Arrived 1st July for 11 days. Us, kids aged 18, 16, 7 & 5. Been to Bali numerous times, this was our 4 trip in the past 13 months (the small kids 2nd trip).
Flights:
AA. Had the 5.40pm flight ex Perth and after checking Denpasar flight stats booked Express VOA. Glad we did as the queues were huge and the small kids were ready to implode. Straight through and to the Jayakarta within about an hour. Return flight left 1 hour late, new computer system started same day and the staff were not fully trained as far as I could tell. So very slow through check-in. Arrived in Perth to find 2 flights landed at the same time, they got preference for luggage and therefore we didn't leave the airport for 2 hours after landing, so somewhat annoying.
Traffic - seems to be getting worse every time we go to Bali. Not really worth travelling at nights for meals given the delays. Also lots of road works on the way to Udud, Safari Park etc. Takes away from day trips as they can become a very long day.
Accommodation:
Stayed 4 days at the Jayakarta in 2 adjoining 1 bedroom apartments. Could not fault, large living areas and bedrooms, clean, bottled filtered water, large fridge, 4 tv's 4 dvds, lots of glasses, bowls etc. Cheap at $150 per night for both.
Moved to the Inna Kuta for the last 7 days. Usual issues at check-in with requested rooms not being available. We expected this so stood our ground and had a Mexican Standoff with the supervisor until we got our ground floor rooms. Rooms are OK, standard fare really, nowhere near as big as the apartments at the Jayakarta. This hotel is in a good location i.e. direct beach access, quiet beach compared to the public beach just up the road. Good quality breakfasts and large pool. Enjoyed Eddy's Bar on the beach for late arvo drinks.
Eating out: Met up with family and friends and most nights we had a group 10-15. Make sure you book, particularly in July, most popular places were packed.
Pearl (didn't take the kids)- every review about this place is accurate. The food is exceptional, the service is expectional, the setting is exceptional. The tasting plate dessert of crème brulee, chocolate mousse, chocolate lava cake and nougat icecream is simply the best dessert I have ever eaten. In terms of a food experience it is a must. The women just love the young French chef, particularly when he does his round of visits to the tables!
Mozzarella - disappointing after reading so many good reviews. Service was extremely slow. Food was hit and miss, with some dishes OK, but others underwhelming. Portion sizes were small. Wouldn't go back in a hurry.
La Monde - good food, well priced drinks (cocktails) and good service.
Warung 96 - always hits the spot. Good range of food for all ages and tastes. Well priced.
Jesens - went twice. Love this place. Great range of Indo and Western food. Well priced and good quality. Has karaoke on which people tend to sing along to as they eat.
Kuta Steakhouse - Was a bit dubious about the quality of the steaks, but were pleasantly surprised. Really top notch steaks and well cooked to order. Well priced. At 9pm after finishing our main meals some people wanted dessert, after getting the menus and ordering the waiter came back to advise that the chef 'didn't want to make dessert, happy to cook more steaks though'. Thought this was pretty funny, and reminded us of the 'Soup Nazi' episode from Seinfeld.
Bali Agung - Always pretty good. Sate's a favourite for most. Cheap arak cocktails popular.
TJ's - Not particularly cheap when the girls hoe into the margaritas. But a good atmosphere and the food is pretty good, particularly the fajita's.
Tommys - for breakfast was fantastic. Could not rate more highly. Service is slow, but everything is cooked to order.
Ate most lunch times at the food market on the beach outside the Inna Kuta, the kids loved the sate's and fresh juices. Cost to feed the family of 6 most times was 120,000rp with drinks.
Eddy's Bar - out the front of the Inna Kuta. Not as busy as Sam's Bar next door, but Eddy is a true gentleman, and his staff are great. The perfect pace to end each day with a beer or 2, he'd get drinking ice for the ladies drinks and tonic water for the G&T's. He also had sand toys for the kids to keep them occupied.
Activities:
Didn't do lots given that we have done most things in the past, and also the traffic issues were a turn off.
Turtle Island/Snorkling - didn't have high expectations. The snorkeling part was just OK (Lembongan is much better). We arrived at the Turtle Island sanctuary somewhat dubious, well this place was really great. The kids could wade in the large pool with the turtles (from 50cm-100cm long), feed them, pat them etc. They got to hold bats, a snake (mouth taped!), birds, lizards. This was a trip highlight. Our youngest boy even got to drive the boat back to port.
Surfing - My eldest son spent a lot of time surfing. After meeting up with some mates they'd hire a van and head south for the morning picking out the best breaks. The surf over the last couple of days was big, with the beaches in Kuta and Legian being closed given the large swell.
Bike Trip - a really fun day out. A long day given the traffic, but well worth it. We all bought bike riding shirts for the day and looked like prize twats, but had fund. Took along a heap of lollies for the kids we meet along the way. Lunch afterwards at Wayan's house was really good. Hotel pick-up was at 7am, and we arrived back at 4pm. The pool never felt better!
Shopping - didn't do much apart from getting some DVD's and some clothes.
Hair Dressers - Johnny Andreas at Discovery. The girls (and blokes) love the hair creambaths here. They also do good quality hair cuts.
Orphanage visit - took a day trip to catch up with Kadek at the Amlapura Orphanage. Great to meet her and the 31 kids (plus her own 3). She does a wonderful job, and appears to be well supported by some generous Australian and New Zealand benefactors. We phoned ahead to find out what supplies they needed and called into a supermarket along the way to stock up the van.
Driver - we used Norman again. He speaks good English, has great rates (we don't barter with him). His daily rates are 300,000-350,000rp(plus tips). He has great knowledge of the historical side of Bali and gives a guided commentary of every area that you visit, and he's a really good bloke.
We met some great people while in Bali, enjoyed quality family time, ate some great meals, had a few too many drinks and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Bali.
Lowlights - Michael Barlow breaking his leg (Dockers).
Back again July 2011!