My second last day (8th February) - who can believe time can pass so quickly when you are doing so little. Up at 7.30am and after a bit of tidying up I head off to Grocer n Grind for breakfast. I ate here on my last visit and really enjoyed the food so my expectations were high. I ordered a mug of coffee, one slice of toast topped with avocado & a poached egg and another slice of toast with fresh tomato, basil and sprinkled with feta. Very enjoyably and not likely to be needing lunch. The atmosphere is good, the cafe is spotless, great service, good coffee and really nothing to complain about. I would rate the meal at Grocer n Grind a 7/10.
Back to the villa for a swim to cool off before jumping in a cab & taking off to one of the beauty places in Petitenget for another oxygen facial.
This facial was very different to the one I had earlier in the week. It was a one hour treatment with a lot of cleansing, exfoliating & extracting before going over your skin with a wand like instrument that gently blasts pure oxygen onto your skin. My skin felt amazing after the treatment & I felt like I looked years younger. Not likely but hell I felt good! The treatment cost $25 for an hour compared to >$135 for 45 minutes back in Melbourne.
I wandered down the road to AMO Spa where I had booked myself in for a one hour Shellac manicure & a 45 minute pedicure. This was so much fun as I never get my nails done at home so I felt quite glamorous when I left with my red toenails and French fingers. This is a very busy spa and a well run operation. Definitely best to book as every seat was taken both times I visited.
I jumped in another taxi and took off to Dolphin Leather in Garlic Lane to collect my handbags. Overall, I am very happy with them. A few minor details were lost in translation but that is to be expected and they copied my old handbag precisely. It is only the handles that look a little odd but once you have the bag over your shoulder, you won't even see them. I found a little jewellery store called Filthy Gorgeous that had some lovely silver pieces and I bought myself a lovely red and white shell pendant.
Although it was mid afternoon and I had a large breakfast, I was a little peckish so stopped off in Posers bar for a Bintang and a spring roll to tide me over until later tonight. I then wandered along Jl. Legian for 30 minutes or so looking into some of the shops before hailing a taxi to take me back to the villa for a few more hours of swimming & reading.
Later in the evening I strolled down to Trattoria which was busy with big groups of Asian tourists and a large table of people speaking French (who I presume were French). I ordered the fettuccine with porcini mushrooms. It was bland, had too much liquid & the pasta was overcooked. Ok but far from flash and therefore a pretty average rating of 6/10 for Trattoria. I probably would not eat here again. Back to the villa for my final night of watching DVD's.
My final day, 9th February, started with a celebrity sighting. Michael Klim and his wife sailing by on a very expensive looking motor bike. He is still in good shape and cuts a fine figure on a bike.....I digress, sorry.
Breakfast this morning was at Cafe Bali merely for the fact that I like it & I couldn't be bothered with my first choice of La Lucciola as it was too hot to walk & this is the second best breakfast I have had. I ordered a watermelon juice, a flat white and the muesli with yoghurt & strawberries. Really nice meal and great atmosphere. I visited the toilets here for the first time & wow, what fabulous decorating. They give the loos at Bistrot a definite run for their money. If anyone enjoys checking out toilets like I do (my Dad was a plumber so it is ingrained in me) you should definitely visit Bistrot & Cafe Bali.
I headed back to the villa and met Yanti who was finishing up the cleaning and she then gave me my final massage in Bali. It was excellent and a very relaxing way to finish my holiday. A few more hours were spent by the pool reading before I took a taxi to Warung Eny on Jl. Petitenget. I had read about this warung on a forum as been a good spot for some authentic Balinese cooking so I was keen to check it out. It is a small open place set around a lush garden that I imagine would look very nice at night. The staff hardly paid me any attention and I say this as positive. It was a pleasure to enjoy my meal without anyone hovering over me ready to swoop on an empty plate or glass. I ordered the Kari Shrimp & Tofu which was a cury like dish with the most amazing flavours that I have tasted on my stay this far. I would highly recommend a meal here and would rate Warung Eny a 9/10.
I returned to the villa for a couple more hours of relaxing before starting the monumental task of packing everything I have bought & fitting in my bags. I did have to buy an extra bag to take as hand luggage to carry all the ceramics. The biggest challenge is going to be making it look like it is light when it actually weights around 10kg.
The villa's driver arrived at 6.30pm and we made our way to the airport through some reasonable traffic to get there in about 35 minutes. Much better than my arrival. I passed through customs quickly and dropped off my bag before heading to the Premier Lounge. I spend the next three hours enjoying complimentary drinks and bland canapes in air conditioned coolness. I played games with myself trying to guess where other travellers were from or where they were going to. I was pretty confident of where one particular group of Bintang clad bogans, all with freshly inked tattoos would be going but I was way off. They were on my flight. Just goes to show you!
The flight home left on time and was almost empty and afforded me the opportunity to spread out in the centre row and sleep all the way. I was woken an hour before arrival for breakfast which was a vegetarian curry. Nothing like a curry at 6am to get you firing for the day ahead. Arrived into Melbourne about 7.30am and was in my friends car on my way home by 8.10am.
In summary, I had an amazing time. It is the first time that I have actually had a holiday where I have not done the touristy thing and I really enjoyed it. Being on my own was not an issue and it allowed me the time to read and watch movies which is something I never get the chance to do back home.
Would I go again? I am already looking out for cheap flights! I can now see why so many people are addicted to Bali. It is a beautiful island with beautiful people and an intriguing culture. Next trip will be to get out of the tourist areas & off the beaten track.
Thank you for reading my reports & thanks to all that have left kind words, it is really appreciated. I hope that someone has found something useful in my report.
Until next time
Katt