Left 3rd March from Coolangatta on Air Asia for Bali via KL. This was my 20th trip Husbands 15th trip and our friends 15th plus trip. The seats on Air Asia we found where really small (we are not petite people just your average size apart from that no dramas on the trip over. We stayed 1 night at the Concorde Hotel not far from the LCCT airport. Basic hotel and ok for the stop over.
We turned up to the LCCT in KL to check onto our Air Asia flight to Bali only to be told it was rescheduled 1 hour early, so it was a mad rush to get checked in and through customs etc. We did ask them why we wern't advised of the earlier time and they said they had emailed us. Upon returning home I checked the emails nothing, in future I will reconfirm flights with them. We wern't concerned as we thought we would arrive in Bali on hour earlier, wrong they discovered the plane had something wrong with its tyre and we had to sit on the plant while they changed it which took well over the hour, so we basically arrived at the same time.
From the time we hit the Visa on Arrival to collecting our bags it was not more than 20 minutes, fastest we have experienced. Our transport was waiting to take us to the Satriya Cottages (our usual hotel), first Bintang was within 10 minutes of checking in.
Satriya what can I say, still a great Hotel. The staff as usual where fantastic, the cleaners are very particular and we always had frangipani's on our pillows each day. The gardens and grounds where as beautiful as ever, I cannot reccommend this hotel enough. Bit of advice, if you need anything like transport etc just ask Dipper he is more than happy to sort it out or anything else that you might need. The bar manager Wayan is a gem, nothing is a problem for him he is always smiling and always efficient and professional.
Wont go into a day by day encounter will just give you a few highs and lows of the trip.
Best Food
Gosha Melasti Street
Night Food Markets beside Poppies I
Satriya Restaurant
Jegeg Poppies II now changed names cant remember what to
Pizza Hut prawn brushetta
Worst Food
Alley Catz Poppies II
Bali Rock Melasti Street
We obvious ate at alot of other places but the above stood out for good and bad reasons.
Husband managed to get an abcess in his groin so after 4 trips to BIMC he was all fixed up and ready to swim the antbiotics worked well and by not swimming for a few days it cleared up fast. As we had travel insurance BIMC was our obvious choice, not cheap but professional.
Husband and his friend hired motorbikes as usual for the duration of the trip they paid 25,000 per day. Husband got his international license before he left OZ, his friend went somewhere in Bali and got his (fake one) but you couldnt tell the difference, only in Bali!! It was worth it as the cops couldnt touch them no bribes for these two.
Went to safari park and to be honest it was ok but wouldnt rave about it. The best thing was the safari ride apart from that I think we have been spoilt with Australia Zoo and have also been to the Singapore Zoo.
Met "welovebali" at the Satriya and alot of other really nice people which is usually the case with this hotel. We tend to all congregate for a swim and a couple of drinks in the early afternoon.
Weather all in all was fantastic, had two nights of rain and did it rain, apart from that cant complain.
Exchange rate was between 7700 - 8000 for the duration of the trip.
One thing I did notice was there are alot more prostitutes around, doesnt bother us but its was just an observation.
Went to the Bounty one night really quiet and got sick of been offered psuedofedrine (cant spell that sorry) and couldnt believe the age of some of the Indonesian boys they let into that place, so went onto the engine room which was not as sleezy and really packed great atmosphere, then onto the mbargo which was again really quite so decided to check out sky garden what a place but so packed so we called it a night and walked home.
We did most of our bulk shopping at makro and we managed to score a makro card which gave us 10% off the price of everything. We where buying a carton of 24 small Bintang stubbies for around 187,000.
Noticed most of the dogs on the beach had collars and where in ok shape, until husband decided to feed one that didnt look to good then he started a dog fight lesson learnt dont feed the dogs.
One thing that did disturb us was a small kitten only a few weeks old just out side the hotel. The poor thing's eyes where closed still but you could see they where infected it could hardly walk and wouldnt stop meowing. We asked all of the shop owners if they knew anything about it and they all said no, so after an hour we decided to take it to the vet. The vet told us that it wouldnt survive a day or so even with its mother so we got it put down. The cost was 100,000 but that didnt worry us at all, cant stand animals in pain.
Left Bali for KL again on the 23rd stayed for 2 nights at the Federal in the city which was great. Did the bulk of our shopping there as they had lots of Ed Hardy, Tiffany jewellery, great guess handbags etc etc.
Flight home was ok apart from the small seats and the pre ordered international meal being so hot and spicey we couldnt eat it.
All in all a great relaxing trip