I'm back after 2 weeks in Bali with mixed feelings about whether I would return in a hurry.
Had a good flight over with Garuda apart from the painfully uncomfortable and cramped conditions.
Stayed at Puri Raja hotel and can't fault the hotel. The staff are great and it was the friendliest hotel I've ever stayed at. In my 6 trips to Bali it was definately the best hotel.
Went to S & S a few times and enjoyed that.
We ate at a few different restaurants. They were:
Uns
Flying Piano
Indo National - numerous times
Breeze
Ricky's Bar & Grill - too numerous times to mention
I spoke to a few people about this problem and alot of first timers said they wouldn't return. The hawkers were worst than I've ever known. Couldn't sit at a restaurant and have a meal without CD's, DVD's and other knick knacks were shoved in your face with the "you buy, you buy". Turned me off going back to Bali after 6 trips. Can't relax without being pestered. Tell them to go away and the same CD's and DVD's appear with another person within minutes.
Garuda .. hmmm what should I say. Less than impressed with their service both inflight and on the ground this time.
Our flight over was good, Mum's a week later was delayed in Perth with no explanation for 6 hours.
Arrived at the airport for our 00:30am return flight on the 19th August to find out that the flight was overbooked and that myself, my partner and Mum weren't able to get on it. They provided us with options of either going back to Perth via Melbourne that night. Going the next day at midday direct to Perth and after much prompting from myself we were told that they would put us up at Sanur in a hotel I later found out to be run down (Bali Beach Club). The other option was to leave that night via Melbourne and wouldn't get home until 2pm the next day.
Well .. needless to say I was less than happy at any of those options and after I demanded to speak to someone amazingly 3 seats became available on the flight when they had told us that none were available.
Inflight the service wasn't much better. Just little things like, no coffee/tea offered after the meal. The movie that they showed on the way over 2 hours in length and they didn't put it on until we were 1:30 away from Bali. Coming back the video machine didn't work and no movie at all.
All in all .. would I go back to Bali in the near future. At this stage probably not.