27th Dec - 28th Jan
IN BRIEF:
Left from Perth on my own
Flew Garuda and arranged for a tourist visa prior to travelling
Stayed at Sri R atu bungalows again
Had New Year's Eve at Billy's with a couple of other forumites I met.
Weather was pretty good but there were some very very heavy downpours (bungalow flooded)
Exchange rate around 6900 to 7000
In do N ational still renovating their new site & increasing the size of the building.
Rhum Restaurant in Rum Jungle Rd is closed.
Ate at many local warungs(Padang food), local restaurants (Plengkung in Tuban & a couple in Denpasar) & tourist restaurants as well as Jimbaran Bay one nite. Also cooked at lot at home
Thought Flying Piano in Rum Jungle Rd was very nice..not impressed with Tekor Bali on the beach strip.
Rum Jungle is still good but rumored to be closing/being sold next month.
Did little shopping & only went clubbing one night to Apache.
Went to Padang Bai (great hotel & best food at Puri Rai).
All the stalls/shops along the beach will be demolished/cleared by end of Feb. So a clear beach with better views for the hotels
Also went to Sanur (very dead), Geger Beach (nice beach)a couple of times, Turtle Island (nice beach there too), GWK (had never been there so was ok...views are great), Jimbaran, around the top part of Seminyak (which was interesting because I'd not really spent anytime looking around there)....and generally riding around Kuta/Legian/Tuban/Denpasar area.
Did a fair bit of shopping in supermarkets for groceries etc & liked P epitos (but it seemed more expensive?). Didn't much like Bintang in Seminyak/Legian.
Matahari in Kuta Square is being renovated so it's lacking in stuff at the moment.
Gelael, I also liked.
Arranged for a tourist visa for friend while there.
No problems & only took one day.
New notes in circulation..
Bright blue 50000
Bright green 20's
Pink 100's etc
IN DETAIL WITH PHOTOS (close the gaps in the url)
RESTAURANTS
Mainly ate Padang food but here are a couple of comments about the places we did "dine" at.
Plengkung
Jln Raya Tuban
Ate here a few times and had the fried chicked, grilled chicken, grilled gurami with the sambal, rice, noodles & vegetables at different times.
Prices are reasonable, menu is in Indonesian & the restaurant is very popular with locals & some tourists.
Recommended if you like Indonesian food
Bali Colada - Discovery Mall
Had the vegetable bihun here & an iced coffee
Neither were anything to rave about
View is nice outside but just like a cafe back home
Flying Piano
Rum Jungle Rd - Legian
Not as cheap as some places but food & service well worth it.
Complimentary welcome & after meal drink as well as towels, bread & cheesesticks.
Salad, lasagne & spaghetti good.
Cappucino was cold & Arak Madu was too sweet but overall recommended
There is now 4 men to serenade mainly originating from Sumatra.
Did not have to book for dinner as it was not full but still well patronised.
Menu includes Swiss fondue, Italian, Indonesian, Thai etc
Tekor Bali - Seminyak
Not impressed with what we ordered at all.
Shrimp avocado salad was spoilt by the foul dressing.
Garlic bread was an inch thick with chunky garlic and butter.
Fillet steak with pepper sauce - steak ok...sauce inedible
Salad was nondescript.
Nice location & outlook to enjoy a drink but would not bother with the food again
Rhum Restaurant
Rum Jungle Rd
Now closed
In do National
Due to move early February & have extended the old JD's site for their new restaurant
Segara Cafe
Jimbaran
Nice food & reasonable cost.
Overcharged by about 120000 which then was given to the friend I was with as commission.
Friend then returned it to me
PURI RAI HOTEL
Padang Bai
Airconditioned rooms are alongside the driveway just up from the entrance 102-105.
105 is right next to the pool and has its own private lounge area for that room (right alongside the pool - as does the one on the upper storey above it)
These rooms are priced at 350000rp (50000 extra for 6pm checkout) and this includes breakfast (fairly basic).
No TV, but fridge , large bathrooms, hot/cold water, fluffy towels, king bed, wardrobes
Fairly dark rooms with wood panelling but good lighting over the dressing table area.
Large patio/terrace area.
2 pools with fan cooled rooms overlooking both pools at the rear of the property.
Pool use restricted to hotel & restaurant guests only --no pool hire.
Family rooms (interconnecting with family toom next door) & suites are to the right of the driveway and face the second pool
Family rooms have two king/ beds a TV, sitting area and are larger than standard rooms.
There is a restaurant attached to the hotel which will deliver to your room but you have to walk to the restaurant to order (no phones in the room)
Food is reasonably priced, well presented & tasty
TOPI INN
Padang Bai
Small place at the furtherest end of the main street.
Restaurant area downstairs with communal lounge & rooms upstairs.
About 6 rooms upstairs with use of a shared bathroom (one has an ensuite.)
Fan cooled, small & open air window/shutters.
Cheap at only 50000rp per night for the room with an ensuite.
One room with bunk beds but little ventilation & the size of a closet.
Very basic accommodation with a fantastic view from the upper lounge area.
No breakfast included or towels provided.
Nice restaurant area & gardens downstairs with a good menu
Owners are European & live onsite above the lounge area
PADANG BAI
Basically one street with accommodation on one side and the beach on the other.It is the port where larger boats come in & the ferry departs & arrives from Lombok.
Most tourists come to Padang Bai to dive, snorkel or just relax and generally stay in the main street - Jln Silayukti.
This street has the majority of hotels, homestays, inns & restaurants.
At the moment there are warungs, shops & bars on the beach but the government has ordered that all these be cleared by the end of February.
An area out of town a bit (away from main tourist area) has been allocated for their relocation if they wish to pay the rent per month.
Accommodation ranges from cheap (eg Topi Inn ) to moderate (Puri Rai).
At the end of the street next to Topi Inn is an entrance to a hotel which is empty.
It can be seen from the path that leads to Blue Lagoon & has 2 blocks of rooms, a large pool, and a 3 storey building which looks like a restaurant reception area.
Could not tell if it was going to open (they were putting water in the pool & bringing in tables) or it had closed down. No name out the front of the hotel.
BLUE LAGOON
Easy walking distance from the main street of Padang Bai.
Can take your choice of 2 routes which lead to the 2 warungs located on the hillside above the beach.
The quickest route leads to Blue Lagoon Warung - off the track, up a few stairs past a disused restaurant on the hillside and then through the "bush" track.
For a more leisurely walk with better views take the other track which goes straight ahead then veers around a corner & overlooks Padang Bai.
at the end of the track is another warung (the better of the 2).
Service is good, views are great, food looked good & it is cheap (juice 3000rp)
Area is not that great for swimming with strong waves & rocks.
Not much sand area, mainly rocks with the tide a fair way in.
Pictures:
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