Seriously, read no further if you want information about white-water rafting! After a pretty stressful year, I dedicated this trip to the three Rs: reflexology, retail therapy and restaurants.
Overall impressions
My third trip, second with small children in tow. We stayed two weeks, and loved pretty much every minute of it. Bali was busy, but there were still plenty of shops and restaurants that looked like they were doing it hard. I wonder how many of these places stay open.
Sanur seems to absorb the tourists with ease - it seemed pretty quiet there. Kuta, Legian and Seminyak seemed busier. By the way, is it just me, or do parts of Kuta seem somewhat tired and lifeless?
The weather was superb - lots of breezes. I would definitely go at this time of year again.
Accommodation
Stayed in an apartment at the Taman Agung Beach Inn in Sanur. It is privately owned. Not sure whether the Dutch owner wants to publicise it on here, but you can Google private suite and Taman Agung and see what you come up with.
I think this hotel is great value. The location is stellar (almost next to Hardy's) and it has real charm. They are a bit stingy with the towels - and I wouldn't use their portacots - but other than that it was great. They seem to have family rooms and even a villa for rent, although you'll have to talk to them directly to get information about it given that they don't have a website.
In Tuban, we stayed at a villa in the Kuta Royal Villas complex. This villa is owned by some Melbourne people. Google Pondok Putu for more info. It's a large house and very well decorated and equipped. It has its own pool. The owners have a local travel agent running the place (Redi, who speaks great English and will take you on tours etc) and a local guy doing maintenance. You just call if you want anything. The living areas (including room with day beds) aren't air-conditioned, but with the pool right there it's easy to cool off. The location is OK. About a 10 minute walk to Waterbom Park and Discovery Mall.
This place is good value too. For a large family or two/three couples it would be perfect.
Eating
I found the food excellent on this trip. And boy do I have the love handles to prove it! Special mentions go to KuDeTa (worth every cent - lobster risotto, anyone?), Ma Joly (truly elegant, despite the name evoking images of a greasy Jamaican café), Manik Organik in Sanur (cheap, healthy, friendly - just ignore the crystals!), Griya Santrian in Sanur (consistently good food) and Sasa in Seminyak (Italian trattoria).
I thought Envy at the Holiday Inn in Tuban was quite good too, with sensational cocktails. A lovely place to catch the breeze - and sometimes some traditional dance or other entertainment - in Tuban. In fact, the whole hotel looked chi-chi.
Shopping
I went nuts. There are life-size wooden reindeer heads on their way to Melbourne in a crate. Favourites were Biasa (gorgeous French linen clothes), Disini (gorgeous French linen - see a pattern emerging here?) and other boutiques too numerous to mention. Seminyak is heaven for snobs who can't really afford to indulge their yearnings for French stuff in Australia.
I also purchased a really charming hologram owl lamp (sounds hideous, but isn't), some witty modern artworks my husband is struggling to come to terms with (one features a cock and two balls, labelled 'new' and 'old' testicles respectively - a Biblical joke, I assume).
I found a few little places on JL Seminyak Raya (did I just make up that street name?) where the owners designed and made up very simple cotton tops and dresses for kids in lovely muted colours. These were about $3 each and look like something from Seed. Unfortunately these tasteful little shift dresses were wasted on my three-year old daughter who got in touch with her inner bogan as soon as we arrived, demanding hair brading, nail painting and chips for every meal.
Massage
Found a great little place in Sanur (down a lane, near the Swedish café) which does reflexology for 30,000RP for an hour. Also had great massages at Chill in Seminyak. I thought Parigata in Sanur was a waste of time. My friend and I got so bored we actually snuck out of our gladwrap cocoons, wiped the gunk off and tried to escape while our masseurs were out of the room.
Cultural activities
None to speak of, unless you count a fifteen minute circuit of the le Mayeur Museum in Sanur. Unfortunately - but necessarily, I'm sure - most of the larger works were reproductions, so this was a bit of a disappointment. His work is beautiful.
Tailor
Thanks to recommendations on here, we used the very chilled-out Mr Ansor from Brisbane Tailors. This guy has the patience of a saint and, I suspect, some kind of freakish photographic memory for measurements). My husband is a fussy bastard who buys very expensive suits, and he thought Mr Ansor's work was great. He ordered four in the end. They were well under $200 each. The fabric (Italian wool, apparently) looks great. He also made some dresses for me, and they look better than the original I gave him to copy.
Children
(Managing, not buying!)
Once again we used Casey, who is just wonderful with the girls. She can be contacted on +6281337290491. Book her early if you want to use her.
We also used Bali Baby Hire again, and they were great.
Flights
Pacific Blue there and back (from Adelaide). No complaints. Flights on time, which is the main thing (apart from not crashing).
I think that's it. Happy to answer questions. I am forever indebted to this forum for the help it's provided with my own holiday planning over the years.