Apologies for the delay in Pt2 but came back to the usual post holiday chaos!
Having left the villagers of Amed with enough pork chops to last them until Christmas, we left the Bali Beach House and headed south. We've been to Bali twice before, and stayed in Pemuteran, Ubud and Candi Dasa, as we like it really quiet, but I was desperate to shop this time!
I'm not sure if I should disclose this place, but we stayed at the Villa Angkasa, in the Jimbaran Hills, owned by the Tamu Group. I can honestly say that this is the classiest and nicest place we have ever stayed and the only one over 10 years that we cannot fault in any way. Although it is a 3 bed villa, we only used the Master Suite, which is a separate building to the other 2 bedrooms. It has a beautiful 4 poster bed, with a large balcony overlooking the private pool, and the biggest and most luxurious garden bathroom I've ever seen. The floor is solid wood, and the owners have furnished it beautifully with things from all over Indonesia There are steps down from the bedroom onto a deck over the pool, and there is another large sundeck on the other side.
The dining and lounge areas are again in a separate building. The views are magnificent, with panoramic views over the sea and on to Kuta, and the silence is wonderful. The kitchen is open air, and very modern, with the same views. The Villa has only been open for a year, and everything is pristine. There is also a games room with ping pong table by the pool, and a separate a/c study, with Satellite TV, and a huge selection of DVDs.
The whole place is run by the lovely Ibu Made. Unlike the BBH, the service is discrete - you never know she is there, unless you need anything, and then she appears from nowhere! We ate there 5 out of 8 nights, and Ibu Made's cooking was lovely. The prices were also better than the BBH - about 60 - 70 000 for a main course, and we bought our own booze, which made it very cheap for such a nice meal in the most romantic setting we could imagine.
Almost the best bit was the price. I still can't believe it. We were there in September, which is their low season, but we booked through Adrian, at balihotelsholidaydotcom, and paid US$125 per night, inclusive! Tamu's website says US$150++, so it was a great deal. The price for all 3 bedrooms is $350, and it's still worth it. Tamu are putting their prices up soon, so go while you have the chance.
This is the reason that we thought the BBH was overpriced, there is no comparison, and although we hit the Angkasa's low season, the BBH was still charging their high season price of $140. I think perhaps the owners need to review a few things, and we probably won't go back.
When we eventually dragged ourselves away, Ibu Made booked us a driver for the day, and we headed for Kuta, with my list from the Forum! We didn't always find everywhere, and some places were shut when we did find them, but this is what we mainly bought.
We eventually found a time that Dolphin Leather wasn't full of Aussies buying the place out (!), and had 3 jackets made. Hubby had a jacket copied from one on display, and I couldn't resist having impractical but lovely suede single breasted and soft leather ¾ length jackets for myself. It took 3 days, and we paid £170 for all 3.
We went to Discovery Mall, and I bought my contact lenses at Optic Melawi. I still can't believe how cheap they are - 135 000 a box, then buy 2 get one free. I bought 3 years supply of monthly disposables for £60! They cost £7 a month in the UK, a saving of £192.
I also bought a few pairs of shoes for about £5, and I still hanker after the ones I didn't buy.
After the first time, we just got Ibu Made to book us a taxi. We always used Bluebird, and they were punctual and reliable. Although we were up in the hills, the journey only took about 20 minutes to Kuta, and cost about 35 000.
EATING
We ate out 3 times. The first place was Kori's on Poppies 2. The setting is lovely, as were the cocktails, but we thought the food was average. I suppose we'd been spoilt but when we could eat at the villa for £15, eating inferior food for 3 times the price seemed pointless, although we had a nice evening there.
The other place we went to was Sharkeys, at Jimbaran Bay. I wanted to go, as I've read so much about the beach, and the experience, but hubby is one of life's cynics, and as he travels a lot with his job, he's become a bit jaded. However, even he admitted that it was worth going. We had a fantastic meal, washed down with a lot of cocktails, and by the time we left, we were best mates with the owner (he likes Liverpool football team, as does hubby!), and our lovely waitress Putu. We were also pleasantly surprised by the price. If we could only learn not to drink so much!
We had such a lovely time that we went there on our penultimate night. Putu was waiting for us, and although the place was packed, she insisted on putting a table out for us right in the front. She'd put it in front of the front row, so as usual, we sat feeling slightly ridiculous and conspicuous with all our shopping bags and all of the other diners behind us!
If you go there, do ask for Putu - the lady, as there are more than one! - She is so lovely. She introduced us to her husband, Keduk, who is a driver. He spoke very good English, and was very friendly, and we'll definitely use him next time. They live with Putu's parents, and have a small baby. When Ian tipped her, she was so grateful, and said it would buy milk for her daughter - very humbling when you've just spent so much on a meal.
That's about it. Sorry it's a bit long, but I could rave about Bali for ever. It's getting into autumn here in London, and I miss that warm balmy air of Bali. Many thanks again to all of you for your advice, and I hope my JBR helps someone else.