Greetings to you all. This is my first JBR (my 3rd trip to Bali/Lombok), and I just want to thank all of you who helped make our trip very enjoyable. Exchange rate was 9100 to 9250 per US$ for our 3 weeks.
First off I must say that our family travels on a VERY tight budget. The Green Garden in Tuban was the most expensive place we stayed at (US$20 = US$24.20 after taxes etc.) We all thought it was great. My two girls (2 and 5) loved it for the cartoon channels and swimming pool. They were much cheaper when paying in US dollars as they used a poor exchange rate to determine the price in Rps.
One of the best things we did was use their sister hotel for a day's worth of swimming and massages. They provide free transport between the two. The 3 hour massages there were recommended by some, but the ladies I met in the process said they'd had about enough after two hours. I think it is a great pampering, but only about one hour is actually a massage, so think about how much you want to pay for soaking in their jacuzzi or sweating in their sauna( it's free if you stay in the hotel).
Kori's Restaurant was nice and their shakes were the best of our whole trip.
Another great thing that we did in the south was go to Uluwatu for sunset and the Kechak dance. The monkeys were a bit scary for my kids, but if you take off your jewelry and walk around with open hands, you're unlikely to have troubles. The monkey forest in Ubud is a better place to watch monkeys, and one of the caretakers said it was best NOT to carry a stick as monkeys might try to fight with you. Try to use fast (400ASA) film when you're photographing dances at night or if you're in the monkey forest as there is little available light.
In Ubud we stayed on Monkey Forest road at Ubud Terrace for 150,000 Rps with swimming pool and a lovely garden. We later went back and couldn't get in as it was full. We ended up nearby at Jati 3 which was cheaper (100,000Rps), super clean and SUPER friendly but didn't have a swimming pool. They let us swim for 10,000 back at Ubud Terrace, so we were happy.
Ubud is great for dances at the Palace at 50,000 a pop. The Legong and Barong are must sees. Exchange rates were about the same as in Kuta with the best rates on Monkey Forest Road across from the Dolce and Gabanna.
One place we checked out that was lovely, but inappropriate for young kids, was The Hibiscus off the west side of Jalan Bisma (150,000 Rp) they have two-floor rooms with spectacular views of rice terraces.
Wayan, a driver for Ubud Terraces, was great. He charged 200,000 for a full-day tour and we tipped him a bit, which he seemed very happy with. We usually looked at organized tours and eliminated the least interesting temple from the tour. This made it easier on our kids and the driver.
WE went to the Bird Park and enjoyed it. There was a large group of people who were at the entrance when we arrived who decided against entering because of the high price. It's about 100,000 for an adult to enter as they charge tax etc., but if you are interested in birds, like photography, and/or have kids, it's probably worth it.
We loved the old Dirty Duck Restaurant on Hanuman Street in Ubud. It's great to go and get a Bale in the back overlooking the rice fields. Arrive around dusk and enjoy the changing atmosphere as the lights come on. There is a place called Niriani's just two-minutes to the south which has cheaper food with very good rice-field views. Ubud also has The Lotus (great atmosphere, but pricey); The Indus, (fantastic views, and great food, but my wife is still talking about paying 12,000 Rps for a Sprite; and what the heck's the name of the place with the cooking classes across the street from Cafe Lotus? . . . Oh yes, Casa Luna MAN they can COOK! They have great desserts and pastas and it's worth checking out all 3 floors for the décor. They were a favorite of ours on our honeymoon, but they weren't showing movies any more. Café Wayan on Monkey Forest Road has nice Apple turnovers and tasty mango pie.
There is a place on Monkey Forest Road called Spa Sara. It has good massages for 30,000 for an hour and 20,000 for a half hour. My better half and I would take turns entertaining the kids while the other got a little massage. I must say Ketut (male) was the best I had there for the 'special head massage' which includes you back, neck, shoulders and head.. He's got a bit of an overbite. I am not really into foot massages/reflexology, but from the butt up I like everything they do.
The 3 art museums in Ubud are all worth visiting if you like art. They all cost 20,000, but at the Arma Museum, they throw in a free (great) coffee with a cinnamon stick for stirring as you relax in a bale overlooking a rice field. Neka Museum also has great views beside it. Buy yourself an ice cream or a drink and soak up the view. Puri Lukosan has the nicest gardens but is 3rd best of the museums.
If you love shopping as much as my wife, (I DOUBT THIS) you've got to go to Sukawati (half way between Denpassar and Ubud). Things are 10 to 70% cheaper than at Geneva Handicrafts, and don't forget to walk up the street to get a good overall view of all that's available. I met a few Western people who were buying 100s of this and 100s of that to stock their stores back home. I was told that the natural scented soaps are especially good. The oils (both for massage and aromatherapy) vary in quality. I met the woman who said she ran a factory for soaps and oils. She pointed out some of the poor quality oils (many of which were colored). She said that they use food coloring and add ethanol and methanol to cheapen them.
The best temples / sights we went to were Kintamani, Mengwi, Lake Bratan, Gunung Kawi, Goa Lawah and the Elephant Cave. We chose not to go to Besakih because of the nasty 'guides' that still prowl the temple.
We stayed at the 'expensive' (two-pool) hotel in Padangbai and we like the town. For 200,000 it is nice. Sorry I can't recall names to all of these places, but if you really need to know, ask me and I can find the names.
The boat to Lombok had no air con, so we spent our time outside. We saw about a dozen dolphins 15 minutes east of Padangbai, and on the return trip, naked boys jump off the high deck into the sea.
We stayed at The Coconut Lodge on Gili Air (we paid 100,000). It's run by a friendly Scottish woman and has good food. Our kids liked the snorkeling trip/gflass bottom boat which goes to all 3 Gili Islands. We saw 3 turtles (Gili Meno), about 20 giant clams (Gili Air) and a blizzard of what I believe were baby mackerel that made me dizzy. Visability was OK, but there weren't many large fish. Don't be shy about telling the boat captain to back up etc so the non-swimmers can see the best sights (turtles and giant clams). The boat trip was 40,000 each.
Another great thing to do is take a horse cart around the island 20,000. There are no cars, and the beach is the road in some spots. The best snorkeling was in front of the Sunshine hotel (which is again good value for around 100,000). Don't bother using any internet connections in the Gilis. It is S L O W and the phone lines get interruptedall the time.
We bought about 100 DVDs and 97% of them seem fine. Most of them were 10,000 each with buy 10 get 3-6 free. We also checked out Sanur and Nusa Dua on day trips from Tuban/Kuta. The thing I bought the most was ice cream. I LOVE ICE CREAM. They have Wall's ice cream all over the place and for 5,500 or 6,500 Rp you can get the Magnum or Magnum with Almonds. These are dark chocolate surrounding good vanilla ice cream. The also have a swirly pop that is a refreshing sherbet at 2,000 RP. I suggest you treat yourselves to one of these every two hours.
OK I can't remember any more, but if you have specific questions, fire away.
Thanks again for all the great advice about exchanging money, bluebird taxis etc. They made our trip much better.
Yours, Buck