Firstly I would like to thank all members for their invaluable info. It made our first time trip to Bali all the more enjoyable. We were on the Brisbane flight that was delayed by 17 hours, so arrived in Bali tired but very eager. Flew AP, no complaints about the service and landed at 7am. Had to wait 1 hour for VOA to open, not happy Jan! Finally it opened and we paid in USD and out and through customs very quickly. Being first timers our ride to the Dynasty was an eye opener, we were just awestruck, but it certainly didn't take us long to get into Bali mode.
Arrived at the Dynasty and checked in to our room. We had booked a superior family room and knew from comments on the forum that we would probably upgrade. Had a look at the room and were not impressed, very dark and dingy and smelt of smoke. Upgraded to a family garden view room for an extra $9 USD a night. We were very happy with this room, bright, clean and a great position. I must say the staff at the Dynasty bent over backwards for us, showing us other rooms and then having to move our luggage twice. Settled into the room and headed to the pool bar, whilst daughter had her hair braided at the resort for 50,000 RP. Headed out to poppies lane after lunch, we walked along the beach as we were a bit wary of the traffic and footpaths. Just looked and got a feel for the place and headed back to the Dynasty for dinner at Gracie Kellys and then met up with Helgi who delivered our DVD's.
Day 2 we met our driver Dewa and headed out for the day. Went to watch a Barong dance, the costumes were beautiful. Dewa then took us to a traditional Balinese home. Seeing how the villagers live made us appreciate what we have here in Australia. Next we were off to see some wood carvings and silver making, some of the carvings were a bit risqué lol. Off then to Kintamani to see the volcano and have lunch. The hawkers here were overwhelming, but we knew to expect that. Headed back to Tuban via Ubud, very picturesque drive. Didn't get time to fit in Monkey Forest....next time! Quick bite to eat and off to bed, we were all exhausted.
Day 3 was spent exploring the streets and getting our first taste of real bargaining. Thanks to DonRon's trusty price guide we knew what to pay. Bought lots of trucker hats for 10,000, sunnies for 20,000, shirts for 25,000, singlets for 15,000, boardies for 30,000. My 16 year old thought he was in heaven and bought lots of ripcurl, billabong, volcum and the quality is pretty good too. Hubby and son went to the tailor to get measured for suits. We used Mr Forrest at sajojo's in an alley between the Dynasty and Bali Hai. Suits cost 500,000 each and we were impressed with the quality and workmanship. Back for a swim at the Dynasty and to freshen up before dinner.
More to come...don't want to bore you all too much!