mission

oh sheesh...as if it couldn't get any worse

jam25mack

To be fair that's only really in Kuta. The Aussies rarely venture too far from there, possibly extending to Seminyak and Uluwatu at a push but the latter is quite expensive and quiet so unlikely for the younger crowd. Can't remember seeing any at Pandang Bai or on the Gilli's, which seem to have quite a good mix of Brit, Danish, Dutch, Swedes etc. Gilli T in particular has a decent mix of chilling, diving, water sports during the day and boozing in a (nice) beach bar until the early hours. Haven't stayed on the other Gilli's, but they are renowned for being a lot quieter and definitely more about the chilling.

mission

is Gilli an area?

BEVS

Poo on the NZ front! You need Feb March . Poss Nov .

I'm in NZ and looking for a break in Bali June time

BEVS

When are you looking at?

They have put me off Bali also.
Not so much Aussies but also there are direct flights from China.
No probs with who at all as me and him are from a big mixing pot but I am thinking ....crowded.

mission

i'm looking to go around July - can't do June due to ramadhan

BEVS

Cairns ?

You will get this in Queenstown NZ but expensive and I don't know anyone there to help with this.

mission

Thanks Bev....as much as i SO want to go to NZ i was looking to going in Jul but almost everyone has said that's not a good time of the year to go. Hence why i'm looking at a different destination.
Was very keen on Bali, but having read what the others have wrote it's completely put off me

scot47

Australia's Magaluf and definitely a target for the bearded crazies.

spouse of scouse

I've been to Bali a few times, as it's only a 3 hour flight from Perth. I always avoid Kuta, can't stand the crowds and endless attempts to make you buy something or another.

I liked Seminyak. We stayed in a private villa with pool, down a gang (alley) off Jalan Laksmana, or Eat Street. As the name suggests, many restaurants, some bars, about a 10 - 15 minute walk to the beach. Also lots of interesting little boutiques.

My favorite restaurant is Ultimo's, Italian food and quite often live entertainment. There's a large airconditioned section, a few outdoor tables street-side, and (my favorite) a large undercover outdoor dining space. One night we were there, they had an Italian opera singer, he was great!

My husband and I didn't get hassled to buy this/see that/psst wanna buy some postcards in the week we were there. Well, one small approach - we were walking back to our villa late one night, and a couple of young guys leaning against their motorbikes asked very politely 'Viagra, Boss?' We just laughed and I told them he didn't need it, which made them laugh too.

Seminyak's not glittery or sterile, but it's not filthy either. Drink bottled water at all times, even to brush your teeth. Go with an open mind, have a laugh with the locals and you'll be fine.

BEVS

July you are looking at cold and winter. Also many places close down for the season. Queenstown is different , being also a ski area so it's lively all year round.

Now that Spouse has written her own experience I'm back to thinking Bali might 'do' . For us though I was thinking Ubud a few nights and then Sanur so we could walk out and pick a place to eat or listen to a bit of entertainment.

We live in a village in NZ and this is not something we can do . Heck. Even a takeaway is a bit of a mission.

spouse of scouse

Good plan BEVS. Ubud and Sanur are quieter than Seminyak but that's their attraction for a lot of people.

You're probably already onto this, but do check out the different accommodation options on TripAdvisor. You won't go far wrong with a well recommended place in your price range.

Kooky.

Hi, we've been to Bali many times, it's our escape place where we just hole up in a private villa because we did all the temples and sights years ago and don't feel guilty if we don't do much at all. Just float around the pool, read lots and go out at night to eat good food.

We were in Seminyak over Christmas and New Year but we're really wondering if it's time to move on - it's really sprawling now and getting more Kuta like. It's only in the last couple of years we've been offered drugs on the street (and we're not what you'd call young).

Traffic is terrible, getting to any other resort areas takes hours. We always go to Ubud to visit a cat rescue place and this time went to Sanur to meet some friends, plus to Denpasar to meet another who, erm, wasn't there by choice. Really was hell.

There are some fantastic international restaurants though. If you do go, I'd be happy to recommend.

It's years since we went to Lombok or Gili Trawangan (they were easy when we lived in Singapore, not so much now we're in Sydney) so I can't really comment on those, though I believe Gili T has way more hotels these days. It was always a bit of a back-packer, mushrooms sold in the convenience stores kind of a place, not sure if it still is.

What are you into? Diving, lying on a beach, temple-hopping, etc.?

mission

Hey KOOKY i am not really into beaches or the sea.....i don't mind looking at the odd 1 or 2 temples, but wouldn't want to go around sampling all the temples.
I am looking for an active/adventure holiday (get some adrenaline kicks in) eg zip lining, quad biking, white water rafting, cycling etc. I guess Bali isn't the ideal place for that.
In all honesty, judging by what folks have said i am going to sack Bali and think of somewhere else to go.

BEVS

Queenstown ! Early winter or not early winter.