Posted by Nessloch on Monday, 22. February 1999 at 10:00 Bali Time:
Firstly I would just like to thank everyone for all the great info I have gained from this forum throughout the past 6 months.
I travelled with two other girls from Adelaide, Australia on 10th Feb 1999. We we wondering what to expect being aged 20, and 22 travelling together OS for the first time but loved every minute of it.
The first day we awoke to blue skys and sunshine and it truely was a paradise. We stayed at the Bali Dynasty Resort in Tuban and I would just like to say we thought it was fantastic and the staff were all great. We especially liked the happy hour cocktails, a litre bucket for 39,600 rupiah or around $7 AUD.
Our favourite places we ate at:
Breakfasts - Amigos (part of the Surf All Star Cafe, Kuta Centre) for 9500 we had bacon, eggs and two pancakes, their OJ is pretty good too, so is the Monkey Forest Milkshake.
Lunch - Round Table Pizza (kuta square), the cafe's up near KFC eg L'arista Cafe, Rajas and the one next to Rajas.
Dinner - La Lucciola (seminyak) is a definate must but make sure you book and that you get there for sunset so book for around 6pm. Poppies down Poppies 2 lane off Jalan Legian, Poco Loco in Legian (great enchiladas) Hard Rock Cafe (a bit pricey compared to the rest)Ryoshi in Legian (Japanese) and L'arsita Cafe Kuta Square for nice cheap pizza.
We also went to Jimburan Bay for Seafood, I had 1kg prawns, 1 silver snapper and 1 squid, a large bintang with salads, rice and fresh fruit included for $29 AUD. I can't remember the name of the cafe but all the staff wore Football (soccor) shirts (purple and blue with Doc Martins across the front) I think the club is Westham United. They were great and even made up some fries for my friend who didn't eat fish. Don't worry about the rain either because across the road they have undercover eating areas.
Tours and Stuff:
We went through our Qantas rep in Bali and for under $200 AUD we went white water rafting with Sobek (very professional and great fun), Mountain Bike Riding through the villages which was breathtaking and included a snack, tour of traditional Balinese house, cooking lesson and lunch with a nice touch of a weaved duck and flower arrangement and a silver bike brooch. We also did the Bali Hai Sand Trip, whick included banana boat rides, snorkling, lazing by the pool, BBQ lunch, village tour etc. Very well organised as well. I was amazed at the number of languages the guides could speak. We also ventured to the Waterbom park on our last day which was relaxing and fantastic. The water slides were fun even if a wedgey was administered at the bottom of some of the slide.
Shopping: We did some shopping at the Department stores eg Mataharis in Kuta and Legian, Ramanya in Denpasar etc. Otherwise most shopping was in Legian in a shop diagionally across from Ryoshi on Jalan Melasti, I think its shop nine and you may notice the quite pregnant owner called Mardi and her younger assistant which I can't remember her name. Great quality, great prices and a very cheerful and nice lady.
Hair and Nails: We firstly had our hair braided and nails down on the beach just up from Hard Rock Cafe on Kuta Beach. We had the most bodgey of jobs done on our hair not to mention being bombbarded by the ladys trying to sell stuff and because your'e sat down you can't escape. Our nails didn't last long either. The second time we had it done after consulting many girls in the street we had it done at our hotel (Bali Dynasty Resort) for 40,000, manicure 20,000 and pedicure 30,000. We also heard the lady at the Bali Rani was good as well. You had no hassles and the ladys were all very nice.
Transport: light blue taxi's are the best way to travel, just ensure the meter is on. Avoid the green taxis, we had a few bad experiences with them in regards to not shutting off the meter when we stopped, not being able to change any amount of money and getting quite irrate. We also hired a driver, we found him in the car park of the Sol Elite Paradiso, you'll notice the car its a red corona with skirts, tinted windows and nodding dogs on the dash. The drivers name is Mardi and he was great.
Nightclubs: We went to the Bounty, Sari Club and Paddies we all enjoyed them especially the cheap drinks, eg illusions for 20,000 rupiah at The Bounty.
Well if anyone has any questions please let me know.
Ness.