We left for Bali departing Melbourne on June 22nd. There were 7 of us in total - Hubby, and I with our 2 kids aged 5 and 9 and two friends who were first timers to Bali.
Day 1
We arrived and managed to get through the airport rather quickly. As we collected our bags though, I noticed my friends case had the dreaded chalk mark (the first I have seen in all of my ten trips to Bali!. Well I had her in a panic once I told her that they would search her case. She had visions of all her underwear being on display. No problems though and we managed to have a great laugh.
Our friend and driver Made Sukarma was there waiting for us along with his cousin. It would take 2 cars to take all our luggage and us to the hotel. Made had the esky full of Bintang and cokes which delighted our hubbies and set the standard for the remainder of our trip - boys drinking, girls shopping and kids swimming.
We arrived at the Jaykarta Hotel Residences. We had booked the privately owned 3 bedroom appartment - which was rennovated beautifully. The level of furnishings were at a very high standard. We stayed here for the first 5 days and returned for the remaining 4 days of our trip.
We had planned to go to Seaside for dinner but much to our shock it was booked out! (This restaurant has the best food and is normally empty). Obviously, tourism is on the increase. We decided to go to Blue Ocean and all were happy with the meals and prices. Our night ended with drinks on our balcony. Glad to be back!
Day 2
Today we walked into Kuta Square, to show our friends how to get there. Many a bag purchase was made! It seems "bags" are the new thing as they are everywhere now. It wasn't the case early last year.
I think we purchased around 25 bags between us. The boys loved the fact that they could stop for an ale or two along the way.
Spent the arvo by the pool and trying out a few cocktails - we decided that we do love the lime crush and the banarama. To celebrate my friends birthday we had booked dinner at Ku De Ta and arranged for a cake - we had emailed them prior to leaving for our holiday. They did not disappoint.
We had drinks watching the sunset and then moved into the restaurant for dinner. The meal was first class. The staff and service was EXCEPTIONAL. Could not fault this in any way. We have been to Ku De Ta on previous trips and enjoyed the experience but this night was so above expectations. The staff came out with the cake and sang Happy Birthday in Indonesian, then followed by English. From memory, the cost for the 7 of us, the cake and wine was around Rp 2,000,000. It may sound expensive to some BUT you get what you pay for here. Top notch.
Will continue to share our trip, hoping I am not boring you all! Will share our trip to Amed, our stay at the Padma and other adventures in future postings.