[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]
Bali occupies a IN BALI, a gentle pearl floating midway along the strand of some 17,000 islands that comprise Indonesia, the inside world is all-absorbing, even while the outside world rages by in tumult.
gentle, nourishing
niche
Natural disasters and political
distress seem distant on this
idyllic Island of the GodsAccommodations in Bali
By Marcie Carroll
Special to the Star-BulletinIndonesian unrest, cyclones off Australia, earthquakes and landslides on Sumatra seem remote from daily Balinese life, which remains tightly focused on family, temple and work. The source of most commotion in Denpasar streets, besides endless traffic, is ceremonial processions.
Nor do neighboring calamities ruffle the experience of most travelers in Bali, unless they've been watching CNN.
Peaceful Bali appreciates its tourism industry, even though it grew too rapidly, challenges the environment and cultural integrity and is drawing an influx of job-seekers with outside ways from other islands and other religions. Bali, with 3 million people, attracts about 2 million tourists a year, creating an enviable economy.
Bali tourism officials are uncharacteristically alarmed that the U.S. State Department no longer excludes Bali from the official advisories discouraging travel to Indonesia. The latest advisory specifically suggests avoiding certain parts of Indonesia because of violent happenings, but also casts a vague warning blanket over Bali. Tourism officials have protested, seeking a retraction of what they term "an overreaction, and, in the case of Bali, unjustifiable."
Elsewhere, Indonesia is enduring difficult political growing pains and religious conflict between Muslims and Christians. But in Bali, Island of the Gods, almost everybody is Hindu. Most Balinese greet strangers with a smile and hands pressed together, and appear to be more interested in exchanging goods for rupiahs than political views.
In Bali, just keeping up with the ceremonial schedule -- 14 official holidays plus two birthdays per person, full-moons, births, adulthood and deaths, marriages, children and all the other events, demands the disposable time and income of most citizens.
Tradition remains strong in 21st century Bali, producing incongruities such as a woman carrying a case of Heineken on her head or saronged riders on motor bikes chatting on cell phones.Travel hazards seem very far away from a bath-for-two filled with red rose petals, jasmine and lavender on a breezy moonlit night at the Ritz-Carlton Bali Spa. Guests can follow the news in English the next day as they graze through breakfast or lunch at the club lounge, where miniature tastes of Balinese, western or Asian delicacies are artfully arranged and friendly, attentive Balinese staff remember names and drinks.
A few days' stay at a luxurious American resort hotel may seem like a real side trip for travelers who pride themselves on seeking the essence of a place. But it eases recovery from a long journey and entry into a Third World country with a complicated heritage. Tap water is still undrinkable, but luxury digs provide plentiful bottled water. Food can be identified and eaten with alacrity.
When the rest of Bali calls, don't miss Ubud, inland where the road trails through villages each devoted to different arts: batik, stone-carving, silver-and-gold jewelry, wood-carving.
Ubud is considered the artistic heart of Bali, and accommodations range from inexpensive homestays to world-class retreats with matching prices. One lesser-known but very satisfying choice is a small collection of private villas, some with plunge pools, at Pertiwi Resort & Spa, a serene oasis right off one of the town's busy streets.
Pertiwi means "Mother Earth," and she seems to reign over the hillside where seven new villas reflecting traditional Balinese architecture are linked by flowered walkways and rice terraces and sheltered by garden walls. They enjoy a separate open-air dining facility and pool.
Zanzan, assistant general manager, is eager to provide warm hospitality, and the spa services: open-air massage, facials and other pampering, too affordable -- about $25 for a massage and facial -- to pass up. It's tempting, however, simply to sit on the villa veranda and absorb the quiet seclusion, hearing the birds and watching night fall across a treescape of palms and banana. Now what was that about a hazardous travel warning?
The Ritz-Carlton Bali has a familiar look for Hawaii travelers, because it was designed by the architects (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo) who created many of Hawaii's luxury resorts. It is less expensive than some of its sister Ritz resorts elsewhere. Accommodations in Bali
Rates posted on the Ritz-Carlton Bali Web site (ritzcarlton-bali.com) begin at $148/night plus 21 percent taxes and service.
Budget-minded travelers can find many cheaper lodging alternatives in Bali, including affordable homestays.
Villas with plunge pools at Pertiwi in Ubud go for a published rate of $325, but ask for assistant manager Zanzan and bargain for a better "introductory" rate, which might be less than half that at certain times of year.
One Web site worth a visit is "Bargain Hotel Fares" (balivillas.com/hbf/framehbf.html), which offers attractive deals at all levels in various Bali resort areas. One of their recommendations in Jimbaran Bay is the Pansea Puri Bali, 40 beachfront cottages where their rates for rooms with taxes and two breakfasts start at about $190. Another pleasant beachfront property in nearby Tuban is Hotel Santika Beach, which has individual bungalows at $171 and up, rooms at $106 and up.
Star-Bulletin staff