We (hubby & I) just got back this week from a fantastic couple of weeks in Bali. A bit of background - we own a retail garden shop in Queensland so we import from Indonesia and this was primarily a buying trip but we also managed a few days of relaxation as well.
We started our stay with four nights at the Yulia which is right in the middle of Kuta. It's a budget hotel but perfect for us as we only really sleep there. I have always loved the hustle and bustle of Kuta - plus hubby can sit in the pool with a Bintang and I can go shopping..........
The first few days we were meeting up with our contact in Bali to arrange all the buying, handling and importing for our upcoming containers. We buy mainly from Yogyakarta as this is a much cheaper option than buying in Bali. Most of the things we buy are made in Yogyakarta so they are trucked to Bali to sell to tourists and then trucked back to be placed in a container and shipped out..... So you can see, it is cheaper to buy from the main factories as we save all the freight to and fro.
The hard part in this is simply that you don't know where to go to find these factories as Yogyakarta isn't a tourist town so and a lot of Javanese don't speak English so actually doing the process of buying that is very difficult. There are quite a few people who will do the buying for you (Aussie's) but most of them don't speak Javanese so again - it's a hassle.
My contact, Kal, has lived and worked in Yogyakarta for about 6 years where he used to operate a furniture export business. He's originally from England so obviously he speaks perfect English but also Javanese and has a good selection of what we where looking for.
It was my first time to Yogyakarta but my husband has been twice before. We had a great trip and purchased a heap of stock for our Christmas trade. So it was all good there and we should have the first container on the water within the next couple of weeks.
On our return we stayed at the Aston Inn because it was close to the airport and we got back from Yogyakarta late at night. Even later than planned because we flew 'Lion Air' who Cal tells me is locally called 'Liar Air' because they never leave on time. He was right - we had an hour delay which put us back in Bali about 10.30m. The Aston was a nice clean hotel but not somewhere I would stay for any length of time. I didn't actually like the pool area and the breakfast I had was very ordinary. I think better places to stay for similar dollars.
From there we went to 'Puri Madawi' which was up in Seminyak. I had purchased a weeks accommodation from EBay (doing the timeshare thing) but the week cost us under $120 so it was certainly value for money. The resort was small (only 18 rooms) but really lovely and I would stay here again in a flash. There normal charge is $80USD a night so this was absolute value for money. The downside was the location as it was very much out of the way - down a terrible road with huge potholes and rice paddies on each side. We hired a motorbike (first time for us) simply because we couldn't get around without hiring a taxi every time we left the resort.
We did have a great time on the motorbike and became quite adventurous and went places we had never been before. My hubby would get up early - around 5am and take off to explore around the area in the quiet of the morning and then if he found anything great - would take me back during the day.
We also spent a lovely day in Sanur and met the famous 'Bloody Ron' and had some drinks with him. We will definitely stay with him when we go over in Feb as his place is gorgeous and perfect for a few days of relaxation for us.
We ate at some amazing places and for a girl who always wants to stay in Kuta - I've now decided that Seminyak is pretty damn good too. It was Independence Day while we were there and I have NEVER seen Bali so busy. Over 50,000 flew in from Jakarta alone so you can imagine. Kuta was at a standstill most of the time and we had trouble getting our last nights accommodation as everything was booked out.
I love Bali - we go twice a year normally to buy for our shop. I hope to live there for a six month stint one day so I can learn more about the culture and language as it never seems to happen when we are there for only work and a few days of quiet time.
I'm happy to answer any questions - you can email me at termicam@bigpond.net.au if you do have any questions in regards to importing as I know there are always people wanting help in that area.
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.
Lyn