So our 3 nights in Sanur was at an end and we were wishing we had another few days there as we were just getting in the swing of things and still had about another 100 restaurants we wanted to try!!
So we moved over to Legian and an 8 night stay at the Jayakarta.
At first I didn't like the Jayakarta, our room an upstairs pool view room had single beds, not a big problem but I like a big bed, so looked at another room and it was a bit out of the way so stayed with the pool view room. It was very small compared to other rooms and I discovered on unpacking that there were no shelves in the cupboard to unpack onto and I was thinking I want to go back to Sanur, but after a few days we actually got in the swing of it and ended up we really enjoyed it.
We had a great view of the pool and the ocean from our room and never found it noisy. .(except for fireworks going off on the beach of a night).
We love to people watch so the room was actually perfect for us. The pool view room was great for watching people at the crack of dawn leaving towels on chairs and then disappearing for most of the day, this was very very annoying and I could rant on about it but you all get the picture. That is a big problem there but also at a lot of other places so not much you can do to avoid it.
We had quite a few nights sittings on the balcony drinks in hand watching the world go by.
The staff were all friendly and I have read some people complain about breakfast but we found it more than ok with plenty of choice, no complaints at all.
We use the pool a lot when on holidays and they were just lovely - except for not many umbrellas for shade was a bit of a problem after a day in the sun.
In the end we always managed to get chairs by the pool, we just kept an eye out while swimming for some to become available. Most mornings we would swim straight after breakfast, lay in the sun for a while, go out and about and come back for a few hours by the pool in the afternoons, or just pop down there to cool off. I don't swim or lay in the sun ever at home so it is a much enjoyed pleasure while on holidays.
The drink and food at the hotel is expensive, silly really as they do themselves out of a lot of business, although at the pool bar you could get beers two for the price of one, but at 30000 for one beer it still only worked out about the same price to get two for one, and still cheaper to buy them on the beach, still it meant we had a few drinks at the pool bar, but not many.
So after a bit of a shaky start we would definitely stay at the Jayakarta again, we just would NEVER pay extra for a pool view room as the standard room my brother had was great! It was in the 200's down near the tennis courts, (sorry Rob I know you like to keep that secret to yourself).
I know there is a lot of conflicting opinions on the Jayakarta and I can see why some people have a problem, but for us it turned out well and we enjoyed our stay there, the location is excellent and that makes up for most problems.
One thing I will say is lots of people ask how far from the pools are from the apartments, for us, and only because we are pool lovers, they would be too far, If the pool is important to you I would stay somewhere else with the pool closer, but then again we were spoilt as our room was right on the pool so we would go for a swim every time we came back from somewhere to cool down and spent a lot of our relaxing time at the pool and it was easy to duck back to the room or pop down for a quick 10 minute cool off. Its just my personal opinion, if I had to walk I would have just stayed in the room a lot more, again just my opinion and I am sure there are those that wont agree with me and those of you that are more than happy not to be in the pool at every possible opportunity like we like to do wont have a problem.
We ate at Ocean Blue, Zanzibar, Tropicale just outside and to the left on the road exit, Indonational and a few other places I don't remember the name of, but all good meals and again all ranged from about 140000 - 200000 and always included mixed juice a couple of bintangs two meals, and usually an entrée and a desert so really good value we thought.
We ate twice at the flying piano, first night great with free arak attacks, yum they were icy and cold, and a singing trio to entertain, our second night there the owner had a bit of a melt down and the staff looked petrified, it was a very uncomfortable situation and the owner doesn't realise he is harming his business as I wouldn't go back there he was so rude to the staff.
We also went into Kuta one night and ate at Kori's, what a fabulous meal, it was our most expensive in Bali, about aud $50 but more than worth it and I would imagine a comparable meal in Oz to be around $120. at least.
Anikas cooking school.
We were picked up at 7am from our accommodation and headed to the markets, how very interesting. We were given a comprehensive explanation of a lot of local produce, all of which we used later in the day for cooking. The markets were a fun experience....especially when a rat darted past and we were all trying to convince a lady on the tour that it wasn't actually a rat as she was petrified, lol.
Back to the cooking school for Bali coffee, Hibiscus tea and traditional sweet treats for morning tea.
A lot of the preparation work had been done for us but this was ok as again it was all explained in detail and then we ground all the ingredients and took turns in cooking a dish each. The staff helped out as needed.
The food we prepared was the best we ate in Bali, it was superb and a great way to learn about their methods. We were also given a comprehensive recipe book for what we had prepared that day which gives suggestions for alternatives if you can't find the local product at home. I fell in love with palm sugar, yumm, and it was very interesting to learn all the different ways to prepare it and use it.
Hubby cooked some of the food last night using the cook book and the alternative food for here and it was great!....he is the cook I am the critic, lol. As someone who isn't that keen on cooking I loved the cooking school as it was fascinating to follow the whole process and then enjoy the feast!!!
The setting of the cooking school is a big open veranda and lovely and clean and traditional.
So very highly recommended. Just checked my credit card and it cost us $150 aud in total.
On our 3rd day there my brother, his wife and two friends arrived at the Jayakarta. My brother is a regular there and spends a lot of time on the beach and he was a wealth of knowledge on where to shop and what to do, love yah Rob, thanks for a great holiday!!
Rafting
After much research regarding how many steps there are at the end of the rafting trip we decided on Bali International Rafting. So to answer the first question always asked the steps at the end were fine.
I was determined to count the steps but a small snake slithered across the first step in front of us so I ran full speed the whole way up the first lot of steps and didn't count, then you get to a flat area, go down maybe 10 steps then back up another flight of steps which I powered up, they were pretty easy. Lunch is right there and our bus parked close by to pick us up. Maybe about 80 steps but mostly big easy steps with flat bits in between.
Lunch and showers were provided at the end, I didn't bother with a shower as there were a few woman doing hair and makeup and lined up for the showers so I just dried off and got changed, lunch was nothing too flash but enjoyable.
The rafting was a hoot. I am a wuss and a bit of a chicken and at first I bounced around like a loose cannon ball and hubby had to grab me to keep me in the boat but after the first half an hour I found my balance and it was all good, except that every time I had to lay down to avoid a low bridge or other obstacle I couldn't get back up again and dissolved in a fit of laughter. It was bloody hard work, but we all agreed it was a great day and well worth the effort, can't wait to take the kids next year, they will love it! We laughed about the rafting and all the near disasters for days afterwards. They also took great pics of us coming down the big drop and they were a must to buy, fantastic!
Also I was concerned what shoes to wear as I knew we had to get out and walk around a dam wall, but it was all good as they sold 'Nike' sandals there perfect for rafting for 45000 , ok they were coming apart on the bus on the way home but they did the job nicely and I didn't have to wreck my proper Nike joggers that I took with me to wear. LOL
Comparing Sanur to Legian
Its hard, Sanur was busier than I was expecting with more shops and restaurants than I thought there would be. It was still more laid back and the beach was great and eating with the sand between our toes was great. Legian was a bit more hectic, but a nice hectic, and lots of great restaurants again. I don't know that either was my favourite as I liked them both but I would have loved to spend another few days in Sanur as we were just getting into the swing of things when we left and I could have done some more exploring of the area.
Bali Hai Dinner cruise.
The boat is lovely, the meal was ok, the entertainment was, well, fun, some dancers, a shim with a great body miming songs and the highlight was the body builders having a pose off. A lovely sunset, good company and another fun night!
Discovery Mall
Loved this place a good place to get some bargains, but expensive in general. Still managed to get myself a very nice bag from there reduced by 50%. Also a visit to bread talk was a must! Yummmmm and so cheap!
Other shopping.
Used the fixed price shop in Garlic lane, again fixed price is soooo easy. Then just general shopping in Garlic lane and out and about. Tried to purchase a Pandora bracelet and charms from a silver place in Garlic lane at the same price a friend had purchased it and he got a bit cranky with me and I couldn't get him down to my price so I walked away and didn't bother to try again, I was defeated. LOL
Massages
In Legian we mainly used Inner Glo, this is near the street entrance to the Niksoma. It was very reasonably priced and lovely staff. One night hubby and I had massages, I had a honey massage he had traditional, we had a joint room and I had a flower bath at the end and it was 175000 all up, just lovely. Hubby went nearly every night after dinner and I had the best facial there, I fell sound asleep.
In general
We never had a problem with money changers and the rate was 8300 - 8600 while we were there.
Brought all the usual DVDs no problems
Everywhere we went was very busy, lots of tourists out and about and lots of restaurants very busy.
Nice to see all the new Bluebird taxis very clean and comfy and no problems at all.
Prada Lounge
Used this as we were at the airport for 3.5 hours before the flight, hubby said he wouldn't bother again (although he certainly enjoyed the beer on offer) and I said that's fine you can wait outside and I will come out when the flight is ready next time, It was good to have a comfy lounge, cups of tea, free internet and something to nibble on.
Sydney Airport
It took us an hour and a half to get out of the Airport, and the immigration line for non Australians was HUGE, so no more complaining about Bali Airport as Sydney doesn't look like it handles its incoming visitors any quicker at times.
Our lovely daughters had organised a Limmo to pick us up from the Airport for my hubby's birthday, so that was a very welcome gift after that horrible night flight!!
Arrived home to a lovely tidy house, the dog was still alive and so were the kids, so all good.
Cant wait to go back, will not wait 5 years again and we are planning to take the kids next year.
So there it is, it's long, sorry, but I loved reading other peoples JBRs before we went so hopefully someone else can get something out of mine that is helpful.
Cheers everyone and if you are off to Bali soon have a great time!!!