This JBR is in no particular order; just written from notes made during our trip. Not much info just ramblings if you care to read.
4 of us (2a + 2c) left Perth on the Air Asia 4.50am Air Asia. We found the size of the seats to be ok for the length of our journey. They don't have that little head-rest bit as the seats do on Jetstar but the seats are comfy enough. They do recline a bit so if you want to snooze you would be able to. The flight was not full so many people took advantage of the rows towards the back to lay down. The same situation happened on the return flight with spare seats to be had. We had a spare seat between us as did our children.
Having read less than favorable reports regarding the meals, we didn't order any food for the flight so had a bite to eat and coffee at the Dome café at the airport before boarding. We ordered some coffee during the flight which was nearly undrinkable. Powdered coffee with powdered milk to add. I can't remember what it cost exactly and the only good thing was that it broke the boredom. I spoke to someone who was on the same flight the following day and they said they pre-ordered a rice dish which had tiny fish (complete with eyes) in it. At 6am in the morning she found it less than appetizing and was nearly sick.
We landed about 10 minutes early and initially there was only one immigration counter open. Although we were the only flight in at the time, this did cause a lot of congestion. A couple more counters opened about 10 mins later but I think they have a long way to go to improve to the target of landing to taxi in 15 mins as has previously been reported on this forum as posted by Lofty on Monday, 16. November 2009 at 07:55 Bali Time.
Somehow we ended up nearly last out from immigration and found our bags clearly chalk marked for all to see. We bought a fair bit of wine with us as I find the stuff that is readily available nearly undrinkable and don't want to spend time traipsing around looking for a decent bottle. We paid the required administrative fee for the alcohol and found our driver.
We pre-booked with a driver we used back in July and paid Rp 100,000 for transport to Legian. He parks outside the Kumala Pantai on the beach side and has a comfortable car with good aircon that will fit the four of us with all our luggage. In the past we have caught two taxis or negotiated for a van just past the taxi counter but I do prefer to travel together either way.
We stayed at the Beach Melati Apartments in Legian. This was our second stay here and we hope not our last. Last time we stayed in one of the three bedroom apartments to give the children a bit of personal space at the end of a longish holiday, but a two bedroom one is more affordable for us. The apartment was very comfortable and suited our needs. The only downside is the one shared bathroom/toilet in the two bedroom apartment but I don't think that situation is any different from other similar places. A big plus here are the large balconies on which to sit and enjoy a glass of wine etc. We really do like it here.
Although we arrived early they kindly allowed us to check in to our apartment. We ordered some early late breakfast/early lunch for our 'starving' children from the Coffee Shop (on site) and later went to Warung Tropical before heading up to the Bintang Supermarket for supplies.
For those who are familiar with Warung Tropical, I have to say this place has changed since we were in Bali in July. There was group of us staying at the Kumala Pantai the Jayakarta, and Beach Melati Apartments and Warung Tropical was a place where we used to leave the children (I'm not talking littlies here) and go up and change money or send them off to get settled and order their food and we would catch up shortly after. It was so close and convenient to do this. Although our lunch there was uneventful, one evening we were heading there for dinner with some friends and there was a table towards the front with about 4 guys and a couple of girls. They were really plastered. Staggering around the place and calling out to passers-by. Empty stubbies everywhere. The place had music blasting out to the street also. It was really unpleasant to witness so we did an about face and headed up to the Flying Piano instead.
From observation it seems to be that the Tropical has two new young sprukers drumming up business (one who worked at La Casa when we were there in July) and are maybe trying to attract a heavier drinking crowd?? Whether by design or accident it really has put us off and we didn't eat there again. Even walking past the restaurant on other nights did not make us want to eat there with the music blaring out onto the street and a boisterous group inside. It is a shame as we will be at the Kumala Pantai again in July with the same group of people as last July and, as I mentioned before, we all made good use of the place previously.
We pre-ordered our DVDs and these were delivered on the first night as requested. I swear I don't know how my partner manages to buy so many every trip. I think our house rivals a DVD store for selection. The odd couple of new releases he bought off the street sellers do not work. Rarely do the DVDs that we have pre-ordered from this contact not work and if you buy new releases he will readily tell you if it is a good copy or not.
Our first night dinner we tried the new Mozzarella in Jl Padma. It lived up to the recommendations and we were to eat there for a birthday celebration a couple of nights later with a large number of people. Very friendly staff and not pushy, even when we mentioned the possibility of a large group for a birthday dinner.
My son had his hair cut at Celebs in Jl Padma Utara which cost Rp 50,000. I had put off getting it done before we went as every time the hairdresser sees him here in Perth, the price seems to go up in line with his height. He is only twelve but very tall for his age. We were both very happy with the cut he got. My friend took her children and nieces to the Carla Spa salon also in Jl Padma Utara and had hair cuts, highlights, washes etc for 5 for around AUD $80. My partner had a hair wash and cut there before we left for Rp 40,000. While on the subject of hair, I bought some 'product' for his new do from Johnny Andrean Salon in Centro Discovery Mall for Rp 21,000. This was texturing hair wax.
My partner hired a scooter from Yasa in Jl Werkadura and paid Rp 100,000 for three days. He only rode it around the Legian area in which we were staying and gave the children some lessons down on the beach road where it is not open to traffic. We will be back in July but will more than likely not hire one at that time due to the larger crowds and associated traffic at that time of the year. The children may have other ideas so we'll have to see what the pressure is like.
I had relatives staying at the Kumala Pantai and they were very happy with the place. They had been to Gili Trawangan to do a diving course before coming to Bali to catch up with us. They had a nice room in B block overlooking the main pool. They hadn't been to Bali for about 6 years and last time stayed in Sanur but I think they enjoyed the Legian area and the hotel surroundings in particular.
Our friends were staying at the Melasti Beach Resort so we tended to have sunset drinks on the beach in Legian and then go for dinner from there if people were interested. Our preferred bar is Safari Bar. They have massive blue flags now to mark out their bar so are an easy landmark at which to meet people. We also hired our boards from this place. Fun easy going people working here.
One thing I did notice was the increased amount of children selling those stringy things that you tie around you wrist down on the beach. Well, not really selling because they are really after gold coins. The string thingy is the introduction to conversation. I find you just get rid of one group before the next group descend. This annoying begging activity happened on a nightly basis. 'you buy, you buy, you got gold coin, you give me coin?'
We were staying at the Kumala Pantai last December and the beach in Legian was strewn with lots of rubbish the rains had bought down. Huge logs, lots of plastic junk, dead fish, sea snakes, a turtle. You name it. This December the beach was clean apart from the last couple of days we were there when it started to rain heavily overnight. It made the sea water ok to swim in as opposed to last year.
We suffered from one power blackout in our apartment. Our daughter came running down the beach bar early one sunset saying she was scared as the power had gone out in the apartment. Evidently she was too scared to grab a torch on the way out which made for a dark walk back to the apartments. The manager of the Coffee Shop gave us half a dozen candles to use in the apartment and explained that the restaurants in Jl Padma or further up in Seminyak would have power, as the blackouts tended to cover a small designated area at a time.
On another evening we headed down to Poppies Restaurant in Kuta and that area had no power. Most of the market stalls had packed up so we had a quiet walk down to the restaurant without the regular hassles you tend to get in Poppies lane(s). Here we had the Indonesian Rijsttafel dinner. It was a feast and one we will repeat. When they were aware we were going to order the banquet, we were moved to a larger table to accommodate the dishes. Beware though, my partner tried one of the pastes and it proved to be made from fresh green chillies. Very, very hot. The banquet finished with black rice pudding.
Both of our children went to Waterbom Park with either friends or relatives which gave us a free pass. Don't misunderstand because although we have enjoyed it in the past, we are pretty much over it. We were intending to try High Tea at Biku in Kerobokan when they went to Waterbom but as fate would have it, they went on separate days. One for next time.
I've got to comment on Tommy's in Rum Jungle Road. Just my little gripe. The iced Milo is great for the kids when they need a fix but I've got to say...delicately here because I don't want to get flamed...that the famed chip butties would have to be one of the least value for money meals in Bali. Two slices of bread and a handful of chips?? I was a bit surprised last time and thought maybe it was a slip up in the kitchen with the size of the serving but the same sized meal was dished up in December. I'm really struggling to come to grips with what the expense is here; the bread, the chips?? Second to that, my partner ordered one of the salad & beef rolls and had one small piece of meat in it. Seriously thinking of taking up a corned beef roll myself next time.
Another disappointing dining experience was at Zanzibar on the beach road in Legian. Don't know if it was the manager's night off or the staff were distracted by using their earpiece system but we had people on our table who didn't get drinks, service was very slow and we had to call for orders to be taken. Not on our list for another visit. Wyan and Friends in Jl Padma was not as good as we had experienced previously.
Good meals were had at the aforementioned Mozzarella (x2), Flying Piano and Yutz. We also got some take-away pizza from Café Marzano in Jl Double Six. Poppies was our first experience with Rijsttafel and we also had a whole baked pink snapper at the restaurant at the Kumala Pantai. The other nights I can't account for at the moment. Lunches were had in one of the many warungs around the area and we ordered a fair bit of room service from the Coffee Shop at Beach Melati Apartments. Lots of iced lemon tea ordered at various places. I find these drinks very refreshing on a hot day.
We paid corkage on any wine we took out in the evening; a charge that Yutz referred to as 'spooning'. Just an ice bucket thanks, too hot for spooning.
When organizing travel insurance I've found that with four people traveling, one of the group usually needs medical assistance and experience has taught me it pays off to buy out the excess. This only costs $25 and I have a claim in currently from a visit to the Padma Clinic for a wound infection. The visit + associated medication was around AUD $130 so it was $25 well spent.
Apart from the visits to Waterbom Park by the children, we did no other activities on this trip. We have previously visited the Elephant Park, Safari Park, Tree Top Rope Course etc, but decided this was to be a hang around the beach holiday. We nearly got to Sanur for lunch one day but the effort was going to be too great. We were in relaxed mode.
I'm not really into market shopping but do tend to buy a few things on holidays when I have the time to put in. Here are the bits and pieces of shopping for those who are interested:
Surf Factories - Board shorts etc for the boys. Cheaper than here in Perth though not as greater a bargain as they have been in the past. The West boardies have that built in extra layer that prevents rash so I try to get these whenever I can. To give you an indication of the price changes, I bought a pair in July for Rp 335,000 (AUD $39) and the pair in December cost Rp 379,000 (around AUD $45). So a few dollars more. The range of bikinis at the Billabong outlet was really disappointing though. In July my daughter got two pairs of bikinis; a Rip Curl pair from the Surf Factory Outlet and another pair from the Billabong outlet for less than AUD$20 each. This time the bathers at the Billabong shop worked out to be AUD$55.
Geneva - the first time I have been here and probably won't bother again. I bought a bit of incense and a couple of tea tree light candle holders with Christmas patterns but saw the same things for sale in Jl Legian. While we were in there, a woman started chatting and recommended the other store further north, Unangi I think she said.
Daun The Gift Shop - bought a nice table ornament from the shop in Kuta Art Market
Carrefour - my son got some basketball shoes on sale for around AUD $33.
Piment Rouge in Jl Werkadula - large coconut leaf table decoration.
Centro - Body Shop and Clinique and a handbag
Matahari - Revlon and bits and pieces for my teenage daughter from the accessories section
Supernova - Martha Tillar Biokos, and Revlon
Miss Debbie's - one tee shirt for partner and a dress for daughter. The shirt was Rp 45,000 but he is happy with the quality. A lovely cold drink offered as usual.
Harry the Hat Man on the beach - son bought a few hats @ Rp 35,000 each.
Tommy's handbags in Jl Padma - one leather handbag cost AUD $75. There is a sign in the store clearly saying that 1 bag = no discount, 2 bags = 10% discount etc.
FYI anyone interested in buying hiking gear etc, the X-Treme store in Kuta Galeria is no longer open.
I'm somewhat ashamed to say that our last meal in Bali was from the McDonalds outlet at the airport. I'll shift the blame to my daughter here as it was at her special request but I agreed because she has Nasi Goreng either for lunch or dinner every day in Bali. We ordered 4 cheeseburgers and 4 fries and the bill was Rp 225,000. No drinks. After paying the driver the lift to the airport, the departure tax and the McDonalds bill, we left Bali with only Rp 10,000 on our person. This lack of rupiah meant that on the flight home we had to pay for our drinks with AUD. We ordered two of the powdered coffee/powdered milk drinks and two small waters and got no change from $10. We were told the water was $3 per bottle and the coffee $2 per cup. On the way to Denpasar, the coffee was only Rp 15,000 and the water was less at Rp 12,000. Go figure that one.