WHO WE ARE:
Family of 4 - Mum (my 6th trip), Dad (2nd trip - 1st was a 10 week stint 20 years ago for work), 13yo stepdaughter & 3yo daughter (1st visit for both kids)
HOW WE GOT THERE:
Pacific Blue flight DJ172 from Perth on a Saturday at 11.50am. Flight was a little late departing but nothing major. We found the plane to be comfortable enough, weren't too impressed with the friendliness of the staff though but once again, nothing to really complain about. We took our own snacks but ordered sandwiches - wouldn't do this again, my egg & lettuce was fine but the ham was awful & of course all the items are over priced. Next time we'll be taking some sushi or packing our own sandwiches.
WHEN WE ARRIVED / VOA:
The plane landed about 3.45pm (20 mins late) & after some confusion we exited the plane & caught a bus to the terminal. The confusion was caused because first the Pacific Blue crew opened the rear doors to exit from & then ground crew said they weren't allowed to do that on this occasion. Damn! They put all the families with kids at the back of the plane so we missed an opportunity to get off first LOL.
VOA queue was a breeze, only a very short queue when we arrived & we had taken US$ so that was sorted in a matter of 5 or 10 mins. Immigrasi was a whole other story though - it took us 2 hours to get through, the arrival hall was packed & plane after plane of international flights continued to arrive after we landed. Poor buggers, I can only imagine how long it took them to get through! I had forewarned my hubby about the delays but he was adamant that we would not use VIP VOA service so we just stood & waited along with everyone else. I'd been concerned that my 3yo would be a pain while waiting in line, but she turned out to be the most patient of us all (certainly more so than my hubby &13yo stepdaughter LOL). She buddied up with another little girl in the queue & they hung out & played with their dolls which was great.
TRANSFERS:
We pre-arranged a driver, Made Agus, recommended by a BTF member as a safe, reliable driver with a baby seat. We were SO ready to sit in airconditioned comfort at the end of our long wait at immigration so I was feeling a little panicked when I saw the sea of drivers holding up signs - we couldn't see a sign for us anywhere! I had let Made know we were a family of 4, with 2 daughters & their ages, so as soon as he spotted us he ran to the end of the line of drivers & held up a sign in big, black lettering. Smart guy that Made, his sign stood out from all the rest! We headed off to his 7 seater van with relief - now let the holiday begin! (I should mention that he did not bring the baby seat in the van but we didn't really need it for our 3yo anyway).
We had Made stop at the Bali Galleria while we loaded up on supplies & groceries (& the unforgettable J Co donuts), he waited patiently for another hour (he'd already been waiting at the airport for a good 2 to 3 hours). I paid Made RP 200,000 for the transfer & shopping trip (had originally offered RP 150,000 for transfer & shopping trip but decided he was worth the extra for his great signage LOL). I know this would be considered too generous by some but I honestly don't think that AU$25.00 is very much to pay for transfers for 4 people plus an hour's shopping. We continued to use Made for all of our driving requirements & he proved to be a safe, reliable driver, albeit a quiet & shy young man (I don't think I've ever come across such a reserved Balinese driver!). His quoted rate is RP 350,000 for a full day, we always gave him RP 400,000 to 450,000 (particularly when he did the trip to Gianyar to pick us up & then an afternoon of touring then to Amed).
ACTIVITIES:
Massages/Treatments (I use the term 'activity' loosely LOL)
We used the LUNA SPA on Jl Padma Utara, across the road from the Beach Melati Apartments a lot, purely because of the convenience factor. Hubby was the first to try a massage - of the Thai variety - and for RP 60,000 for an hour, he was impressed. Stepdaughter & I tried the hot stone massage the next night (RP 80,000) before bed (the spa was open until 11.00pm) & it was fantastic. My only complaint about Luna is the noise factor - there are only curtains separating each massage table so I was a bit put off by the American guy grunting & groaning during his massage. EEEEWWW!! It didn't help when someone bought a sick & crying baby into the front area of the spa either - not exactly what a Mum having some time out finds is music to her ears LOL. I returned for a pedicure (RP 60,000) the following day and stepdaughter had a body scrub on the last night.
TROPICAL TANS, Jl Kunti, Seminyak
Spray tan on legs only RP 81,000. Very happy with the service & the result. Lasted 4-5 days even with constant swimming in pools which causes the tan to fade more quickly.
BODYWORKS, Jl Laksmana, Seminyak
I pay a visit here every chance I get. Sheer bliss, so tranquil, clean & best of all quiet LOL. I never visit Bali without paying homage to the Mandi Lur Lur here. Awesome (...)
BALI SAFARI & MARINE PARK, Gianyar
There has been enough written about this place without me going into too much detail, suffice to say that everyone had a great day here. For those staying the night at the Mara River Lodge, this was our 'programme': We arrived at the Park earlyish - between 9.30 & 10.00. The ticket office called the Lodge who came & collected us & our bags, we checked-in, had our welcome drink & then left our bags in the lobby & headed off to catch the 1st or 2nd Safari journey. We had a look around at all the animals, watched the elephant bathing and then wandered around looking at the animals & taking photos. We had lunch at the food hall (far cheaper than the Tsavo Lion restaurant) and then headed back to the lobby to be transferred to our room around 2.30pm. We were all ready for a swim in the pool & to laze on the sun lounges by then!
The beauty of staying overnight is that you can go back the next morning after breakfast & see any bits of the park that you missed the day before, and take advantage of the fact that there's no queues for the photos with the baby animals (we did this in the morning). We also took the kids on a 10 minute elephant trek which they were very excited about! The souvenirs were very well priced I thought, & good quality, particularly when you consider how much zoos charge in Aus for the same type of thing. My 3yo bought a stuffed elephant (now named Leah after the elephant she rode :o) for RP 55,000 less 10% discount (you get discount when staying at the Lodge).
SNORKELLING, at the beach in front of Puri Wirata in Amed
RP 40,000 to hire snorkelling gear
RIDE ON A TRADITIONAL JUKUNG (fishing boat), off the beach in front of Puri Wirata
RP 100,000 for my husband & stepdaughter to go out with a fisherman for a good couple of hours. They returned home soaking wet, freezing & saying they had a great time although the fisherman didn't catch any fish (I didn't have the heart to tell my husband that the fisherman landed his biggest catch when he paid his RP 100,000 to go out with him LOL)
WATERBOM PARK, Tuban
We had a fantastic day at Waterbom. My little girl slept from 4.30 in the afternoon until 6.30 the next morning after our day here. I said to my husband 'lets come here EVERY day' LOL. The water temp was too cold for her to really enjoy swimming but she LOVED the lazy river, riding around in a tube with Mum or Dad, and she kept warm running up to the kiddie slides. I went & grabbed the discount vouchers from the tour sellers just near us on Jl Padma Utara the night before and we didn't bother hiring a cabana - we were never there to warrant one!
Other than shopping, eating & drinking (which warranted 2 whole other JBRs LOL) we didn't do much else besides swim & relax. A perfect holiday was had by us all - Bali really does offer something for everyone. I had been a little worried that I wouldn't enjoy my time there as much as when I was single, footloose & fancy free but I loved my family affair every bit as much as the previous 5 visits. The whole family can't wait to go back :o)
PS My 3yo developed 4 freckles on her nose while we were in Bali - which we've named Wayan, Made, Nyoman & Ketut :O)