All I can say is 'WOW - what a great time we had'. This was my 4th, Hubbies 3rd and kids 1st times. Even though we left late ex Perth on 10 August (my birthday), it didn't bother me much apart from the fact that by the time we settled into the hotel I got my first birthday cocktail at 5.30pm at the pool. Oh well, I soon caught up. At the airport the kids were so excited as this being their first plane trip, they wanted to know what was behind the doors once you entered customs. Their eyes were as big as saucers as we went through each stage of immigration only to have to sit for another hour before we boarded the plane. I know this all seems mundane but we wanted the kids to soak in everything and help them realise how privileged they were to be travelling overseas.
Anyway, we left a rainy Perth to arrive in a beautifully warm Bali - oh Bali, how I had missed thee!!! Checked into Bali Garden Hotel, a family room. The room was not like the picture (3rd floor, overlooking Centro), so we asked if they had anything better, we moved to room 105 which was much better, bigger and fresher. We made a good friend with Ida, one of the staff in the lobby, and he was more than happy to help us with this. Even though this room faced onto the road, with the brick wall as a buffer, we didn't find a problem with the noise. At times we had the door open and the noise didn't bother us. Wouldn't hesitate in taking a room at the front again. We could actually sat out on the courtyard and watch people on Bali Slingshot ‘kissing their ass goodbye' as they were sent to the moon and back. Whilst yabbing about BGH, we could not fault it, the staff were fabulously friendly, nothing was too much bother; the breakfast was adequate with eggs any style you wanted, banana pancakes - yummy; heaps of fresh fruit; the rooms were clean, no problem with housekeeping, we even asked for a different mattress as ours was like a hammock and they changed it for us without any hesitation. There is retaining wall work being done out the front of the hotel at the moment but this didn't bother us at all. During our stay we noticed little bits of work being done around the hotel as part of the renovation and this wasn't intrusive either.
Highlights of the Trip
It was my son's 9th birthday on 17th August so we went on Bali Buggy which is up and beyond Ubud. How much fun was this - heaps!! We had two buggies with us as drivers and the kids as passengers. Our guides took us through rainforest areas, alongside paddy fields, through villages and a fair amount of mud which was hilarious. You travel and a good speed to be able to take in all the beautiful views along the way. Careful with the driving though as there are some massive drops of the side of the track! I think the travel on the buggies was about 2 hours, returning to a lovely lunch at base camp, then returning back to Kuta. I pretty well much took up most of the day with the travelling to and from. It cost us about AUD$240, I think we could have got it cheaper, but oh well, we had a great time, saw parts of Bali we never would have otherwise. Oh yeah, don't forget to take lollypops and other little gifts. We did this and as we passed little kids we handed these out - in return you get these bit smiles of joy and excitement. We took Australia souvenirs as well.
We had to take the kids to Waterbom Park - how couldn't we as it was directly opposite our hotel. Once we were kitted up with wristband, towels and pool lounges we headed straight to the Boomerang. Oh My God!! I thought I was gonna die!! All I can say is JUST DO IT! After the Boomerang all the other rides were a synch. I couldn't climb anymore stairs, left hubby and the kids to it and headed of for an hours massage at the spa - yep it was worth it. You forget that you are still at Waterbom, you head upstairs to another world, beautifully calm and tranquil. Another JUST DO IT!
Another birthday on 23rd, my daughter's 11th. We went white water rafting. Apparently there are 3 different companies that do this. I believe the Sobek group that we used last time were more professional, made it more exciting as well as the lunch at the end was better. Also with this company (I've forgotten the name) there were a lot more steps heading down to the river and they were very, very slippery. I nearly ended up on my toot a couple of times. Actually, I did at the restaurant at the end of the trip. Not to say we didn't have a good time, its just having the two to compare I would say the Sobek company did it better. Anyway, there was plenty of water, plenty of white water and the kids had a ball. This is just my personal view, of course!
I surprised my hubby and planned an overnight trip to Ubud. I had pre-booked the Tegal Sari. Thank you to all those who recommended this place, it was absolutely beautiful there. The room was spacious, as was the bathroom with a huge big bath next to the window overlooking the rice paddies, separate shower. We had room 19, a super deluxe with an extra bed which wasn't a foldaway bed but a proper bed. A little quishy with three beds but not really a problem. The kids went walking amongst the rice paddies and our son fell in, out he came covered in mud. Somehow we knew this would happen. The staff were very friendly at the Tegal Sari, one of the features they offered was free transport in and out of Ubud proper. Just give them 15 minutes warning and off your went. We got stranded up new the market, pouring with rain which hadn't let up all day, sat in a restaurant ordered a drink and asked the waitress to kindly call the Tegal Sari to come and pick us up and even with the rain our lift arrived within 20 minutes. We also arranged our transfers to and from Kuta/Ubud with them. They were spot on time to pick us up at our hotel and the drivers were very informative when we asked questions.
We headed of the Dreamland and Padang Padang for a day. Wished we were able to do it again. We organised a driver from the hotel (Narko) to take us there, lovely guy. It's amazing how dry it is in this area, compared to everywhere else. We hired a three lounges with an umbrella for 50,000rp for a couple of hours. It was refreshing to swim in the ocean again, the kids loved jumping in and out of the waves. I believe it is dangerous on a full moon with the tides, the undertow is very strong. We ate at one of the Warangs on the beach, very simply but a view to die for. After a while we then headed of to Padang Padang. More steps, but this time through a cave which makes it all the more intriguing. This beach was calmer, more suitable for young kids. Had a bintang or two on the beach then had to head back. Another great day!
......more to come including shopping and restaurants.......