Just back from 2 heavenly weeks in Bali..our 8th trip in 30 years.
Flew Jetstar from Melbourne -were pleasantly surprised - left on time both ways - ok for a short flight and would use them again if the price was right -eg about A$500 return.
First 3 nights at Sri Phala in Sanur - what a gorgeous little place -very quiet - beautiful big upstairs room with a lovely balcony overlooking the pool - friendly staff -would go back again - a bargain at $50 a night with brekkie by the pool.Did lots of walking and exploring - checking out hotels - had hoped to stay at Griya or Puri Santrian - but alas no vacancy - they were both very beautiful but to be honest probably a bit too big and impersonal for us when fully booked.Decided on Besakih because of it's wonderful position - fab pool and friendliness of the staff ,plus we had stayed there 10 years ago so have a bit of a soft spot for all that.Fairly basic bungalow at the back for $70 with brekkie - a good deal for the beach area .Went out sailing on the reef - very chilled about $25 for the 2 of us for 1 hour - highly recommended :) Beach massage.
We ate at The Beach Cafe - lovely setting but both dinner and lunch were very ordinary - very dissapointing.Lunch at Besakih - ok. dinner at Bonsai - great Sate. Dinner on the sand at La Taverna - very romantic - great Thai food.Lunch at Griya excellent - devine surroundings.
We really enjoyed Sanur - very laid back, not too busy - we always start with a few days there.
Hired a driver and headed off to Ubud - to the famous Tegal Sari. We had very high expectations after all the recommendations on this forum and from Trip Advisor and were not disappointed. We had a super deluxe upstairs room and oh my God - those views - we both had a smile on our face for days :)Views of the rice paddies in both directions. Many hours were spent on our balcony watching the farmers at work and being mesmerised by those clever ducks. The sounds of ducks, geckos and frogs were very relaxing. Gorgeous pool, fabulous staff - ok brekkie. Had a look at one of the new super deluxe rooms - out of this world - an absolute bargain at $65 per night - so will be booking well in advance to snare one of them for the next trip. They are also building a 2 bedroom family villa which will be ready early 2008 - about US $150 pn - sure it will be wonderful too.
Went to the Monkey Forest - could watch them all day - fascinating.Lots of walking a bit of shopping - husband got a great haircut.Visited Neka gallery.
Next stop - Honeymoon Guesthouse. Great position - devine room - upstairs Krisna room.Beautiful big room - huge marble bathroom - exquisitely carved doors onto balcony. Yummy brekkie from Casa Luna each morning served on private balcony. Lovely pool. I really enjoyed our stay here but my husband was not so keen as the bungalows are very close together and there is very little privacy and our room was near reception and incredibly noisy - you could hear every word from there and also from the room below , across the way and next door - not good if you are a light sleeper. Seemed to be a lot of single women staying there.Had a great foot massage at the spa next door.
Next stop the unbelievably gorgeous Alam Shanti......you just have to go there - the most beautiful hotel we have ever stayed in by miles.Had the ground floor Nemada room - total heaven.Huge bedroom, enormous bathroom, dressing room and our own separate kitchen and dining room with a bar frig that held enough to host a small party.Most of our time was spent on our huge verandah in our own private garden.Stunning pool, beautiful gardens, lots of fresh flowers all around, the attention to detail and exquisite furnishings made it feel like a private home....when can I move in. Delicious breakfast served on the verandah each morning and a driver at your service all day - yes this place has it so right. Only 8 rooms so very quiet and private. Wonderful service.All this for about $120 a night with brekkie and afternoon tea. Next time John wants to try the top of the range room that is upstairs overlooking the rice paddies and the little river. Checked it out - very beautiful.Really hated leaving here. Had a massage at the spa at the front of the hotel - very pleasant experience.We checked out the other 2 properties in the same little village that are owned by Wayan and Ketut - Alam Indah - lovely setting - not quite as new or luxurious as Alam Shanti but a bit cheaper, and Alam Jiwa - older still and cheaper but they are all very atmospheric and intimate and have lovely welcoming staff who are so proud to show off their hotels to you.
Ate at Indian Delights - fab buffet,Murnis - great view - food ordinary,Indus - devine food and setting. Casa Luna - great food but surly slack service (never been any different - a real attitude problem ). Miros - great setting ok food - very quiet. Cafe de Artistes - ok. Kafe Ubud - very groovy - great healthy food.Lunch Cafe Mocha - great when you are hanging out for a great bagette or salad and a tasty pastry.Dinner at Lake Leke - owned by Alam Shanti etc - beautiful setting but ordinary food
Driver to take us to Legian. Sari Beach Inn - probably the only place we would not return to.Very modest room, rude reception, pool ok - position good but just didn't get into the place at all - overpriced at $50 per night.Went exploring hotels - had planned to move to Santika in Tuban - but felt it was a bit too big after all the boutiquey places we had been used to. Yuk beach with lots of work going on - just not what we had imagined.Jayakarta -tired rooms, busy and noisy. Ended up at Kamala Pantai - really loved it. They were fully booked so we moved around a lot - had 3 different rooms. They bent over backwards to accommodate us - we were happy to be able to stay there and moving was ok under the circumstances.Excellent quality rooms and hotel for the price - an unbelievable $50 pn with brekkie.Lovely views over the gigantic spotless pool and no trouble finding a pool lounge.Ate at the restaurant there a couple of times - good value and fine food.
Shopped at Matahari, foot massage at Green Spa behind KP.Checked out all the restaurants in Eat St. Lunch Mykanos - fab Greek Mezze platter.Trattoria in Seminyak - great cheap Italian food. Zanzibar - tasty.Jogja warung - excellent and ridiculously cheap indo food - a firm favourite and a beachfront 2 storied restaurant just north of KP - can't remember the name- great atmosphere, sunset views and spectacular food.
Watched the sun go down with a Binnie or two sitting in a comfy chair on the sand and watched the locals play soccer as they always have and just knew we would be back again soon. Yes ,Bali is highly addictive. We both agreed this was by far our best trip ever. Bali is anything you want it to be.We couldn't believe how much the quality of food and accommodation has improved and how much easier everything is to do. We didn't once feel scared, unsafe or uncomfortable and the locals were all saying how busy Bali is. We were there in November (low season)and had trouble getting accom and seats in restaurants so high season will be even better for business Yess..Bali is well and truly back on the map and we will be going back soon.
Cheers and thanks to all you forumites for all your wonderful info - hope mine helps some of you with your decisions :)
Vheers
Victoria