June 11, 2004 -- Apparently, Cathay Pacific (www.cathay-usa.com) had great success with their super-low April fare to Bali, because they're duplicating the deal this month. The fare is simple, and great: $599 (plus $80 or so tax) from LA, San Francisco or New York to Denpasar, Bali. We expect this fare will sell out very quickly, so book it now if you can.
This fare is for early birds -- you must buy it this month for travel in September, October or November. September is your best bet for good weather in Bali. The rainy season kicks in during October, and while the rain is usually brief (albeit intense), the humidity can be suffocating.
You can stay up to 30 days on this fare, plus you can stop over in Hong Kong for as long as you like. There are a couple of drawbacks to this offer, but each is bearable: You can't earn frequent flier miles, and, if you're traveling to or from San Francisco or New York, you must stop overnight in Hong Kong on the return leg and pay for your own hotel.
Still, this fare is terrific. We found a $614 (plus tax) fare on Continental from LA to Bali for October dates, with two stops in Honolulu and Guam -- but we couldn't find anything else under $850 from San Francisco, or anything under $1,000 from New York.
If you're interested, go to www.cathay-usa.com/dotm/dotm.asp.
Cathay's fare is one of the few we've seen that even beats Go-Today's Bali packages (you can see all of its packages to Southeast Asia starting at www.gotoday.com/gt_za.asp). Go-Today's Bali Nusa Dua Special, for example, charges $999 per person for a couple to stay 5 nights at a 5-star hotel in the heart of Bali's nightlife.
But combine the Cathay Pacific fare with five nights at Nusa Dua's Grand Mirage Resort purchased through Expedia, and you get $842 per person. Rates for single travelers are similarly lower. Go-Today wants $1,299 for five nights at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel; Cathay Pacific and Expedia can get you into the Grand Mirage for $1084.
Cathay themselves have a special deal at the Grand Hyatt Bali in Nusa Dua, another super-deluxe resort. Travelers flying on Cathay's special fare can nab rates of $145.20/night including tax if staying for three nights or more -- and that includes breakfast for up to two adults and two children. To book the Grand Hyatt deal, call 800/233-1234 after you book your flight and mention booking code DOTMCX. (Think of it as "Deal Of The Month Cathay: Xcellent!")
If you're stopping over in Hong Kong, Cathay has highly discounted rates at four of the Regal hotels, including the Frommer's-reviewed Regal Kowloon. Rooms at this 'middle of the road ... adequate' hotel are a reasonable $81/night during September, but $132/night during October and November. Rooms at the posher Regal Hongkong are $94 during September and $145 during October/November. You'll find cheaper rooms at the Regal Oriental and Regal Riverside, which we unfortunately haven't reviewed: they're $56 in September and $81 in October/November. To get these rates, call 800-222-8888 and ask for rate code CXDOTMJUN.
You can also try bidding for Hong Kong hotels on Priceline (www.priceline.com), which has a good selection of 4-star and 5-star Hong Kong hotels that can run anywhere from $45-100, depending on your dates of travel. Ask for advice on www.biddingfortravel.com if you'd like help bidding on Priceline.
