steveholt

I'm looking to book a hotel for my parents for their first trip to Bali. They're inexperienced travelers, so my instinct is that something in Nusa Dua in a chain hotel would be best, but I'm open to suggestion. The budget would be $700 or less or something on points - I have Hyatt Glob and would book Guest of Honor for them. This would be for February 2022, so please assume things are relatively back to normal.

The goal is to find a hotel with access to a beach with clear, light-blue waters. This could be private or public, private or semi-private would be preferable. I think a plunge pool would be nice, although they might be equally happy with an oceanfront view from a balcony. My first instinct was the St. Regis, but would love any suggestions people have!

Jaimito Cartero

I don’t know that a beach with water like that exists in the common tourist area of Bali.

LondonElite

Bali will not be the place for crystal clear beaches.

invisible

Could you tell us where the assumption ‘back to normal’ is coming from? Indonesia didn’t even set a timeframe when they plan to allow tourists. Bali itself was planning to open in September but were quickly shut down by central government and didn’t say anything since that.
I guess you’ve never been in Bali. Nothing like that exists there. With such requirements you either need to find a some remote Indonesian island or try your luck in Thailand (good luck with that now) or Hawaii.

steveholt

The assumption of "back to normal" is that there will be a vaccine by February of 2022. This does not seem unreasonable, although it's not guaranteed. If it's wrong, these plans won't matter anyway. Bali opening or not opening in September has little to do with what might happen in February of 2022.

I have been to Bali, although I have not been to an area with clear water, which is why I asked this question. Judging from the answers, it seems like I will set my sights elsewhere.

Hawes7701

Look at the Gili Islands.

not quite as accessible as Nusa but infinitely nicer and has the beaches you require.

travelinmanS

Thailand is better if clear water is what you are looking for, some of the islands there are definitely see through the water type places.

HaikalS

Crystal clear calm water you can swim in + a "safe" hotel chain is something hard to find in Bali... Having said that I think it's still a great place to visit.

I really like Ayana - they have a private beach but not really for swimming in (the currents are too strong). But there are a LOT of pools to swim in, great food/restaurants they'll enjoy and a "bucket list" bar that will be unforgettable

If they're adventurous (and have the time & funds) they could take a direct flight to Labuan Bajo and stay at the Ayana Komodo. There you have pristine beaches and would take a trip on a phinisi to visit the various islands (incl. seeing the famous komodo dragons)

MSPeconomist

Depending on how truly inexperienced they are as travelers, I'm not sure Bali is a good choice. For a first introduction to Asian cultures, how about Singapore, assuming it's open by then? A luxury hotel on Sentosa would have a beach, or they might prefer to be closer to the center in Raffles, StR, Fullerton Bay, etc.

invisible

Hello from Singapore.
I would not count that Singapore will be open for unrestricted travel from EU/US any time soon. Based on what are timeframes for ‘safe reopening’ better set you clock to 2022 and beyond.

Secondly - Sentosa for ‘crystal clear waters’? Seriously? With 200 container ships in horizon?

As I said - with such requirements they’d better off with Hawaii or Caribbean. At least they will know what to expect.
t

steveholt

Thanks for the suggestions. I think Singapore is right in terms of temperament, but not really in terms of their water interests. I think Thailand might make the most sense, although I'll probably look into VIP services at the airport. Thanks!

Jaimito Cartero

Vietnam, Malaysia or Thailand, would be my pick, if you don’t want Indonesia.

IAN-UK

Maldives and Seychelles offer the clear blue water thing as a matter of course.

Maybe stretching the Asia connection, but the islands and resorts do luxe rather well and are reassuringly expensive

SJOGuy

Even with the promising news from Pfizer the other day about a vaccine being "90% effective," nothing is known yet about the length of protection it will provide. Even more important, serious questions remain about the ability to distribute any vaccine widely at first.

I want to visit Bali too.

clubeurope

In Bali, I'd say the place with the clearest water that is most convenient is likely in Nusa Dua, and on good days, Sanur. However beware that the beaches often has chucks of seaweed lying around. On very good days (when the beach in empty, which is the case right now) you might even encounter some schools of fish.

The beaches with the best blue and clear water I'd definitely say is on the southmost coast, near Uluwatu. These would include Padang Padang (which is popular with surfers), and Nyang Nyang which is a lot more isolated. These beaches aren't very accessible and I would not recommend them for senior citizens as they are a stair flight down the cliffs of Uluwatu. Some places in Uluwatu area have lift vehicle things that go down to the beach (like Bulgari Resort) so that might be worth considering - although I wouldn't say Bulgari's beach compares to the aforementioned two.

However, I just want to make the point that there are definitely white sand crystal clear water beaches in Bali, but they are just often very isolated from the mainstream locations like Seminyak, Kuta, or Jimbaran (although the Nusa Dua gated community is an exception). That said, I feel like your parents might be most at ease at a Nusa Dua hotel since it is after all arguably the safest and most convenient tourist area due to extensive security measures. The better beach side hotels in Nusa Dua I'd say include St. Regis and The Mulia - but be aware that it's a very gentrified area and not very cultural.

Sanur on the other hand is a very quaint and cultural area and also very safe, although sometimes the waters near the beach can be full of boats. I'd recommend the Fairmont in Sanur as being the best modern hotel along the stretch, although the legendary old Tandjung Sari hotel is a very good choice if you're looking for something more traditional (this was the hangout point of Adrian Zecha before the times of Aman).