Here is Part 2 of my JBR...this part is most likely for all the ladies who love to shop!!
SHOPPING
Well, with 3 girls, of course we shopped until we practically dropped! Our normal routine was to shop in the morning, have lunch somewhere while we were out, & then spend a lazy afternoon by the pool. Total bliss!
This trip we had a lot of things made, such as leather jackets & boots, suits for work, & quilt covers. Anyway, here is a quick rundown of things we got made, where we bought them from, & approx how much.
* Leather Goods - we all had leather jackets & boots made at French's Leather in Garlic Lane (or Jl Sahadewa). Jackets were $100 each & boots were $65 for knee high boots & about $45 for ankle boots. Leather jackets were not a problem and fitted first go. Would definitely recommend them for getting leather jackets made.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the boots. I ordered knee length boots, which came back way too small to get my foot into. 'No problems, we can stretch them to fit' I was told. Went back a couple of days and they still didn't fit! I was then told that they had to make a whole new pair of boots, & come back tomorrow night. Went in the next night & they weren't there! Not happy Jan!!! Went in the next morning & they were there, but this time too big! I just couldn't win! To cut a long story short, they adjusted them a couple of more times before I was ok with them, but I still think I will have to take them to a boot maker here to get them fitted how I want them. But I suppose I can't really complain for the price I did pay for them!! Oh well....as I was told numerous times 'don't worry, be happy' :)
* Suits - got 2 three piece suits (ie jacket, skirt & pants) made at Merry's Collection. I had dramas here as well (ie pants way too short, skirt too tight, etc) and they had to get both of the skirts & pants made again. I was pretty disappointed, as I know a lot of forumites raved about this tailor. However, that being said, my sister ordered a suit as well & hers fit perfectly first go & she was very pleased! Maybe it was my turn to be the dud one on this trip!! We paid 700,000RP for each suit.
* Quilt Covers - we went in search of Betty Bu's on Double 6 up in Seminyak, but couldn't find the shop. However, as we were walking along the Kuta Beach Road from Jl Legian towards Kuta Square, we stumbled across it. It did have beautiful fabrics, but unfortunately, I couldn't explain what I wanted to the sales assistance & she couldn't answer the questions I had, or provide examples of what the quilt would look like. So we left because I didn't want to get something that looked great on a cushion, but looked totally wrong as a quilt cover.
We ended up ordering a quilt from the shop next door to Merry's Collection (since we spent a lot of time there!!). I can't remember the shop's name, but the owner's name was Erik & he was a bit of a cheeky bugger, but very nice & helpful. I ended up getting a queen size quilt made, with 2 pillow cases & 3 matching cushion covers for 600,000RP. It was funny, as my sister & I look alike & we ordered our quilts by ourselves on different days, with me ordering first. When my sister went to order hers the next day, Erik thought it was me ordering another quilt!! He ended up giving us an extra cushion cover and both of our quilts are gorgeous. Would recommend him to others & can find out his contact details if anyone is interested.
* Prescription Sunglasses - we got these made at Optik Seis in Discovery Mall. They read the prescription of my reading glasses and also gave a bit of an eye test to ensure they are ok. Total cost was 1,880,000RP, but they were only that expensive because of the sunglasses I selected, which were Fendi. However, this is approx $250 aussie dollars, which I still think is pretty good, but I haven't priced the frames back home yet. Said that would be ready in a weeks time, but got a message from them saying they were ready within 5 days. Happy with the quality & would recommend them to anyone.
Other than the above, we bought a lot of the usual stuff at the usual stalls, especially around the Legian Art Markets on Jl Melasti. We went to Geneva on our second day, loved the place & couldn't believe the cheap prices! Bought a fair bit, but would have bought a lot more if we had more luggage allowance!
Bought some watches from Tom Cruise on the beach out the front of the LBH. I actually bought a waterproof Tag Heur watch from him last year, which was still going really well, except it was too big on my wrist as I have lost a bit of weight between now & then. Tom remembered us & took out a few links in the watch for free. So, of course we had to buy a couple more off him! Also bought a couple of watches from Beach Boy at S & S.
Jodie (my cousin) bought a lot of paintings at the shop next door to Sakura DVD in Tuban. I can't remember the prices she paid, but she did have a painting done of a frangipani in a different colour than what they had displayed in the shop. She also bought a lot of joggers for her family & herself at the Athletes Foot in Kuta Square and also found a place in Jl Legian that sold masseur sandals/thongs really cheaply (not sure on the exact price).
Oh, nearly forgot to mention Ketut's shop (how can I forget that??!!). Ketut is an absolute doll & she always gave us a bottle of cold water every time we visited her shop...which we did a lot!! She is a fixed price shop off a drive way from Garlic Lane. It's the first driveway/lane on the right if you are heading towards Jl Padma. She has everything & if she doesn't have your size or what you want, she will get it in for you. And she has larger sizes!!!!! She got some skirts made for me and all her prices are very cheap. On my last day there, I gave her a bit extra, seeing that she was really helpful & for all those waters we had!
Boy, I could go on all day, but there goes that lunch break! Will post eating & going out places when I next have a break. I do hope I am not boring you!
Cheers
Bec