In Reply to: Any Suggestions posted by PCL on Saturday, 17. December 2005 at 07:45 Bali Time:
1. There are heaps of recommended drivers on the forum. If you are able to plan your day ahead then you can book with one of them. Alternatively for a spare of the moment trip I would use the drivers that are located just inside the main gate at the Dynasty. They all take it in turns so you can't select a certain driver but all the cars are in good condition and have a/c. You still need to negotiate a rate but if you look at what other rec. drivers on the forum are charging then you will be able to get them down to the same price.
2. I agree with "girds" MC Shop is the best place for games. You can pre-order with this person and he will deliver to your hotel or you can pick them up. He will let you know the quality of each disk to the best of his knowledge and will happily exchange any that are faulty you can have a look at his web site www.geocities . com / mcshop_bali / dvd (close the spaces) We have used him for both games and dvd's and never had any problems.
3. If you walk out of the Dynasty and turn right back towards the airport a little way down there is a little restaurant called C-Line Art Gallery & Cafe. Food is really really good and the staff are lovely. All the food is cooked fresh and we have never had a bad meal there (breakfast, lunch and dinner). There is also Febris across the road which we really loved. If you head out the back gate of the Dynasty to the beach and turn left back towards the airport there are some really nice restaurants along the beach. My favourite is Ma Jollys - a bit pricy but the food is amazing and still cheaper than a restaurant in Australia. For a really good idea of restaurants in the area and a small review on some of them have a look at www . balieats .com (close the spaces).
4. The ladies out the back entrance to the Dynasty on the beach all do wonderful massages. The good thing about this area is they will not usually hassle you to buy other things while you are having your massage. We wonder out there every day for a massage and to buy fruit from the ladies. By the way there is also a guy out the back there called Ali Baba or Russel Crowe (depending on how he feels on the day). He also sells DVD's and games and will tell you honestly the quality. We always buy a few from him and have not had a bad one yet.
5. As everyone said the last time that we took clothes etc to Bali for orphanages they were stacked to the roof with existing donations. Now we take them out the back of the Dynasty and offer them to all the ladies running the stalls there. (Except for the 1st stall who is Annie. She is not very nice to deal with and we caught her trying to sell the clothes to some european tourists) The lady in the second stall is Rita and she has a grandson about the age of 2 or 3. There is also another lady (sorry I can't remember her name at the moment) If you walk past the 1st line of stalls then turn left she is the other side of the walkway on the corner) she has a little girl about 5 and a little boy about 2. All the ladies out the back of the Dynasty are lovely and really appreciate these donations. Unlike the art markets they only really see tourists from the Dynasty and Santika as this little market is not visited by other people due to the location. Or I speak to Wasi on reception at the Dynasty and she will help to distribute them to the staff at the hotel that need them.
Sorry to ramble but I hope that helps a bit. I am jealous - I have to wait until March. Have a great time.