Ok some more tit bits on Sanur.... Sanur is spread out with shops, restaurants and accommodation running along a main road, so it is worth considering which end of Sanur you would prefer to be when booking. I felt that Sanur much like Nusa Dua is a good option for those wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuta/Legian. I felt the beach at Sanur was much the same as Nusa Dua however I felt that Nusa Dua's beachfront was much nicer. Sanur has the advantage that it does offer markets, restaurants and more shopping locally whereas in Nusa Dua you need to walk into the village for this. More moderate and budget accommodation options in Sanur than Nusa Dua. My 14-year-old son preferred Nusa Dua to Sanur. We peeked into a few Villa's/Hotels whilst in Sanur with Tamukami topping the list. This place really is lovely with a nice pool and restaurant, it is not on the beach but on the main road in Sanur so close to restaurants and shopping and a short walk to the beach. Villa Shanti has access to the beach and would be considered budget accommodation (lower standard than Bumi Ayu), had a very small pool and old style musty smelling rooms. Griya Santrian was nice, superior rooms were the nicest that we saw although there are no tea or coffee making facilities. La Taverna, standard was below that of Villa Shanti and the pool was small. These hotels all access the beachfront as well as the main road. I would much prefer to stay at Bumi Ayu than any of the above considering the standard and price.
There are some interesting shops in Sanur offering a broad range of clothing, what I particularly liked was the range of clothes you could purchase for work wear and the price range.
Now for my adventure with the Visa Gold Card........
Having read so many times about being careful at ATM's and how it is wise to take more than 1 card overseas etc etc one would think I not only would have more than 1 card but that I would be incredibly vigilant in ATM's..... early onset dementia or just brain on holiday caused me to be distracted at the ATM in Sanur on my arrival in Bali. I had gone into the ATM with my sister and son and proceeded to withdraw funds from my account, I was distracted by my son and then popped the money into my purse and off I went. We then proceeded to Kuta where we were going to do some shopping and then check out the Keraton for my sisters wedding. Bought myself a jug (as there are no tea/coffee making facilities at Bumi Ayu) in Matahari and went to the counter to pay and noticed my credit card missing. I felt sick, I am not sure if any of you have experienced this feeling of absolute dread but it is horrid. I quickly jumped in a taxi and headed back to the ATM. I looked inside and asked some of the locals if they had heard of anyone finding a card as I realised that when I had been distracted I had not clicked no for another transaction but walked out so I was really panicking. Phoned a friend in Australia and asked them to contact ANZ and explain what had happened and to put a stop on my card. Friend called me back and gave me two numbers to call ANZ, one was a Melbourne number and the other was a toll free number. Both of which I was unable to reach via my phone. Called my friend back and explained this and so he called ANZ who advised him of another 2 numbers, one which needed to go through the operator and the other was a Melbourne number. I called the Melbourne number and got 'you have called ANZ, you have been placed in a que and your call will be answered by the first available operator', I am like 'what the ----- '... I waited then gave up and tried the operator-assisted number. The Indonesian operator said they could not make that call and I was to dial another operator. I called the number they gave me and it did not work so I called the first operator back and was told they could not help me (I did battle on with them but to no avail). Called my friend again who called ANZ and was then advised of another number.... This went on for approximately 4 hours and my phone bill was mounting as not only were my calls being charged but also people phoning me. I then asked my friend to tell ANZ that I urgently needed to speak to them and ask them to call me, as it would be at my cost. ANZ called and stated that I could go into any bank in Sanur and get a new card issued and confirmed that I could access my account online to transfer funds to my sisters account (she was flying home the following week and was going to leave her card with me). I breathed a sigh of relief and downed a few cocktails at the Keraton, Jimbaran. This was Friday night so I had to wait until Monday to go into a bank branch which I did early Monday morning and was told they could not assist me and that I needed to go to the bank in Denpasar, so off we went in a tax to Denpasar ..... Hmmm have you ever been into the banks in Denpasar, what an experience.. they have maybe 4 tellers and this huge waiting room (they do provide a TV to pass the time)... so it can take several hours to get through. By this stage I am really stressed, I feel like a cigarette and I don ‘t smoke .. 'where is my knight in shining armour?'.... eventually I see someone who speaks limited English and I am informed that they also cannot assist me with a card and that I need to phone Visa International but they do offer me my old card back. I had some US currency that I had purchased from ANZ (and had informed them that I was travelling to Indonesia), once again the dementia must have kicked in as I knew about the problems one can have with US notes and had previously ordered new notes but as this trip was planned at the last minute I didn't give it a thought and so when we tried to cash them at the bank we were informed that they would not accept some of the notes due to their condition.
To cut a long story short, I eventually get onto Visa International that afternoon (another day wasted). Visa informed me that they could not unblock my old card (which would have been the best thing) and that they will send me another card by Friday. They inform me the emergency card can only be used overseas and that it cannot access my funds but is a credit card only. The next day my sister departs for Perth and gives me her card.
I eventually receive the credit card and decide to go and transfer some funds to my sisters' account.... Cannot access my account !!!! once again, I call my friend who calls ANZ and after half a day of calls to and from Australia I am eventually informed of a new access number and code and set on my merry way (or so I thought). Off I go to the internet café and yay I can access my account but I cannot transfer funds and I also notice that all my bill payments that are set up in advance have been cancelled. More calls and I am eventually advised that when I reported my card missing that my account access was stopped (internet) all direct payments set to occur were cancelled and my ability to transfer funds was cancelled. I was furious to say the least..... a few drinks later and I decide to battle ANZ on my return and close my accounts.
So... lesson is, please be careful what notes you take to Bali, please take more than one card overseas to access funds and don't be distracted. We get into a routine with the ATM's here and well if your over 45 like me it seems that being distracted and not being use to the card not automatically popping out as it does here ,,,, well I just forgot about it.
More to follow