Hi all, we have been back for less than a week. After feeling a little bit more organised after the unpacking ( where is it all going to go??) i thought i should write this down before i forget it all.
We are a family of 4, myself, hubby, daughter aged 6 ( Miss 6) and daughter aged 2 ( Miss 2) We stayed 2 weeks at the Green Garden hotel.
We left Perth on the lunch time flight on the 12th June. Hubby (being frequent flyer member) managed to get all 4 of us into the Qantas lounge at perth Airport. Had a few beers and nibblies there and it was nice to sit on some comfy sofa's while waiting. Flight was good, Kids were very well behaved ( thank god)
VOA was a nightmare... we had to wait forever to get through. i dont know how many planes landed but it must have been a few. our line didnt seem to be going anywhere. Miss 2 was getting very irritable and hot ( as was I) anyway finally got through. bags were waiting. Went throught to taxi stand and got Cab to hotel.
GREEN GARDEN HOTEL: what a fantastic hotel. We cannot recomend this place highly enough. We stayed in a standard room on the first floor with a massive bed that would sleep 3 adults comfatably. we had 2 mattresses on the floor ( one each side for the kids). The rooms are spacious and clean. we had clean sheets and towels every day. piping hot water all the time which was nice. The resturant is great and the staff are really lovely. The hotel has a real friendly family atmosphere and being small you find yourself talking to everyone more. The pool is smallish but everytime we went in it was completely empty ( its nice to stand under the waterfall) and there was always pool lounges free. I would stay here again with no hesitation.
Shopping: jeez, where didnt we shop... we spent alot of time down Poppies 1 and 2, also Legian, Kuta Art markets etc Bought heaps of Sunnies ( 30,000) Watches 25,000 - 40,000 Belts 30,000 - 60,000, Dior thongs 40,000, tshirts 35,000, singlets 25,000, shorts 25,000. Got some really good Roxy denim shorts and skirts and Denim Quiksilver shorts in the markets. paid around 120,000 for them but they were worth it, Crochet cardigans and jumpers ( 40,000 - 70,000) Kids shoes at Matahris 50% off they were so cheap and lovly styles, Small bali flags from Kuta Markets 15,000 each, metal geckos for garden 25,000 each, Kids dresses 35,000, Guess bag 90,000 Dior wallet 50,000 Camoflage shorts and volcom shorts 50,000 Kids Billabong Singlets 20,000
We bought some ladies singlets and the frangipani hair clips from Ketuts shop in Legian. The first shop along that lane sells some nice billabong zip front jumpers.
Bought heaps at Geneva. We bought some large table lamps made from wood and like a rice paper. they were 45,000 each also bought heaps of bags and home accesories there
Julio's Art Shop JL Legian opp rum jungle road entrance: we went here the first week with 2 photo's of our daughters and order 2 paintings to be done from the photo's. They cost 300,000 each and are around 30x 40cm but they are so worth it. The paintings are so lifelike they look amazing. they took 6 days to make and i would highly recomend them to anyone wanting paintings done.
Bought Name bracelets off Lil Jhonny ( recomended on here) he did a great job.
Dvds, cds, playstation games from usual places
Gameboy games from Matahari 80,000
We ordered 2 Thai traingle cushions with the 3 fold out to be made from Jaya pillow Jl padma Utara. 100,000 each in whatever fabric. we ordered them without stuffing to make it easier to bring back. They only took 1 day to make both. And they look amazing now i have stuffed them.
Also got a large painting from the Painting shop bbehind Sakura dvd shop in kuta Art markets. We paid 400,000 for 2. probably could have paid less but we were happy with that price.
At the end of the holiday we bought the Bintang Barrel for the bar from the Bintang Shop 200,000 and got the large Bali Boy doll from the House of Yani, Kuta Square 190,000.
Hired Made Mangku for a half day trip to Ubud. We went to the markets there which were great. a maze of stalls and the prices were less than Kuta. We then went to Monkey Forest ( no problems there) Lunch at Cafe Wayan ( amazing location and Food) and then onto Tanah Lot very busy, great markets. Overcast day so no sunset. still worth the look though. Made is a great driver and very patient ( we went round the one way in ubud a few too many times)
Food: We ate at Daddy's Cafe, Bamboo Corner, Poppies ( great garlic bread and cocktails) Seaside,Pantai for breakfast, Legends, Green Garden,Mades warung Kuta, Ol Fookin Pub ( great Food, Miss 6 got on great with the owner, he ended up buying her a milkshake) Uncle Norms ( good food and great with Kids)Posers, Bagus Pub( nice Satays) Highly recomend Billys bar, their food is great and we didnt see our kids the whole time. Made ( always at the front) and Made ( waitress) played and talked to the kids non stop. they wanted to go back there all the time.
Went down to Kuta beach for drinks at lulu's bar and also we went down to see the release of the baby turtles. Very interesting but a very long ceremony. kids were covered in sand ( due to greasy sunscreen) had to strip Miss 2 off along the street and wash her down with 2 bottles of water to get the sand off enough that we could go for tea.
Waterbom park: An excellent place. Miss 6 loved the maccaroni tube and the kids playground, Miss 2 loved sitting on her dad going around the lazy river. Hubby did the boomerang. I was a bit scared on the lazy river..i didnt realise i could touch the bottom and panicked when i was stuck under the waterfall...i paddled for all i was worth... felt a bit stupid afterwards!! Had lunch there, BBQ corn with chilli was lovely. An expensive day compared to all others but well worth it.
A shop i would really like to recomend to you guys is Rika Shop opposite the Green Garden Hotel ( LHS of Diannes shop) the owner Ketut and his wife and children are wonderful people. His shop is also fixed price so if you are shopping at Diannes store, please venture along nextdoor to his store aswell. He is a lovely man and not pushy at all. We spent a lot off time with them and they are very welcoming. We bought quite a bit there and left him with some grocery things we didnt want to take back with us.
The only downside of the holiday was Miss 6 got really sick. We ended up taking her to BIMC. We took every precaution but still couldnt avoid it. At the hospital they tested everything and didnt find any bugs or bacteria so luckily she didnt need antibiotics, but they gave her medicine etc. BIMC is a really good place, hubby said it was spotless and better than some hospitals here in Perth. So if your not well, dont hesitate to go there. i was a bit worried especially with it being your child, but they were great. Thank god we had Travel insurance though!!!
Flight home was the 1.00am flight. The security at the airport was unreal. After going throught the metal detector and luggage scan just to get into the airport. At the Qantas desk, we had to put all bags on a table where they wiped swabs over the zips, then tested them on a machine. we werent allowed to move them till they had the results.
Then you have the luggage scan and metal thing at the boarding gate, then you go through to show your passports etc again and then you have to line up to be body searched and your hand luggaged searched before you can board..we were really amazed at it all.
Kids were great on the way home, hubby and i didnt sleep but the kids slept the whole flight and then another 3 hours when we got home.
We were the last ones to come out of customs at Perth. We had alot of stuff to declare, wood things etc. So he ended up going through all 4 suitcases and hand luggage. Had a tissue box taken off us because of Borers and a Canvas/calico light Shade was taken away because the thick brown stripe in the fabric is water hyacinth root which they wont allow. The fabric Bali bags you buy there with the stripy effect were ok as the brown lines were sandelwood root which is allowed. Alot of the bags and table runners etc have this root in them.
Arrived home around 6.00am...completely Knackered!!! but we had a great time ( despite the illness), with wonderful people. The weather was overcast alot and we had a lot more rain than last time we went, but it didnt stop you going out. Bali was so much more busier than when we went 2 years ago. there were people shopping everywhere, alot of korean, japenese and taiwanese ( especially in Centro which was packed). but we also met plenty of Aussies in the bars and on the streets. Still great taking the kids. they got heaps of attention everywhere they went. the stroller held up well and the best thing to have in your bag with a little one is a dark coloured sarong. we bought one and used it for everything from a towel to a change mat on the beach or down a alleyway when you have to do a quick change.
We hope to return again soon ( p.s if anyone wants the cd of the bali reggae music that plays everywhere, especially in Daddy's Cafe at breakfast time then its by a band called Steven and the Coconut Trees and the albums called 'The Other Side'. we bought it from the shop above the supermarket next door to the Green Garden.everytime we play it we are magically sent straight back to Bali!!!!!!
Cheers For Now GG :)