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Michael From New York

Travel Reports

 

Part 2: KEROBOKAN

Actually, I am back a week, but who is counting the days? My body preceeded my head by more than a few days. Sitting at my desk in the office I was still hearing the surf in Kerobokan, still admiring the lady who worked in the food stand in the Nusa Dua Galleria, and still savoring the aroma from the oils I enjoyed during a massage....but I am getting ahead of myself. When I last wrote of my travels, I was coming to the end of five days at the Sheraton Nusa Indah Hotel.

I checked out of the Nusa Indah around noon on the 26th of October. Naturally, with two pieces of luggage, plus my portable discman player, and my brief case, and my now useless Canon A-1 I needed to not hassle about transportation to Kerobokan, which is situated on the western coast, below Tanah Lot, but up the coast from Kuta. 

The hotel had a transport desk. When I said I needed a car to Kerobokan, they said No problem, only 99,000 rupiah. Before I could squawk, they said...only $11 US dollars...so I agreed. The trip was pleasant and the car was nice and the a/c worked well. We passed through Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak and then we were in pretty rural country. The road to the Balisani Suites Hotel actually passed through an area with rice paddies on both sides of the road. We saw a sign and turned into a lane. The Balinese Hotels all apparently have massive lobbies and Grand entranceways. This hotel did the same. You climbed steps to get to the reception area, and then had to go back down to get to the rooms.

Well, this was true if you had a bungalow, here called a Suite, or Junior Suite. The Balisani also had standard hotel corridors and rooms. I had opted for the Junior Suite, at about $84 per night including buffet breakfast. My reservations had been handled by the internet Asiatravel.com. Their Jakarta Office had booked my Bali hotels, and there were no problems with rooms, rates, or reservations at any of the three hotels I had booked with them in Bali.

The Junior Suite was a free standing bungalow, but it was attached to another Junior Suite. But I heard no other sounds, so it was fine. The door was narrow, but it opened up on a huge room. A four poster canopied bed...with flower petals on the bed spread awaited. There was a couch with an Indian style bolster-type pillow and a patio and an open air bathroom which was larger than hotel rooms I've enjoyed in Paris, France. The bathroom enjoyed sunlight and warm air, not alot of sun filtered in, but enough to dry my bathing suits. The closet and drawer space was plentiful. There was a minibar and a TV, a desk and chair...and thats about it. But lots of space...no carpeting, just cool marble floors...the lighting was on the low-side, but the room had a romantic atmosphere.

The amenities about the hotel were not plentiful. A pool table required coins, The Sheraton's in Nusa Dua was free. There were bicycles available to rent...but no newspapers. And the TV had a bare minimum of English channels. 

But the grounds and gardens had a charm to them. You could look into the pools and watch the carp watching you. Raise you arm and they would scatter. So I would wend my way through the other units, stepping on flagstones on the grass to reach the ocean and pool. The Ocean had a huge surf, even dangerous, which was unlike the sea at Nusa Dua. And the beach was broad and wide...and you could see for miles...The pool had a swim up bar and they had layered the steps so that you could sit in the shade, in the water, and order a few large Bintangs if you wanted. You could sit close to the pool or you could have a place out on the lawns...or under trees. And the beach was right there. Aside from the monster surf - this is the west coast so you had the sunsets....

The Kerobokan area had a few other major hotels, The Puri Ratih, The Intan Bali, and The Legian Spa Suites. The Puri Ratih didnt seem to have any guests but the bungalows had the most beautiful rattan furniture to sit on and watch the sunsets. The Intan Bali was huge with a zillion pathways to the many bungalows, wings, etc...I got lost just finding my way to a restaurant. The Legian Spa was the newest and most beautiful, and most modern. No doubt it was expensive because it was just so lush to walk through. I had lunch there...one day...and I had a dinner at the Intan Bali at there beachside Italian and Pizza restaurant. Which co-incidentally had strolling musicians to make the place even more romantic, and there were friendly cats that walked through your legs looking for handouts from your dinner.

I dined at the Balisani twice ala carte, and once for their formal Barong Dance and Buffet Barbecue Dinner. The barong Dance was sumptuous to watch and when one of the lovely Balinese dancers came into the audience to ask us to join them, I was more than willing. In fact I wanted to do nothing else. She weaved this way and that, and I am sure no one was watching my clunky efforts. I locked eyes with her and I was transported on the spot. To a dream that shall stay with me forever. Aside from bumping hips once, we had no contact...but it was electric. 

The Balisani was not without some issues. The A/C in my Junior Suite failed twice one night. They came to restart it immediately. But still it failed. And once the money changer was out to lunch so I couldn't go until he returned. The room did not have a safe. Instead I had to keep my passport, airline tickets, home keys, and extra money in a lock-box in the reception area. I guess that wasnt really an issue. But the room Key had this big wooden thing attached to it. No way I would leave the hotel with it...but it was rather cumbersome to walk around with it.

The staff was very friendly, although they weren't numerous. And they were very polite. I befriended a few of the hawkers that were allowed to stay on the beach, but not come into the hotel grounds. I bought a Copy Rolex from Alex for 70,000 rp and then a copy Omega for 140,000. Alex also replaced the watch band on my own watch, and threw in four watch batteries to boot. 

Interestingly enough, the hotel was primarily a resort frequented by Europeans. There was a nice couple (he from Sydney & she from Singapore) that I liked, and another Japanese couple and a Thai couple that I would speak to. But the majority of the guests were either French or German. Did not here any English being spoken except for the Aussie and his lady from Singapore.

The Balisani had a shuttle service to Seminyak and Kuta but I never left the area. I chose to just float between the four hotels and was happy to not go into town. 

If you are a family with children, I do not recommend this area at all. There was only one child at this Balisani, the Thai couple and their daughter. And if you want the night-time action then you must be aware that you are a cab ride of twenty minutes away from Seminyak.

But if you could deal with just the beach and the sun...and be happy watching the planes glide into Ngurah Rai off in the distance [you'd see the planes but not hear them]. No mossies, but a few ants if you parked your chair on the grass. I relaxed and was quite content with the Balisani Suites. I will not rave about it, but I believe my room was very large, and not that costly. The breakfast was buffet and they had about everything you could want (the Orange Juice was a little thin, and the croissants weren't the best)but you could easily skip lunch. Oh and the coffee was kind of thick as you got to the bottom of the cup. A nice touch was the cinammon stick. 

The surf roared all the time, and the sunsets were beautiful...probably this hotel was not that far from Tanah Lot, and was probably a nice jumping off spot to Ubud. And the drivers arranged by the hotel were only half the cost of those on the east coast. When I left The Balisani, my car and driver cost only 50,000 rp to Tanjung Benoa as opposed to the 99,000 I psid to get to kerobokan.

The dinners were very good and surprisingly not at all expensive. By the way, I was very disappointed that you can not see Jimbaran from the main road coming from the airport, so I never did get there. Just the same I had a sunset dinner at The balisani.

After four nights at the Balisani highlighted by the Balinese beauty making eyes at me on the dance floor, it was time to move on. Next stop: The REAL BALI and LUXURY HOTELS all in one place: TANJUNG BENOA...

Read all about it in Part III coming to you on a nearby monitor soon. Terimah Kasih...

 

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