In Reply to: thanks ruby posted by jonno on Friday, 22. January 2010 at 19:49 Bali Time:
I am going to have problems answering this question... not sure how to... It really depends on how you interpret "well located", I guess.
We had not stayed at ND previously either, but my husband & I loved the place! Having said that, when we were younger, I think we would have hated it. In our 20's we used to ride a motor bike past Nusa Dua (our only past experience of it) & down to nearby Benoa to enjoy secluded, long, sandy beaches. Benoa has hotel lined beaches now & is not the same as 20yrs ago.... am sure ND has changed also.
Nusa Dua in general is rather isolated, but in a good way, I found. I liked the fact that it is in it's own exclusive little enclave. Security (for what it is worth) seems high & the general area is nothing like the more "common" (at the risk of sounding like a snob) Kuta-type area. Tourists are not the same as the Kuta-type tourists, shop owners are not as pushy as some other locations & the traffic in incomparable.
The general grounds of ND are well-maintained with manicured gardens/lawn.
The Novotel is a comfortable walk or quick taxi to the Bali Collection shopping centre, a quick taxi to Benoa water sports & a ?20min ride in usual traffic to Kuta. It is an easy walk to the beach or main street where various restaurants are located & is situated next to a beautiful golf course.
Perhaps it depends on your age & interests as to whether you would interpret it as 'well located'. I hope you find it so.