22 year old female, 10th trip to Bali but haven't been in 6 years. Travelling with my 26 year old boyfriend, a first timer. Apologies if there are spelling mistakes etc, am writing this quickly before I leave for a 2mnth trip to India tomorrow (so will not be around to reply).
Hotel - The White Rose
I have stayed here before and would stay again. My favourite things about this hotel are: the lovely and relaxing pool area, the proximity of all rooms to the pool area, the friendly and helpful staff and it's location right in the middle of Kuta but back off the street so that it's very tranquil and quiet inside. The only cons are that some rooms are getting a bit run down, but they are gradually renovating the whole hotel - while we were there one of the blocks was closed for renovations. Even though our room was the closest possible to this block, it didn't bother us at all- there was no noise or disturbance. Breakfast was good- sometimes the food could get a bit cold but not the popular things eg bacon which was always refilled. Eggs anyway you like, warm chicken porridge, fresh fruit, pancakes, pastries and perculated coffee = bliss for me.
Massages & Spas
We had massages every day and I also had a manicure and a pedicure. The best spa we found that was near our hotel was The Legian Spa, which we stumbled across and decided to try. It is next to Alex's on Jln Legian, a few min walk away from the Memorial and across the road. We had 2 balinese massages here which were great. Icy cold air con, cold water before and after, very reasonable price- approx 90,000rp for an hour massage, lovely staff and well trained and you can shower afterwards. We had a hot stone massage too which we didn't like as much - stones were too hot and burnt us a bit.
We also went to Melasti Beach Resort Spa in Legian as I wanted to try Mozarrella for dinner and the massage was great as always, but comparable to the Legian Spa.
The only bad massage experience we had was at Spa Bali in Legian which ironically is run by the same lady who runs Melasti Spa. My massage was terrible and I thought I had lucked out until BF said how much he hated his as well. I don't consider myself a fussy client as a massage is a massage to a large extent, so it was pretty bad. I would NOT recommend this place for a massage at all. I did have a manicure and pedicure here which were good, the pedi being a lot better than the mani (different girls did both).
I had a haircut for $6 at Johnny Andreas at Bali Mall- such a great cut for that price, I am amazed! Girls have to pay up to $80 for similar in Aus, so this is a must do for me from now on.
Restaurants
Kori - I love their private cushioned bungalow tables and we scored one on our first night for a romantic meal. Food was good, nothing to rave about but was thoroughly enjoyed. Staff very friendly and attentive, atmosphere lovely.
Mozzarella - Best satays I had in Bali were had here. Food is definitely delicious and friendly staff.
Kopi Pot - Very average meal, most dissapointing we had. We chose a table upstairs and were forgotten about, only place we didn't tip as service was non existant.
Poppies - Lovely surroundings, food good. BF's best meal of the trip, mine average.
Restaurant on the beach near Bali Discovery Mall (not Ocean Club, the other one?) - Beautiful location and atmosphere, great food and best mixed juices. Take your bathers and have a swim, they also have Balinese dancing shows. A must visit.
Bread Talk (Bali Discovery Mall) - OK, expected better after rave reviews.
Made's Warung - Best nasi campur I have had, was so delicious! They also do good fresh mango juice which I noticed that many restaurants no longer serve.
We ate at a few more places but I didn't write them down and have now forgotten them- obviously not that memorable. Our plans to go into Seminyak and try some of my fav restaurants didnt eventuate due to us having full days and the night time traffic.
Shopping
Geneva Handicrafts - good as ever, bought some boxes etc. Aussies need to be careful - you cannot bring sand products, anything with banana leaf or water hyancith (sp?) into Australia - this can include some woven bags and baskets. We had no trouble getting our wooden boxes and photo frames in.
Matahari Kuta - loved their shoes!!! They were having fantastic sales, with 50% off and then a further 20% off many of them!? I wish I was a size 36, if you are they have plenty left in your size but it was harder to get a 38-39 in popular styles. I still managed to buy 4 pairs for between $5-$12 each, amazing quality for the price.
Bali Discovery Mall- many more high end brands than there used to be incl Guess, FCUK (genuine). I was excited to see that they have a Topshop and a Dorothy Perkins although stock was very limited and more expensive than in the UK sales.
Market prices I paid (no idea if they're good or not, just what I was happy with)
Fake Ray bans - 25,000rp
Fake K-Swiss mens "waterproof" watch- 55,000rp
4 x silver "aussie coin" name necklaces for 130,000rp
Bintang t-shirts - 25,000rp
Activities
Bali Eco Budaya Bike Tour - 350,000rp per person incl pickup from Kuta. This was a fantastic day and our tour guide was hilarious. The highlight of the day was the buffet lunch which surprisingly was the best meal I had in Bali- the chef has come over from the old Ritz hotel and is amazing. I never thought a tour buffet could top so many restaurant meals but this one did! The bike riding was great fun and good exercise. I enjoyed trying different coffees and teas at the Coffee Plantation and they also showed us around a Balinese family compound.
Day tour with driver Made Mangku (recommended on this forum) - Made's brother (also Made) took us out as Made #1 was driving someone else. Nice clean air cond kijang, plenty of space. Made was friendly and helpful throughout the day. I had chosen an itinery to give BF & 2 other friends a taste of Bali - we went to Taman Ayun temple, Lake Bratan, Botanical Gardens, the monkey and bat forest in that area (better than Ubud) and finally Tanah Lot.
Nightlife
Kuta is a lot seedier and noisier than I remember it. We didn't enjoy it at all - music too loud to even attempt talking and it clashed with music from other bars in close proximity making it sound horrible. Full of Balinese girls dressed in skimpy clothes (many no doubt prostitutes), Balinese boys dressed like try hard rappers and drunk Aussie teenagers. For this reason we will stay in Seminyak next time so that we are in close proximity to some of the bars there.
Laundry
We got our laundry done at "Kelly's Laundry" which is down a small gang just near the memorial. So cheap, came back nicely folded and smelling lovely. I love Bali laundry services!
Conclusion
We had a fantastic holiday and I am hoping to return to Bali next year, to stay in Seminyak (although we will miss the White Rose pool area and friendly staff and guests). I have fallen in love with Bali all over again after my 6 year hiatus during which I explored most of the rest of SE Asia.