Posted by Jennie on Thursday, 25. February 1999 at 00:39 Bali Time:
Just wanted to let people know some aspects of our Bali trip (early February)that my husband and I had taken that may be useful for other travelers:
Getting there: Flew on Singapore Airlines from JFK(NYC)via Frankfurt and Singapore to Denpasar. Personal video screen with movies, music, and Nintendo to keep you busy all those hours. Food was pretty decent. We went on a package special with 5 nights at Le Meridien.
Le Meridien: Very nice rooms, facilities, 4 swimming pools with waterslide. My husband learned how to play squash by hiring a partner who happened to be the 1995 Indonesian squash champion.
The sunset from the hotel grounds was gorgeous overlooking the ocean and the Tanah Lot temple in the distance. We didn't think there would be one, but at the last moment, a beautiful sunset appeared (which seemed to happen often).
Le Meridien is isolated but has shuttle service to Kuta 4-5 times a day starting at 9 am and the last shuttle returning from Kuta at 9 pm. The ride is about 50 minutes and drops you off on Jalan Legian near Jalan Melasti which is located between/near Kuta and Legian. We ate at La Porschetta the first night, an italian restaurant, but ordered Thai soups and dishes which were very good (~120,000 rupiah for two) More expensive than other restaurants, but the flavors were much better so we went back there on our last day.
Our first full day, we went on an organized tour (part of the poackage) to Batubulan (Barong dance),Celuk(silver), Mas (woodcarvings), and Mt. Batur (Actually, Kintamani, where we had a buffet lunch and looked at Mt. Batur) They take you to certain stores, I don't know if they get commisions or not, but we did not buy anything our first day. We hired the same driver and guide the next day with the other couple on our first tour to see Lake Bratan and the temple there, monkey forest, fruit markets(in the mountains) and rice terraces. We bargained them down to $60 for an AC-van, but no lunch. This is probably more expensive than usual as it was through a company.
Tanah Lot temple: we weren't allowed into the temple and there were a lot of hawkers around. In think the view from Le Meridien was nicer and more relaxed to view the temple and sunset.
We hired another driver through Blue taxi (35.000 rupiah/hr or 315,000 per 12 hours) to go to Besakih (Mother temple) and Ubud. The temple was much larger than the others we had seen and more ornate. Even with the long drive, we were glad we had made it out east, even in the rain, to see a ceremony at Besakih. We ate at Cafe Luna in Ubud just west of the Palace which was okay.
Le Meridien: There was some ruckus one day where some local , young Balinese came on motorbikes and started disrupting the lobby area, and breaking things. Security came, and things settled down, however. Otherwise, our stay was very pleasant. My husband and I ate huge breakfasts which tided us over until dinner with a light lunch.
We went to the Oberoi Hotel in Seminyak one night to see the Legong dance. Very interesting and colorful. The dancers were very good!
After our 5 days, we stayed in Kuta the first night because we didn't know better. We stayed at Rempen Losmen for 40,000 rupiah near Poppies Gang II. It was relatively clean, but bare. The sheets were suspect so we slept on the sarongs we bought to wear to temples. We then took a taxi to Denpasar/Ubung terminal where we got on a large public bemo to Lovina (5,000 rupiahs each). It took 2 hours and 45 minutes. We got to see the countryside and a glimpse of the National Forest to the west. Perama tours and others offer shuutle service from Kuta for 20,000 rupiah per person.
Lovina: Black sand beaches, few tourists. Stayed at Manggala homestay (25,000 rupiah including a breakfast) Ate three meals there usually 20,000 rupiah/meal for two. Got up at sunrise to go dolphin sighting (20,000 pp) A lot of fun! At a another restaurant called Bukit ---, forget the second part of the name, but just down the street going east to Singaraja. More expensive, but pretty decent food. After 1 night, traveled by shuttle back to Ubud (20,000 pp). Took about the same amount of time. Satyed at Bunga Permai hotel just north of Kupa Kupa Barong in Bununtan. A 5-10 minute drive from the market in Ubud. They raised the price to $40 per night with breakfast, but the rooms are new, and nice. Remote location. You can walk about 1/4 mile to the main road and catch a bemo to Ubud for 1000 rupiah. It's harder getting back at night when there are no bemos but we chartered one with much bargaining to 5000 rupiahs.
Ubud: saw the Kecak dance (15,000 rupiah) in Peliatan (they provide transportation from the tourist info office to Peliatan and back). Recommend seeing it.
After 1 night, went to Denpasar's main markets (Badung and Kumbasari). Then proceeded to Sanur and stayed at Hotel Wirisana (90,000 rupiah/night) Beach is nicer, there's a "boardwalk", but
higher prices. More Europeans, older crowd. Took a Bemo back to Kuta via Tegal station and left for the USA later that day.
Getting around in public bemos was fun since we only had backpacks, but you need to know the fares-- ask locals before getting on. So many drivers tried to get us to charter bemos at outrageous prices--you need to bargain, i.e. 30,000 rupiah when by bemo is 1000 rupiah per person. Chartering is more comfortable, but then you don't get to meet any other Balinese. We did a little of both depending on how hot, tired, and poor we were.
Overall, we had a great time experiencing losmens to 5 star hotels,
airconditioned vans to overcrowded public bemos. We bought painted wooden flowers (a great present) somewhere north of Ubud, rattan placemats, and a nice leather luggage bag. We look back on our trip and besides a vacation, had a wonderful experience. The people were very friendly. The only thing is because we were tourists, we were quoted outrageous prices for a lot of things. It may not be much in US money but it does add up. So know how much things are before you agree to anything, and count your money, not just in each pile, but the total amount, as our first moneychanger in Kuta tried to leave us 200,000 rupiah's short! (US $100 bills are better than smaller bills, and travelers' checks) Ubud's rates were better than in Kuta, and in Lovina, they were the lowest. I know this was long, but I hope this helps someone out there.