Bit of background. . .
Been going to Bali every year for 10 years. Mostly with family and a few trips
with the girls. I've also been reading this forum for about the same amount of time. I've asked & answered questions but this is my first attempt at a sort of JBR. Here goes!!
Some of you may remember I made a post early January about healing in Bali. My brother had taken his own life 4 weeks before Christmas; of course my whole family was devastated.
We already had plans to go to Bali for a holiday which I seriously contemplated cancelling. I received some very encouraging replies from forumites, I was so grateful for.
My children & I really needed to get away from the intense sadness of home. We continued with our trip although laid back. We didn't do any touring or trips. Just enjoyed the serenity of the beach & the people plus some nice meals, shopping and a few fun nights with various people we met. Generally chilled.
Myself & 3 kids (15, 11 & 11) left Sydney for Bali on 20 Jan (husband, older daughter & her baby followed a few days later).
The flight was delayed 1 & half hours due to the electrical storm in Sydney. They had to cease loading the bags till after the storm. We had already boarded so Just had to sit on the acr and wait it out. Flight on Jetstar was good.
Through VOA - for goodness sake that's a crazy setup. Line up once to pay then once to process then again to stamp the passport. Surely they could stream line the whole process. Maybe they do it that way to keep people in jobs? Anyway everything ran smoothly - just slow. Does anyone know if you can pre-pay for your Visa?
Arrived at Bali Garden Hotel 10.45 PM.
We stayed in a family room which is huge but basic. 1 king bed, bunks plus a trundle. Loved the space I wish all rooms were this big.
Price included breakfast, a good variety however no cereal but yummy banana pancakes made to order at the egg hut. Also if you want bacon you have to ask they bring it out on a plate.
The hotel's 3 pools are now open and are all really nice. They also have new modern outdoor furniture. The swim up pool bar was finished but not operating yet. There is a bar on one side and a restaurant on the other side with a wood fire pizza oven. We lunched there one day, the kids had pizzas, very nice I had mie goreng. The renovations are not quite complete but should be really good when all done. It was so relaxing just walking out and sitting on the beachfront deck chairs near the lap pool each morning watching the passing parade.
I love Bali Garden it's in a great location and now that they have renovated the pool area it's even better.
One day we caught a taxi up to Melasti/Garlic Lane to do some of our market shopping. All the usual Roxy, Billabong etc. A lot of the markets stalls were
closed that day as it was some kind of holiday, Galungan Day. I tried to find out what it was but got varying answers and became confused.
Kids had their first Bali lunch at KFC Discovery - yes KFC. I didn't mind it was a novelty. They have these interesting little snacks called Perkadels they are a mashed potato patty thing. I had a nice chicken soup. Not all bad and our only rubbish meal of the holiday.
One afternoon we went to Bali Galleria to have a look around. My girls wanted to go as they love the little shop called Stroberi. It's a teenage accessories shop a bit like Diva in Sydney but much cheaper. It's on the right hand side heading towards the supermarket.
Then for a treat I took them to Planet Hollywood which is next door. Food was okay I had a refreshing cocktail.
Next day we caught a taxi up to Geneva so the kids could buy gifts for their friends. Frangipani clips, necklaces and lots of small ornaments, Geneva's good for that. I also bought a few nice pieces. Some small stone statues, incense, a few flags, I even got a pretty pair of sandals for 42,000 Rupiah.
That night we had a nice seafood meal at Celsius in Centro and watched a beautiful sunset and all the activity out on the front steps of Discovery and the beachfront. I let the kids go upstairs to Amazone (like Timezone) while I checked out the shops.
On our fifth day we moved to Bali Dynasty. I was very disappointed with Dynasty's reservation system. This was my sixth visit to Dynasty and I've never had a problem. But it was the first time we booked through the last minute deal on their website. Lucky I went the day before to arrange our pick up from Bali Garden as there was no record of my booking even though I had an email from them showing the reserved dates, room type & rate and clearly marked 'Confirmed Reservation'. They told me the hotel was full and could not provide me with a room. I left in a panic then returned asking to see the manager. I figured it was their mistake and they need to do something. In the end it was Suma the manager who came to the rescue. To cut a long story short after much haggling over prices he offered me two rooms (not interconnecting) and ended up costing me US$52 more than the original price for a family garden room. Not very happy but at least we had somewhere to sleep.
A word of advice - if you book through Dynasty's last minute deal follow up with some form of correspondence to confirm you get what you want.
Anyway . . . once we got to the Dynasty my kids truly settled in. They love it there, as they know everyone and everyone knows them. They quickly made friends and that was it I hardly saw them.
My 15 year old son, who was grieving, his attitude and spirit picked up. All the guys who work around the pool (the motivators) made such a fuss of him and really welcomed him back. He started to have fun and eat again.
My husband, older daughter and grandson (10 months) arrived and so began our family holiday. One week only but just what the doctor ordered.
A bit more to come . . . .