The wonderful life of J & J

Let’s start with Kuta. This place is most likely the most famous amongst you.

Kuta is known as a perfect place to do watersport activities such as surfing, bodyboarding and swimming. Whether it’s low or high season, it’s always hectic and packed with tourists. Walking in the famous main street called Jl. Legian (Jl. is short for Jalan which means ‘street’), be prepared that you will constantly get bothered by vendors trying to sell you stuff, offer you a ride or give you a massage. Cheap bars and ‘clubs’ which are all concentrated in the same Jl. Legian make it a real Walhalla for party freaks (all to be found in the same main street). 

Kuta is not our favorite place in Bali but it does offer many decent accommodation from four-star hotels to budget hostels. And, if you like to have supermarkets and restaurants  in walking distance, it makes it a place to consider.

Below are a few budget hotels we can recommend:

Adi Dharma ***
 www.adidharmahotel.com
approx. 40 eur / day

Restu Bali ***
http://www.restubali.com/
approx. 40 eur / day

The Harmony***
http://www.theharmony-hotel.com/
approx. 40 eur / day

Legian:
The Legian area offers the same easy access to shops and bars as Kuta, but gives you a slightly more relaxed and less chaotic feeling. From the airport it's a 15-20 min. drive. We find this area charming because most of the popular Legian hotels are on, or close to the beach.

In this area, we recommend:

Bali Niksoma ****
http://www.baliniksoma.com/
approx. 130 EUR a day

The area we like the most is called Seminyak.
The atmosphere here is much more sophisticated and laid-back than Kuta, and the beach in particular is more quiet during the day. In Seminyak you will find mostly luxury accommodation such as The Legian (where we stayed when Jonas proposed!) and Villa resorts. Apart from nice hotels & Villa accomodations there are lots of great fashionable high-end restaurants and hip bars. They are mostly concentrated in and around Jalan Laksmana and Jalan Oberoi. Seminyak is also known as the spa and boutique shopping capital of Bali.

Many of Bali's trendiest nightspots can be find here:

- Hu'u Bar, the star attraction here is the lit central swimming pool, where the bold and the beautiful can jump in. The rest of the complex is chilled-out drinking and dining in the garden and pavilion.
- Ku dé Ta, super stylish bar & restaurant complex with two bars, restaurant seating indoors and beachside sunbeds to laze on while the DJ spins an eclectic mix of music.
- Potato Head Beach Club, weird name but actually a very nice and laid-back place. Good for lunch, dinner or afternoon chilling with a coctktail by the pool. Visited by both locals and tourists.

In Seminyak we recommend you to stay at:

The Legian *****
Great beachfront luxury hotel. Close to the best restaurants & bars of Seminyak.
approx. 250-300 EUR a day

Next area is called Nusa Dua (Tanjung Benoa). Bali's southern peninsula is where you find most of the island's international 4- and 5-star Bali Hotels and Resorts.  Nice beach with shallow water, no high waves. All kinds of water sports.  No night life to speak of but plenty of restaurants & supermarkets in the Tanjung Benoa area. About 12 km from the airport.

In Nusa Dua we recommend you to stay at:

Grand Mirage *****
Very large 5-star resort hotel just by the beach in Tanjung Benoa.
approx. 75-120 EUR a day

Other areas of interest:
If you have more time on your hands and if you like to explore a bit more of the surrounding islands, we think a visit to the Gili Islands and/or Lombok is worth your time (and money), especially if you like snorkeling and scuba diving. It was only recently that we had the great opportunity to do both (and yet there's still much more to discover, even after several visits!).

If you google Gili Islands or read about it in touristic guides such as the famous Lonely Planet, you will learn the following: "Gili Islands are a beautiful and popular stop on the tourist trail between Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. Brilliant sunsets, cheap diving, and the vibe of daily life have caused more than one traveler to get "stuck" in the Gili Islands. Gili Islands consist of 3 different Islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno. The beaches are truly amazing and as white as they get. All three islands are made more peaceful by the lack of motorized transportation; horse-drawn carts replace cars and motorcycles. The islands are small enough to be easily circumnavigated on foot or by bike that can be rented."

And our experience with Gili Trawangan covers about everything written above, we loved it!

Lombok
Just 15 min. away from the Gili Islands is Lombok. Lombok is a still undiscovered paradise with lush tropical greenery, which will attract every heart with fascination. Here you will find beautiful beaches with white sandy beaches. It's a lot less hectic then Bali and many people describe it "as how Bali was 20 years ago".

ONLINE BOOKING INFORMATION

Here are some useful sites to consider looking at if you’d like to book your ticket online:

http://www.skyscanner.net
http://www.ebookers.com/


When looking for the best hotel offers (price/quality), we have very good experience with Agoda.com (http://www.agoda.com) Agoda always offer lower prices then what the websites from the hotels themselves do.

Last time we were villa & hotel hopping in Bali we used Agoda every time we booked a place to stay. Our experience is that you can succeed booking accommodation a few days up front or even on the very same day.

So far for now, as we said before, we will be updating our website with more information as the wedding gets closer. Have YOU saved the date yet and sent us your RSVP?

If you have any other questions regarding ANY matter at all, don't hesitate to contact us!

Sincerely,
The Groom & Bride to be