Forgot to mention about Sanur.. the fact that there are Bemo's everywhere, which is very handy considering Sanur, is so spread out. Also forgot to mention that if you reallllly hate cats then perhaps Bumi Ayu is not the place for you. They have resident kitty's who are very well taken care of (mostly by the guests I imagine), we adopted two whilst we were there and fed them daily.
Next stop Ubud where we decided to stay at Yulia as we were now a party of 3 (had a man fly in for a week) and so needed 2 rooms. I had made a day trip to Ubud some 10 days previously when my sister was over to check out her honeymoon night accommodation and we checked out other accommodation, which included:
Kumara Sakti Cottages - Banjar Sambahan - Ubud - 972685
http://www.kumarasakti.com
Really lovely place set on the side of a hill that runs down to the river, great views over the rice fields (much nicer views than from Tegal Sari but also more expensive and not so central). Nice quiet romantic place. Pool was undergoing renovations when we were there. There is a huge house (palace) at the entrance to this place with lots of expensive cars in the carport .... Which I just had to enquire about since I am always open to very very rich men who live in Bali ....(never met one yet). Anyway, apparently it is the palace (or one of them) that belongs to the Prince of Ubud. Rates at the time we were there were around USD60. There are 2 main buildings it seems house several cottages that have an indoor bedroom and bathroom and then an outdoor living area some with a nice day bale on the veranda. This place unfortunately is a fair way out of town, which can pose a problem.
Ubud Village Hotel - Jl Monkey Forest - Ubud - 974701
http://www.ubudvillagehotel.com
Very nice hotel with nice rooms that have a small courtyard leading into the rooms, so they're quite private. I thought the rooms were nice and the hotel is centrally located however, the price they wanted precluded us staying there (USD80).
Tegal Sari - Jl Hanoman - Tegal Ubud - 973318
http://www.tegalsari-ubud.com
Have stayed here previously and if thee had been a room available I would have stayed here this time. There are various types of rooms and varying rates with the average being around 400,00rp a night incl b/fast. The restaurant serves lovely meals at a very reasonable price and all who stay here highly recommend it. My favourite room is the wooden room. It is a short walk into town and there are restaurants nearby.
Saren Indah Hotel - Nyuh Kuning Village - Ubud - 971471
http://www.sarenhotel.com
Nice hotel but I felt it was a little far out of town and the view was somewhat baron (if that makes sense). Reasonable rate at around USD $40 we were quoted a night, friendly staff and a nice little pool.
Looked at another one about 2 doors down from Saren Indah but it was very old looking.
Anyway, after all this we decided to stay at
Yulia Village Inn - Monkey Forest Rd - Ubud - 973258
http://www.yuliaubud.com/
On first glance, it does look a lil old (I think it is those old bedspreads they use); we thought it was excellent value for money at 300,00rp per night per room including breakfast. We had rooms that were interconnecting and close to the pool. Furnishings are those typical Aussie motel type furnishings, TV, fridge.. don't recall tea and coffee making. Large bathroom with an excellent deep and long bath in it. Heaps of storage space. Pool was small but clean. Anyone travelling with toddlers would need to be careful around the pool as there is a gap in the cement around the pool which looks like it has been placed there for run off but a child could easily slip into this gap with their foot and do some damage. Free afternoon tea is served each day and the staff were very friendly and couldn't have done more for us. It is very central (opposite the Ubud Village Hotel). I would definitely stay here again and perhaps even consider staying here instead of Tegal Sari particularly if I needed 2 rooms. It does not have the view Tegal Sari has but it was good value for money.
We ate at:
Kafe Wayan - Monkey Forest Rd - Ubud - 975447
Great bakery here and excellent food. Prices average around 35,000. Not as cheap as some but then it's average for Ubud. We have eaten here many times and really like it. Very close to Yulia.
Café Tutmak - can't think of the address but it is next to the soccer fields.
Always go here for snacks, breakfast or lunch. Love their smoked marlin pate and their coffee. Excellent meals, excellent service, and the toilets are A1. Variety of seating available with cushions and wicker chairs plus others as well as lots reading material. A must when in Ubud!
Café De Artists - Jl Bisma - Ubud - 972706
More upmarket and more expensive than Kafe Wayan but well worth it. Excellent food.
Casa Luna - Monkey Forest Rd.
Only ever had snacks here and a juice. Serves a variety of juices to cure all kinds ailments as well as a nice variety of bakery items. They also have cooking classes here.
Cinta - Monkey Forest Rd
A new restaurant that has just opened and appears to have accommodation as well. Would definitely not recommend this establishment. Firstly, the music they were playing was that head banging type and yet the surroundings are very upmarket and targeted towards the non head banging set. I had to ask them to turn the music off as it was giving me a headache. My son ordered beef strog and it was nothing like beef strog. I ordered a spinach smoked marlin and fetta pie and I never did find the marlin but instead found millions of mushrooms. We were very disappointed with the standard of the meals. Average price around 40,000rp.
We did (many things).... Lol
Bali Budaya Bike Tour (Eco Tour).....
Booked through Nicky AUS$42 pp, which is much cheaper than booking it direct or through another agent as far as I know. What a fabulous experience and one I can highly recommend to everyone. Darma who was one of our guides was excellent. His command of English was great and I learnt so much from him about the Balinese culture, religion, plant life and so much more. This is a very educational tour with a number of stops on route. It is normally an all down hill ride with an option of a harder ride. As I had Jack with me and as he was so excited about the ride Darma decided we would do the hard one (forgot to inform me)...haha .. It was however downhill the majority of the way and I did have the option of climbing into the vehicle that followed all the way but I chose to walk the bike up the hills instead. Went through many villages where the children all run out and say hello! Or give you a high five (don't be giving them back unless you are used to riding a bike... Ooops). Drove to Kintamani after a 7.30am pick up where we had breakfast on the balcony overlooking Mt Batur... coffee, juice and pancakes. Then by vehicle to a Plantation where the plant life was explained.... Vegetables, coffee, plants for medicinal purposes etc etc... morning tea was here and then it was off to collect the bikes, helmets and gloves. I so wish they had more cushioning on those bikes !!! Some of the dogs in the villages also come out to erhmmmm greet you so just keep riding and ignore the occasion al growl.
Lunch was to die for, a buffet of the most amazing dishes ......
Then off to a banjar to have life at home explained to us... where they live sleep eat etc and why... then a choice to go to the Monkey Forest or home (we chose home).... A fabulous day and a must do.
Antonio Blanco Museum......
Have been here before and this time we just went to show Jack (my son) the birds there as they have a collection of Macaw's and parrots. They will come and sit on you and are gorgeous. The museum itself is amazing and well worth a visit for 20,000rp a head. He was an erotic artist, married a Balinese dancer and raised a family in Ubud after being granted land by the King of Ubud. He was eccentric and mixed with the stars. His art is fascinating. His son lives there now and is also an artist although he is not into eroticism.
Hired a bike.... Always a must do and well you can get these anywhere - we get ours from Nyoman Dharma 081 236 08590.
Transport from Legian to Ubud - 300,000rp with our forever faithful and wonderful driver Ketut Narka - 081 338 039 227 or 0361 722564.
More to come......