Although we have travelled to Bali 5 times and I have been a regular visitor to the BTF I have never written a JBR. I am however prompted to send this one in as I have two special bouquets to send.
The first one is for Mr Dewa Alit . Mr Alit was a driver recommended to us from the BTF and when I first contacted him( his email is dewa_alita@yahoo.com) he sent us a charming email and outlined a possible itinerary for a day trip for us driving up through Ubud and surrounding villages to the volcano at Mt Batur. We corresponded a couple of times and after confirming our tour at an extremely reasonable cost(about AUD$50 for a 6-7 hour trip), we agreed on a date and time for Mr Alit to pick us up from our hotel. He collected us punctually from our hotel in a very comfortable and clean car with very efficient airconditioning. Was so friendly and spoke excellent English. He was able to answer many questions about the places we drove past and also explained many of the Bali traditions and fables which were very entertaining. I would like to recommend him as a most excellent driver and guide to anyone who is contemplating hiring a driver for their time in Bali.
My second bouquet is for the Anika Tailors who made me a beautiful leather coat and my husband a business suit and extra trousers (at one third of what it would have cost here in Australia but probably twice the quality). Again I had researched the names of tailors through the BTF and after taking down the names of 3 recommended tailors finally decided on Anika. They provided an excellent service picking us up from the hotel for not only the intial visit where we placed our order but also for about 3 subsequent visits for fittings etc. An added bonus was that unbeknown to us Anika also have a spa close by which was one of the best I have seen. It was spotlessly clean and had a wonderful ambience. Some of the spas and massages I have been to are very nice but there has always been one or two things which could have been better but I couldn't find fault with any of the service provided at Anika Spa and I can't wait to visit them again on my next trip.
I hope any newcomers to the BTF find this information useful. I have picked up many helpful hints and suggestions from the forum over the past few years and found reading the forum very entertaining.
Thank you Bali for another wonderful 2 weeks , we shall return soon.