Just back after 2 glorious weeks in Bali as part of a group holiday to attend a surprise party for friend.
The party (holiday) had been 9 months in planning and it is incredible that the group of around 30 were able to keep the surprise until our friend arrived at the airport to head over to Bali.
I was already over there having left a couple of days before to spend 3 nights in Ubud. We stayed at the Komeka Tanggayuda which is around 7 klms from the center of Ubud. A beautiful resort, we had a pool villa that looked across the valley towards rice paddies. The resort staff were fantastic, and every last detail has been thought about, you want for nothing. They even offer complimentary WiFi in your room and you can loan a lap top from reception to use it. One of the best gyms I have ever used at a hotel as well. It was a shame the weather was a bit cool so we only used the pool once, as the water was quite cold. We had the same experience last time too, so in future probably won't bother with pool villas in Ubud.
Then we headed down to Seminyak to join up with the rest of the party group. Here we stayed in a Honeymoon Villa at the Villa Seminyak Estate & Spa. We had heard some bad reports of this place so were a little concerned, but the Honeymoon Villa was wonderful. They are the newer of the villas and are very stunning designs, with their own pool and a great veranda area with fridge, stove, sink, bench and table and chairs. Great for entertaining, which we did with a fun Cocktail party on the Friday night. As the villas are very close to the Bintang Supermarket we self catered with chips, cheese, crackers, dips and alcohol, then had a local cafe prepare some satay skewers and spring rolls that we picked up.
The Seminyak end of town looked quite different to our last visit a couple of years ago. A lot of the cafes we remember had closed and there were a few empty shops. Others have replaced them, but we were a bit disorientated for a few days. They are also ripping up and replacing the footpaths in Seminyak to improve the drainage so traffic is a nightmare most days. It was often quicker to walk.
But the shopping was just as good as always, especially with the AUS$ being between 8400 and 8500 most days. One of the alley way money changers tried to skim money from me but I was onto them, so I took my money and went around to one of the more official looking shop fronts and had no hassles, so went there for the rest of my trip. Not as high a rate as the dodgier ones (they offered between 8600 and 8900) but that's just to get you in the door I believe so they can try to skim money from the exchange. Better to take a lower rate from one who is more honest.
As usual we went shopping in Denpasar at Matahari and I spent up big. Lots of work clothes that saved me a fortune on Australian prices. It was great to find our old driver Ketut Teker who drove us in there and who we used a few times over the weeks.
The actual birthday party was held at the Legend Bar in Seminyak. It's a fun location for this sort of thing, and they had a floor show that night that included an Elvis and Michael Jackson impersonators, as well as some very dodgy looking drag queens. All in all lots of fun and our birthday boy got to go on stage to sing, while another friend got to play guitar and sing with the house band.
We spent half a day at Waterbom Park and I would highly recommend this place to anyone. I was really impressed with how well it is designed and operated. With the great weather we experienced for most of the trip, it was a wonderful place to cool off in the pools and on the water slides.
On our last day we experienced some dramas getting our flight home, with the wallet holding our tickets and my partner's passport disappearing when we got to the airport. Over the following two hours we experienced the best in human nature that Bali has to offer. To the taxi driver who drove like he was in the Amazing Race, flashing his headlights and weaving between traffic to drive us back to the Villas, we are so very grateful. Then the Villas staff stepped in and went out of their way to help, including driving us back to the airport at no charge to speak with Garuda about flight options. Thankfully the wallet turned up with 25 mins left for check in, having been mistakenly taken by one of the drivers for the other buses used for our large group. So with minutes to spare we were able to check in and board our flight. Our opinion of the Balinese people just went even higher after this trip.
The following is a summary of the restaurants we ate dinner at over the two weeks, some old favorites, some new try outs:
1st Week
Sunday - dinner at the Komaneka Resort (Ubud), bit of a disappointment compared to meals we had elsewhere
Monday - Cafe Lotus (Ubud) had the duck cooked for 12 hours in leaves in the ground, very spicy but very nice. Watched the traditional dancing in front of the temple while we ate.
Tuesday - Barbqu (Ubud) near Monkey Forest Rd. Tried the special of suckling pig but a bit dry and disappointing. I should have listened to earlier advice that suckling pig is usually served for lunch. Partner had ravioli stuffed with chicken, his second nicest meal of the trip
Wednesday - Legends Bar in Kuta, cheap meal that is good on value but won't be remembered for long. Not a bad restaurant to try for a reasonable meal
Thursday - Poco Loco in Legian, one of our regular and favorite places in Bali. I was apprehensive as there have been bad posts about it, but we were pleased to find it as great as always. Our group of 25 had great meals and lots of drinks. The total bill for us all was around 2 1/2 million rupiah (approx $280) so fantastic value
Saturday - JP's Warung in Seminyak. Possibly the best quality food we ate outside of Ku De Ta. Lovely meal and fantastic lemon tart for dessert while listening to their house band
2nd Week
Sunday - Legend Bar for the birthday bash. We had the bar be que menu which is very well priced. 55,000 rupiah (approx $7AUD) for your choice of meat and salad. I had the steak which was not fantastic, but also not bad for that price.
Monday - Buffet dinner at the Villa Seminyak Estate which was included in our accommodation package. The breakfasts had been fine but a little basic at the Villa so I was pleasantly surprised by the meal. Again the selection was basic, but the food was very nice.
Tuesday - Ku De Ta in Seminyak. This is my favorite restaurant in the world (so far) and we always go once. This time we took along 7 others and everyone had a wonderful experience here. The food is sensational, the atmosphere beautiful and the service impeccable. The prices are high by Bali standard, but still cheaper than you would pay at a restaurant of similar quality in Melbourne. We paid on average $70 per person for two courses and drinks. The looked so good our friends were taking photos of each others food before eating it
Wednesday - Beach House at Canggu. We had read lots about this on the forum and we very pleased to find it was good as everyone says. The view is stunning from the restaurant and the food/drinks are great value. I couldn't decide between the chocolate/orange truffles and the creme brulee for desert, so I solved the dilemma by having both. At only approximately $4AUD for each it was an easy solution. Friends had the seafood platter for two which is around $10 for bbq'd seafood. It looked delicious although not a big serving for two people. The easy solution at that price is to order one each. The atmosphere at the Beach House is so great we could have easily stayed until late into the morning, but we were conscious that our driver was waiting to take us home
Thursday - Lemongrass Thai in Seminyak (near the Bintang Supermarket). Food was ok, but the service was terrible. It took over 2 hrs for everyone in our group to get their meals. Some got theirs early in the night, others like me had to wait until towards the end. Prices were reasonable.
Friday - Cafe Seminyak out the front of Bintang Supermarket. Service was again slow but the food was reasonably priced and tasty.
The other place that really stood out for food was Warung Ocha in Seminyak. On JL Legian, at the intersection that takes you down to the Sofitel Hotel, this was a fantastic place for lunch. The quality of the food was very high and the prices very low. The best satay chicken I had the whole time in Bali, and only 29 rupiah (approx $4AUD)
So now I have the sad prospect of not having a Bali trip to look forward to. I'll need to keep a close eye out for some more Garuda specials from Melbourne.