In Reply to: Newbie . . . where to stay posted by Danger Mouse on Friday, 19. February 2010 at 18:45 Bali Time:
Just one accommodation recommendation: if you go to Ubud, which is great, make sure you stay for a few days, not just a day-trip! I would highly recommend any of the 'Alam Indah' group of small family run hotels...we stayed at Alam Shanti (from a Trip Advisor recommendation) and found it to be beautiful, only has 8 rooms, its gorgeous and romantic and good value! You can walk into Ubud (about 10-15 mins through the Monkey Forest) or the hotel will drop you off and pick you up any time. The food is excellent in Ubud, you can go on great walks, go shopping and the spas are lovely and also cheap!
I too would recommend a few days in Kuta/Legian first (we usually stay in the Tuban area) just to get a feel for the frantic fun-shopping-drinking stuff before going off to a more relaxing area eg Ubud or even Sanur is nice too.
A Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to Bali is very useful (often your local library will have the latest one if you don't want to buy).
Have a great first trip, I'm sure it won't be your last!