IAN-UK

Phuket has its own pockets of silliness. Switching from Bali to Phuket for the reason you suggest is like switching from Australia to New Zealand after reading someone was bitten by a spider in Darwin.

Bali is a large island, over ten times bigger than Phuket. It encompasses a stunning variety of terrain. One small part of the island has been taken over by mass tourism: a limited section of this attracts rowdy youngsters intent on a few alcohol-fuelled days in the sun. It's an area easily avoided.

ijgordon

Just chiming in on AspiringWorldTraveler's honeymoon planning.

My sense of Nusa Dua as an American, is that it's like being at a high-end resort in the Caribbean. Not why you travel 8000+ miles from the US. So we avoided.

We loved the Four Seasons in Ubud. Upgraded to the pool villa via Amex Platinum FHR. We know we probably paid a bit of a premium for the North American brand name, but as others have noted, service is top-notch, and the grounds are wonderful (something probably harder to get with a private villa).

For the beach portion, I was very happy at the W Seminyak. The resort itself is a *little* "sterile". But you can walk up/down the beach and explore, or you can take the golf cart shuttle to the front gate of the hotel (it's set quite far back from the main road), and the town is quite cute. Lots of shops and restaurants. And not sure how anyone gets fleeced by "money changers" - don't people use ATM's nowadays? The Villas look really nice, but they're further from the main lobby (another golf cart). We took an oceanfront room on the top floor instead. Should be beautiful sunsets (we never timed it right, or it was a tad too cloudy). The main drawback of Seminyak IMO, is, as mentioned, the beach itself isn't all that great and the ocean is not really safe for swimming (but fine for wading/dipping). I sat mostly by the beautiful pool, but there are chaises on the sand (behind a barrier of hedges to keep hawkers out), and you can probably get set up out on the beach itself if you wanted to.

As for the crowd, definitely "hip"-leaning, but relatively more mature (and upscale) than 20-somethings. Not as bad as the Saturday evening pool parties at the W Hong Kong (which I love), which then move downstairs to the Living Room, and are full of drunken 20-something expats and local prostitutes.

AspiringWorldTraveler

By the time we get there, it will have been 11,211 butt-in-seat miles (albeit first/business), so, completely agree!

Only seeing an FS Sayan (not Ubud - is this the one?) - Amex FHR guidelines state they won't upgrade to villa, so what room type did you book? Was looking to do this in Jimbaran Bay, but the guidelines shot me down, might book via Virtuoso instead (if I can ever decide on what property at which to stay). The way we figure - once in a lifetime trip, may as well enjoy to the fullest.


Is that a bad thing? LOL

Is there any exploring/restaurants/spas to do on Jimbaran Bay beach? Or only Seminyak/Kuta?

MegatopLover

FWIW, I stayed at a two-bedroom villa at FS Jimbaran Bay with my partner and another couple in 2010. Room was great, loved the massive space between the two bedrooms. But I'm saw the other villas and most importantly how packed in they all were, practically on top of one another, and decided not to stay there again. I have stayed at FS Sayan (yes, this is what another poster meant by "FS Ubud") about 10 times, both before Jimbaran Bay and after. I love it. It is one of my top three resorts in the world. I am happy to be going back in just four days, staying for a week. He is a completely different experience from Jimbaran Bay, much cLoser to the rich cultural heart of Bali. Jimbaran Bay could be a beach anywhere, and isn't an especially nice or scenic one. FS Sayan is set in a rushing River Gorge, with the sound of babbling canals and soothing running water all around, and you are so close to so many cultural riches that you simply cannot find in touristified south Bali even if you avoid the purpose-built resorts of Nusa Dua.

FWIW, Nusa Dua is indeed the same vaguely localized cultural schlock as most Americanized big resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico. They are probably cheaper and nicer than those in the Caribbean. But if you are going to spend 24 hours flying to the other side of the world , why not experience the real local culture, especially when it is so rich and so many ways

AndrewAC

If you really need to see the beach (IMO, the beaches on Bali are not really that great) Seminyak area probably is the most convenient beach that is quieter and still closer to all the good, hip restaurants.

For a really chill vibe, I think renting a super nice villa with a pool in Ubud might be a better choice. They can be amazingly cheap with really nice pools. Plus there are still lots of good restaurants in Ubud.