Bali Hotel Recommendations
 

Planning my maiden trip to Bali and looks like there are a plethora of hotels to choose from and so am a bit confused.
Was looking for some hotel recommendations from the folks here who have done the route more often. The details are :

- This would be a trip for a couple, age group: mid 30's.
- Looking for a hotel that's beach facing or a short walk to the beach. Keen on booking a room with a little private pool also ( as long as the rates doesn't break the bank/ maldives style..!!!)
- In terms of hotel chains, if i could snag some points from ether, IHG, ACCOR or Hilton thru the trip would be great, but it's not an absolute must.


There seems to be mutliple hot spots on the islands from the looks of it; Kuta, Nusa Dua... not sure of the pro's and con's of these respective places. And lastly how safe are the seas there for a swim..??

Thanks in advance for all the inputs...: )

I was in Bali a month ago. If it's the beach you are after, stick with Nusa Dua. The beaches in Kuta/Legian aren't the cleanest this time of the year. It is the rainy season in Bali until the end of march I think, so the waters are rough and murkier - I saw more people surfing than swimming.

Kuta/Legian is also incredibly crowded, you have to go south of the airport to have the most spectacular beaches!

If you want a private pool, then private villas in Seminyak run under USD 200 and nicer than most hotels. I like to stay near W hotel on JL Petitenget and get best of both worlds. Be aware that some beaches have strong rips so know what you are doing. Most of the Nusa Dua beaches are safe but water is very shallow (knee deep for a long way off-shore, so not much fun). Hence why they built hotels like the Laguna which has acres of man-made concrete lagoons :)

Do you have any nice Seminyak Villa recommendations for a couple?

http://www.pinoresidence.com


Check this one out. Also included breakfast, airport transfer, daily housekeeping, ... So you get the same amenities like in a hotel but in a private villa ;)

I would recommend you to avoid both above mentioned places if you want to visit Bali itself. Because neither of these place have much to do with Bali, culture and cuisine. Kuta is 'famous' for fat, drunk, middle aged Western (read - Australian) foul mouth tourists and Nusa Dua is an artificial place like American resorts in Mexico behind a barbed wire.

In terms of budget - rather looking at standard hotel chains, look at privately owned/rented out villas. AirBnB has plenty of them in all around the island.

Looks great. At USD$107 per night in November, this looks like a steal.

How far is this property from the first timer tourist sites?

Thanks.

Not too far since it's located in Seminyak it's very easy to find restaurants, tour package sellers, etc... in walking distance.

If you have any questions about the property itself let me know. I know the owner of the place. :)

W Seminyak would be great for a couple in their mid-30s, although as mentioned don't expect to do more than wade in the ocean. Hotel grounds are great though and lots of good restaurants in the area. Not the cheapest place, but I loved it!

I usually stay at private villa across the street from the W ... best of both worlds. Also the French bakery/deli there has great profiteroles and decent coffee (both are rare in Bali, even today).