In Reply to: Party but with escapes to other areas posted by Sazzle on Tuesday, 21. July 2009 at 22:42 Bali Time:
If you want to keep expenditure down and to have a party type time, then it would be good to stay in Kuta. Also you could look at legian (south end) because it is very easy to get between the two and it might be nice to get a little bit out of the hustle and bustle of kuta.
Transport within Bali is exceptionally easy - there are taxis absolutely everywhere and they are very cheap, also motorcycle taxis, you could hire your own motorcylcle if you like also. If you are planning any day trips, for example up to the monkey forest or Kintamani Mountain etc, you can hire a car and driver for the day for a very reasonable price.
You can walk from Kuta to Seminyak, it would be quicker along the beach as you can go straight, but if you dont like walking theres no need as mentioned above. The distances between the 3 are not far at all.
I would definately recommend Lembongan, it is amazing and a great break especially if you like snorkelling. You can go either on local transport or on a prebooked tourist type cruise. For your first time I would recommend the cruise (I have been on the Bali Hai one a few times, and stayed in the huts overnight) as it is all inclusive, you will get your snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat rides, lunch, morning tea, use of resort facilities, banana boat rides, island tour etc all for the one cost. I think it is really worth it.
I dont think there is any need for any intrepid tours - if you work out where you want to go you can get your own driver to take you there, and spend as much or little time at each stop as you like. I had a look at the tour you are looking at, it covers a lot of things so if thats what you want to do then go for it. However if there are only aspects of the tour you are interested in you would probably be just as good to get your own driver and car and tailor the tour exactly to your needs.
Regarding accommodation if you want to keep expenditure down then probably stay in Kuta, however there are also many well priced options in Legian. There are also some expensive places in Kuta, however you will find most budget options here around Poppies, or in the street that runs across, Jalan Bensari. Probably best to leave Seminyak out for accommodation as there is not so much budget accom, and whilst it is quite a 'party place' in its own right, the places where you would be going out and drinking in Seminyak probably have prices quite comparable to home(eg, 6 cocktails and some turkish bread with dips at Kudeta a few days ago cost me $130 Australian. 6 cocktails at Bamboo cafe in Legian cost me $23).
Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions!