nusa dua

after reading reviews on nusa dua it sounds as though its not a real experience of bali, but as I have virgin holiday vouchers they only offer accomodation at that resort, how easy is it to hire mopeds or catch buses to other resorts.How far is it to the Ubud region I will probably spend a couple of nights there, and would also be interested in Lombok how easy is that to get too, any help would be much appreciated.

nusa dua

Hi,

You are right. The Nusa Dua is not Bali and Bali is not Nusa Dua. It is a gated community of spectacular and beautiful 5 star hotels. It is well worth visiting the other hotels to see their architecture and landscaping.

A bike should cost about Rp 25 000 per day. Beware that riding a bike is not recommended unless youare an experienced rider. A car is only about USD 15, so if you do want to be mobile, I suggest you stick to 4 wheels rather than 2.

Ubud is about 2 hours from where you are. It is well worth the visit. Potter around the Monkey Forest, ARMA art gallery and the excellent Bodyworks Spa at Jln Hanoman. Have dinner at the expensive but excellent Bebek Bengil Restaurant and then catch the 7pm dance performance at the Palace.

It is easy to get to Lombok. Traveling will take at least half a day if you fly. Otherwise, the ferry crossing is at Padangbai.

Whether or not to go to Lombok depends entirely on whether you are planning to go there for a few days or if yo think it is a day trip. If you think its a day trip, its not.

Bali has lots to see and if you do want to get to the smaller islands, there%26#39;s always the beautiful Nusa Lembongan.

nusa dua

If you are not staying at Ubud, the best way to get there and back is to hire a knowledgeable driver. There is a subjective list of drivers on TA. search ';bali driver';

Don%26#39;t worry about the ';real'; experience of Bali. Nusa Dua has the best beaches on Bali (except the area around the Melia Bali and Westin). The ';real'; Bali is everywhere. its up to you to experience. Nusa Dua is no less ';Bali'; then the bar strip at Legian, the chaos of Kuta, the foreigner%26#39;s villa village of Seminyak, or the old resort of Sanur. Anyone can find something wrong with everyplace, so its best to just enjoy!

If you have the opportunity, its nice to break a visit up, with a stay upcountry in Ubud and down at the beach resorts. It is two different experiences.

I agree with yamanote. Bali is a bunch of experiences. Ubud is a cultural mecca with a lot of artisans, but it is no more Bali than Carmel is California or London represents the real England.

I%26#39;ve actually lived in a third world country and lived in a house that wasn%26#39;t up to US standards, but was much better than what the locals lived in.

I also agree that you want to get a driver to show you Bali. If you want to get the %26#39;real%26#39; experience, you have a lot to see and you will need someone to interprete it for you.

i am sure you will still have a great stay in bali. sure nusa dua is not what people generally refer to as ';the real bali'; as it is gated off from the local villages BUT once you leave there you can get to where you want to see in a short time as bali is not a large island. i have stayed at nusa dua various times and although it is not my favourite place to stay the area is full of 5* hotels, lovely landscaping and beautiful stretches of beach. If you want to have a couple of nights in ubud there is great accommodation starting from good budget choices up to very expensive. i suggest you pre book one of the recommended drivers from the forum and organise some day trips. nusa dua is not like other areas where you just step out of your hotel and you are offered %26#39;transport%26#39; by the locals. the recommended drivers cost approx 400,000 to 550,000rp for a full day. Well worth the money. don%26#39;t even bother trying to drive yourself. (you can read other posts about this). apart from going to ubud there are other things to see and do and by booking a driver for at least 2 days you will get to see and do many things. I have used a lot of different drivers in bali. Dean and his team of drivers are very good as well as Eddy kus and other people will no doubt recommend others. it does not take long to get to seminyak, kuta and legian, jimbaran bay or sanur from nusa dua. if you don%26#39;t want a full day trip to these areas you can ask for a %26#39;bali taxi%26#39; who will take you and drop you off. you can then easily get another taxi and get back to nusa dua. otherwise given how cheap a driver is they could take you to all of these areas for a look, lunch, shop etc. you could even end the day at uluwatu and see the beautiful views at sunset and watch the kecak dance and have dinner at jimbaran or seminyak before heading back to nusa dua.

I%26#39;m staying at the Bali Tropic. Is that quite ';Balinese';?

You will be in Bali, everything is Balinese, just make sure you do get out of the private enclave you are in and experience many varieties of Balinese experiences.

Lombok is definitely not a day trip so may be better left out this trip.

I%26#39;m certainly looking forward to the trip. The people sound lovely, the food good, and can%26#39;t wait for some sunshine and relaxation.

It certainly seems very popular with Australians.