Day 5
Today we transferred from Sanur to Ubud, approx 45 min trip. We checked in to Hotel Tjampuhan, WOW... this place is fantastic!!! We stayed in Tukad 3, very nice and private, very big room with a king size bed and a single bed. Our room was located right down the bottom which meant lots of stairs, luckily I was pre-warned!!! I never once made it up the top without stopping but it was a great workout... I had sore calf muscles for days!!! The hotel was quiet and peaceful and the only negative thing I can think of was that the staff in the restaurant weren't very friendly. This was definitely the highlight of our trip 10/10!
The spa looked absolutely gorgeous, ran out of time this visit but will definitely indulge next time :)
Day 6
Booked a driver through the hotel to go to the Bali Bird Park and Bali Reptile Park. These parks are next door to each other, a little more expensive by Bali standards but well worth a visit. The rainforest walk-in aviary at the Bird Park was fantastic!!
Bali Bird Park Rp91,500
Bali Reptile Park Rp71,000
Had dinner at Café Lotus, great location and lovely food!
Tried to book a table at Ketut's Place for the Traditional Balinese Feast, they called back at 10.30pm (we were all fast asleep!!) to confirm a booking the following evening.
Day 7
Took the free shuttle to Monkey Forest, a 'must do' in Ubud... just don't buy food for the monkeys (or carry food in your bag)!!! They left us well alone but a monkey pinched a water bottle from a lady standing next to us. It was interesting to note that there were approx 200 macaques residing in the forest, 23 adult males, 79 adult females and 98 young... why so few males??? Are they removed or culled??? Nobody seemed to want to answer that question...
Went shopping in Ubud, much more pleasant than Sanur, nowhere near as much hassling!?
Had a Traditional Balinese Feast at Ketut's Place - 15 traditional dishes... this was definitely a hightlight! We were a small group of people from all over the world sitting at one table and enjoying the feast. Ketut was a delight, explaining about Balinese culture, the family unit and how they live... very interesting. Ketut's Place is a Bed and Breakfast and we will definitely stay there for a few days next time.
Last few days in Legian
We bought some beautiful paintings in Ubud before heading to Legian.
Checked in to Melasti Beach Resort, nice central location and the rooms very nice and large... but far TOO NOISY after our stay in Sanur and Ubud! We stayed in Room 265, which I guess is in the old wing... would DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND... Noisy kids (and drunken adults) running up and down the corridors, day and night, and we could hear the phone ringing in the lobby!!! I didn't sleep for 3 nights so I was pretty tired the last few days which put a bit of a damper on our holiday :(
My travel agent couldn't understand why it was so noisy until he worked out where we were staying... apparently we should have been staying in a suite!?
Had dinner at Poco Loco Mexican Restaurant, just a short walk from MBR, nice food & great atmosphere, the bar staff were very entertaining!
Bought a simPATI sim card for my mobile (Nokia 3315) outside Matahari department store Rp60,000. They put it in for me... soooo easy!
I had a suit made at Brisbane International Tailoring, also a short walk from MBR. This was an interesting experience... you choose your fabric from samples and then they head in to buy it from the markets in Denpasar. For less than A$200 I got a fully lined jacket, 2 x skirts, pants and 2 x shirts, all very well made, nice finish. Once again, I could probably have bargained more, but the jacket alone would have cost me $200 at home...
We had a bit of a look around Kuta & Legian, bought some nic nacs from Geneva and visited the Bali Bombing Memorial site (a bit emotional). By this stage my daughter was sick with a vomiting bug, I had picked up a nasty cold (lack of sleep probably didn't help) so we didn't feel up to doing the few things we had left for the last few days eg. a visit to the Waterbom park and some serious shopping... we all came home with money!? Oh well... there is always next time (...)