In Reply to: Staying at Balian in September posted by Catdog on Friday, 1. January 2010 at 16:39 Bali Time:
and loved it! We are family of 3, my husband (the surfer), 3yo daughter & me. We rented the upstairs unit & had the place to ourselves for 4 of the 5 nights we stayed. There are views of the break from the upstairs unit & it is only a short walk to the beach (10 mins or less). It's a harder walk coming back as there is a small hill but I am not especially fit & could manage it easily. We definitely needed the aircon at this time of year, particularly at night when you don't want windows & doors open to let in mossies. It would be stifling inside without it.
Kubu is beachfront but it is still a short walk to access the beach, prob less than 5 mins & you still have that uphill walk home.
There is a place right next door to Breezes which we checked out when walking by one night "Istana Balian". It's been built by an Aussie guy from Perth and the place is brand spanking new, they were still finishing it off when we were there. It had very nice rooms, the 2 rooftop rooms had awesome views & 1 had a luxe bathroom! I have the contact details if you want but there is no website up & running yet.
Best positioned accommodation was the Pondok Pittaya "surfer hotel" run by a Canadian guy. We checked out the family room there which, from memory, was RP 1.1 million per night & slept about 6. Was a bit basic for my tastes - no aircon, TV or DVD - but it was clean & spacious. The restaurant at Pondok Pittaya was fantastic & we ate most meals there. It was cheap & the food, relaxed vibe and views were awesome. It was great for my little one as you get free use of the pool there when you eat/drink at the restaurant.
There are very few other restaurants - a small warung at Ayu homestay, restaurant at Pondok Pisces & the big restaurant at the french run resort "Gaja Mina". We had a couple of meals at Gaja but was not particularly impressed with the quality although the menu options & specials are enticing! Without doubt the best meals were had at Pondok Pittaya and the 2 dinners we had Ketut make for us at Breezes.
If "chill time" is what you're after, you are going to love Balian. It's a world away from Kuta/Legian so peaceful & quiet with no shops, no hawkers & absolutely no hassles :o)
If you need any more info, feel free to ask away