Posted by Paul on Wednesday, 21. October 1998 at 17:15 Bali Time:
In Reply to: Staying at Bintang in December posted by Lynny on Tuesday, 20. October 1998 at 17:50 Bali Time:
Just got back from there. Average rooms (not too bad, not 5 star). Take your own coffee & tea for make-in-your-room beverages as what they provide is charged at mini bar prices. Ask for a room with a double bed when checking in & if they can't provide one keep at it, one will pop up eventually. For some reason they have plenty of two x single bed rooms & the double bed scenario is a bit of a problem. Place the wash cloths in strategic places on the rim of the bath to stop the bathroom floor fom flooding when taking a shower, & watch the water temps, they fluctuate radically. Get to the safety deposit box room early (before 8:00) or the night before. During peak times the wait can be very long, good for meeting new people & swapping tips, bad if you want to get going.
The gardens & pools are just sensational, the best in the Tuban strip. Check out the hot & cold pools (give the cold pool some time, when you get used to the temperature it is VERY refreshing & actualy bearable).....as you'll spend more time by the pool than in your room this isn't a bad compromise. Forget the beach, nice to look at, average for swimming, walk 10-15 mins to Kuta for a much better beach.
Go next door (down to the beach & left) to the first open air restaurant (there are two) for a good breakfast, watch the surf come in and plan your day, dinner's not too bad there either(if the Bali coffee is a bit too serious for you ask for Nescafe). A Thai restarant on the other side of the road on the way to Kuta is great, but it seems to be difficult to get a bad feed anywhere in Bali anyway (except in the hotel itself, a bit dissapointing). Did Jimbaran Bay, A MUST! La Lucciola is great also, book 4-5 days in advance, a bit more expensive in Bali terms, comparable to what you're used to at home.