In Reply to: ? re Taman Sari posted by juba anne on Sunday, 15. January 2006 at 18:44 Bali Time:
Greetings! Here's a copy of the email I sent you:
I got your post on the BTF and here are some details: we stayed in the "Turtle Suite" cottage. We upgraded from a standard room (which also looked nice). All rooms are cottages. The suites are just larger and more detatched (have more distance between them)than the regular rooms. In my opinion, even the standard rooms looked nice.
The resort is lovely. Extremely relaxing. As you know, it is out in the middle of nowhere - which suited us very well! During parts of the day and night, you might hear the call to prayer from the mosque. Other than that, it is quiet.
Facilities/Room: I liked the contrast between this side of the island and the lusher, greener parts. The view of the mountains is fantastic, the grounds are pretty and the room worked for us. If you didn't know this already, there are no TVs, radios, or in-room safes. However, I do think we had a mini fridge. Our room had a/c and it was very comfortable. We had no problems with safety or theft. The facility offers massage and there is a pretty pool with lounges.
There is also a sunken bar near the pool, which I thought rather nice! The "library" is not well stocked, so if you plan to read, bring your own! :) The staff was very accomodating,and unobtrusive. Outside the Taman Sari, there are lounges available. We saw a lot of people snorkeling near the artificial reef project, though we didn't venture in. The sunrises are beautiful and once the sun hits the water at about 8 am, the reflection off the water is blinding! We loved it!
Food: The food is limited to the hotel restaurant and that of the Taman Selini next door. Even for a bottle of water, it's to the restaurant! However, the food at both places is good. If you like Greek/Mediterranean food, I recommend Taman Selini for dinner. It's a gorgeous view by the "bar" at night -very inviting.
Activities: definitely snorkeling at Menjagan Island. We also visited the turtle hatchery a few paces down the beach, twd Taman Seleni. We saw baby turtles and some rehabilitating adults. I know that the dive center next to the resort offers several excursions.
It was the most relaxing part of our two week vacation. If you're looking for some solace and peace, you've made an excellent choice. I can't wait to return.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm happy to share the good, the bad and the ugly.