I am going to Bali for my honeymoon for just under three weeks from mid June 09 to July 09. The flight is booked. Now all I need is where to stay. I want somewhere v nice but not v v expensive. Is anyone aware of any hidden gems in Bali? (eg beach huts, log cabins etc)

Hi topyam, How lucky are you, three weeks, but that also has it's drawbacks. I will think about that but if you can just give me a little idea of how much you want to spend. I could put you onto a great suite or villa which would cost the same per night as the whole three weeks somewhere else. Personally I would find three weeks in one spot a little boring, yet it's been a while since the honeymoon too, would you like to try Ubud for a week, move down to a beach, then try a spa resort maybe to tone up. Do you prefer shopping to tanning, or scuba to swiming, or the hell I just want to lay under that tree for three weeks, let us know regards bkkrop

Well you have picked an island full of good value resorts and private villas as well as some of the best hotels in the world for your honeymoon.
Three weeks is a long time for Bali so you should consider short trips moving to nearby islands.
It all depends on your budget. There are plenty of inexpensive family run places and very good value luxury-lite hotels. Take a look at wakaresorts if thats beyond your budget do a detailed search here and someone will direct you to a great honeymoon.

My wife, little daughter and I just spent a wonderful week at the Alam Santi in Ubud. Extremely well-done, beautiful place, with gracious service. Our room overlooked a rice paddy, had a huge veranda, dressing area, lovely four-poster bed, even an ornamental rock garden in the bath area. Hands down the loveliest accomodations we've stayed at (and we're pretty experienced travelers). Rates are very reasonable - I wouldn't think of going elsewhere.

in Ubud have a look at the Waka Namya or the Komaneka resort. Loved them both!

budget?

consider private rentals.

I've stayed at its sister property, Alam Jiwah, and endorse it as well. There are only 10 units, all huge, all overlooking the rice paddies. It's very quiet and quite magical. Alam Jiwa was featured in Conde Nast Magazine as a Room with a View in 2003.

Rates are very affordable, beginning at $65.

dianne47 is the FTer who told me about this wonderful place.

I remember going in 1997 and 1998. The Kuta-area place was nice stylistically and a "splurge" at $25, but the cottage in Ubud at $10 with the breakfast delivered to the porch was more memorable. Though honeymooners might find facilities like a mandi a bit sparse. Given the value possible at the lower and middle end, the price gap to stay at the top end doesn't seem justified. Went over to Nusa Dua to look around, but that area was just too insular and artificial.

Hawkers and touts can be annoyingly thick in Kuta and touristed places like Besakih (You still have to go). Ubud cultural shows are a must. Also got to Lovina (so-so), but I did like the black-sand beaches around Candi Dasa. They might be more built-up now.

Three weeks does seem like quite a bit for Bali. For some real adventure, get on one of the PELNI boats and head for Maluku and Papua!

I'd seriously consider a private villa rental. You can get a villa in Canggu with a driver cook, gardner, etc. for the cost of a decent hotel. We booked one this past summer with Chilloutbali.com, but there are a million options for villas.

I've stayed in a variety of places in Bali. First, I really like Ubud over Kuta and other areas, mostly for the culture and arts and wonderful restaurants (Lamak, Mozaic, TeraZo, Casa Luna).

Komaneka has the benefit of being right in town, but I wasn't real taken with the place.

A private rental is wonderful. I've rented a rather large one that you would probably not want for just two people, but people I trust here have rented Villa Uma and speak highly of it.

Alam Jiwa really is an outstanding bargain in a beautiful setting. You definitely feel you're in Bali. Alam Santhi I wasn't nearly as taken with although the pool there is a bit nicer. Both are on the other side of Monkey Forest, but they will drop you off and pick you up from anywhere in Ubud up until 10 p.m. It's also a fairly nice walk through a path alongside Monkey Forest to the hotels. Takes about 15-20 minutes.

Realizing you'll be there three weeks ...the Alams now have a property on one of the gilis. You take the GiliCat over. There's a very small population on the island and good snorkeling/diving. Could be a nice diversion for a few days. You'll find it on the same website as Alam Jiwa.

You asked about hidden gems ...this is definitely hidden, but I've yet to decide if it's a gem. Bambu Indah is a rather unique property that jewelery John Hardy recently opened adjacent to his home in Ubud. It has spectacular views. There are just four cottages and they were brought over from Java. One apparently was the home of a princess, but that doesn't mean they are at all luxurious. They are very rustic as the resort is very "green" as in eco-friendly to the point fish are the pool "filters". There are no signs for the hotel and you pull up and a big wall opens and then shuts behind you. There's no clue as to what lies behind the wall. It's very serene there, but for the money it's a tough call. It seems to be struggling a bit to find its client base right now as it can be tough to decide to rent a wood cabin where the wood isn't fully joined together for the same price as some very luxurious properties. Meals come from Hardy's kitchen next door.

A few lodging choices I've been looking at do not have Air Conditioning. I despise humidity or sleeping in temps above 75F, we are going in March/April, what is the avg nightly temps in Bali ?

Be very careful then, cause its very hot and humid all the time. You will want a room with AC that could double as a meat locker and in the less expensive hotels you could run into a problem with getting the room cool enough to sleep.