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Trip Report by Andrew & Jan July 2001 |
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| [ Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Days 4-5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8-9 | Day 10 | Days 11-12 | Days 13-14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Days 18-20 | Day 21 | Notes ] | ||
| Please allow us to introduce ourselves. Jan and Andrew from Melbourne Australia. Our ages are in the 40's. This is our fourth trip to Bali, this was our longest trip and our most enjoyable. Our tastes with regards to accommodation and eating are what you would
consider being moderately priced hotels and restaurants. We have tried to accurately report our holiday, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us on:
kuppa16@hotmail.com
Any other comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Please enjoy our report. Exchange Rate (Average) 5,800.00 rp. = $1.00 AUD [up] Day 2: We then caught a blue taxi (25,000rp) to the Radisson Suites in Sanur where Sharkie & family were staying. We found them and Tony & Jo in the childrens area which is called "Camp Splash". The children and the "big kids" all had a bit of a swim and also enjoyed a couple of rides on the water slide. We all finally decided it was time for lunch so we headed for the Mango Bar on the beach in Sanur where we had a nice relaxing meal beside the water. Most of us had a few other things to do after lunch so we planned to meet up again at Tootsies, which is close by, later that afternoon. Tootsies for those who do not know it, is a fixed price shop which looks exactly the same as all the other stalls around. Most people who enter can just sit down and ask for the items that they are after, e.g. t-shirts, shoes, watches etc. The girls there will find the items requested and show you the range that they have. There is no bartering with prices, and you will find her prices the cheapest around. Even if you do not buy, it is a good place to go to check out the going price of items that you may buy later. We ended up returning to the Radisson Suites for a short time before returning to our Hotel in Legian where we had a relaxing swim then out to a quiet dinner. Day 3: We had a lovely lunch at a new placed called WaWa-WeWe II - Amed. This hotel has just been completed and the accommodation is quite nice. No airconditioning. but you get a nice breeze straight off the water. They are two storey bungalows, with either the day bed or main bedroom upstairs. We thought this would be a great place to rest up and intended returning here later, but unfortunately we did not return to Amed. The prices were very negotiable, and we could have got the front bungalow for around 150,000 rp per night. After lunch we continued onto Tulamben (about 40 minutes away) where we had a snorkel. The beach here has large pebbles instead of sand and makes walking hard. On the return trip before Candidasa Wayan asked if we would like to see some springs. The springs were called "Tirta - Gangga". The place was busy with locals but it seemed a nice restful place. We thanked Wayan and continued on our way. We returned Jim and Joan to their Hotel in Candidasa and returned to Legian quite late that afternoon. We were quite tired so we had a swim in the pool and then Andrew had a nice massage at the hotel while I had my fingernails done later. (I find that getting nails done in the Hotel maybe a little dearer in price, but I now believe that it is worth it. They do a much better job, and the job lasts longer as well. Much better than the girls on the beach!! - Paid 30,000rp in the hotel against 20,000 on the beach, this was using my own nail polish). [up] Day 4 - 5: Thursday night Andrew and myself went to LaLucciola for dinner to celebrate my birthday. This Italian Rest. is right on the beach in Seminyak and you do need to book a day or two before. It was quite enjoyable, but as Andrew was not feeling well, we did not stay very long. [up] Day 6: Sharkie & Koala came over late that morning. We tried to get onto the internet at a place nearby, but Sharkie had no success with their service and gave up. We decided to take a walk through the back streets around Legian and ended up at the Bali@Cyber Restaurant where Sharkie got onto the internet with no problems, so we ended up ordering a delicious lunch while waiting for Sharkie. We visit this place each year, the machines are up-to-date and are not slow. You can even bring your own laptop here to send off all your emails etc After lunch we grabbed a blue taxi and took off to visit a Villa in Seminyak that Sharkie had been invited to check out. We got dropped off at LaLucciola in Seminyak and reading our instructions!!?!!? on how to find this villa, we went across the road to find Villa Wilsana. To cut a VERY long story short, after walking for over an hour, loosing Sharkie for most of that time and getting different directions from the "locals", a driver came along who said he knew exactly where this villa was. So believe it or not, he returned us to just about where we had started at LaLucciola's, then went up this very rough track and drove into the villa (which was nearly opp.LaLucciola"s!!). We were too tired to laugh, but I presume when we meet Sharkie again, this will be one of those "never to be forgotten bali tales". Anyway, we were introduced to the people looking after the house and shown around. This house is actually owned (or partly owned) by an Australian friend of Sharkies who I believe we have met once. The villa is just lovely, and is booked out for at least the next 6 months. It comes with maid, chef, car and driver and security guards at night. We could only stay for about an hour as the others had to get back to the hotel by 4pm but in the meantime we had a lovely swim and a couple of bintangs. (Even Koala attempted a bintang!!) . For those who would like to know the name of the driver that actually got us to the villa his name is: Made Wardana - Mobile Phone 08l-239-19336. He speaks excellent English. Just mention the "lost man in the purple t-shirt who was looking for Villa Wilsana" and know doubt he will remember us, who wouldn't. That night we enjoyed a night out in Kuta at Poppies Restaurant with Sharkie and family. We had a really enjoyable meal - avocado prawn cocktail and chicken maryland, Andy had kebabs. Meal and drinks only cost about 126,000rp for the two of us. I did not think this expensive as the decor here is really nice. [up] Day 7: [up] Days 8 - 9: We walked up the beach and up a few steps to the Manor House. This place is VERY hard to describe, but I will try. It is not like a normal hotel, the rooms are somewhat openish to the outside world. (The Manor House would only accommodate about 5 couples at a time.) You can walk up some stairs and you enter a large living area where We had the use of snorkeling equipment, and Ketut took us out in a glass bottom boat the following morning. The fish here are really great. This was the original reason for visiting this Island. We snorkeled just in front of the hotel and also out near a pontoon not far away. Very relaxing time and intend to revisit this Island next year. Cannot say enough re Ketut and his lovely charm. (Also, just to let you all know, we met some people further up that were staying at Coconuts Resort just nearby. They said this hotel was not great. Lots of climbing to rooms, people not helpful, just not friendly overall. They were only paying a couple of dollars more than we were, so I actually felt good that I had made the right decision on our accommodation.) This Island survives by manufacturing Seaweed. Ketut took us for a drive to the other side of the Island where families have their own plots of seaweed growing. This was very interesting. Someone had suggested to me that this Island would smell from the seaweed, but we all agreed that only occasionally did we smell it, and certainly not around our "House". We also visited a place where a man has dug out an underground cave. This was amazing to enter. It has a number of entrances, and tunnels just meander around underground. It took him a number of years to complete. That night we had a nice Dinner at the Swastika I in the main street of Sanur. They actually have free transport if required. Ring 288 373. (2 main meals/2 desserts plus bintangs cost 64,000rp approx.$11 AUD for both of us). [up] Day10: Tonight we got some transport (nominated price), picked up Sharkie and family and went into Kuta to the KopiPot where Joan and Jim were waiting for us. Had a really nice meal, I finally got to eat some yummy prawns and ended with fried bananas for desert. The meals only cost around 120,000 rp per couple which was not bad. Said goodbye to [up] Day 11-12: We arranged to go snorkeling the following morning. We had heard alot about the "Blue Lagoon" and this place certainly lived up to its name, it took us at least 30 minutes by boat to get there. This would have to be the best place so far in Bali that we have snorkeled. The fish here was magnificent (similar to the Island fish), but we also had a lot of coral in different shapes and colours. I think there was more variety of fish here also. Andrew told me later that he had seen a reef shark, (as our driver in the boat had kept saying to me, "no sharks, never ever see any sharks around here!!") As they both said later, sharks here, if any, are not the man-eaters that I dread, these sharks are very shy and as Andrew said, "as soon as the reef shark saw him, the shark was out of sight". Anyway, I still enjoyed this swim immensely. The water temperature as usual was warm, which enables you to snorkel around for a long time in the water. The boat trip took about 30 mins. to get there and we must have snorkeled for at least an hour. We paid 150,000 rp for the boat with driver and snorkeling gear. Andrew also got a massage at this hotel. Did not get his name, but if you are really suffering from sore shoulders etc. this guy does a really HARD massage (30,000rp for 1/2 hour). Knows exactly where the tight spots are. Andrew had two massages by this guy. (Nothing like the normal massages.) Another nice thing to do in Candidasa while resting is to have a Body Scrub. I had been informed by Joan to try this out at the DEWI Spa & Salon Ph: (0363) 41982. (nearly opp. our Hotel). She had been once, and could not leave here without going again. This Salon does lots of things but we chose the Body Scrub for 95,000 rp each. You are led into a small room where gentle music plays. You are asked to undress and to lay down. You are treated to a full massage with different oils, splashed with yogurt then washed in scented flower bath and dried. This pampering takes about an hour and a half. (Andrew actually fell asleep). Your skin seems to tingle for quite awhile after, I fully recommend trying this kind of massage here or at least somewhere in Bali. There are numerous restaurants to eat in Candidasa. We ate at the Pondok Bambu Restaurant which was near our Hotel. The food here was quite good and reasonably priced. (Take a biscuit with you to feed the Cockatoo that you will pass - but dont let him hold your finger as he will not give it back - just ask Andrew.) Also say hello to the dog called "Droppy" who will quietly be around! There are other places further up that offer latest released movies to watch while you eat. Also, we changed money across the road from our Hotel (in front of the Yellow KODAK Sign). It is a separate little booth with "Money Changer" just off the road. We did not try anywhere else as we had no problems with these people. [up] Day 13-14: We arrived at our favourite Hotel in Ubud. The Yulia in Monkey Forest Road. This may not be to everyones taste, but we like a small, friendly hotel. The Yulia is around 200,000 rp per night with light breakfast included. It is very clean, a/c, and small swimming pool. It does not have fridge but you can use theirs in Reception. We like this place as we have gotten very friendly with some of the staff. It had actually changed hands from last year, but most of the staff were the same and greeted us with open arms!! Had a bintang (or two) and said goodbye to Mickey and took a walk up Monkey Forest Road. Things had changed since last year. There are now a number of "Boutiques" with fixed prices and we thought it had lost a little bit of its "Charm". Normally you walk along this street and you hear in most shops the Balinese Traditional music played on the gamelan. We only heard this playing in one shop. Ubud seems to changing... lots of day tourists arrive in the BIG buses with lots of money. These are the shops that maybe these tourists like to visit. We were a little disappointed as we used to just meander in and out of the open shops and chat to the various owners. We ended up meeting for dinner with my brother and friends who had arrived here yesterday. We went to the Lotus Pond Cafe in Monkey Forest Road. We all enjoyed our meal. (We have heard people complain about the Lotus Restuarant in Ubud, we think maybe they are referring to the one near the market in the Main Street. We have always had a good meal here, and only go to the other one for a quick drink.) We finally finished dinner and retired to our hotels for a good nights sleep. My brother and friends were leaving in the morning for Legian, the last leg of their journey. In the morning after an enjoyable breaky, we took off up monkey forest rd. again. Half way along a driver came up to us and said he would show us around Ubud etc. for on 90,000 rp for 4 hours. This is a common "set-up". No one can afford to do this for nothing. We asked a few questions (like whats the catch!) and finally settled on a short trip around for 40,000 as long as he took us to where WE wanted to go. Well, the guy took us to a couple of places where the "Good" wood work is sold - you are talking in US$ here so the price is triple. Nothing under $25. We didn't even get out of the car at the first place, just told him NO, this is not the kind of place we are looking for. After three more places (similar to the first) we asked him to take us back. On the way we passed a number of the shops that we had originally been looking for, and we asked him Anyway, it worked out well as this was the street that I really had wanted to be in. Ask a driver to take you there (or if adventurous, get a bemo). The name is Jln Gentong or maybe Br.Ambengan Peliatan - Tegallalang. This is where I bought my mobiles 15,000rp ea; cushion covers which I was determined to get, 16,000 rp ea. (Ubud Village were asking 40,000 ++ in fixed price shop for the same cushions); wooden pelicans and a number of other things. Most of these places I did not even bargain for, the prices were low anyway. We probably took a couple of hours to meander down this long street. There were no other tourists in this area. We got onto a bemo and travelled further along. We thought we were heading back, but the streets were not looking familiar so we decided to hop off the bus. We actually did a bit more shopping and found out that we had been heading the wrong way. Hopped onto the correct bemo (you can tell by colour) and was returned safely to the village of Ubud where we retired to the hotel for a "Rest". As this was our last night, we decided to visit our favourite Restaurant in Bali - The Jazz Cafe. We rang them up (976-594) and asked to be picked up at 8pm. This place is a few minutes out of town but is the best. The food is a little expensive but it has always been the nicest meal that we have in Bali. The music which is blues starts around 8.30pm and goes for most of the time. It was Saturday night when we went and the place was packed. You probably need to make a reservation earlier in the day. Out the back they have a couple of open eating areas. These are raised platforms with lots and lots of cushions to lounge around on beside a large low table. (Very romantic!!). Transport can be a problem when leaving, but the staff seem to be able to supply you with something. [up] Day 15: We got back to the Yulia about 7.30 and had our breakfast. Decided to have a rest in the room before venturing out again. Later that morning we took off up the road again, this time to Mades Warung. Some people that we have met in Candidasa told us about this place "the best meal in bali". So we ventured to have an early lunch at this Warung before leaving Ubud. We walked awhile along the main street, following the directions I had and asking a few people. Finally decided that time was running out and we needed help. Went over to some guys chatting, and showed them the directions I had. After a few scratches on the forehead, one guy said yes, I know where it is, I will drive you there. So we negotiated a price and off we went. We drove around and around and finally stopped (when you do drives like this, you get to see places that No-One else ever sees). We got out and he asked for more directions. We strolled along this path and guess what... we finally found it. I think we were all surprised. We entered the small warung and told Made that some friends had recommended us to come here. She remembered the two girls and invited us to sit down. We apologised for not being able to stay for lunch, but we had a few bintangs and a good chat. She is a lovely lady, and this warung is fairly new. It is literally in the middle of some rice paddies, although new houses/buildings are being built. Our driver took us back to the Yulia where we found Mickey waiting to take us back to Candidasa. We had decided to return to Candidasa instead of going to Lovina. We thought that for one night, it was not worth travelling all that way to Lovina, but will go there next year. We said our farewells to all the staff at the Yulia, saying we would return again next year. We arrived back in Candidasa about 3pm. We decided to stay just a few doors up from the Candidasa Hotel. A lovely place called Dewa Bharata. We had negotiated a price of 200,000 rp per night including breakfast. We had a room upstairs overlooking the pool and beach. This room did not have a fridge, but we put our things in the fridge downstairs beside the pool. We have had no problem doing this, although most of the time there are very few other people around. We had a short rest beside the pool where we met another boatman. We negotiated with this guy (who had not worked all week because of the weather) to go fishing. That night it was raining so we went next door again to the Pondok Bambu Restaurant where we enjoyed another lovely meal. [up] Padangbai is where the locals etc. can catch Ferries across to the Islands. It was a busy little seaside village. It was well worth the trip to just walk around. This place is very close to the "Blue Lagoon" where we had snorkeled before, so you could easily get a local boat to take you there from this village. We ended up having lunch in a nice little restaurant overlooking the beach. This is where we saw a van with pastries/sweets/salad rolls etc. If we had seen this before, we probably would have eaten from this clean van instead, just for the sake of it. Never have we seen anything like this before in Bali!! Unfortunately, we did not rush downstairs to take a closer look. After lunch we caught another Bemo and returned to Candidasa. That afternoon we just lounged around, the weather still not very good. That night we decided that we HAD to try another restaurant. We decided to go to the restaurant directly opposite Pondok Bambu for dinner. This was another meal thoroughly enjoyed. A little more expensive but worth it. [up] About 1pm we were picked up by Wayan again and taken back to Sanur where we will spend the rest of our holiday. [up] I also bought a number of shoes at Mataharis in Kuta and Dempsar. I bought three good pairs for less than the price of one I would pay at home. We tried a few more resturants in Sanur. Our definite favourites are: The Bonsai Resturant (just a little further up from the Mango Rest.), and for a great (large) meal and very inexpensive try Arri's Cafe (Jl.Pantai Sindhu No.7, Sanur). Mark Arri's as a definite try, the street is off the main street of Sanur which leads down to the beach somewhere near the Mango Rest. Also the best Money Changer we found was just near the corner of Segara St. and the main street of Sanur, just beside the Kodak Shop. We found the money changer right on the corner a bit "sneaky". [up] [up] |
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