JBR Report 12-01-13 to 28-01-13- really long & a bit late!!
A group of 14 set out to Bali on 12th January for overall a 16 day stay with some of the participants dropping out early due to flight availability & possible work commitments.
I will not do a day by day report as my memory is not that good or my notes that detailed, I can however remember where we had a good feed or a bad one & where we had fun or didn't.
Accommodation
1st stop was Besakih Beach Resort in Sanur, this has been our previous stop for at least the 9 previous stays & I was a bit nervous as we have some Bali Virgins with us & some of the recent reports had not been favourable. I should not have worried as from check in to check out we got pretty good service from most of the staff with the hiccups experienced pretty minor & when you consider the price differential for other hotels on the same strip of beach I consider we came out very well. We have been visiting Sanur since 1985 & after staying at 8 different hotels we find this has the best balance for us as the location is quite central & the hotel although basic has good clean rooms with hot water & effective AC, included is a very good breakfast which certainly sets you up for the day ahead, at this time of years there are a No of Dutch there for their Winter break as well as the general mix of other Nationalities. No issues experienced during our time with lounge hogs or guests making nuisances of themselves around the hotel. I had emailed ahead & asked that all rooms be located close to each other & when we booked in this had been done. It is lovely to go back and see all the familiar staff and they seem genuinely happy to have us back.
In the middle of our stay we had booked a stay in Ubud, as our party booked separately we could not all get in together but managed to get into two of the Komeneka resorts in Monkey Forest Rd, let me say both resorts are outstanding with both the facilities & the staff being of the highest quality. I could have easily stayed longer here as being pampered to these levels was quite enjoyable & the breakfast alone worth the visit. First morning at breakfast 4 of the 6 of us at Rasa Sayang ordered pastries as part of the extensive breakfast- we did not know what to do when 20 croissants/pastries/donuts arrived. I might add that the 2 nights in Ubud cost more than the 1st 7 days in Sanur but general consensus from the group was that it was well worth it .As to which was the better of the 2 Hotels we will never resolve- 6 of us staying at Rasa Sayang thought it was fantastic and the other 8 staying at Monkey Forest were equally impressed!
Funnily enough, our 18yr old son decided to come to Bali pretty late and so did not stay with us at Rasa Sayang.- Komeneka thought he was on his honeymoon and so was booked into Monkey Forest in the most beautiful villa complete with its own plunge pool and views over rice padi's!
Pampering
Opposite the Besakih hotel on the road side is a great hairdresser and beautician- Chic 2- over the years there have been numerous haircuts and colours and each has been great. Ear candling was the thing to try this holiday and most of us gave it a go!
Massages
Whilst some in the party had the basic massage on the beach, most went to Teratai close to Besakih (next to Pickled Parrot Pub) for a 90 minute massage rp 110,000 this was very enjoyable except for (apparently) the snoring or some participants as they succumbed to the back work.
Shopping
We have found that the best way to gauge current prices is to head up to the some of fixed price shops in along the beach (generally Tootsies & Jenny's). I do believe in sharing my RP around & if the other stall holders will come to a sensible price I will buy from them as well. For an adventure Hardys is still worth a visit although the upstairs floors have been cleared & now do not have the range they had previously, we did go there very often to stock up on our drinks supply & mixers to add to our 'duty free' hour that we had most evenings at the hotel.
Copy handbags were also popular with the girls & we did get some copies of a Coach handbag made at Lilo in Sanur for $60 each and they were all great copies- so good that my wife ordered 2 then went back for a 3rd!
This time our daughter had brought along her boyfriend and he was celebrating his 21st birthday. Thanks to this forum we had pre-ordered a cake from Ixora cakes- we had a 'Mario Cake' made complete with 14 cupcakes with stars and mushrooms etc, etc- delivered directly to the Hotel - pity the birthday boy had a touch of Bali Belly and cut the cake at the Restaurant then had to leave!
Bars
Not much bar time this trip as the main objective was relaxing, Duck Nutz got a quick visit as did the Lazer sports Bar, Barbs as always was good for the sport & I can personally recommend the rissoles if you need some comfort food.We also went to Linga Longa but this was mainly for the Sunday Suckling Pig- just as good as we had remembered.
Activities
We hired bikes the day we arrived & each day in Sanur (bar 1 due to rain) we cycled up & down the length of Sanur, our favourite ride was up to the old Taman Festival Park in Northern Sanur (nicknamed Lara Croft by the touring party) as there was lots to see up & back & the ruins of the fun park were quite interesting. My personal favourite was the ride up to Segara Village & then all the way along the road past SBV along the beach path, our rides started at 6.30 each morning & generally we avoided most of the traffic, I am amazed at some of the inconsiderate riders & walkers that occupy the path during the day, if you are sensible there is plenty of path to share. One of our party rode down to Hardys on the road in the middle of the day & got cleaned up by a motor bike overtaking as he turned in, luckily only scrapes & bruises but in reinforced how dangerous it can be on the road. Cost of the bikes was 20,000 per day & that seemed to be the general cost, some of the bikes had seen better days & those of us of a larger size could feel the bikes protesting underneath us.
Despite swearing that we would not do it again as our fat & fifty bodies could not cope with the stairs at the end- 11 of the touring party went white water rafting.Alam Rafting promised way less stairs and a cheaper price and I have to say - we were not disappointed. My 20yr old daughter was in the back of the raft with me whilst her boyfriend was put in the front with a solo Chinese gentleman who our guide proceeded to call Jackie Chan. How many times Jackie Chan hit the boyfriend in the head with his paddle or nearly fell out the canoe -I lost count- but he had a great sense of humour , his English was 100% +++ better than my Chinese and he helped make the day really fabulous.
We did snorkelling off the beach in a glass bottom boat as well as sailing in the traditional Junking. We also went fishing with most of us catching numerous fish. As always our main contact was Yogi in boat 34, he not only is a skilful sailor but amazes me with his knowledge of what is happening along the Sanur beach.
Some of the tour group visited Bali Zoo. By all accounts the trip was well worthwhile and included an Elephant ride as well as getting to touch numerous animals including a Tiger cub.
Cooking school - for the 2nd year running we booked in with Irma & Dewi at Bamboo Shoots, great day starting at the Sanur markets & finishing with way too much food, as we were the only participants we got to choose the dishes to be made & it was enjoyed by all, would thoroughly recommend this.
Eating Out
Let me start this part of the JBR by saying that none of us had a bad meal, but here are our comments of the restaurants we visited:
Sanur
Sand -the Bonsai replacement - not a patch on its predecessor- food ok but service very slow. Out the back looks good with a nice lawned area but we preferred it when the Bonsai Nursery was still there....and yes you can still walk thru from the road.
Bennos - Never had a bad meal here & this trip was no different, great place to watch the world go by for lunch, my personal favourite was the 'beer buttered' fish & chips.
Anjani - on the beach, was even better than we remembered. The location is just beautiful with great views over the reef. The fact that they now have a covered area which could accommodate a party of 14 meant that we ate there on more than 1 occasion- plus the food is really quite good!
Mades Frangipani Warung - on the road to the right of Besakih- great variety and food is good and very inexpensive.
Rib Warung- another restaurant that warranted a multiple visit, worth a try is the Nasi Campur & the ribs!
Mona Lisa- Why we did not go to this restaurant till the end of our trip I do not know- food was so good-especially the desserts- we went 2 nights in a row!
Warung Pregina - sorry to say that again we got poor service, ordinary food, will not be visiting there again.
The Porch - great for coffee or a meal
Linga Longa - Well worth the visit if you enjoy suckling pig.
Ubud
Murnis Warung - An old favourite & did not disappoint, beautiful setting particularly for lunch.
Lotus Pond - Has been the lunch of choice in Ubud for years but may be time to move on, service was quite poor.
Restaraunt in Komenka Rasa Sayang - We had a beautiful evening here, service top class & food to match.
Casa Luna - An old favourite revisited & no disappointment.
Flights
All our party went with Garuda & although IMO they are the best of the carriers that go from Sydney, the flight back is far from pleasant, if you anything above a small adult prepare to get no sleep & arrive very tired. However, the flight staff are lovely, the entertainment is free and you get to bring home 30kg.
Happy to answer any questions but had to use my work email to register (buggered up our old account) so would rather do on the forum.