Side trip advice for traveling to Indonesia

[Ashpnu]

Hi!

My husband and I have recently booked a liveaboard on the Arenui for our 10th anniversary in January. We want to spend a few days in Bali on the front end of our trip, and we were considering spending a day or two in Singapore on the way home. We are flying in and out of DFW.

Does anybody have any advice on what airline to use?
Is Singapore worth spending time there, or just change planes there?
Is there an easier way to get to Bali than through Singapore?

This is confusing and uncharted territory for us, and we want to make the very most out of this trip. I welcome any and all suggestions out there. We are so excited!!

 

[kathydee]

I absolutely love touching down and sleeping off jet lag in Singapore. It's hard to find a safer, friendlier place in SE Asia. On the tail end? I was quite mesmerized by how modern, efficient and clean Singapore is. It will be quite different than Bali and certainly hold interest for a day or so.

Bali is one of my favorites. Try staying in Ubud for great culture, shopping, massages, art and temples.

Is there an easier way to get to Bali than through Singapore from where? Many flights from California touch down in Japan or S Korea before arriving in Denpasar. Not sure from texas..

Check out Singapore Airlines for a nice flight experience.

 

[TSandM]

I haven't gotten to spend nearly enough time in Singapore, and if I ever get the chance, I'd love to schedule a couple of days there. It's an amazing, cosmopolitan place, and very safe. And if our random luck is any indicator, it's got some truly amazing restaurants!

 

[highdesert]

Bali is heaven on earth, IMHO, once you get out of the urban areas. Definitely spend some time in Ubud ... best place in Bali to acclimate to the time zone, etc. A little crazy right at the main crossroads of town, but you can go 300 yards in almost any direction and be out in peaceful rice fields. I tell the Balinese we keep coming back because they're the nicest people on Earth ... and I'm not faking it telling them that.

Some airlines do LA to Hong Kong to Bali, gettng you there in mid-afternoon, and a fairly short elapsed time. Cathay Pacific is one, may be others. Korean Air, through Seoul, is a bit tricky with their connect times there.

Shoot me a PM if you want some specifics.

 

[jake11]

We love Singapore! There is so much to do there and it is a very clean and fabulous place to visit! Check out the Night Zoo. It was fantastic! We are heading to North Sulawesi in 10 days and we are spending time in Singapore on both ends. We have stayed in Bali 6x now. We love it there as well. I agree that the people are some of the friendliest people on Earth. Spend some time up in Ubud where you can shop until you drop or ride elephants in the high country. Singapore Airlines is a great airline to travel with. I flew Korean Air the last time I went to Bali in May of this year and they were a great airline to travel on. In fact, we are using them again this November to head into Jakarta! Have a great time on the Arenui. I saw that boat when I was in Ambon and it looked beautiful. I have a friend that was on it and she had good things to say about it. Good luck!

 

[Kilili]

Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul are the main ones.

 

[Mossman]

We flew from LAX to Bali in May via Bangkok on Thai Air (courtesy of CO air miles), great connection times on the way, but a mandatory overnight on the way back. Still, one night in Bangkok can be lots more fun than a night in Singabore.

 

[scorpiofish]

We've made eight trips to Indonesia from Dallas, with several more scheduled.

There are three ways to get to Raja. One is via Singaport/Manado. The second is via Bali. The 3rd is through Jakarta. The Jakarta route has never worked out from Dallas.

We prefer Bali, although it is not as simple as Singapore/Manado.

The easiest flight to Bali from DFW is either AA and JAL through Tokyo or Korean Air through Seoul. These are one stop flights and KAL is usually very price competitive.

The next cheapest and somewhat convenient air is DFW to LAX, then LAX to Bali using either EVA Air or China Airlines. If you use AA to get to LAX, it is a short walk from terminal 4 to the intl. terminal at LAX. The flights stop in Tapei.

The folks at Arenui will arrange your ticket from Bali to Sorong, if Sorong is your point of embarkation. It is a pain because you have to overnight in Makassar.

If you go through Singapore/Manado, there are a couple of different options. DFW to Toyko, Tokyo to SIN using AA/JAL. There is only one good way to Manado from Singapore, that is Silk Air. Silk is the sibling of Singapore Air. There is a big advantage to using Singapore Air to get to Manado, as you can check your bags all the way to Manado. So, two other options to Manado on Singapore Air is to book them from LAX to Manado and take AA to LAX. A cheap, simple, yet painful way to get to Manado is DFW to Houston IAH, IAH to Moscow, Moscow to Singapore, SIN to Manado. Your bags are checked all the way through from DFW. We hated this route, but it was simple and cheap. Again, Arenui would get your ticket from Manado to Sorong. This flight is pretty crappy, too.

I would not waste days in Singapore. Spend all your extra time in Bali. I can help you fill up as many days as you want with wonderful things to do in Bali. I can arrange our regular guide for you and he will take you all over the island.

I will be glad to help you in more detail, just e-mail me at george at myblueplanetimages.com and I will be glad to get into specifics.

 

[Zippsy]

I absolutely love touching down and sleeping off jet lag in Singapore. It's hard to find a safer, friendlier place in SE Asia. On the tail end? I was quite mesmerized by how modern, efficient and clean Singapore is. It will be quite different than Bali and certainly hold interest for a day or so.

Bali is one of my favorites. Try staying in Ubud for great culture, shopping, massages, art and temples.

Is there an easier way to get to Bali than through Singapore from where? Many flights from California touch down in Japan or S Korea before arriving in Denpasar. Not sure from texas..

Check out Singapore Airlines for a nice flight experience.

agreed entirely. Ubud is a fantastic place when not diving. Singapore is certainly worth a visit and most likely the easiest / best connection although not the only one as other point out. I've lived in Singapore for 22 years and I still can't understand the few people who find it boring.

 

[broadreach]

Since this is your first trip to the area I would recommend doing it the other way around - stop in Singapore on the way in, then in Bali on the way out.

After flying across the Pacific you will be completely exhausted and worn down. You don't want to arrive in a chaotic new place when your defenses are down and you are totally jet lagged. Singapore is a great safe English speaking city (the only place I know where taxi drivers usually round the fare in your favor...). It will be a soft landing where you can acclimatizes and adjust to the clock. If you realize that you forgot to pack something, S'pore will be a prefect place to complete your kit. It will also be easy to find food that you like in S'pore.

On your way back when you have your wits and are completely adjusted, you'll be better prepared to enjoy a place that's a bit more chaotic like Bali.

Singapore Airlines flies from Houston (IAH) so that might be a good connection for you.
Also take a look at Delta - they have good deals for S'pore on certain day/dates.

It is possible to fly between S'pore and Bali on a local discount carrier called Air Asia - this is a no frills airline that will charge you extra for food on board, for seat selections and for checked luggage. But if you buy enough in advance you can score a round trip ticket from S'pore to Bali for under US$100.