In Reply to: JBR Part 1/2 - 2005 May - Kuta/Ubud/Lem posted by grayson on Friday, 2. September 2005 at 09:23 Bali Time:
=====> DAY 03:
This was our Ubud day. We had arranged for a private driver, Made (pronounced Ma-dee) Mangku, based on the recommendations from y'all here. We started off late cuz of me. I'm just not really a morning person. :P Thus we missed out on the Balinese dance. He costs 300,000rp for the day, plus the Forum recommended 50,000rp tip. We probably didn't utilize him to the fullest, but this was our first time. I think a person might do as well with a tour group the first time and a private driver for when you really know where you want to go. Might be cheaper that way, but I really liked the ability to leave the location at anytime. One thing I'd recommend for any private driver and esp for those with a website. A basic schedule of their day trips. I didn't see one for his website. Also, he didn't let us know that if we wanted to see a Balinese dance we REALLY needed to leave by 9am. That was a bit disappointing. Overall, he was a good driver. Had a cooler in the back that he filled with ice and had water available.
Approximate Itinerary
Leave by 9am
9:30am - Balinese Dance
10:30am - Next event
Events of varying time as follows:
Silver craft
Painting
Stone carving (we skipped it)
Wood carving - Manis
Made took us to the various specialties of the different areas on our way to Ubud. The handweaving and handcarving places were pretty interesting. At both places, we had our own guide who explained the process and history. The guy at the handcarving was esp. attentive even helping us take pictures of us with some of their products. Ladies and gents, you'll esp like the coffee table. See the album for what I mean. For reference, we tipped the handweaving guy 5000rp and the handcarving guy 10,000rp. We finally got to the Ubud market and were really not impressed. This time it really is cuz we just got done with the Weekend Market in Bangkok. We did pick up a pair of sandals each for our Lembongan Island trip tomorrow. After browsing about the Ubud market some more, we grabbed Made and had some lunch at Nuri Warung.
Nuri Warung reminds me of a cabin restaurant I'd find in the mountains. The food was good though the prices touristy. I am comparing this to local charges not western levels. They even charged 10% service a bit to my surprise. Bamboo Corner didn't have a service charge. But hey, everyone's gotta make a livin. Nuri's known for its BBQ, but we didn't feel like it. After lunch, we headed over to Zen Spa.
Chicken curry 22000
Mie Goreng (fried noodles) 15000
Mixed fruit juice (x2) 6000
10% service charge 4900
Zen Spa is architecture is sweet and gets a big recommendation from me. Girls will appreciate it more I think. The decor and atmosphere is really peaceful. When we walked in, there was a trio of ladies sitting around having some tea after their spa. My gf opted for the facial and I got the 1hr massage. I'm just not one for facials. Their entrance hall is sweet. Again you gotta see the album for it to be done justice. Sorry no pics of the facial room. But apparently it's on the 2nd floor. I'm pretty much guessing they mainly cater towards women. Why? No disposable underwear. Just you and your birthday suit for the massage. My masseuse (sp?) had some strong hands on her. I think I'd recommend you getting a massage first and then a meal or wait awhile after a meal before the massage. When she was doing the pressure part of the massage on my lower back, my lunch almost came back up for a visit. The spa provided tea and fruit after. Then it was just back to the hotel.
After catching the sunset at the Ramada beach, we had to go try out Bubba Gump's for dinner. My gf found the trademark shrimp adorable. The only positive thing I can really say about the place was that it's a one time experience. The food was good, but the prices were high. Ah well. We're on vacation. You can get better food for a better price elsewhere. Bubba Gump's is like Chili's, Outback, or any other high-end sit-in fast food joint. This was also where I found a curious thing about Bali. They TAX THE SERVICE CHARGE! I'm like what the *beep*?! Maybe it's cuz I'm from America. But taxing a service charge is unthinkable here. It's like taxing the tip. But eh, when in Rome....
Net Catch appetizer 55000
"Boat Trash" bucket 76000
Alabama Mud Pie 39000
Sprite 18000
Service 5% 9400
Tax 10% 19740 (Taxed Service Charge?!?)
=====> DAY 04:
Gawd, I am soooo not the morning person. We woke up late and barely got to the shuttle bus. This is the one day I made sure we saved for a Lembongan Island trip. There are three main companies that serve: Bali Hai, Bounty, and Island Explorer. That's also the order of price apparently. Bali Hai's cheapest rate available is $70US per person. Bounty is $55US and Island Explorer is comparable, but I am pretty sure you can go even lower. Island Explorer was $54US without any bargaining. Do not pay more than $70US for Bali Hai or $55US for Bounty. The people arranging may tell ya different but if you hold out, they'll bite. Bali Hai used to be $65US according to BTF, but apparently they've increased their bottom rate. And the rates are the same whether they're arranged inside or outside of the hotel. We arranged ours thru the hotel staff. Saved us some time. We looked at the difference between Bali Hai and Bounty. Island Explorer didn't give us a comfortable vibe for some reason. I think it's mainly cuz I haven't heard anyone on BTF giving them a try. There wasn't any difference between Bounty and Bali Hai as far as we could see so we gave Bounty a try.
One thing I have to mention is that these Lembongan Island trips by the 3 companies are really just a one time deal. If you really want to enjoy the island, stay overnight. These day trips are jammed pack and don't really allow ya to enjoy the water unless you skip parts of the trip. And you can charter snorkeling trips for less than $50US. Anyways, back to the Bounty.
The schedule we followed is below. You can flip the island tour to the afternoon if you want. The food aboard the Bounty wasn't that great and you had to pay for any drink beyond the 1st one. But then when I'm splashing about in the water, I didn't want to eat anything heavy anyways. Time passed pretty quickly. Lockers were available for free, just had to throw down a 20,000rp refundable deposit. I think towels were also available for free, but I'm not sure as we brought our own from the hotel. Overall, I'd recommend it for the first timers. But after that.. eh... probably not. Here's the schedule for Bounty.
07:30am - Pick-up
08:30am - Begin boarding
09:00am - Departs Benoa
10:00am - Village Tour
-Seaweed farming & Underground House
11:00am - Return to Semi-submersible
11:30am - Return to Pontoon Base for Lunch
12:30pm - Snorkeling
01:00pm - Return for Pontoon activities
-Canoe
-Water slide
-Banana boat
-Underwater viewing chamber (hahahaha - couldn't see a bloody thing!)
03:00pm - Depart for Benoa
04:00pm - Arrived and transported back to Hotel
After getting back and relaxing, we hit the Pantai Kuta restaurant which is just south of the Ramada. Easily accessible by beach when it's low tide. I really liked it. The combination of good food, good value, and a great view was what puts this place on my top 5 list. The view is better at low tide, but you'd still get one at high tide. You could even hang your feet over the side and get your feet wet at high tide. Though I'd watch out for rocks the tide brings with it. I'd get there about 30min before sunset to get a good seat. Enjoy an appetizer while you wait.
Mixed juice (x2) 16000
Shrimp Avocado appetizer 19000
Steamed fish balinese style 65000
Grilled King prawns 28000
Chicken Satay 27000
5% Service 7750
10% Tax 16275 (Tax on Service, that really takes getting used to)