Jbr 2...Green Garden Hotel etc....
Check in at Green Garden, Jl. Kartika Plaza, Tuban, was aided by the refreshing drink given to us as we sat and filled in a few forms, and asked when we would like our 'within 2 days' FREE 3 hour spa package we opted for the very next day, nothing like starting off as you mean to go on. Shown to our room, no. 17, we were pleasantly surprised to find a ground floor room at the further (from the restaurant) end of the hotel with 4 steps to pool, twin beds, 1 bedside table, dressing table, chair, wardrobe, large fridge, TV and ensuite, shower over bath, vanity and loo. All looked 3 * but all worked 5*. Lighting was a bit dim but we were not concerned and found out later that larger wattage bulbs could be put in rooms if you so wished. We did manage to blow 3 light globes in our 10 days there! We had 2 chairs and a table outside our room to sit at for drinks by the pool. In the 10 days we never had time to sit on the pool lounges and we never switched the satellite TV on. This hotel was greatly recommended by members of the forum and I have to agree. The location and staff was the best for us. Being on the ground floor I thought we may have noise from above problems, but we didn't. So close to the pool may be it wouldn't be so private...not so. The pool is very small and at one end had 8 pool lounges; this is not a hotel for sitting around sunbathing by the lavish pool and gardens. The water was cold to enter but so refreshing, always clean, was quite deep at one end with the other end being sectioned off as a kids paddling pool. The pool towels were really quite small and on the thin side so we purchased a couple of our own over there. The food was really good and prices excellent even room service. Breakfast buffet included was mainly Indonesian but anything could be ordered, I ordered egg and bacon most days and because the breakfast had already been paid for I was only charged an extra 7,000 Rupiah...a dollar do you believe that. AND I could still eat from the buffet as well. Dinner in the evening could be had in the restaurant accompanied by varied live music performers, all happy to wave and smile as you left or arrived at the hotel...you had to pass between them and the audience, a bit disconcerting to start off with, I felt we were being rude but it was obvious that the performers were not concerned. Laundry was approx. 3,000 rupiah per piece, cheaper can be had but convenience was the way to go. Usually we get our driver to pickup and collect our laundry from a cheaper place for us but this time that wasn't going to work, as we were not seeing him everyday. The in room safe was easy to use, so my sister tells me; I'm not too good with these things! Clean towels everyday and the room made up and cleaned with frangipanis put on the bed for decoration. The staff were so helpful, the first few minutes proved so, I asked our room attendant to put my Bali sim card in my phone, I couldn't get the phone unclipped to change it over, all was done with a minimum of fuss, credit checked and ready to use. Usually I have the son, daughter or husband to do these things! I used a Bali Pro XL sim card the whole time with no problems sending or receiving sms's and even had a number of phone calls from Australia on it, clear as talking to someone in the next room. Don't worry daughter had free bonus time to use up on her mobile that is why the actual phone calls were made. My sister had roaming Telstra and although it worked for sms she did have trouble at times sending, having to press send a number of times and from a number of positions to get the message to go. The room had a small 3-cup kettle, cups, glasses and 2 bottles of water a day. No tea, coffee or milk provided but a supermarket is next door so no problem. Next to the supermarket is the Kodak moneychanger also.
The only problem we had with the hotel was with other guests. One night a bunch of young guys came in at 3.00am running up and down the stairs knocking on peoples doors, lasted for us, about 15 minutes and then we heard nothing until 5.00am when one very drunk senior Australian decided to sit outside his room facing the pool, 2 doors up from us and talk very loudly to his lady friend from another hotel. At 6 I had had enough and called security who promptly asked him to be quiet, he swore, stripped off and jumped in the pool where he continued to be a nuisance, with his lady friend then joining him in the pool. We had to pass them on our way to breakfast, yes they were still drinking and being noisy, and they were very rude, swearing the worst words you could hear at us and loudly enough for all to hear. The hotel staff apologised to us, it wasn't their fault, and what could they do really? That afternoon the lady friend apologised to us and the next day the man did, but he cheeked us quite a bit over the following days whenever he saw us saying things like here come the whingers. It happened one other night also but not so badly.
So we had checked in, booked a spa package, got the mobile phone working, unpacked, supermarket shopped next door, swam and had lunch all in the first couple of hours. Next was my first appointment at the ARC (Anti-Ageing Rejuvenating Clinic) Clinic.