Once again I have been putting off typing this as it means we are BACK !!! We are from NZ and this was our 4th trip to Bali - my husband & I have been twice (1999 & 2006), we took our 3 children in 2005 and this time we not only returned with the kids but we also shouted both sets of our parents a trip. This was is in recognition of all they have done for us over the past 7 years in supporting us with childcare etc which allowed me to return to tertiary study to get my midwifery degree and set up my own independent practice. We had planned to surprise them with the trip at Christmas but due to a variety of circumstances we had to tell them a few months sooner so they had lots of time to get excited! For my parents it was their first trip to Asia, whereas my husband's parents had previously been to China. I have to admit we were a bit worried how they would cope - but other than looking a bit ‘stunned' for the first few days they eventually settled in & by the end they were completely confident Bali travelers (...) My biggest fear was someone would get sick but other than a bit of heatstroke and the usual change in toileting from all the different foods everyone was fine.
Anyway rather than give a blow by blow daily account I will break this JBR down into chapters that other travelers might find useful:
FLIGHTS:
Getting to Bali was harder than we thought it would be! We initially booked on Garuda but then they pulled out of NZ and left us high & dry!! In the end we had 3 main options (there were others but were all too expensive):
a) Air NZ to Sydney then Garuda to Bali - we discounted this as we felt Garuda has already let us down once & we were concerned that if Garuda changed its schedule again (which in fact they did a few days before we left!!) we'd be left high & dry in Sydney !!!
b) Qantas to Melbourne then Jetstar to Bali - not only was this option way too pricey (almost $NZ400 a head more!) but we'd be getting budget service and a 10hr wait in Melbourne airport both ways - not fun!
c) Royal Brunei to Bali via Brisbane and a stopover in Brunei. We ended up choosing this option because not only was it cheaper but also our 13yr old flew as a child (big saving) plus they offered a free stopover in Brunei so by adding an extra 2 days onto our holiday we got to see a whole new country for free!
We found the service on Royal Brunei to be excellent!!! The plane was lucky to be 1/6 full so there was lots of room to spread out - in fact on the return flight there was so much room that my 8yr old took over a whole section and played ‘house' in the plane LOL. We didn't miss the alcohol (never really drink when flying anyway) and the food was good. My father-in-law found the prayer before the flight a bit disconcerting but hey I'll take anything that increased our chance of making it safely LOL!!! I would definitely fly Royal Brunei again and we really enjoyed our stopover (see below) but I see now that the other airlines have very similar airfares to those offered by Royal Brunei so having now been to Brunei I think I would only go this way again if the scenario above was repeated and there was the huge cost benefit to us (in our case with nine of us it saved over $NZ3600 !)
BRUNEI STOPOVER:
On the way to Bali we arranged to have a full day in Brunei to see the sights (seems a shame to go all that way & only see the airport & stopover hotel!!) and we booked two half day trips over the internet before we left. We choose Mega Borneo as although we emailed at least 10 companies they were the most prompt to reply (many never did!) and had excellent follow up to any enquiries. As we were a group of nine I asked for a discount on the prices offered which we got. (Interestingly in the days before we left a few of the other companies emailed with ‘last minute offers' so there certainly is room for negotiation on the prices!). Our guide was a fantastic guy called ‘Pet' (pronounced Pat) who was really easy to get along with and made our day wonderful. In the morning we did a full tour of the city, and then we had a nice buffet lunch (included) before taking a tour of the Water Village in the afternoon followed by a River Safari to see the Proboscis Monkeys. I am fairly well traveled (26 countries) and have to say that Brunei really is up there with the sights! As far as shopping goes it wasn't really cheap (not much different to home really) but the food was well priced and on the whole people were very friendly.
Unfortunately our lasting impressions of Brunei have been spoiled by our return stopover. This was only supposed to be overnight but our flight had to be rescheduled so we ended up with an extra day in Brunei. This didn't really bother us (its one of the realities of flying - and hey who minds an extra day on holiday!) however the hotel where we were staying (Grand City Hotel) was ABSOLUTELY awful about the whole experience and we have never felt so much of an inconvenience! I won't go into all the details as my letter of complaint runs to 3 pages however I will say that from talking to other travelers afterwards at the airport those staying at the Brunei Hotel and the Traders Inn were treated SO much better that I would have to recommend those hotels instead!!
ACCOMMODATION:
In our 2006 trip we did some searching for accommodation options and after lots of looking decided there was nothing that could rival the private Jayakarta apartments where we had previously stayed in 2005. We ended up booking a 2 bedroom apartment for us & our three children and 2 one bedroom apartments alongside for our parents. We cannot recommend these highly enough. The one bedroom apartments our parents stayed in had just been refurbished and were so lovely. (In fact my parents had a new leather couch delivered while they were there!) We really like the convenience of an apartment - a lounge to relax in, a kitchen to make a cuppa, a full sized fridge to store a box of Bintang, a water filter kept topped up by the cleaner, clean pool towels delivered every day etc. Also for my mother-in-law (who has a bad knee) having a lift to our floor was a big bonus!
The Jayakarta was a great place to stay. The location is great, the kids love the pools and we love being on the beachfront. The main disappointment was the price of the drinks / food around the pool - they could take a leaf out of the Kumala Pantai's book as their prices are so much more reasonable! A few of us had manicures by the poolside ladies (Rp50,000 for hands & feet) and my daughter had her hair plaited for Rp 60,000 however I was not too impressed with the job as they used tinfoil instead of rubber bands to secure the plaits and they started to fall out in less than 24hrs and within 2 days it was such a mess we took it out. I also have to say that I don't find these ladies very friendly, in fact they are seem quite aggressive even when you approached them and once they have made a deal with you they barely talk to you which I found different to the usual chatty friendly approach of most Balinese.
DRIVER:
We had initially planned to use the guide / driver combination we had used in 2005, however a few weeks before our trip to Bali my husband made the decision to leave his job and set up self-employed so we had to be a bit more careful with our spending $ so while this guide was excellent his rates were over Rp1.2 mil per day (due to him needing to hire a bigger van for all 9 of us) so we decided to look at other options and had Wayan Adiarsa recommended to us. Well what can I say except A+++++ Not only was the price way way cheaper (Rp400K for a full day, Rp200K for a ½ and Rp60K for airport pickup .. though we of course tipped him well as he deserved it !!) but he was just the nicest guy and we enjoyed his company immensely. Of all the drivers we have used he just seemed so genuine and nothing was too much trouble. He was happy to take us anywhere, was good at making suggestions of things we hadn't thought of, helped us find out of the way shops and helped us get a good bargain. Best of all there was never that horrible pressure to take you places where you know they are only interested in the commission! We spend 4 days with Wayan: One day on the Bukit Peninsular, one day traveling to Mount Batur via Sukawati, Ubud etc, one day shopping in Denpasar and a day around to East Coast with a snorkel at Tulamben.
Since returning home I've set him up a website as a thank you so if you are looking for a driver give him a try:
wwwDOTwayanadiarsaDOTcom
TAILOR:
For me one of the highlights of going to Bali is taking advantage of the tailor service. I'm tall and have big feet so it's hard to buy clothes & shoes in Bali - in fact it's hard to buy in NZ!! In the past we'd used Aristo at Merry's Collection and had heard he had gone out on his own so we were going to go to his new shop but just days before we left we heard he had closed the shop and were unable to find out exactly what was going on so ended up going back to Merry's and seeing Cucuk. Between our 3 families we had a really big order (25+ items of clothing plus 15+ pairs of shoes / boots) so went to see him on the very first day to give him lots of time. Overall our experience was good with around half of the items ready on time (about a week later) and good quality however the remaining half seemed to come out a few items per day over the next week and we did waste a lot of valuable holiday time going back for a fittings only to find just one or two items ready and 'please come back tomorrow'. In the end a few items had to be collected on the very last day which didn't allow any time for a fitting and sadly a few of them will need an alteration at home. Often when we went into the shop they seemed very busy and during one visit another irate customer was complaining that their jackets wasn't ready as promised so I wonder if maybe they are not very good at saying no when really their workload is too much? However overall the prices were really good (no bargaining - they give you their best price right off) and I'm rapt with my new wardrobe! However because of our experience I would always recommend that you choose a tailor near to where you are staying as otherwise all the trips back and forth would have been a major irritation!
SHOPPING:
Ok I admit I like shopping ... and I like shopping in Bali better than anywhere else because you can afford to buy up large! My poor children were down to the last of their wardrobes in the weeks before we left because I was not interested in buying at NZ prices knowing that within a few weeks we could get Bali bargains!! We went with the bare minimum and came home with our weight limit - thank goodness for 9 x 20 kgs !!!!
Over the years we have found that some of the better deals & better quality clothing are in the department stores so we always take a day (or two) and check out Denpasar. This time we got some excellent clothing at Matahari's & Ramayana.
This year we also checked out some of the fishing gear shops in Denpasar but found that the prices were not any cheaper than what you can get (on sale) here in NZ. However we did buy 4 really good quality children's life jackets for the bargain price of $NZ12 each. (Now before anyone has chickens about safety standards blah blah blah these are not for use deep sea boating but just for in our pool & playing at the beach etc for extra safety).
Our other ‘big stop' is Ketut's fixed price shop in Jl. Sahadewa. When you are buying a lot shopping here is just so much easier than having to bargain over every item! We usually buy one of her big Bali bags (which we use as luggage for the trip home) and fill it up!!!
We also went to Geneva and got the usual handicrafts however did note this year that many of the markets were more realistic on their pricing so if you knew your prices you could almost get things cheaper than Geneva.
We did a pre-order of D V D ‘s & PS games via H*lgi* and his service was as usual excellent with drop-off at our hotel as pre-arranged. So far all seem very good quality. We also bought a few others we saw in the shops locally and they were mostly pretty good quality but we have had more duds from this lot.
During one of our day trips with Wayan we stopped at the Sukawati markets and these were great. In the back corner we were looking at some awesome paintings and the guy offered them to us for Rp75,000 saying it was hard to get customers so far down the back! We ended up buying quite a few - many of which we plan to give to friends or sell. I also got another out the front for Rp200,000 (he wouldn't go any lower and I think he could tell I loved it!!! but hey it was still very cheap). Most of the painting we got taken off the frames & rolled but I didn't want to roll the last one as it had a textured finish so we bought it on the frame. We were worried about getting this home but solved the problem by buying a surfboard bag for Rp300,000 (probably could have got it cheaper but it was the last day & we were feeling generous LOL) which was a great way to get them home and if we bought them all again I'd keep them all on their frames!
My parent's best buy was new glasses. They were both in need of new ones and of course in Bali got them for ¼ of the price they would be in NZ - plus a free eye examination (which I also took advantage of). We used Optik Melawi at the Discovery Mall and their service was great.
This time we also got business cards printed for the first time. We used Indographs in Jl. Kunti in Seminyak and the finished product (and price) was great however again getting these organised took several trips so was a bit of a hassle during holiday time.
MARTHA TILLAAR & COSMETICS:
Over the past year I've heard everyone raving about the MT products so I decided to check them out. Well what can I say - I will be going back to Bali if only to get more of these !!! I'm already kicking myself for not buying LOTS more as I know they will run out long before our next trip and then what will I do as you can't buy them in NZ !!! (Hey if anyone wants to bring some home I will certainly buy them off you !!!) I went to Ramayana and the sales girl was lovely - even very tactfully showed me the range for the 40's when the range I was looking at was for those in their 20's (I'm in my 30's but will take all the anti-wrinkle help I can get LOL!) I got the entire range (9 products for Rp400,000). I later went into the Melasti Spa and bought another of the cleaners & moisturies and it was more pricey there (I think Rp60,00 each) but very convenient (& still cheap). I've now been using them for over 2 weeks and my skin just feels so so lovely - and even my husband has commented how nice I smell when I come to bed (not a usual thing for him!!).
While at Ramayana I also got some more Revlon (lipsticks & nail polish) as they are SO cheap ($NZ5 for nail polish & $8 for lipsticks). We tried to get some foundation for my Mum but the colours were all different and we were too hot & bothered to try some on so gave that a miss.
LAUNDRY:
This was the first time we have ever used a laundry service and I just have to say what was I thinking before doing my own !!!!!!! We were amazed at the price (20 cents for a shirt - washed, dried & ironed!!!!) and the brilliant service. We used the Nyoman Laundry ... from the Jayakarta front (not beach) entrance you turn right and walk to in front of the Kumala Pantai then turn right up the lane and they are about 10 - 15 metres along. We'd drop off one day & pick up the next all nicely packaged up & smelling divine !!! There is also a great sandal shop right next door plus we got our Bali SIM card from shop out front.
EATING OUT:
Our accommodation didn't included breakfast so we ate out most days (except once when we had an early start so brought cereal / bread and made our own to save time!). The buffet breakfast at the Jayakarta was a steep Rp90,000 per head so we gave that a miss!! We had a few breakfasts at the Kumala Pantai next door which had the same buffet for Rp40,000 (half price for children under 12). We also liked all the other places on the beachfront and our parents also really enjoyed Tommy's (Jl Werdakuda) where they could get Weetbix and other familiar foods.
For dinner we ate at a variety of places all around Legian and never really had a bad meal - although a few times there were some mix-ups and we got different things than we had ordered - but that's all part of the Bali fun !! In the past our kid's favourite had been Rum Jungle (now Je Je's) so we looked forward to going back there but it was pretty much deserted, the food was only OK (but cheap!) and the one waiter was pretty crazy & reminded us of Manuel off Fawlty Towers! We celebrated our sons 13th birthday at the Flying Piano who organised a delicious black forest birthday cake for us for Rp200,000. The band sang happy birthday to him & the whole restaurant joined in much to his total embarrassment!!!!!!
We only had two really disappointing eating experiences. The first was at Legends. We had heard about their show on Saturday night so went on Thursday to see if it was still on & to book a table. They told us the show was on (starting at 8pm) but we wouldn't need to book a table. Anyway we arrived at 8pm and ordered and waited for the show ... finally at almost 9.30 after finishing our meals ages ago and asking lots of time when it would begin and being told 'in 5mins' we gave up and were about to leave (as the kids were tired) when the Micheal Jackson impersonator came on. After he was finished (pretty lame) we waiting another ¼ hr for the rest of the show but with no sign of this we gave up!! So this gets a big thumbs down from us!!!
The other was at Indus in Ubud. We had been here 2 years ago and the food & service was as magnificent as the view. Sadly the views now far outweigh the meals and the service was frosty!! I really felt like asking the staff if they knew how to smile !! For the price this was certainly our worst meal.
Despite all this overall we can't complain as even after 4 trips to Bali we are still getting used to just how cheap eating out is - and it was really brought home to us when last weekend we went somewhere local here in NZ and found that 2 mains & 2 drinks for two people costs us more than 3 courses & drinks for nine people in Bali !!!
BALI FORUM GET-TOGETHER:
Prior to leaving Id organised a BTF get together at Sammie & Suzie's and as really looking forward to this however that particular day was really busy (& tiring) for us and as a result we were late arriving (my husband insisted it was only a 5min walk - which of course it was not - especially when you are running late in the heat with 3 grumpy children and a MIL with a bad knee!!!!). It was great to meet a few faces but in the end with kids whining I admitted defeat and we headed home early - sorry everyone - but I hope you had a great time!
PHOTOS:
We took lots and have put them up online for anyone who is interested:
http://picasawebDOTgoogleDOTcom/cyberbirth
We got most of these developed by the photo store just outside the Jayakarta (on the corner of Jl. Padma Utara & Jl. Werdakuda) and the price & service was great.
MONEY:
We spread our spending money between our Westpac gold visa credit card (no fees for ATM withdrawal if a/c in credit) and $NZ100 notes. Prior to going the rate on the internet was showing as Rp6600 but in Bali the best we could get from the money changers was Rp6150 while we got a rate of Rp6280 on the card. We used the Kodak money changer behind the Jayakarta and he was fine with no problems - though we always take our own calculator & count the money carefully. Personally I find using the ATM much less hassle but I always worry about the machine swallowing your card etc so am happy to have some cash on me.
GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park:
We went here for the first time and it's really work a visit. The funniest part was there were several tour groups of school children from Java and they were fascinated by us! We all ended up having our photo taken heaps of time and my daughter & husband even got video interviewed for a documentary one group was producing. But by far our biggest laugh came from my mother-in-law giving a group of girls my 13yr old sons phone number !!! (Whatever happened to Grandmas !!!!)
Well I think that's all. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them :-) (...) Thanks again to all those on the BTF who's posts over the past years have made planning a Bali holiday so much fun!! Now to figure out how to get back again asap .......
Sheryl & family
Huntly, NZ