In Reply to: First time in Bali. posted by Leaah on Wednesday, 2. September 2009 at 21:58 Bali Time:
My advice would be to have a flexible plan.
Map out some activities you want to do and prioritise them.
I would suggest the following things.
Bali Bike tour -you will get to see the country side at a slower pace and visit small communities and the guides give you a good insight into bali lifestyle. They are near ubud and will pick you up and drop you back at your hotel anywhere from 250,000 to 350,000
You can have a trip to Tanah lot and combine it with a visit to the temples and monkey forest.
You could also combine white water rafting with a trip to Ubud.
My first trip to Bali I missed most things as I had organised tours, my second trip I did a lot of it myself and had a ball. There are lots of drivers who will approach you re- tours, ask how much for what you want, they will give you a higher price but if you offer 400,000 for a days tour covering a lot of things and you should be right. Most have contacts for spas, rafting etc...
Dont rent a car, don't rent a bike not on your first trip anyway. Blue taxis are cheap for getting around - Make sure they have the meter on. For longer trips you will see mini type vans (make sure they have aircon).
As for times Ubud is approx 1 1/2 hours drive depending on the traffic from kuta. Personally I would combine it in a days trip, not just up and back.
Have fun you will fit most things in and be like the rest of us and keep coming back.