In Reply to: I can't work it out either. People say posted by micki on Monday, 29. December 2008 at 06:32 Bali Time:
Many places would regard Sunday the 4th as end of the Christmas New Year period. Remember the other 86% of overseas people visiting Bali don't celebrate Australia's long year end holiday period. For them it's back to work straight after New Years day. My observation is rooms have been very difficult to find since mid December but are readily available from next week until Chinese New Year - that's also the normal pattern.
As has been mentioned many times before, but not as explicitly, the Bali authorities seem quite happy for Kuta Legian's old habituates to take their business to Phuket. Next year will be a difficult one regardless of destination but it's unlikely to change those long term goals, which have been pursued for ten years now.
The amusing part of these discussions is lack of awareness by many Australians as to how much they as a group have moved up market. Standing in the arrival area watching people come out from the Jetstar flights gives a very different impression to how the Qantas outflow looked 5 years ago. Try it yourself and also take a look at the hotels picking them up at the airport.