Finally....we are doing it....taking the long anticipated trip to Bali. Not sure (Karen) if this should be moved to another thread....but want to share my excitement and ask for any suggestions/experiences any of you may have had....

Just used points (once again my gratitude and awe of what he does to Gary at bookyouraward.com) to book first class on SQ from SFO to SIN. We'll limp (?) our way across the continent (hello Virgin America!) to take SQ1 in first from SFO to SIN and then KLM to Bali for 8+ gorgeous days (thank you David O!). Then back to SIN for 4 more (can you say eating frenzy?!) days before backtracking to south florida. Needless to say, we are beyond excited....and looking forward to sharing or hearing from anyone who has done this itinerary.

have a wonderful time! Bali is a great favorite of ours. We've got the overnight stop on the Sydney-Singapore Regent Voyager sailing later this month.

Go to the rice fields. Look for the Ikat material guy up there. There's a marvelous temple (need to rent a skirt) where the women make palm frond baskets. Ubud is great for Dirty Duck restaurant and artwork. See them teaching the younger girls how to move their bodies for traditional Balinese dance. offerings outside the homes each morning; medium sized black and white and red and white checkered fabric wrapping statues along the way.

See the play of the Badong story

Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy

Agree that Ubud is great. Just be careful if you go to the maker there. Somehow Gail's wallet was filched there a couple of years ago.

Had a nice lunch with Ngaire, et al. at the Four Seasons in Ubud. Quite a property.

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Eugene

Thanks for your suggestions! We'll be 4 nights at the Four Seasons at JBay and then 4 nights at The Viceroy Bali in/near Ubud. Really really excited....it all sounds like heaven!

Enjoy! Love those terraced rice fields, and I always feel in Asia that they know more about service with a smile, and true hospitality than anywhere else in the world.

Have never been to Bali, but I can comment on SQ1 in First Class as we took this flight a few weeks ago. If you haven't flown Singapore First, you are in for a treat. The flight leaves late from SFO, so the initial meal service is a little abbreviated. We still had a nice dinner and some wonderful wine and champaign (you get a choice between Dom & Krug!) You then get a breakfast (order the dim sum) before landing in Hong Kong. We had a 2 hour layover in HKG which is enough time to do a little shopping and get the blood circulating before the final 4 hours to Singapore.

Where are you staying in Singapore. We spent 3 nights at the Fairmont last week. It was great especially if you can get into the Exec Lounge which serves free Moet & Chandon from 5-8 every night.

Let me know if you have any questions about the flights or Singapore.

John

John, did you use AA miles to get ff tix on Singapore Air?
I need to start thinking about getting us to Hong Kong.

Singapore Airlines is very generous with their awards to their own members. Partner Airline programs do not have much luck getting awards. So, the best way to do it is to create a Singapore Airlines frequent flier account (KrisFlyer) and then transfer miles directly into that account. You can transfer from American Express Membership Rewards (what I did) or Starwood. Award availability is easy to search using the Singapore Air website.

Singapore air is not an AA partner, so can't use there miles to get there.

oops...thanks Rachel. I was thinking of Cathay Pacific.

Hey, John...thanks for your input on SQ!. Can't wait to experience the infamous SQ service (and champagne)! Question....is there time in HKG for a shower? I understand the SQ lounge has none so perhaps our only option will be during our (3 hour) layover in SIN. Connecting there on KLM to Bali. When we return to SIN from Bali we'll have 4 nights in Singapore....staying at the Shangra La in the Valley Wing.

BTW, I understand that because of the late night departure on SQ1, the dinner service is abbreviated....no caviar. Does that mean we can have double caviar on our SQ2 return?

There are no easy options for a shower in HKG. The lounge there does not have showers (they don't even have a bathroom). It's a nice lounge with a good selection of food and drinks, but we didn't spend much time there. The 2 hour layover goes quickly. You have to reclear security and that can take about 10-30 minutes depending on if you arrive with other flights. We used the rest of the time to just stretch our legs and do some quick duty free shopping. You start to re-board the flight about 40 minutes before departure, so in the end you really don't have to kill too much time. Your only option for a shower would be to use the United or Thai Airways lounge which are very long walks from where the Singapore flight departs.

The bad news about Singapore is that they do not allow you to use their lounge in Singapore unless you are departing on a SQ flight. Since you're arriving, you would not be able to use the Silver Kris Lounge on your 3 hour connection. I don't know if KLM has a lounge or not. But at this airport, there are other really good options. We flew SQ last year connecting to a Silk Air flight, so we could't use the SQ Lounge in SIN, so we used the Ambassador Lounge with our Priority Pass. It was very nice with a good selection of food and nice shower facilities.

On your departure from SIN, you'll have access to the very nice SilverKris Lounge and The Private Room. Be sure to tell your taxi driver you are departing in First Class and they will drop you at a private check in area. It's really nice. Porters come out and meet the cab and grab your luggage. You then have a private check in and an immigration officer that just handles the 1st class checkin area. Very nice and efficient. After immigration you are very close to the lounge.

Enjoy!

Thanks, John for all the good info! Yup, I think we'll just mellow out during the HKG layover. We also have Priority Pass which has what appears to be two good options in SIN in terminal 1 (our departure terminal with KLM)...the Skyview Lounge (which I believe is the Cathay Lounge) and the Rainforest Lounge.

And the Private Room for SQ departure in SIN sounds very cool!

We just returned from total perfection! We were blown away by the kindness of the Balinese people, and the beauty of the landscape! Everywhere you looked was another gasp!

Thanks to the help of Gary Leff, we flew Singapore Air in first class...and it was over the top. No wonder they are consistently #1! A never empty glass of either Dom or Krug....and that's just the beginning. Oh dear, how will I ever fly jet blue again?!

Our first 4 nights in Bali were at the Four Seasons in J. Bay. Thanks to David O, we had an exceptional private pool villa with ocean view. Our included breakfasts (served in our villa at our outdoor living dining pavilion) was a feast each day! Didn't want to leave!! Gorgeous resort, gorgeous people.

But we did, and went into the mountains and stayed at the Viceroy Resort near Ubud. Again, thanks to David O we had a private pool villa that blew away anything we've ever experienced before. This is a very small resort that is beyond exquisite! Stunning architecture, spectacular views and a staff that couldn't possibly do enough for you! If you could bear to tear yourself away from your own private pool, the hotel pool was total paradise!

The town of Ubud was fun and easy to navigate. Good shopping for silver and ikat fabrics and yes, the Dirty Duck was terrific. We took a pass on the Monkey Forest and waited to visit the much cuter and better behaved orangutans at the Singapore Zoo. OMG. We (literally) had 'Breakfast with the Orangutans'. What an experience.

The entire trip was sensational. I want to go back tomorrow! If only it weren't half way around the world....