We were travelling to Bali with another couple, our 5th trip and their 12th - our first trip to Bali since June 2000, for them their first since April 2002. In between we have been to Borneo a couple of times, they have been to Phuket once and Borneo once, so we were all interested to see how much Bali had changed since our last visits. We almost didn't make it to the airport when a lady in a four wheel drive came out of a side street and decided she wanted to be in the same lane as us. Only some expert driving by my husband, and good ABS brakes saved us from certain disaster, a couple of centimetres more and we would have been in big trouble. We were travelling Qantas from Perth and left on a wet miserable day at 11.30 am, and arrived in warm and sunny Bali 3 & ΒΌ hours later. Unfortunately we arrived at the same time as a China Airways jumbo and it took over one and a half hours for our VOA / immigration formalities to be processed - not a good start to the holiday.
Picked up our bags, straight through customs and organised two taxis to take us to Legian. By this time it was about 4.45pm and being a Sunday everyone in Bali was heading down to the beach for the sunset - got caught in a huge traffic jam but finally arrived at the Bali Mandira sometime after 5pm. First time at this hotel and we were a little worried having heard about overbooking - our room was ready but our friends wasn't as people in it had requested a late check out because of a delayed flight. Not too much of a drama, they just left their things in our room until theirs was ready. We stayed in the 3 story building at the back, on the first floor - the rooms were quite large with a big balcony, very clean, 2 double beds, crisp clean linen and fluffy white towels change daily, in room safe, 2 bottles water, toiletries supplied daily. Bathrooms were a bit on the small side, but adequate. Our balcony overlooked the beautiful gardens, a fish pond and water feature / pond opposite. They were more than adequate for us, considering we were usually only in them to sleep / change etc.
I felt the gardens and pool area of this hotel was one of the best on that stretch of Legian Beach up to the Kumala Pantai and we spent a lot of time around the pool, and on the grassed area overlooking the ocean. Two weddings were held during our stay and the setting was absolutely magic. Breakfast was included and was excellent, last year we stayed at the five star Shangri-La in Kota Kinabalu and the Mandira's breakfasts were just as good.. A complimentary dinner was also included and this was a 3 course Indonesian meal - excellent once again. Would definitely stay at Mandira again, because of its location, beautiful gardens and setting on the beach, and at no stage did we see or hear any evidence of the renovations - not that we went out of our way to look.
Bali had not changed as much in 8 years as I expected - the paths were still uneven and broken in places, some of the shops and restaurants are a bit more upmarket now, and obviously the security at each hotel is more evident than it was on our previous trips. The people are still as friendly as ever and the traffic just as bad. Did the usual shopping, mainly for our kids (all 18yo + - sometimes I think it is better when they are with you as then they can do their own shopping (cheaper too). Visited Ketut in Garlic lane but also found a shop in Jln Padma Utara, opposite the Jayakarta where the owner was happy to match and sometimes beat Ketut's prices - tried to shop at a few places rather than just one, but sometimes fixed price was so much easier than try to negotiate a price although once you told them you basically knew the prices, they were more than happy to match them.
Didn't do a lot of tours as this was basically a week of R & R but the highlight our holiday was the bike trip with Bali Eco - what a great day starting with breakfast at the volcano, a visit to a plantation where we tried different types of teas / coffees, a visit to a family compound (my god some of the Balinese do it tough, but still manage to go through life happy with their lot) and finally the bike ride. There were six of us including a German couple and our guide was Gede - what a great young man he was, full of information and obviously has a great love for his country. Seeing the children along the way waving and greeting us was fantastic although I gave up on the 'high fives' after I nearly ran two young kids over - decided to keep both hands on the bike. My girlfriend and I didn't make the last couple of km - all uphill, just didn't have the energy - we both play tennis 2-3 times a week at home (including pennants) but just couldn't make those last hills - much better in the back of a van. The Balinese buffet at the end of the trip was beautiful as was the setting of the restaurant - a large pavilion overlooking the rice paddies. We were back at the hotel by about 4pm (we were offered a trip to the Monkey Forest but decided against it - a bit scared of those little critters) and pretty exhausted but it was a fantastic day out and I would recommend it to all.
Also visited the Safari Park and although not finished yet, it is still a great day out especially for families. Much has been said on here about it so I won't say anymore except that the highlight for me was holding the baby orang-utan - what a little darling she was. Last year in Borneo we visited an orang-utan sanctuary, but as they were rehabilitating them back into the wild, we weren't allowed physical contact with them, so the chance to hold this little furry bundle of joy was priceless.
Restaurants we visited were Zanzibar, Lanai, La Lucciola, Bali Beach Shack in Garlic Lane, Bali Bagus in Jln Padma Utara and Gosha's (always go here when in Bali and still as good as ever). Didn't have one bad meal anywhere, service excellent, staff great and prices so reasonable. So many to choose from, you could eat out every night for a year and still not visit them all.
Made a trip to the Memorial in Legian Street - we lost 7 young men from our local community in the Sari Club bombing, so this place had special meaning for us - and was one reason why we have put off our return to Bali for so long. Needless to say, a few tears were shed during our visit, but so glad we went there.
Spend most nights watching the sunset at Wayan's beach bar (opposite the Legian Beach Hotel). Wayan is a policeman and he and his wife Helen were a great couple - he gave us the rundown on what do stay safe in Bali and how to avoid the more unscrupulous characters that unfortunately can be found in any tourist destination.
Our week went by so quickly and before we knew it we back at the airport for our return trip home. Left Bali at 3.45pm on Sunday afternoon and touched down in Perth at 7.10 pm that night - Qantas flights were excellent, service was efficient and friendly (surprisingly) and a shame that they will not be flying from Perth after October (Jetstar taking over).
What I liked about our trip - the people ; the Mandira Hotel (great setting on the Beach) ; Legian Beach at sunset ; Briella Spa in Padma Utara st - the hair cream baths were the best ; the bike tour ; the beautiful warm weather ; the awesome countryside around Ubud, Kintamani ; no cooking, cleaning etc etc.
What I didn't like - the loud mouthed Aussies trying to squeeze the lowest possible price out of the sellers, and bragging about it ; Men, and once again it was mainly the Aussies walking around the streets without a shirt - would they do this at home? ; walking around the streets wearing a T-Shirt emblazoned with the words 'Harden the F*** up' - why does it seem to be us Aussies that are so good at being so crass - once again would you do this at home? ; the smoking, especially in restaurants - I know it is a way of life in Bali, but there's nothing worse than eating a meal with smoke wafting in your face from the people behind you - guess we are spoilt here in Oz ; cleaning my teeth with bottled water - just doesn't seem the same.
Overall it was a great week spent with good friends, rediscovering the Bali we knew and loved from previous years. Never felt really unsafe but then we were always back in our hotel by 10 pm (we are such party animals).
Would I go back - Definitely.