Asia - Indonesia: Surabaya to Bali

I'd appreciate any input folks with familiarity in this part of the world can offer.

I'm scheduled to take a vacay Summer 2012 to Indonesia and am currently slated to fly into Surabaya (JFK-HKG-SUB on CX). My plan had been to land in Surabaya, then spend 1-2 days in eastern Java, before taking the ferry across to Bali.

Are there any "must see" sights east of Surabaya and west of Bali that you'd recommend? What's the best way to have the flexibility to travel around to visit those sights?

I'm (probably) not gutsy enough to try and drive myself, so does it make sense to hire a driver? Any thoughts as to how to go about this?

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

Despite the pooh-poohing of other travelers, I quite liked Surabaya and spent an enjoyable couple of days there (2010). Probably the main site to visit between Surabaya and Bali is Mt. Bromo (as long as it's not actively erupting!). You can get from Surabaya to their overland by bus, then switch to minibus or car to get up into the hills. A private driver all the way is possible, but expensive. Then you can get from Bromo area to Bali via ferry. Since you sound like you are not experienced in this region of the world, under no circumstances should you consider self-driving.

This is a fairly common routing for the backpacker/hostel set but not so common for FlyerTalkers. Local hostels and agents can set travelers up with what's needed to make this entire journey. Or it can be done piecemeal, independently as you go...depends how experienced and how comfortable you are at independent travel in developing countries. This part of Indonesia has decent infrastructure and services and is not particularly hard traveling. Try searching other forums for advice, such as Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum, or Virtual Tourist, etc.

BTW, while it doesn't fit your geographical specifications on Java, you might also consider visiting Yogyakarta and Borobudur depending on your total time available in Indonesia.

Thanks Jiejie--I'll take your advice on other forums and local agents. My wife and I are rare breeds: we like luxury accommodations and experiences in more rough and tumble locations. I guess you might call it 'high end adventure travel.'

I lived outside of Beijing for a little while but that was a decade ago now, and while I'm very comfortable traveling in less-developed regions, I've never tried Indonesia. As for Yogyakarta and Borobudur, they were unfortunately shot down in the planning stage as too far away from other destinations to easily get to.

Thanks Jiejie--I'll take your advice on other forums and local agents. My wife and I are rare breeds: we like luxury accommodations and experiences in more rough and tumble locations. I guess you might call it 'high end adventure travel.'



Actually, not that rare a breed. I'm not sure what you call "rough and tumble locations." But Mt. Bromo area probably won't have the kind of luxury you are talking about, so if being able to stay in Amans, the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, or even slumming it in the Sofitel is an important criteria, you probably should just skip east Java and head from Surabaya to Bali.