but also the very ugly - The ugly was the incessant hassle you get from touts - worse at the most popular sights and the disgusting state of the beach at Seminyak/Legian - the rampant pollution - the stunning was the scenery, temples, culture, dance. We stayed for the first five nights at the bali Hyatt in Sanur - to get over our anticipated jetlag we upgraded and got free cocktails and snacks from 5pm to 7pm - free transfers from airport and a free 1 hour massage at the spa - this was a great idea - we were pretty well out of it in the evenings for the first few days so didnt need to eat dinner out at all and the breakfasts were superb. It is a fab hotel set in stunning grounds. Arrival had been no problem - only a few people on our connecting flight from KL and so there were no queues for VOA at all. Then frangipani garlands and fruit cocktails to greet us at the hotel!.
The first five days were great - we took a cab (really cheap to get taxis) to the barong dance near Denpasar - if you go there make sure you get transport back at the end - we didnt and it took a while before a car passed us! The into Denpasar to check out the museum and markets. The museum was poor - and they even tried to rip us off selling us the tickets!! We walked to the main markets which were fascinating but we were constantly followed by women which was really annoying - jumped in a cab back to Sanur (just 24,000 rupiah on the clock) The massage at the Bali Hyatt spa was superb - best we had in our holiday.
Sanur was a really nice place - none of the hassle we got later - a clean beach, some really nice shops and restaurants. We took a free trip in the Hyatts shuttle bus down to their sister hotel in Nusa Dua but found it souless (and empty).
We negotiated a car to Ubud for 70,000 and stayed for five nights at the Alila - this is a superb place - one of the best pools in the world - lovely rooms - beautiful location, but a bit too far from Ubud - they only had about four shuttle bus times in . We had again booked an upgraded special offer through directrooms-indonesia and so had another complimentary massage a complimentary dinner and free sparkling wine on arrival!
We really enjoyed our stay in Ubud - so much so that we added three more nights at the Komaneka Resort in town. This is another delightful place, right in the middle of Ubud but with views over rice paddy fields. One day we came across a gamelan rehearsal in the Ubud Palace and stayed to watch for over an hour while the young musicians and dancers practised - fascinating - we late came back to watch a superb legong dance at the same place in the evening and on another evening went to the atmospheric kecak dance lit just with flickering oil lamps - anyone visiting Bali must see these dances - they are exceptionally beautiful and evocative. We were a bit underwhelmed by the Monkey Forest - if you like monkeys it is a must see, but watch your bags!! We were very impressed with the Neka Art Gallery - a really well laid out gallery giving a clear history of the islands artistic influences and differing styles.
While in Ubud we took a trip to a cremation - an odd thing to do on holiday but it was worth it!! We were the only foreigners there and stayed for about three hours, first at the home then joining in the procession to the cremation ground. The local people were lovely and talked us through all the rituals and ceremonials that were taking place . The entire community turns out, maybe 500 or so.
We took two days with car and driver from Ubud - Made Suheta was very good - just took us where we asked - not to any shops!! On the first day we went to the Elephant cave, then the Temple of the Moon , Pura Penataram Saih, then Gunbung Kawi - a really beautiful site where massive tombs are carved out of the hillside, then on the holy Springs at Tampaksiring. This is supposed to be the elixir of life, so we splashed some on! The locals wanted us to jump in but we didnt take up that offer!. We went up to the crater at Kintamani and the temple Pura Ulun Batur. On our way back from this trip we saw the ugly side of Bali as the police stopped our driver and he had to bribe them to proceed. This was the norm he explained - he was fully licensed etc but if he did not pay the police could make it very difficult for him - That night we went to a shadow puppet show in Ubud - mercifully much less than the full three hour version they do in the villages but fascinating for its 50-minute length
On our next trip we went east to bangli to see the Pura Kehen temple - relaly tranquil and beautiful with a spectacular banyan tree in the courtyard. On to Klunkung and the royal palace - with the ceiling depicting what happens to you if you fart in public (you have your intestines plucked out through your anus!!) On to the bat cave where some extremely smelly things seem to be emanating from the bats anuses!! The temple here is dreary and not worth seeing - we stopped at a really good seafood restaurant in Candidasa before going up to the old Aga bali village of Tenganan. We had been looking forward to this but were a bit disppointed to find that it wasnt quite as authentic as the Rough Guide says and every house is now a shop!! still the old village itself is very interesting to walk in and look at. Made was a great driver and charged us 170,000 and 250,000 for the two days driving
While in Ubud we had to have the roast suckling pig at the place next to the Palace - this is a must in Ubud - every lunchtime they get through three pigs so you know it is fresh - and all the locals eat here!!
Finally we spent five nights at the Seminyak Sofitel and here our holiday began to go a bit pear-shaped. The hotel is in the middle of renovation and should be avoided until these are finished! The beach next to the hotel was absolutely disgusting - all the way to legian - and I mean disgusting - piles of plastic rubbish - we even nearly trod on a syringe. Luckily we took a day trip with Gusti Gunung - another recommendation from this site - and saw some beautiful temples towards Bedugul and Lake Bratan. These included the stunning temple at Mengwi - Pura Taman Ayam set in a double moat, on to the butterfly farm and then the almost desertedPura Luhur Batukan on the slopes of the volcano surrounded by dense jungle - quiet, serene, spiritual. Through some spectacular paddy fields to the Lake and Pura Ulun Danu, which on all the pictures floats serenely on the lake but in reality the water levels are low and you can walk to it!! Gusti stopped at a splendid local market that we spotted on the way home and we were surrounded by trucks full of peppers, cabbages, tomatoes and very strange fruits!! Great photos and no hassle to sell us anything - We ended up at Tanah Lot just before sunset - well we had to do it and the waves and temple views were great, but we hated the gross commercialism of the site.
Well we had to go to Kuta - but wished we hadnt - ghastly place - bought a few DVDS and legged it as fast as we could!!
Bali is a great place, but we had serious hassles in many places - which actually put us off those places - you cant enjoy the beautiful view of the volcano and crater lake at Kintamani if you are constantly hassled by sellers. We didnt even go to Besakih as all the locals told us that the hassles were unpleasant. Gusti was one of the few people we met on Bali who had seroius concerns for the future - he was very concerned by the hassles that tourists get, concerned by the pollution - he really wanted to do something about it but said that there were big problems as the local governement couldnt accept the problems and change. Once you got past the people who wanted to sell you things the people were delightful - the temples stunning and the culture fascinating - I fear for the future of Bali though - in ten years time the greed of the people may make it impossible for tourists to go on the streets and it could become like Mauritius where the rich tourists stay the whole time behind hotel walls under guard, This is already happening in upmarket Seminyak I think - and Nusa Dua of course, - However on balance I would recommend people to Bali - but watch out for the rip-offs - there are many and the tourist trap locations which are hard-going. By the way we ended our trip with a final massage at Bodyworks in Seminyak and dinner at the Ku De Ta restaurant - now this was really cool - a fab laid back (but relatively pricey) with great food. Back in a freezing England now - it is 2 degrees today!!
with thanks for all the suggestions from Forumites - it was a great help in the weeks leading up to our trip
graham and lindley