Driver and hotel recommendations from our trip to Bali
 

I don't really have time to post an in-depth trip report. But realizing that folks sometimes search this forum for ideas, I wanted to belatedly share a few recommendations from a wonderful trip we took to Bali in August-September of last year.

First, our fantastic driver: Wayan Merta, [email protected]. Great guy, great car, very safe driver. He was very flexible in terms of showing us the usual sites while going a bit off the beaten track when we wanted to do so. Easy to talk to, but not so talkative that it was too much. Excellent English and very reliable.

As for places to stay, over the course of the trip we stayed at four great places. The websites should be easy to google, and the many glowing reviews easy to track down on Tripadvisor.com.

Conrad Bali, Nusa Dua. In Nusa Dua, you could be anywhere tropical (and not just Bali). But if you're going to be anywhere, Conrad Bali is a wonderful place to be and possibly the nicest place in Nusa Dua. I review it at the Hilton forum.

Munduk Moding. A boutique hotel with stand-alone cottages in the island's central upland area. Very small hotel with nice service, good food and fantastic reviews.

Amertha Bali Villas. Beautiful grounds and villas, each with its own pool, on the island's north shore. Walking distance to other places on the beach to eat and hang out, if you're so inclined.

Tegal Sari. In Ubud. Wonderful views overlooking a rice field, with the Monkey Forest and the center of town nevertheless within walking distance. We had the duplex unit and loved it for the views looking toward both sunrise and sunset.

By Bali standards, three of the four places don't come cheap. Tegal Sari was the best overall value, at well under $100/night for the duplex (and even less for most other units). The others were well over $100/night, but worth it.

Just to bump this post up, I want to second Thunderroad's recommendations for both the Conrad Bali and Wayan. We used points to spend 6-nights at the Conrad and had a truly phenomenal experience, and Wayan is exactly as described: very knowledgeable, very outgoing (without being too much), and very flexible. We made a number of stops, including at a traditional Balinese home, a temple, and the rice fields, and I really feel like we got a great sense of the island in a day. We recommended him to another couple at our hotel, and they had a terrific experience as well!

Feel free to PM me if you need any other details.