FINALLY BACK TO BALI! (JBR):
BACKGROUND: Myself (Ruby), Husband (Mr Ruby) with 13yr old son (Mstr 1) & 12yr old son (Mstr 2).
Our 5th trip. Cancelled trip after last 'event' Oct '05, when due to fly out just hours later. Ventured to Penang instead - gorgeous but just not the same... really pined for Bali.
FLIGHTS: Flew Qantas frequent flyer, Perth - Denpasar. Flight delayed nearly an hour/unappealing chicken dish served/just as unappealing child serve of meatball dish/flight full/small plane: 3 seats across, aisle, then 3 seats/uneventful flight/forgettable staff. Note: As negative as I may sound, we were thrilled to be finally arriving in Bali once again. Qantas may have a great safety record, but I've always found their service poor in comparison to other airlines.
Flew Garuda on our return trip. (Qantas had changed their flight to an ungodly hour & we were therefore offered an alternate airline). Departed on time/staff attentive/a surprisingly edible meal (past foods on Garuda had not been as good). The fantastic news was that we were not charged excess for our enormous return luggage! A good experience, albeit sad to be returning to reality after 19 nights in beautiful Bali.
ARRIVAL: We had pre-arranged a driver through Mida (local travel rep) at a fee of 120,000rph for travel from airport to Ubud. Unfortunately, there must have been some sort of mix-up as no driver was waiting. A quick phone call to Mida however, resulted in a driver arriving some 20 minutes later to collect us.
It was a thrill to be back in Bali. I loved the drive from the airport to Ubud & revelled in the scenery, the smells & the anticipation of 19 nights ahead of us.
UBUD ACCOMODATION:
We had booked the gorgeous Tegal Sari in Ubud for our first 5 nights having read recommendations on the forum. What a wonderful recommendation... THANKYOU to all - to Merrilau in particular! I do not want to ooh & aah about this accom. too much as I'm mindful it may change with more publicity, but it is just too good to not comment....
Being a family of 4, I initially booked x2 super deluxe rooms one above the other so that we would have x2 bedrooms & x2 bthrms. I am happy to say that my change to just one room (Rm 23) was a good decision since there is no internal stairs betw. the 2 rooms so completely separate & I would not have been happy with that set-up with my kids at their ages of 12 & 13.
The room is so large that it was more than adequate. The rooms normally contain 1 king bed & 1 single, however they moved in an extra single beside the others with still plenty of space in the rest of the room.
The room is split level - the 'bedroom' is on the upper level & the 'living area' is on the lower. (Note: each level only has a step running between - not like upstairs/downstairs by any means!) A gorgeous marble bathroom leads to the side from the living area. The bath is enormous. The shower had a heavy frameless, frosted shower screen with a hand-held shower as well as an enormous round shower head... this looks luxurious, but was rather impractical in reality as their was no escape from the water... you could not avoid getting your hair wet unless you used the hand held shower. (My only criticism of the hotel... having said that, I would go back in a heart beat!!)
The 'super deluxe' rooms are only about 1 yr old & have floor to ceiling sliding doors/windows off the living area that lead out to a spacious tiled deck. This overlooks tranquil paddy fields. The views across the padi fields are worthy of a spread in National Geographic - as are the sunsets. The myriad of bird, frog, ghekko & other small wildlife are charming & a reflection of the seclusion & 'natural' environment offered.
Our room contained a spacious (could even fit the video camera!) safety deposit box & very efficient air-conditioning. (One time Mstr 2 decided that he would lower the temp..... we woke to antarctic conditions where the interior glass doors & windows were so frosted up, it took ages to defog. We had to go outside to thaw out once removed from our doona's!) Speaking bedding, the beds were soooo comfortable (and I'm a critic at the best of times!) The pillows were generous & varied (2 to each bed). The sheets were crisp & fresh, doona's more than adequate.
Although no tv in the room, this was no deterrent to my family who happily read their new books (Christmas presents), played cards & investigated new mobile phones (again, Christmas presents).
The tiled terrace was generous with a step or 2 that ran the front length of it. It was a treat to enjoy breakfast or sunset drinks in this location.
Prices of drinks from the fridge (alcoholic & otherwise) & room service meals were often cheaper than street prices. This was such a convenience. We subsequently enjoyed the occasional lazy dinner or lunch at the hotel. (Breakfast was included in our room cost. The variety was more than adequate). The exchange rate too was equal to reputable Money Changers on the street.
The pool area is small but more than adequate - & secluded. More often than not it was void of other guests (I loved the privacy!) We spent Christmas lunch beside the pool... a special memory, after a luxurious morning lying around our room reading & enjoying the ambience of our unique outlook.
The Tegal Sari staff were friendly & helpful (their advice following our enquires regarding the purchase of certain house fittings was more than adequate... more on this later!) The rooms & terrace were maintained to the highest standard.
I know I have gone on & on, & could go on even further! Needless to say I highly recommend the Tegal Sari 'super deluxe rooms', the staff, the service, the location. It exceeded my expectations.
UBUD RESTAURANTS:
I am happy to say there were no bad experiences. Some that come to mind are the 'Rendevouz Restaurant' just to the left of Tegal Sari. This is where we arrived just in time to see a Legong Dance. Other than a bus load of Japanese tourists (who left shortly after our arrival & the end of the dance) we were the only patrons. It was Christmas Eve.
'Dian Restaurant' Jl Monkey Forest Ubud. Mr Ruby enjoyed a fabulously delish tuna steak.... We all tried it & were in awe. Family of 4 cost here was just 136,000rph. All meals thoroughly enjoyed.
'Nomad' in Ubud was another great meal... again as cheap as chips for 4 at 190,000rph. Fantastic service here also.
UBUD SHOPPING:
Very little purchased. We did not even venture into the markets as we wanted our 5 nights here to be restful & knew we had 14nights in Legian still.
2 gorgeous paintings by local artists. One from Nani Shop on main rd... it is huge & was 520,000rph (prob could have purchased for less but really was only interested in securing it with ease, since I adored it). Purchased another, slightly smaller on another occasion elsewhere on Monkey Forest Rd for 250,000rph.
BALI BAIK BIKE TOUR: Ph 0361-978052/ www.balibike.com
Highy recommended. A wonderful day out! Owned & operated by Wayan, a wonderfully informative & jovial Balinese man
Picked up from hotel at 7.30am & driven to a farm where local fruits & vegetables are grown. Tasted a variety of delish teas here whilst seated overlooking spectacular scenery. Then driven to a gorgeous elevated restaurant overlooking the breathtaking scenery of Mt & Lake Agung for a smorgasbord breakfast . (We were the only patrons to the restaurant... so much wonderful food & accommodating staff waiting on us... so sad there were not more diners).
We were then driven to a spot where we donned safety helmets, chose mountain bikes & we were off for an easy 2.5hrs of riding through rice paddies, villages (children would all call out 'Hello', 'How are you?' They would do 'high fives' as we rode along), temples etc. There were plenty of stops along the way for photo's & for drinks (ice cold water provided by Wayan & staff). We also stopped en route on a number of occasions where Wayan informed us of Balinese culture, ceremonies etc & answered any questions we may have - all with humour & generosity.
The day was relaxing & captivating. It was a small group of about a dozen tourists including our family of 4.
We finished with a magnificent lunch at his family village. The food was prepared by his wife & was a spectacular spread of food. (I would have been proud to have been able to cook just 1 or 2 of these dishes!) We were over-catered to with an assortment of approx 10 mouthwatering dishes. It was a delight to sit & relax with our host in his own village (on an elevated pavilion type area - on cushions at a low, clean & well-decorated table) & enjoy stimulating conversation from the other travellers we had shared the day with.
The tour was good value at just 350,000rph per person.
LAUNDRY IN UBUD:
'Super Laundry Service' Jl Raya ke - Pengosekan Ubud , Ph 978373
It's located a few doors up to the right of Tegal Sari. Prompt, efficient, reliable service. Exceptional value. Highly recommended.
INTERNET IN UBUD:
A few doors up from Tegal Sari on right at you face it from road. Inexpensive & good internet speeds.
SIM CARDS:
Again cannot remember name. Phone shop was to left of Tegal Sari (as you face hotel from road) outside, on opposite side. Purchased Simpati card.
ZEN SPA:
Went here for massage at 75,000rph for 1hr. Very clean premises... shower before massage offered/shower after offered/ fan right above massage table/ small security locker in room for valuables/ dimmed light/ sooo relaxing. Listened to tranquil waterfall cascading over rock wall outside of my massage room... had a view of this from floor length open window... very private though. Wrongly took too little money (mixed up with zero's on notes). The staff were totally unperturbed & would have let me return to the hotel for more funds this was after my massage!) but I phoned Mr Ruby instead and asked that he bring it to me since I was so embarrassed to have made such a mistake.
OUR STAY IN LEGIAN TO COME.... This may take a while as I'm so busy now that we're back. Hope this has not been too clinical or boring.