The Countdown to Bali

It's been a busy summer packed with projects for magazine and book publishers and movie studios. I just finished another guidebook project for Thomas Cook Publishing and Leonard has been recording music for a major motion picture. We're ready for a break!

So as the season winds down, we find ourselves gearing up for our next adventure. This week we head to Bali, Indonesia in Southeast Asia with a (very) short stopover in Hong Kong.

Over 17,000 islands comprise Indonesia with Bali being one of the best-known. You'll find stunning vistas as diverse as terraced rice paddies, white sand beaches, ornate temples, volcanoes (some active), and tropical rain forests. The culture is equally enticing and visitors often attend traditional Balinese ceremonies and dance performances.

For more information about Bali, visit these resources:
Bali Tourism Board
Indonesia—CIA World Factbook
Bali Forum at TripAdvisor.com
Bali Guide
Bali Eats

We're celebrating a special occasion and wanted to go somewhere to both explore and relax. Bali certainly fits the bill. While sailing aboard Silversea's Silver Spirit earlier this summer we met many crew members from Indonesia and they all told us that Bali should be on our "must visit soon" list. Call us convinced!

The Game Plan

• First class flight from the East Coast to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
  
  
• Connecting business class flight on Cathay to Bali
  
  
• A week at the InterContinental Bali in Jimbaran Bay on Bali's southern coast
  
  
• A one-night stay at the InterContinental Hong Kong on our way home

Flying Cathay Pacific
I'm particularly looking forward to flying first class on Cathay Pacific. The gourmet meals, lie-flat bed, and excellent entertainment system will certainly make the 15-hour flight more bearable. (Read Tuesday's blog post for more information about Cathay Pacific's first class product.)

What's even better is that I was able to book these flights using my American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer miles (135k per ticket). It took two phone calls but the second agent was able to book me on the exact flights I wanted on my preferred travel dates. Of course, I spent quite a bit of time searching availability on Cathay's AsiaMiles website and British Airways partner award availability calendar before calling the AAdvantage desk. I booked these tickets about two months ago.

Jimbaran Bay
I spent far too much time reviewing hotel possibilities for Bali. There are some amazing properties to consider on the luxury end of the market. There are three Aman resorts—Amanusa in Nusa Dua, Amandari in Ubud, and Amankila in East Bali. There are also two Four Seasons (one in Jimbaran Bay and another in Ubud). All of those resorts look gorgeous and we plan to visit them to get a reference point for future stays.

In the end though, we decided to book the InterContinental Bali in Jimbaran Bay for several reasons. We're InterContinental/Priority Club fans and enjoy the upgrade perks we generally enjoy at IC properties. Also, Club level accommodations were priced right and we just felt it would be an ideal home base for our first trip to Bali. (Read Monday's blog post for more information about the InterContinental Bali.)

Putu Sudiana, Private Driver
To get the most out of our days on the island, we've hired private driver/guide Putu Sudiana of YourBaliDriver.com. His rates are incredibly reasonable (400,000 rupiah, or $40USD, for a 10-hour day). He came highly recommended by travelers who frequent TripAdvisor.com's Bali forum.

A Few Hours in Hong Kong
Finally, at the end of our trip we'll spend just one night at the InterContinental Hong Kong at Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. We booked a junior suite with harbor views. I wish we could stay at this hotel for a few additional nights! It looks beautiful!

Stay tuned as we blog from Asia starting later this week.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Aman Resorts Opens Sveti Stefan in Montenegro

Aman junkies in the know have been waiting for this for years—the opening of the 47-suite Aman Sveti Stefan complex off the coast of Montenegro. It’s the counterpoint to Villa Milocer, located across the bay, which opened in 2009.

Back in the 15th century, this small island on the Adriatic coast went from a powerful fortress to sleepy fishing village. In the 1950s and ’60s, enterprising hospitality types turned the town into a Mecca for the rich and famous. The quaint red-roofed buildings and stone streets were preserved while upgrading hotel interiors to include everything the luxury traveler expects in modern accommodations.

By the seventies, the place was sprawling with celebrities. Princess Margaret vacationed at Sveti Stefan as did Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren. But the world changed and when the Yugoslav federation failed in the 1990s, this enchanting enclave went into sleeper mode once again.

It wasn’t until 2007 that Aman Resorts placed a bid with the Montenegro government to redevelop the 40,700-square-foot Saint Stefan’s island. Aman first opened the stone mansion Villa Milocer, overlooking the isle, in 2009 and now, the entire complex is reading to welcome guests.

Visit and explore several fine dining venues, the spa, and three pink sand beaches—Sveti Stefan, Milocer Beach, and Queen’s Beach.

Sveti Stefan is the ideal home base from which to explore the towns of Budva, Cetinje, and Perast as well as Skadar Lake and the Bay of Kotor.

Rates start at $775, including roundtrip transfers from Tivat and Podgorica airports.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Aman Resorts