Just to summarise our trip. There were 16 of us, 8 adults and 8 kids( ages from 6 to 15). Longer than I expected!!
Departed from Sydney flying Garuda, no delays. paid for VIP VOA with netfare travel to avoid the queues. Great,had drinks and small snacks , all done within 15-20 minutes. Only problem though, increased security when you go to exit the airport, the bags were xrayed again. Not a huge delay. It was due to the fact of Easter or the elections, not sure which.
Stayed at the Melasti, had a few dramas with 1 of the family's having their accommopdation in the suite cancelled by the wholesaler. frantic calls and emails by our travel agent, mind you,this was 2 weeks before leaving!! The Melasti was booked out in the villas, so the travel agenty ended up getting 2 superior rooms. They had 1 room booked for 5 people!!! It all turned out great with 2 interconnecting superior rooms at no extra cost to them.They loved the fact that they had 2 of everything, and overlooking the pool. There were other families who arrived just after us and they were 2 adults and 2 children and the hotel tried to put them into 2 villas in 2 seperate buildings!! They maintained they were solidly booked but the suite next to us was vacant for about 5 nights!! This was the only hiccup and the hotel was great. We did request to be together in the same building for the other 3 families, but it worked out better to be seperated, giving each family their own privacy.
The breakfast was even better than I had remembered from the last time we stayed there (2005). Except for the bacon, of course!! Egg station, cereals,toast, croissants, muffins. Fresh juice, orange, mixed juice or guava, rotating every second day. fresh fruit, beautiful champagne melon, which tastes like watermelon but yellow. Sausages, tomato, rice, noodles, pancakes etc. You can't fault the view! Our rooms was cleaned mostly by the time we came back from breakfast. Extra pillows were not a problem and Dewa, was always smiling. He loved the esky that we gave to him at the end.
I wont give a day to day diary, but summarise what we did and the restaurants that we ate at. We tried different restaurants from last time, and returned to some from last year, when we stayed at the BGH.
We took average ratings for each one.
We also gave a "cold beer" rating!!!(CBR)And Toilet Rating (TR).This is even more important when you have kids.
BILLY'S BAR, Legian - CBR 9/10. TR 1/10
Food 7/10!! Though Billy's Special Nasi Goreng got a 9/10. Very Tasty.
We don't believe that we will go back. During the day, they couldn't be bothered turning the water on for the toilets to flush. I presumed they only did it during the day and that it would be different at night, with the band and more people. I spoke to a fellow guest who went in the night and she confirmed that they didn't turn it on at night either! It reeked of urine and I believe that is where I got sick last year. Luckily this time, I didn't. Very disappointed. Though Jack, Billy's brother is very entertaining!!
THE PUB CARES FOR YOU, Bunasari street, Kuta. CBR 9/10. TR 6/10 Food 9/10
Still THE BEST Satays in Bali!!! We had the mixed satays with the Soy/Chilli dipping sauce. Beautiful. Even though the place looks a bit deserted, it is still open and has been since 1973!! So it is doing something right!! The service is always good!!! And they have a magician for the kids at night. I first went when it was on Bemo corner and always make a return visit.
NORM'S - Legian. CBR 8/10. TR 6/10. Food 7/10
Cold towell of a night. Lovely satays. Always busy.
SHEPPY's RESTAURANT- (next door)CBR 8/10. Toilets 8/10. Food 8.5
Cold towell.
We had never been here before, always choosing Norms. The food was great, excellent service and the owner was only too happy to come and have a chat to us. Give this place a try, it was really nice and clean.
JONI'S BAR & RESTAURANT -Legian CBR 8.5. Toilets 8/10. Food 8.5
The pool in the middle is a bonus! Returned here twice, first tried 2008 and not disappointed!! the satays arrive on their own terracotta cooker!
??? - SINAR(?) - straight across the road and upstairs from the Melasti. CBR 8/10 TR 7.5 Food 8.5
This restaurant can be empty but was so worth the visit. They had lobster Thermidor on the menu but needed a days notice, so I ordered grilled king prawns thermidor. Unfortunately the waiter didn't know what thermidor was, so i had grilled with garlic sauce. They use a bbq in the restaurant and it was beautiful!!It is handy being across the road when you are being picked up for the airport transfer. Went twice, food always great.
BUBBA GUMPS- South Kuta. CBR 8.5.TR 8.5 Food 9/10
Ordered the BEST Margherita (Raspberry). Yum. We had a birthday dinner for one of the kids and as usual, did not disappoint! They made her feel so special. The New Orleans prawns were lovely,as were all dishes. $110- for our family of 4, including drinks. Very happy.
THE SECRET GARDEN = Poppies (?)CBR 7/10. TR 8/10-Food 8.5
Very Enjoyable but as it is outside, quite warm. The large Heiniken Beer is actually cheaper than the Large Bintang! Will go back again.
THE BALI BEACH SHACK - Legian. CBR 8/10 TR 9/10. No food this time.
Cold towell. Thoroughly enjoyed it last year and had read some not so good reviews. I can't vouch for the food though, as we only had a drink here when one of the many storms hit. They were doing some renos to the stage. The puzzling thing is we counted 10 staff and there were 4 of us there!! This was during the day!!
JE-JE (was called the Rum Jungle a couple of years ago). Padma Utara-
CBR 6/10. TR 7/10. Food 6/10.
My lasange wasn't microwaved enough and was still frozen in the middle. The owner was a very nice man who showed us the accommodation, which was very nice and cheap. Not suitable for families though, with no interconnecting rooms. This place was empty and the front bar area looks like it hadn't been open for a while! Wouldn't go back unless it changed.
SAMMY'S - Padma Utara, just down from the Ramada Camankila. CBR 8.5 TR 8 (No seat) but very clean. Food 9/10
This place has only been opened for 4 months with the help from his business partner from WA. It is extremely clean, food beautiful and the host, Sammy is a gem!! His brother is "Alexander the Great", watch seller out the front of the Melasti. He is funny, and a joy to meet. We only hope that more people try his restaurent.
WAYAN & FRIENDS - Legian. CBR 8. TR 8. Food 8.5
A great night for everyone and the Chicken Kiev was beautiful and the chicken schnitzel lovely (ask for the gravy on the side).
SANUR BEACH MARKET BAR AND RESTAURANT - On the Beach. CBR 8.5. TR 8.Food 8.5 The Cap Cay was rated a 9.
They gave us complimentary garlic bread which was lovely. Also were the roasted peanuts. The view was fantastic and we smam out the front of it, the water being lovely and clear. Thoughly enjoyed it. The only downside was the jetski was broken, but I'm sure there were others around, it really didn't bother us.
LEGENDS - Legian. CBR 8.5 TR 8 Food 8
They have band every night, which some people might find loud. The food is great and the service also.
B COUPLE - South Kuta. CBR 8. TR 9. Food 9.
They have about 10 pool tables, at a cost, for the kids to enjoy. The band is also great and always very clean. The Jumbo Prawns were 38000 per 100grams but lovely. You need to keep in mind that this restaurant is part of the Kuta Paradiso and the 22% tax gets you on the bill!! Will go back again.
GRAND PUNCAK SARI - Kintamani CBR 7.5. TR 6.5. Food 8.5
We ate here on the recommendation from our driver. This restaurant is on the end of the rows of restaurants and overlooks the volcano. The buffet looked fantastic, but being Good friday, my options were limited. The soup was lovely, the fish satays the nicest that I have had. The chilli HOT!! Just run out of there as the hawkers can be really annoying.
THE COLD STONE ICE CREAMERY - Outside the Discovery Mall
This opened on 1st April. The kids had buckets of icecream with oreo cookies and gummi bears! I had the vanilla thickshake with oreo cookies. YUMMM!!!
MELASTI BEACH RESORT RESTAURANT - CBR 7/10. TR 9. Food 8.5
We booked a full day on the Bali Hai Aristocat cruise to Nusa Lembongen. Always a fantastic day. The BBQ lunch is as beautiful as it was last year and the year before that! Unlimited banana boat rides all day with snorkelling a highlight.The crew on the catamaran put out the fishing rods and you can reel in a catch. There was a mackeral and a travally caught which were given to the crew.
Went again this time to the Fishing shop at Denpasar. My husband visited the one in poppies but it was more for game fishing.He will go back next year once they get more stock ,but he said the prices were good. This shop in Denpasar has a great range and you can also use your savings account through Eftpos. Bought 4 rods, 3 reels, 2 bait holders and a great cooler for the boat. Altogether it came to $184. Very happy with purchases. We also went to the Tupperware facory as I find they have some things that you cannot get here. My purchases would have been in excess of $500 but paid around $200-.
Prearranged DVDs from H**** who is always on time, courteous and saves me a lot of time.
Hubby did the Fish Spa at the front of Matahari. 100,000 rupiah for 20 mins. They didn't want to take 50,000 for 10 mins. However, where the supermarket is,there is another Fish Spa which you can pay 50,000 for 10 mins. He said it was great and you can try it first by putting your hand in. His feet came out all pink and soft!! There are a few of these around in Legian also.
Bought Pandora bracelet and beads from Silver Instinct, Legian. Also, purchased a silver name necklace, very pleased. Bought most clothes at Wayan's Compound. Always better quality and more variety. Just down from Billy's.
My daughter got hair extenions from the Melasti Spa. We paid 400,000 plus tax. Very happy with result. We were told it was going to take 3 hours, but ended up being completed in under 2 hours. Some of us had the couple's massage and they were very happy with that. Went to Supernova and purchased Martha Tillar. Bought 14 products for $140. extremely pleased, wish I got more.
Went to Makro and got our beer, snacks etc. Hatten wines for our champagne and wine. Bought 3 bottles of champers but stuck to bintang after that! Took a 2 litre cask of wine in my suitcase also.
Went to Waterbom park. Always a great day!! rented a gazebo. Safari and Marine Park always good. Went on a few rides in the amusement park. Though maybe next time, they might get somebody else to do the "Ride Rules" sign!! Rule number 1 reads " No Retards, Psychotic or drunken people on this ride"!!
They are building another pool and water slide in the water park, will be good when finished. A lot of roadworks on the way, so maybe leave a bit earlier than planned. We were one of the last 2 leave!!
Paid for the Executive lounge on the way home and would do next time. Very relaxing!!Just us 4were left as the others had already flown home before.
Great flight home. Took a sleeping tablet and woke up as breakfast was being served!!
Looking forward to saving for the next holiday!!
Hope you are all still awake....Sorry!