JBR PART 1 - 2/7 TO 15/7
Sorry this is long and I get very carried away, I love reading long detailed JBR's though myself!
This has been over 12mths in the planning, 5 families all meeting for 7 nights, some of us going earlier to different locations. Thanks to Air Asia cancelling the Darwin route this sent all our plans/bookings into disarray back in March, ended up costing us a lot more and a night stopover in Darwin!
We left Melb on a freezing Sunday night 9.15pm to Darwin on our 3rd trip, myself, hubby and Miss 18 and Master 15. Our friends (Bali virgins) had left on an earlier flight and were staying the night too at Rydges Airport Resort they have 3 kids similar ages. We didn't get to bed until nearly 3am. Very rundown room we had but pool/resort itself was lovely, we all met up the next morning excited for the next plane ride to Bali at 4pm. A long day sitting around waiting, we didn't think the cost justified getting taxis into the city and thought we would be pushed for time, we had a 1pm checkout which was great. Of course Bali flight was delayed an hour! But finally arrived about 6.30pm Bali time for 5 nights in Legian. I had bought a bottle of Southern Comfort duty free and packed 2 bottles of champers in my case, which I declared, was fully prepared to lose them or pay something, they didn't flinch, didn't look at back of my form just sent me thru, course I was sweating on it and now sorry I didn't pack more LOL. My girlfriend too scared to over pack so had 2 bottles also but made her husband accountable for one and then he couldn't get any duty free, he wasn't happy!
Our driver was there waiting from Villa Asih, the long walk to the car was next. Our friends were overwhelmed of course, traffic, people, noise...I love it all.
Villa Asih in Legian was bit of disappointment, I didn't realise when booking it was on the main road joining JL Legian up, it was soooo busy. The villa itself was good but not great, the pool was freezing and literally got no sun all day, we spent next to no time in it or around it. The only working tv/dvd was upstairs in the dining room which wasn't comfortable for kids wanting to watch dvd's at night so they didn't bother. Kitchen was downstairs, 2 bedrooms had no doors on toilets etc and kids struggled with that concept LOL. The reviews we had read really differed from what we experienced, the maids could speak little English and whilst they cooked a great breakie when requested we hardly saw them and by last few days because we were out most of the day we never saw them and thus no breakie was organised, they added 10% onto dockets for gas (no worries) and then another 10% on just because, it didn't turn out very cheap at all. The last day I had to go looking for them (they sat out back somewhere, always appearing out of nowhere) and asked them to cook the rest of eggs/bacon and pancake mixture up that had been bought 2 days prior. It was an extremely noisy villa with the traffic which didn't stop 24/7.
However, first night we went wandering for dinner, took me a bit to get my bearings but we were only a short walk from Melasti, found Lemongrass and thought we would try that after recommendations from friends, were not disappointed, it was awesome. Home to bed all very tired, next day up early and breakie was ready by 8.30am as requested, all good. We then hit the ground running, taxi to end of Poppies 2 and then walk up to Janoko to order suits, My hubbie got 2 jackets/4 pants for about $170, I had pants/vest made for work for total cost of $33! Friends had suits made too, we were all very happy. While doing this kids went mad buying Beats headphones, bintang singlets, Vans, sunnies, dvd's etc. We then went across road to beauty salon and negotiated $22 for youngest one (12) to get long hair braided, course it took 2 hrs so we had pedi's while waiting, they were rushed and not as good as others we had later in trip. 2 Hubbies' had massages at same time then we all went to Bali Bagus Pub for lunch, this was ok. While in there guy approaches us about white water rafting, he started at 300,000 rupiah each first, without asking he comes back and goes to 250, then when I said what about for 22 people next week, it quickly becomes 225,000 each, incl lunch and transfers on the Telaja river. We book it thinking how great is that price for the following week when all 5 families are there.
Kids/hubbies back to villa, myself and friend off to Tommy's leather and to find Bali Beach Shack who had requested a deposit for our booking the following night. Tommy's - well I will annoy some by saying they were disappointing, I had a bag to copy and my friend was getting same one copied, they only had a few leather colours on offer, everything I wanted (tan and red) were not available at the moment, I ended up going with an orange and my friend black, $75 each. Had a smaller one I wanted copied too, $55 and no budging on that so I didn't order that one. They just weren't over friendly, pretty much a take it or leave it attitude I thought, anyway we ordered & they wanted 10 days. I had leather jacket of my daughters she wanted copied, they said $150, weren't very interested in that either, I thought no that is too much. Went around corner to BBS, paid our 100,000 rupiah deposit for the next night then looked at Swish and thought that will do for dinner tonight, booked a table. Spotted a leather place which turned out to be French Leather, showed him the leather jacket, $110! Then had a pair of sandals we wanted copied in tan leather, $40, only need 4 days for both! The guy here was great, and happy to be paid in Aussie $, I wish we had taken bags here and he had some nice ones on shelf for $50 I could easily have bought. Then off to Bintang Supermarket for essentials being vodka and mixers and snacks, horrendous trip home in traffic late arvo.
Swish was ok for dinner, nothing memorable, another early night.
Day 2 in Bali - WATERBOM!
Up early and in taxis by 8.30am, get there and rush to get cabanas, love this whole concept, our 3rd time here & wasn't fussed but kids still like it and we had a nice sunny day so could sunbake a bit too so ended up spending the whole day here as our villa pool was too cold and no sun for baking. I left about 11.15am and went to see Ms Pak at Bali Rani Hotel, she made me 3 little rings of friendship 2yrs ago from my old gold, I wanted 4 more, had some other old gold, $50 for the 4 to be made, take a week, she is fabulous. Then back in taxi to Bali Mali Galleria to Dr Rudy dentist, first time ever I have been brave enough to try this, will do it again, awesome service. Traffic horrendous and took 40mins to get there, then he dropped me off at front, well I was going spare trying to find them in the building out back but finally did and 10mins late but it was ok. I wanted a porcelain crown down and 2 fillings, $45/filling and $350 for the porcelain crown, they did filling and then moulds, in there about an hour, very impressed, super clean and efficient, booked to come back a week later (could have done it earlier but we had WWR booked). Back to Waterbom, this taxi driver took the shortcuts and had be back at W/Bom in under 15mins!
Left Waterbom about 4pm, once again hubbies and boys back to villa, girls all to Bagus Watches in Kuta, love this place also, shopped up a storm. Then taxi home, crawled all the way, the traffic is really an issue in Bali.
To Bali Beach Shack for dinner 7pm followed by Drag Queen Show. Great night, food ok, once again nothing memorable, drinks good, service great. The show - well it was very funny when they got others up to dance etc until they picked on my 15yr old LOL...one ‘woman' came up and slid herself along our table and proceeded to sit on his face...yes everyone was laughing hysterically, I was half laughing/half crying, he is usually very shy and took it very well. We had a great night, went into Legends after as hubbie was watching Wimbledon and had the dance floor to ourselves, lot of fun, home at midnight.
Day 3
All slept in and breakie was out cooked and gone cold, no maids to be seen anywhere. Had foot/shoulder massage at Pips, lovely place. Went to Carefourr, loved this place, didn't realise it was such a short trip away from our villa, there in 5mins, should have gone there instead of Bintang S/Market, stocked up on Oil of Ulay total effects ($7) and Martha Tillar Night cream, lots of snacks etc. Had lunch downstairs at KFC sadly, but wow you get china plates and staff could not have been friendlier (don't get that at our local KFC LOL).
Now I had grand plans of going to Mozarella by the Sea for dinner, got into 2 taxis, myself and 4 of the kids in one and hubbie and the rest in the other, tried to explain to him where it was (we stayed at Melasti Beach Resort 2 yrs ago) but he has NO sense of direction. Our taxi driver took us straight there in no time, we waited and waited out front, lady kept asking if we wanted table, for 9 I kept saying, just waiting for friends! In the end we had to sit down at table or lose it. We ordered drinks with 4 whingeing kids complaining they couldn't log into the wifi and it was dark and they can't see and why are we staying here anyway! After an hour I thought best pay and leave cos no idea where they others were, none of us had mobile phones. We walk out and there they are walking towards us! Turns out taxi driver didn't know where it was so my bright spark husband said oh take us to Melasti Resort then, so he did - to the Kuta one! Fair dinkum he should have figured out pretty quickly going in wrong direction, all very tense and everyone cranky with each other then, we wandered up and ended up having great dinner at Seaside.
Day 4 - DOLPHINS!
We organised our own breakfast, just cooked up some toast as we were getting picked up 8.30am. All very much looking forward to the dolphins and were not disappointed, it was highlight of our trip. Quickly got there, not Sanur like I thought. Welcome drink then life jackets and onto boats out to pontoons. Our Trainer was Edu, he was awesome, very funny and kids loved him. As we were a group of 9 (only 6 swimming/3 watching) we got one dolphin to ourselves, I was taking photos, Hubbie and other Mum videoing, I can't go on enough how good it was, would pay triple that at Seaworld for much less. We were back in Legian by 11.30am so it doesn't take your whole day either. Pretty sure rest of day involved more shopping LOL....then 2 husbands go looking for somewhere to watch footy, give us vague directions of where they might go (in the hope we can't find them I am sure). Family number 3 arrived for one night in villa about 7pm, we had 6th bedroom opened up and had requested a fold up bed but that didn't happen & once again no-one to be found to ask where it was and what did we want for breakie on last day. We found men in some sports bar (eventually) having their 100th bintang, no room to move in this place so some of us went across road to a terrible place on JL Legian for dinner, cheap and nasty! Men were annoying us so wives and some kids all walked home and left them to it, they eventually made it home after watching some tennis too.
To come, moving to Seminyak & other 2 families arriving too!