We really can't afford to go to Bali in January... but we are - hey, who could resist Jetstar's fabulous prices?
Now it's a matter of finding the perfect budget hotel. Last trip we stayed in some fairly inconvenient locations -the Mercure in Sanur, the Swiss Belhotel in Nusa Dua and the Bali Novus Villas in Kerobokan/Canggu. Although we loved the Novus, it's very much out of the way - impossible to go for a walk and find a nice café for lunch or dinner, or do a bit of shopping.
Advice needed, please. The brief is this: Tuban, Legian or Seminyak area. A good-sized, clean room (plenty of space for two adults and a ten year old girl), with an in-room safe, cable telly and internet access. The hotel should also have a good pool, a pretty garden, and decent food. Our budget is somewhere around $60 a night with breakfast. Oh, and ideally, it should be a friendly sort of place where guests actually talk to other guests. Don't want much, do we!
We've already stayed at the Dynasty, the Bali Holiday Resort and the Ramada Bintang in Tuban, and we wouldn't want to stay there again. Kuta Lagoon's not bad, but it's not particularly relaxing. The Padma's overpriced, I don't particularly like the Mandira, and the Baruna Beach is way too budget.
I'm tempted by Santika Beach in Tuban; the standard rooms probably come into our price range, but are they big enough to comfortably accommodate three? Febri's is a possibility, but there doesn't seem to be much of a garden. The two Green Gardens are perhaps a little ‘budget' for my tastes. I'd stay at the Sandi Phala if I had a lot more money. I took a look at the Jayakarta apartments on the net, but they had some fairly poor reviews - and I'm not sure whether the location is right. The other strong favourite is the Kumala Pantai, which I'd never heard of until I joined the forum. Would it fit our needs?
KP looks very nice, but I have no idea where it actually is. Is it within walking distance of shops, bars etc? Would we want to spend a fortnight there, or should we split the stay 50/50 with another property? What standard of room would we need? How far in advance should we book, and who should we book through? (Quite often you get a much better deal booking through a third-party, rather than direct. I looked at KP's website today, but there were no prices listed at all.)
So what should it be? Santika? KP? Febri's? A combination of two? Or are there any other little gems we should consider?