Traveling to Bali
Tourism in Bali, Indonesia, continues to make strides toward normalcy, but there are still peaks and valleys with bookings.
I am able to get great rates to Bali with Sayang Holidays (220 Montgomery St., Ste. 469, San Francisco, CA 94104; 888/472-9264 or 415/986-1293, www.sayang holidays.com) for two basic reasons: they have great contracts annually with Singapore Airlines and they have a connection with Indo China Services in Bali. Someone from ICS does the deals for all of my arrangements face to face with reps from the hotels, etc.
I have been to Bali more than 10 times now, most recently May 14-26, 2008, and have made it a point to check out various hotels for quality and value. The Nikko Bali Resort & Spa in Nusa Dua is at the top of my list. While I do stay at other properties for each 12-night tour I put together, I save the best for last and that is the Nikko. The staff cannot do enough for you.
I set up trips for groups of my friends, paying the same rates they do. My tour this past May cost $1,815 per person, double occupancy, and while it was a great price for 12 nights in two different resorts with ocean-view rooms, it would have been cheaper had my group consisted of more than just the five of us.
The Nikko (with rack rates of $130-$375) charged us about $110 per room per night, which was considerably more than the $75 we paid in 2007, but on that trip I had 32 people with me. Still, that $110 included upgrades for all of us to deluxe beachfront rooms (nothing lower than the sixth floor for fantastic views of the Indian Ocean) and daily American/Asian buffet breakfasts.
Our first four nights in Bali were spent at the 4-star Grand Mirage Resort, which at $70 per room per night was another bargain (rack rates, $220-$325). While certainly without the status of the Nikko, its rooms were pretty nice and the buffet breakfasts, very good.
To get to Bali from San Francisco, normally we take Singapore Airlines’ flight SQ-1 after midnight, but when we ultimately arrive in Bali it is basically time to go to bed. This time I wanted to try flight SQ-15, which takes off after 1 p.m.; following refueling in Korea, we arrived in Singapore at 1 a.m.
Having slept somewhat on the way over, none of us wanted to sack out, so we elected to roam around the airport, which was still a little lively despite the hour, until our connecting flight to Bali took off at 9:30 a.m., arriving in Bali at noon.
At least, with this flight, the first day was not much of a loss. Also, flight SQ-15 was on a Boeing 777-300 series, which has better legroom than SQ-2’s 747-400.
By the way, the round-trip flight (20 hours each way), cost about $900, including the departure tax and fuel surcharges, which is a big bargain compared to United Airlines’ round-trip flight between Sacramento and San Francisco (25 minutes each way) which cost over $600.
As a side note, Singapore Airlines has completed its Terminal 3 building, and I thought the No. 2 was outstanding! Singapore’s Changi Airport has to be the best in the world — hanging orchid gardens and koi ponds, with beautiful carpet throughout, plus it’s extremely immaculate and comfortable. A spotless new tram will get you to the terminal of your choice.
Flying out of San Francisco with Singapore Airlines, whether you go through Hong Kong or Korea you will see beautiful airports. There is nothing in the States to match them.
BRUCE EASTLEY
Sacramento, CA