Just got back this morning after being stuck in Darwin (standby traveller) for 24 L-O-N-G hours. Finally got home on the 6th flight we tried for.
4 of us (40+) stayed at the Padma. It is really my favourite hotel and I have tried many of them. Once again the breakfast was a real highlight. The fruit salad and yoghurt is absolutely delicious. We had connecting ground floor rooms in the hotel wing. the garden is head height so you have absolute ptivacy and grass for all those drinks and nibblies that you have when you are 4 girls away. We found we used the back entrance a lot and this was great for going north out of the hotel.
walked throughthe Niksoma one day and we all though it was terribly drab and depressing and all rooms on top of each other. All that grey concrete. Used their pool loos. Only one loo and it looked like an amenities block at the park. Only thing we liked was the infinity pool.
We went to Adopta and met the lovely Ni Luh. She gave us a great price on T Shirts and draw string pants for our kids' swim club. Took forever to find it! The t- shirts came up terrific!
Had massages at the Melasti which we should have stuck with because on the last day we tried the Padma spa for a facial (on BTF recommendation). AWFUL. We went up 4 floors - steep stairs - and we are quite fit and active and they were killers. The girl who took us up was panting and had to sit on a step to recover. 2 of us had a facial and they were both terrible. I had one that can only be described as a scalectrix race track derby being traced out on my face. I was so over it I just wanted to st up and leave but thought my friend may have been having a good one. Well she wasn't. She thought she had a total learner who was just slapping and tugging at her face. At one stage when we had a cucumber mask on - that kept slipping like a mini landslide - we could hear them talking and one cutting her finger or toe nails. No tip - no way - beyond awful - we just had to laugh and thank god it was over!
Had a poster mad eat Indographics for the kids swim club - very happy with the result - not perfect but that is as much our fault as theirs but it was less than $30 for 1.5m by about 86cm. great service.
So we thought we would try this othet guy for another banner which was different quality. He was british and he talked the talk but OMG - when we went to order it and said can you bring it up on the CD we had as we wanted to change a few things he went blank on us. He said we would have to do the computer work as he was still learning how to use it.Took us to a dinosaur computer in the back room and asked his assistant to turn it on. They could not even open up the program and he wanted us to go around to the internet cafe to conduct business! We were outta there so fast as he was an absolute idiot.
We had lovely times by the pool at the padma. We would set up wine and nibblies in one of the covered pavilion thingys and relax. Watched a lot of european tourists scorch themselves stupid. Had happy hr cocktails on the grass and listened to pretty awful singers - but all in good fun!
Saw a motor bike rider have a mega stack on a main rd but he was thankfully ok even though he was really holding his wrist. Took a ride in a van home from Adopta (as there were no cabs and this was the only transport we could find) that was open on one side and I swear I could see the rd under my feet as we drove.
Bought great shoes and jewellery in double six. Bought lots of Revlon at Mata Haris.Went to Geneva.
Bought those name bangles at 20.000. happy with the price so we upped the order to 30 of them. I had peviuosly read that you could get them for 10,000 each and tried but this was obviosly never going to happen on this trip - they looked at me like I was an idiot. One guy got really nasty with me and said OK 6000 but meet me at 4 am so I can work all day to get them done! I was really taken aback as he had gone from 45,000 to this so quickly that that was the end of that negotiation. So the next day we got the 20,000 per bangle quite easily and they were ready at 5pm that day. Well, when the original guy saw this order go in he had a go at me about why I had not given him the business. I calmly told him that he ruined it for himself by being so nasty and that if he had just come down in price he would have gotten the work. I suggested that he should revise his approach to negotiating.
Ate at warung murah, enhay cafe, flying piano and Tekor. Tekor was at least 45mins to get food and all found it disappointing this time. Went to Ketumbar on the first night (as recommended) and we all thought it was the worst meal we had.
Got news of the tidal wave from Aussies at the hotekl and then the SMS'started coming. It was very surreal to be walking back along the beach from double 6 to the Padma and joking about the tidal wave coming. We all felt safe and were never coming home and we joked to cover any uneasiness we may have felt. Did say that maybe we should get off the ground floor at the Padma! I just read somewhere that you can live the Days of your lives, or just watch it on TV - I know which one I will take!
Anyway, lovely holiday as always.