II thought a lazy sunday afternoon in oz would be the perfect time to remember my beautiful memories of Bali and write my first ever Jbr.
First ever flight with Pacific Blue took just under 5 hours (Juan Fanggio pilot who got us in 10 mins early) couldnt be faulted.I find flights boring and mundane and with a 3 year old was dreading it.....but this flight seemed to fly by(pardon the pun)
The flight staff were excellent, very comical and fun and i do think young Richard has invested wisely in finding the perfect staff.
Miss 3 year old was settled in with her own portable DVD player which we brought from home and there wasnt a scream in site as was the case when we went to Cambodia.
In fact she was having a ball and 5 DVDs later we had landed safely in Bali.
As we were graciously delegated row 27 i was dreading the VOA line as i couldnt quite remember how many planes were coming in at the same time.
As expected we, along with a couple and their child were the last off the plane...gggrrrrr
but then alas i remembered i had a VIP.
Thank god for small miracles....our party of 3 and the said couple from before breezed straight pass the exhorbirant lines of people(and its seemed like hundreds of people waiting) straight to baggage and out of the airport in approx 10 mins.
Best $27aus i have ever spent and thankyou so much Hadi for the service.....with a ratty 3 year old and snooty 14 year old it certainly was 10 mins of pure pleasure :)
This was the first time on any of my holidays that i had ever "winged" it. I am a planner and like to have all my cards laid out on the table so i know EXACTLY what i am doing.
This time however i thought stuff it lets play it by ear for the most part....so i duly looked like the lost tourist and found my way to the taxi count paid my 75000rp and was in Legian before i knew it.
So after a glorious 3 weeks i will break down what we did/saw/ate/met/shopped so i dont lose my train of thought, which is very easy when your a mother, your blonde and regularly forget which part of the rucksack you put your water in.
ACCOMMODATION
Week one was a planned venture as Miss Snooty and Miss Ratty had never been to Bali before so i wanted to have a base to lessen the stress.
We stayed at the Legian Beach Hotel which was just fabulous(would want to have been as it cost a packet).
We had a family room down the back of hotel which we just loved, it was a couple of steps from Melasti Street and served its purpose well.
Although being down the back end it was furtherest from the beach but honestly we didnt care....our daily walk to brekky and the beach vendors was fun and all part of the fun of being in Bali.
I couldnt really fault anything about this hotel.The pools were stunning, the breakfast just glorious and the the staff were lovely.Although they could have been a bit more fun, i just think it may have been the calibre of the hotel and what was "expected" of them but as i said they were all lovely.
If i had to have a gripe it was the pool lounge hogs in front of the baby pool.....it really use to tick me off.If i didnt have 3 year old with me i wouldnt have cared so much but when you dont have a child in site and spend the whole day reserving a lounge that you dont use then it becomes old.I managed to wise up to the profession of lounge hogging and removed towels as i saw fit without a bad word exchanged between parties :)
As Miss Snooty was leaving to return to school(apparently she had wayyyyy to much work to do, wheraeas i personally think it was a social status issue) i decided that myself and Miss ratty would start our "winging" it adventure and see where it took us.
Well i have to say it nearly took us home.....i had read some reports on hotels and wanted to try something different and cheap(primarily so i could drink more of those horrible jam jars and arak attacks...i know selfish hey) so i decided to check out Prawita in Kuta
Cheap cheerful hotel with beautiful gardens and lovely staff.However after a few hours i was done.
Originally i had presented myself on the spot and negotiated a 280000rp night deal for 2 as apparently there was only one room left and i had already tried a few other hotels in Kuta.
Well the room was disgraceful.....non-locking door, cupboards wouldnt open,beds were lop sided(it was like roll over in bed and you could very well end up on the floor) and worst of all the aircon and tv didnt work.If i was alone i may have been peeved but having a child i was suitabley horrified.
I decided to check out the pool hoping this would alleviate my annoyance....seen as they did have a kids pool.
Well many cracked tiles and a cut on Miss Snooties arm and that activity was vetoed.
What to do what to do- i dont usually complain and i know it was only 280000rp but i think i may have been hormonal or something so i asked if anything could be done about tv and aircon...answer=NO.....apparently as said before it was last room and definetly the crappiest one.
Promises of moving to a better room the next day sufficed and i willed the day to end knowing it would be better tomorrow.
Well tomorrow comes and no room....staff didnt communicate and had given siad promised room to someone else.
This is where i fear a complete nervous breakdown and am surfing the iphone for flights home(like i said hormonal)
I was really off my game....i was like a mad woman ready to run home asap...i still cant quite put my finger on why i was feeling this way but it really was at this point that i was done with Bali.the heat annoyed me, the people annoyed me the traffic annoyed me why had i ever bothered returning.
Eventually i knew going home was impossible so i had to suck it up and wing my way elsewhere.
I checked out of Prawita...left my bags there and went for a spot of reflection down poppies to ponder my next step.
Then the light bulb switched the right way....6 years ago when i was here i stayed at a place in Seminyak/Kerobokan called Bali ayu.
I would pop over there and see if they had any rooms....a liitle far out but hey i loved it before surely it was still the same(it better be)So off we go to Bali Ayu...please please have rooms at a reasonable rate i pray....all the while Miss Ratty is admiring the fact that we have seatbelts in this taxi.
As we enter the hotel i feel a calm for some reason...i nervously approach the desk and ask for a room......sure 300000rp for 2 breakfast included.As i am thanking the sky above out works a lovely Balinese man from the back room...looks at me and says"Miss Belinda we glad you have returned" ummmm do i know you???? after a bit of banter it is established that Ketut had remembered me from 6 years ago.....was sad the ex wasnt with me but overjpyed that i had acquired a Miss ratty since last time.
After much joking and fun i politely exscused myself to view the room as i was tired and still a little uncertain about how long i was going to stay.
Well as soon as i entered the room...i duly thanked the porter, closed the door and burst into tears.I truly felt like i was home.
The room was better than i remembered and that smell...the fresh fruity smell of a clean room and flowers....yes i was in heaven and this is where i stayed for 2 weeks.
This hotel is amazing, so small and homely and the staff are unforgettable, truly encapsulating balinese hospitality.
These people at the hotel made me remember my love affair with Bali and why i had returned. The other guests here were great to.
I could not fault one thing about this place at all....not one.It actually brings ters to my eyes thinking and remembering it all.
Even the second week when the pool sprung a leak and was emptied it didnt bother me i just thought we would go to petitenget beach each day and do something different...many guest were checking out because of it which was a shame but me ...nope i wasnt complaining which was duly rewarded on day 2 of no pool with an upgrade to one of their fabulous villas with private pool, they thought Miss Ratty should have somewhere to swim.Just beautiful...again exscuse me while i sniffle in my tissue.
Some travellers say it is a little far out, but thats what i like about it. Surrounded by so many beautiful eateries and if you can ride a scooter its the perfect base for anyone.
FOOD
Of course my favourite subject must be mentioned and what fun my love handles and I had.......I found it hard to get Miss Ratty to eat over the 3 weeks but she did manage to immerse herself at times in the culinary delights of Bali.
LEGENDS-great place, great people and good food 157000rp for 3 which was great.we ate here a few times. 7/10
BALI AUSSIE-simple food but tasty and staff were great about 140000rp for 3 from memory 6/10
BAMBOO BALI-food here was ok, very small plain place but Miss Snooty loved the meatballs and i loved the chips....was however spoilt by some aussie guy working there who was having an argument with his obvious lady of the night from the night before(i only know this as i couldnt help but hear the convo) who promptly puked all over the floor...not good customer service in my books. 4/10
BILLY'S-great place, schnitzel was like butter and staff were fantastic....ED(staff) was the first person in days who could get Miss Ratty to eat a whole meal....nothing was to much trouble here and it was a shame i didnt have time to go back. 310000rp for 3 but i did have quite a few cocktails :) 9/10
LANAI-i had high expectations from previous reports and was slightly disappointed...certainly standards are not comparative with prices and for me it was just ok.I had a beef tenderloin which was ok but not fabulous and at 490000 for 3 with one drink each wont be returning 6/10
MACCARONI-Truly amazing food.Best meal i had whilst in bali and cant wait to return.For the price of 140000rp for 2 i was in heaven.the salmon was delectable and miss rattys garlic bread was the italian of old.the people watching in this spot(my favourite sport..lol) was funny as.
The staff and atmosphere in this place is great and for those men that love a good spot of chick gazing the host at this place is HOT and a lovely mature young lady to boot.10/10
THE FLYING PIANO-Second best meal....this place is awesome.I love everything about it the food, hosts and entertainment and the arak attacks just divine.
We ate here alot as it is just a great place and not once were we disappointed.
I cant remember the owners name but him and his wife were fantastic and the night they had a 3 piece band on was one of the funniest of my trip. They would go table to table playing songs and when they got to ours they asked for requests. Of course i couldnt not think of a thing so they duly started with twinkle tw