8TH JULY 2009
It is funny how life can sweep you into the most amazing adventures. It makes you wonder what you have done in your past life to deserve such blessed experiences. With 2 weeks to go before we would leave for Bali we unexpectedly bought a house and put our house up for sale. In the midst of this hectic property storm we dropped everything and escaped to Bali.
Before we knew it we had flown off into the big blue sky with Virgin and left the 14 degree wet and chilly weather well and truly behind us. We loved the fact that the Virgin team seem to have mastered the delicate balance of having a great personality whilst still maintaining their professionalism. Their sense of humour and pleasant manner put us all in good moods and make us look forward to seeing Bali even more.
My only disappointment with Virgin was that it was very difficult to sleep on the plane. There seemed to be nowhere to rest my head comfortably.
Could it have been the lack of the ability to recline properly? I have flown with many airlines before and have never encountered this problem to this degree.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Do the blow up head pillows really work?
Do you have any tips to help me speed up time or improve my comfort on the plane?
(Btw I used a beach towel on the way back as a blanket as it was cold.)
Fortunately the fantastic FOXTEL service, plenty of food and sparkling wine helped to pass some of the time.
I will never forget the first time I set my eyes on Bali in 2003. After seeing the blue water and the palm trees through the clouds as I was flying above Bali I knew that it was a very special place. That trip ended up being quite challenging and we endured quite a culture shock. But this time we were more experienced, older, wiser and ready to enjoy Bali's magic and take it all in.
After five and a half of the longest hours of my life we were welcomed to Bali by the magnificent view of the volcano peeping over the clouds and then to my amazement the bottom and middle part of Bali appeared in a perfect map formation before my eyes. What an awesome sight.
VIP VOA
Once we arrived in Bali we were whisked through the airport by one of Hadi's assistants leaving the long line of hot and bothered passengers well and truly behind us. All of our paper work was sorted out by VIP VOA by the time that we picked up our bag. It was all a bit of a blur as there wouldn't have even been any time to scull a Bintang. The VIP treatment was absolutely well worth the $37.
Hadi also helped us find the fixed price taxi stall. Unfortunately we got caught by the porters as we thought that the porter was a part of the taxi service. He was not. It must have been the Bali fever that made me slip up:) Oh well.
AYANA RESORT
Our first port of call was the gorgeous Ayana Resort (previously named the Ritz Carlton) The Ayana reminds me of a divine royal palace. The Balinese architecture and design feels very grand indeed with a bit of opulent pampering and playful fun thrown in.
We were greeted with a beautiful lei, a cool drink and a refreshing towel before we were introduced to our garden view room. We had booked the cheapest room thinking that we would be spending very little time in our room. To our surprise the garden room had the most fantastic outlook with glimpses of the sparkling sea. We were very happy with this room indeed.
We flew open the double doors of the balcony, to soak in the brilliant view and excitedly checked out every nook and cranny of our home for the night. Unfortunately a massive browny red wasp looking insect buzzed into our room and terrorised us for a few moments before we cornered it in our bathroom.
Moments later I heard a cry of expletives as I turned around I saw blood gushing from my husbands toe. The corner of the cupboard door had caught his toe folding his big toe nail back in half and splitting his toe open.
It was at about that time that our suitcase had arrived and I had to ask the poor man to help us out by rescuing us from the menacing insect as well as seeking first aid for my husband. The look on his face was priceless as he saw my husband writhing in pain. At least 5 staff members came to assist my husband throughout the afternoon including the hotel manager.
My awesome plans for the afternoon flew out the window as we could hardly go to the aquatonic spa with blood gushing everywhere. My imagination began to run wild with thoughts of having to visit the BMIC, thinking that his toe would definitely became yellow and then green and we would have to cancel all of our tours. Miraculously these things never eventuated.
A Bintang was in order to stop the painful throbbing. Luckily there were a couple of bottles in the mini bar as I delivered by husband his Bintang my serve smashed to the ground sending tiny shards of glass all over the beautiful glossy floors. More colourful expletives followed. Throughout the afternoon I was picking green glass splinters out of the soles of my feet.
We had only been in the country for less than an hour. Was this a sign of how my glorious holiday was going to go???
Fortunately these things come in threes and luckily we got them all over and one with in the first hour of our visit to Bali. By the grace of God a couple of hours later by husband was feeling brave enough to hobble out and explore this magnificent resort. It was a miracle.
We began with a visit to 'look' at the amazing aquatonic spa. The spa restaurant was simply gorgeous and totally relaxing. The aquatonic pool is made up of a series of jets designed to massage different parts of your body as you move through the canals.
We visited the main pool area where we needed a couple of cocktails while Hubby rested his toe whilst reclining on a sun lounger and enjoyed the sunset as well as the live music. The cocktails arrived in beautifully presented melons:D
Reluctantly Hubby made his way down the what seemed like a hundred steep steps to discover the beach pool and restaurant area. What an amazing addition to this hotel. The views of the volcano were just awesome. We were treated to the most fabulous sunset as we dined at the sand covered floor restaurant called Kisik. It turned out to be a very magical evening.
I love the fact that there are so many different areas to explore at the Ayana. Unfortunately we never made it to the river pool and C Bar area. Nevertheless this hotel did not disappoint and it is definitely on the agenda yet again for our next trip. It was a sensational way to begin our holiday in Bali.
Check out our photos at http://smedley.id.au/BaliSpoilers2
MY HASSLE SAVING TIPS FOR BALI NEWBIES BEFORE YOU GO...
HINT: Use the VIP VOA
VIP VOA $25US + $ 37 AUD
In my opinion don't bother emailing Netfare as they probably won't respond to you.
Hadi does. Hadi's team puts through your paperwork for you when you arrive at the airport avoiding any irritating line ups. The email address is hadbali@gmail.com
In my opinion this is a must do for Bali newbies as my first ever experience in Bali was being loudly barked at by a scary immigration officer for daring to walk up to the counter with my husband. I had no idea that we were supposed to approach the counter one PERSON at a time. It turned out to be a very unpleasant first impression of Bali for this frail and wide eyed newbie.
TIP: Once a week a buffet dinner with Balinese dancing is held in the Langit Theatre at the Ayana. Unfortunately the day is not announced until one week in advance as it is based on the occupancy of the hotel. It was a shame that we missed it by one night.
TIP: Check out the Ayana map and make sure that you check out the main pool areas, the pool area and restaurant on the beach level, the river pool and C Bar and the Aquatonic spa.
TIP: Instead of climbing up and down the stairs use the inclinator at the far end of the beach infinity pool to take you to the next level:D
TIP: I highly recommend staying at a 5 star on the first night in Bali. These hotels show you the true artistry and beauty that Bali has on offer. Your first experiences in Bali should memorise you with the enchanting gamelan music, the waft of frangipani and the grand architectural magnificence of the place as well as expose you to themost respectful, gentle and humble service in the world. I have yet to find anywhere in the world who does it better than Bali can.
Remember that this is only one night and you only need to book the most basic room if your budget is an issue. You never know you might be offered an upgrade:)