Bali Photography

[britinozz]

Im planning a trip to Bali next year and have found a guide which he is very reasonable in price now I'm looking for locations,accommodation flights etc can any one give me some tips especially with accommodation as i would like to stay beach front for those sunrises and sunsets.

[monty1104]

Really depends on budget. If you are on a tight budget, look around Kuta/Legian. These two "suburbs" are basically "typical tourist Bali". Markets, bars, clubs and beach. If you can spend a bit more id suggest looking into Tuban. Slightly more expensive than Kuta or Legian, but most hotels come with private beaches. 20 min walk max (without stopping) from Tuban to Kuta beach. If you're after luxury resorts take a look at Nusa Dua, Seminyak or Sanur. Nusa Dua is about a 40 min drive from Kuta, but if you're staying in Nusa Dua you can afford the cab fare The other two are close and cheaper than Nusa Dua, but still more expensive than Kuta/Legian/Tuban.

One hotel I have frequented in the past is the Ramayana. It is right on the edge of Tuban and Kuta. 5 min walk from the beach, right near the "art market" (doesnt sell art, don't know why it's called that). It's also far enough away from the bars/clubs that it's not a problem, but close enough if you do want to walk there.

If you have any other questions just ask. I've been there 6 times now so hopefully I can help you a bit. Also, being an Aussie forum, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been to Bali a few times

[I @ M]

Monty is offering good advice and ties in very much with our experiences.

Some relatively important info needed from you though is

#1 What time of year and how long are you staying there and will it coincide with Australian holiday periods? That has a bearing on some things I would suggest.

#2 Both sunrise and sunset are going to be a little hard to capture at their best from the one place. Staying in the Nusa Dua / Benoa area gives you ready access to sunrises and then most of the Kuta etc area will be better for sunsets.

#3 If you have time ( and money ) perhaps consider splitting your stay into 2 ( or more ) places. We have been meaning to explore the North coast of Bali a little more and have heard good things about it being less overrun by tourists and offering good accommodation with easy access to some good scenery. Have a look at the Lovina area for some ideas.

#4 Most or the vast majority of guides or people offering transport will have their own ideas on where they want to take you and mostly those places will be the ones that most tourists go to. The reasons behind that are simply that most tourists don't have a clear idea where they are headed so they end up in the same places and the guides then assume that they are the places that everyone wants to go to. A bit of a never ending circle actually. The other reason is that the guides are most likely receiving a little kickback from hotel / bar / restaurant owners in those places in return for delivering tourists to their front door usually around meal times.

#5 As always, budget will dictate your choice of accommodation but within the Kuta area there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of "hotels" ranging from the backpacker special to the affluent ( or should that be effluent? ) 5 star tourist resort.
Two places that we can highly recommend in the Kuta area are the Adi Dharma hotel http://www.adidharmahotel.com/ ( not the cottages ) and Poppies cottages http://www.poppiesbali.com/ . Places we looked at and would consider as being quite good value in the same area the Masa Inn http://www.masainn.com/ and the Aquarius Star hotel http://www.indo.com/hotels/aquarius/

Your ideals on beach front accommodation usually mean a price premium to stay and in most cases can be overcome by a 10 minute walk. One place we stayed at in Benoa offered pretty good facilities at a slightly high price was the Club Bali Mirage, it was particularly well located for the sunrise photography. http://www.clubbalimirage.com/

[britinozz]

Thanks Monty I was thinking of Sanur i would spend a bit more to get away from the hustle and bustle of kuta. Also Tuban i have heard is good for sunset shots.

Really depends on budget. If you are on a tight budget, look around Kuta/Legian. These two "suburbs" are basically "typical tourist Bali". Markets, bars, clubs and beach. If you can spend a bit more id suggest looking into Tuban. Slightly more expensive than Kuta or Legian, but most hotels come with private beaches. 20 min walk max (without stopping) from Tuban to Kuta beach. If you're after luxury resorts take a look at Nusa Dua, Seminyak or Sanur. Nusa Dua is about a 40 min drive from Kuta, but if you're staying in Nusa Dua you can afford the cab fare The other two are close and cheaper than Nusa Dua, but still more expensive than Kuta/Legian/Tuban.

One hotel I have frequented in the past is the Ramayana. It is right on the edge of Tuban and Kuta. 5 min walk from the beach, right near the "art market" (doesnt sell art, don't know why it's called that). It's also far enough away from the bars/clubs that it's not a problem, but close enough if you do want to walk there.

If you have any other questions just ask. I've been there 6 times now so hopefully I can help you a bit. Also, being an Aussie forum, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been to Bali a few times

[britinozz]

Monty is offering good advice and ties in very much with our experiences. :the:Thanks so much for your time i will check out the hotels and have a look around.

Some relatively important info needed from you though is

#1 What time of year and how long are you staying there and will it coincide with Australian holiday periods? That has a bearing on some things I would suggest.
Thanks for advise mate sounds good i will check the hotels out .

#2 Both sunrise and sunset are going to be a little hard to capture at their best from the one place. Staying in the Nusa Dua / Benoa area gives you ready access to sunrises and then most of the Kuta etc area will be better for sunsets.

#3 If you have time ( and money ) perhaps consider splitting your stay into 2 ( or more ) places. We have been meaning to explore the North coast of Bali a little more and have heard good things about it being less overrun by tourists and offering good accommodation with easy access to some good scenery. Have a look at the Lovina area for some ideas.

#4 Most or the vast majority of guides or people offering transport will have their own ideas on where they want to take you and mostly those places will be the ones that most tourists go to. The reasons behind that are simply that most tourists don't have a clear idea where they are headed so they end up in the same places and the guides then assume that they are the places that everyone wants to go to. A bit of a never ending circle actually. The other reason is that the guides are most likely receiving a little kickback from hotel / bar / restaurant owners in those places in return for delivering tourists to their front door usually around meal times.

#5 As always, budget will dictate your choice of accommodation but within the Kuta area there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of "hotels" ranging from the backpacker special to the affluent ( or should that be effluent? ) 5 star tourist resort.
Two places that we can highly recommend in the Kuta area are the Adi Dharma hotel http://www.adidharmahotel.com/ ( not the cottages ) and Poppies cottages http://www.poppiesbali.com/ . Places we looked at and would consider as being quite good value in the same area the Masa Inn http://www.masainn.com/ and the Aquarius Star hotel http://www.indo.com/hotels/aquarius/

Your ideals on beach front accommodation usually mean a price premium to stay and in most cases can be overcome by a 10 minute walk. One place we stayed at in Benoa offered pretty good facilities at a slightly high price was the Club Bali Mirage, it was particularly well located for the sunrise photography. http://www.clubbalimirage.com/