Christmas in Bali

A December 2001 trip to Bali by wackywu

I went with my parents to Bali for Christmas, going to Ubud first and then Jimbaran Bay. We were primarily interested in doing the sightseeing part although we did spend time at the beach. Bali, unlike a lot of Indonesia, is *very* safe. However, when I go back, I'm definitely not going during Christmas. First, its Bali's rainy season. Second, half of Indonesia and the world goes there during Christmas. We spent an hour getting out of customs and were in one or two traffic jams that just didn't move. I loved Ubud!! We had great food for under $10 each night, bought some excellent woodcrafts and paintings, saw amazing temples, met some of the *very* friendly local people and just had a great deal of fun. Jimbaran Bay was definitely much more touristy and full of Europeans and english-speaking people. But if that's what you're looking for...

  • 3 reviews
Ubud is amazing and we liked it a lot more than the Denpasar area. It's a village in the hilly area, cheap, natural, full of the arts. Definitely check out some of the temples, the Elephant Cave is okay for a 10-15 minute stop but not a big deal.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

I would *definitely* not recommend driving unless it's in the denpasar area or you're a very good driver. A lot of the inner roads are unpaved, one-lane only, and are unlit at night. I saw many signs to hire a personal tour guide for about -50 / day w/car so that seems to be the best way.

NaturaBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Friendly people, nice surroundings, built into the mountainside. We stayed in the Petanu villa which has 2 bedrooms (no living room) but a plunge pool and patio (w/daybed) that acts like a living room. 1 bathroom that was open to the main room but it had a beautiful large tub. The spa is nice, right next to the river so you can hear the water but it is pretty far down the mountain so walking back up afterwards can undo all the relaxation. There are 2 pools, the lap one is next to the spa, the regular one is also nice. Overpriced restaurant though. When I went, the road to the hotel still hadn''t been paved so it was a pretty bumby 15 minute drive to the center of Ubud but it''s supposed to be paved sometime this year.

http://www.indo.com/hotels/natura/

  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by wackywu on April 28, 2025

Natura
Banjar Laplapan Bali, Indonesia

Four SeasonsBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay"

Absolutely beautiful rooms w/all amenitites (razors, toothbrush, bugspray...), each comes with it''s own plungepool and loungers. Excellent service, definitely deserves its place on Conde Nast''s Gold List. Great facilities, 2 pools, beach, etc. Only thing is that when you pay this much, you''ll probably never leave the hotel while you''re there!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by wackywu on April 28, 2025

Four Seasons
Jimbaran Bay and Sayan Bali, Indonesia

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wackywu
New York City, New York

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