Although this is our third visit to Bali this is our first JBR. We stayed for 12 days at end of April.
Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel. We had a deluxe room with outside bathroom and only a couple of steps into the pool. We loved this hotel - the staff were friendly and could not do enough for us to make us feel welcome. They were especially grateful that we (ie.Aussies) had come back to Bali. There is internet, including broadband connection in the room and wireless around the pool. We bought a 7 day food passport for $USD45 that gave us 50% off all food and 25% off all drinks (including room service). Breakfast was included in our deal and it was generous - hot food, fruit, really good pastries, yoghurt, cold meats (but "plastic"cheese). Alistair loved the occassional times they did eggs in "Bali Sauce" - properly prepared, fresh, hand ground and I'm sure it's addictive - it's definitely antisocial.
The hotel is not a standard "International" style. It is also used by Indonesian business people. This creates a quirky mix of luxury facilites and local touches. We like it but it isn't to everybody's taste. While we were there they held a huge political conference for a leading Moslem party, so the food went Halal for three days. This caused no problems except the loss of suckling pig from the menu - the sausages became chicken sausages, but Beef "bacon" is a taste that I'm not going to acquire.
The toilet and bath are outside in a covered part of a small private courtyard. We bought a pack of candles from Hardys (free bus every hour from front of Hotel to Hardys and Sanur), and created a lovely romantic atmosphere in the large bath. It has a built in seat on the side to sit and shower/wash which is such a good idea, we want one at home.
We were not disturbed by the Mosque next door, in fact, rarely heard any noise at all. We particularly enjoyed the free activities that the pool attendants organized,such as- helping us to dress in traditional costumes and getting our photos taken (we supplied the camera), having an hour language course, taking a cooking class( only need to pay a nominal fee to cover ingredients). They also took guided trips to the night markets, early morning walks, visits to the nearby temple etc.
This hotel is in the middle of the community. We walked out the front, turned right past the "Watering Hole" and regularly visited a family shop for our supplies. It is one of the older shops - elevated interior, family sits on plastic chairs on the sidewalk. I kept buying Yakult to prevent Tummy troubles, and they would automatically reach for the bottles when I arrived (they keep it in a special fridge). Interestingly their prices for things like carry bags, jewellery and so on were pretty good. They also exchange Aussie dollars - not a bad rate - just not the best rate if that's important. The trade-off for price and location with this hotel is that it's not on the beach - there's a free bus to their partner tea house for sand worshippers. We loved the pool though, and all the reviews that warned how "quiet" it was were what helped us choose to go. We have already booked our return.
Sanur village was very quiet - mostly European tourists, but still not that many around. The market was absolutely dead - we were the only ones browsing around the stalls. A number of the shops along Jl.Danau Tamblingen were discounting , some up to 50%. We found some nice jewellry , scarves, and other textiles (all at 50% off) at Bila-Bali. Hardys was good for a whole range of goods - sarongs, crafts, wooden items, etc. etc.
We would highly recommend dining at The Watering Hole and Japun - both very reasonably priced and good service.
The Watering Hole is part of an establishment with rooms - its owned and run by Agung & Sue. It's essentially a large family home. The rooms have ornate traditional doors, ideal for photographers. We haven't stayed there, only eaten, but it looks a clean, friendly and interesting place just underneath the luxury hotel market. We went to the obligatory roast suckling pig (is there a recurrent theme here?) and dance, but there were only 4 tables of visitors - great for us, great for the food, sad for the performers.
Japun is a modern stylish restaurant. Excellent presentation. Relatively busy and takes credit cards. We were welcomed with a small glass of juice - well that's what it looks like, but there's a reasonable proportion of alcohol in the glass! mmm. They have a wide range of styles but I like their Balinese form of Chicken Betutu and Rendang. A different balance from the Javanese and Malaysian Versions of Rendang.
Other recommendations:
Anika Taylor - we had a good range of clothes made. They are from the school of "measure twice, cut once". One example was a stylish long cut Women's Winter coat that had to hang straight if unbuttoned, fitted perfectly first try! They are busy, almost the only business we saw that was so good. They have four fitting rooms and two or three were operating every time we were there. Our driver and guide helped us check the items (Made, the driver has a good eye for judging quality and finding flaws) and were impressed by quality and price.
Porters at the airport - well we've heard the complaints, but we take the view that we should help the local economy, they're only a few dollars, and we get no hassles. My husband always calls them over and we go straight through. It's different on the way home - nothing can speed up departure processing, but it's nice to have the help. There has got to be a better way to end a holiday.
Driver and guide - we use Connie Santun - from Bali 081 236 11 864, from Australia 0011 ?? 81 236 11 864, email csantun[at]hotmail [dot] com. Her husband Made (pronounced Mah-day) is the driver. We always felt safe with him (he's even safer than the hotel drivers), although the traffic can come as a shock if you are not prepared for it. We've used them for three years now, we use them instead of a taxi.... because - if I want to go shopping and Alistair doesn't, Connie is a great companion (and a canny shopper) and you don't have to go out alone; they look after us in a more traditional role seeing us as guests to their country, so they will negotiate discounts on our behalf with a tenacity that surprises locals - we often get close to local price; they are really happy if we want to learn some words, so they teach us a little. They also listen with a level of common sense that we appreciate. If we want to buy something and name a place or say that price is important - they take us to the very best buys that we have been able to find. We use them to run errands or do research - "this is the model camera - what is the best price?", or shipping. If we want a deposit taken to a shop, or a receipt or invoice collected, they do that for us - and they have a great sense of humour. Their little van is airconditioned but it is not a limousine - however, we wouldn't choose any other - most of the time. We used to pay them $AUD 50 per day but with petrol prices the way they are we made it $AUD75 per day. Made can watch over gear like videos and cameras, but it is best to travel with the least, otherwise someone has to be with the vehicle at all times, and Made is a good judge of products and quality.
Titisan - It's an antique shop near Hardys in Sanur. Some items are original, some are quality reproductions - ask - they are honest and will tell you. We picked up an ornate traditional gold wedding headress piece on a stand for $AUD350, and a traditional black, smoky topaz and red coral necklace for about the same price. We saw puppets (no, not the ones in the marketplace), and genuine antique meal tray stands (almost none left in Indonesia) after we were well over our weight limit. They have companion shops in Ubud that we didn't know about so we got Connie to get the details and we will go there next time as well. If you go to Titsan in Sanur first, they will give you the cards for the Ubud shops. They do shipment, because some of their items are quite large, although they still talk about the Dutch couple that put a 25Kg Bhudda in their wheely cabin bag (don't try this on QANTAS).
Poverty - many of us feel we have to help. We took stationery - pens, exercise books, cheap staplers, etc. on the basis that education is something we can support. We left them with Connie and Made for their family, friends and school. I recall one example where a person tossed money into the local schoolyard. While there are better ways to handle it, I am reluctant to criticise anyone that helps. Unrestrained tipping may corrupt the very society that we love so much, yet we have almost an obligation to help. Our approach is to pay for services where we can - use a driver and guide, build relationships and return to shops where we were welcomed, buy local foods and goods where we can - locally packaged cashews, nibbles and so on. I wish I was talking to more "new" visitors though, mostly here on this site we are "preaching to the converted". Let's get them all back there.