First and before I forget, I would like to thank everyone for there kind comments on the my reports. The benefits of submitting a JBR is twofold. Firstly it is a way of extending the holiday by bringing back all the memories. Secondly it is way of saying thank you to all the people on this site who submit recommendations (and warnings) which I eagerly cribbed for at least 6 months before went. I ended up with a crib sheet of over 30 pages which came in very very useful and certainly helped to make our holiday one of the best ever.
Did we enjoy the holiday? absolutely. Did we make any mistakes? of course. We probably would not go to Seminyak again in the present climate and would certainly not stay in the same hotel. I guess that the South West has been predominantly Aussie visitors over the years and they are just not there any more in significant numbers. You are left with empty restaurants, empty beaches and empty shops all the way from Kuta to Seminyak. If we did go to this side of the island again it would have to be in a private villa in Seminyak for a few days, just for the shopping. Kutu would not be on the agenda as we found it just a bit too brash for us (even though it was quiet). It reminded us a little of Patong in Phuket without the sleaze, and we did not like Patong either.
We followed the advice on this site and took acidophilus tablets before and during the holiday, we never ate from uncovered buffets and we carried antiseptic hand wipes with us to use before eating. Apart from one short dose of the trots (more like a sprint) we had no problems.
Highlights I could fill a page but the views from the room at the Tegal, the Puri Santrian in general, Tuesday night at the Cat and Fiddle and some of the great laughs we had along the way will live in the memory. Very happy that we were able to give just a tiny bit of support to Smudge by taking over the case of children's clothes.
So we had been to Thailand for a few years and had some wonderful holidays so Bali was a bit of a risk, but one we wanted to do to give them a little bit of support. So how did they compare. Obviously this is just a personal perspective, I would hate to upset anyone:
Shopping: Without doubt I think that the quality and choice of men's clothes in Thailand is better. However, for ladies any larger than a size 8, Bali wins. Cath has never been able to find any clothes in Thailand whereas in Bali she managed to buy quite a few bits and pieces. Tootsies fixed price shop was wonderful and saved all the hassle of bargaining. Overall Bali
The People: We found the welcome and personality of the Balinese to be very similar to the Thai's. Wonderfully modest people who can be so happy despite all adversities. A completely different lifestyle where wealth seems to be secondary to the family and religion and happiness is not just a large bank account. Difficult to choose between the two, but the Balinese just tip the balance in their favour with their sense of humour.
Beaches: Has got to be Thailand. The beaches of Phuket and Krabi are just wonderful and we did not see anything to compare.
Eating: Without doubt Bali. I can honestly say that we never had a single meal in Bali that we did not thoroughly enjoy, and it was just so amazingly cheaper. The choice and quality of restaurants was amazing. The one thing that stood out was the availability and choice of vegetables, very rare in Thailand except in the most expensive of restaurants.
Overall costs: Similar hotels are a lot more expensive in Thailand and so are the general items like taxi's, day trips, etc. We have never come back from Thailand with any money and normally we have had to break into the ATM for the last couple of days. We actually came back from Bali with some money.
Would we go back - you bet your life we will. The Europeans and Japanese seem to be going back in greater numbers, all it needs now is a boost from the Australians. I think the difference is that for the Europeans it is a one off, an annual holiday. Whereas from what I can gather Bali used to be like our Spain for the Aussies (somewhere you can visit 2 or 3 times a year). Without this support Bali will continue to struggle.
Good luck, good health and happiness to everyone on this site for 2007 and hopefully a little more wealth and better luck for the Balinese people.