| Subject: RE: Sumatra, Bali, Thailand - looking for recommendations |
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Judy's got some pretty good points regards to the travelling in Indonesia.You
might also want to know that Sumatra is kind of huge with Lake Toba about
the only tourist destination and Ujung Padang, and Palembang the two other
arrival points into the island
from Singapore. And while you are in Jakarta (in the island of Java),
you might also want to make side trips to places like Jogjakarta to view
the Bourobudur Temple and go to the hill resort of Bandung and the Punchak
Pass.
As for Bali, if you have to be close to Kuta and don't want the crowd, stay at Jimbaran Bay. 10 minutes from Kuta and a world away. If you are in Jimbaran, you have to visit the Four Seasons Resort there. The landscaping is really amazing. IMHO I found Ubud catching up with Kuta as another tourist town, though I loved Manggis/Candi Dasa. We stayed at the Amankila there and saw dolphins from our villa, had dolphins swimming by our boat on the way out to snorkel at this place called the Blue Lagoon. For something less upscale and still very nice at Manggis/Candi Dasa, the Serai is it. Just next door from the Aman, it has a very unique character and it is very affordable. And if you have to see dolphins, forget the deal at Lovina. It's just so crowded and it frightens the dolphins away. Tenganan is really interesting especially for the speciality weave from that village and the fact that everyone in the village intermarries (or else you're out). The new place for swanky hotels is Jimbaran with the Four Seasons, the new Raffles Resort, the Ritz-Carlton, and the Inter-Con all lined up with a mile or two in between. Nusa Dua is old news. Hope this helps. Edmund in Singapore |