After 3 nights in Amed we were rejuvenated and ready to hit the beach and all that fabulous shopping. We were abit secluded in Amed and were ready to discover new restaurants and fan out on our own. Just to recap - there were 16 girls on this trip, ages 28-75 and we're from Canada. This was my 16th trip to Bali since 1983. We were in Bali in November.
I had not stayed at the Kartika Plaza before (only had dinner there once) but being that there was major construction in front of the Sofitel, where we usually stay, I decided a chance of scenery might be nice.
Overall, this was a great choice, other than I wasn't impressed with the management and how aloof they were about some of our requests. If you are going on your own this won't be a problem but when you have a group, there are certain arrangements that are pretty standard and they kind of dropped the ball.
Rooms - we stayed in the wing that is on left hand side of the hotel when you are facing the beach. Thanks to someone from the BTF that made mention of this and it was a great tip. The right wing is closest to Musro (big nightclub - didn't go so can't comment on what is was like) and can get quite noisy at night. Our rooms were quiet, had very comfortable beds and a view of the ocean. We were all on floors 2 & 3. I think they might have renovated the bathrooms recently because from other BTF reports (and Tripadvisor.com) there had been lots of negative comments about the bathrooms. I did notice that quite a few of the rooms in the right wing were having repairs and reno's done. The room staff were so nice and friendly but can't say that the rooms were spotless...lots of dust bunnies under the bed and I really don't think they ever cleaned the floor. Not a big deal but after 5 days it was looking abit shabby. My twin beds were moved together to make a king (that's another story) and that's why I even noticed the dust and dirt on the floor. The balcony is small, has 2 chairs and a clothing rack and a view of the ocean if you face sideways. The pool was in full view of my balcony and unless you had a garden view (1st floor or on the outside rooms of the hotel) you would be able to see the pool. We had some problems with the phones (didn't work or couldn't phone out) and 2 girls changed rooms because their A/C was not working. They do offer some ocean front rooms (would be awesome) as well as some beachfront villas, with their own pools.
Pool - great pool and never had a problem getting lounge chairs. The hotel was totally full but the pool was always half full. You get a towel card when you check in and then you trade that in for a towel, right next to the pool. I know that hotels do this because they probably lose a lot of towels but I hate it. I like to have 2 towels (this is the princess in me coming out!) and most towels don't cover the whole lounge chair. Maybe this is why people don't hog the lounge chairs though so perhaps it's a good thing but I still don't like it. Most hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean do this now as well so it's not just in Bali. Lots of activity around the pool bar in the afternoons. What more could you want than being in the tropics, hearing the ocean, cooling off in the pool and drinking cold Bintang all at the same time???
I think the hotel could have a few more staff walking around getting food and drink orders but that was my only only complaint. I can't say that I saw a lot of kids around the pool but maybe it was just the time of year. We were there Nov. 19 - 24th. I did see a few little kids (2-5 years old) playing in the kid's pool with ladies that looked like they were from the kids club. Didn't check out the kids club because I didn't have my kids with me (hence the Bintang binges!!!)
Beach - the beach was under construction and they had a big machine there digging and lifting large rocks in place to make a secure beach wall. This is to protect the erosion that is happening all along this area. I have to say that it was not what I visualized because I live 1200 kms. from the ocean and I love walking along the beach. Apparently they will have stairs built that you can use to actually get to the water but that's in the works. It looked like it was getting close to completion. It's not very visually attractive but if it helps the erosion, that's a good thing. I also noticed the same beach wall being constructed at the Patra and was told it was going to happen right down as far as the Padma Hotel in Legian.
Location - what can I say other than this is probably the main reason to say at this hotel. The Discovery Mall is right next door. I vowed that I would not shop at a mall in Bali as I wanted to support the local businesses instead BUT after hearing about and seeing all the great purchases that other girls had made, I broke down. The first time I just saw one area, where they have all the handicrafts and smaller shops and thought, ‘what's the big deal'??? Then I was enlightened by the group and found the department stores. You really could get everything you could possibly want in this mall, if that's how you want to shop in Bali. For some, it was a quick fix every day but some spent hours scouring every bit of it.
There were also some awesome restaurants close by that we enjoyed. Kin Khao - great food and really interesting bathrooms. Ifiori - great service and good people watching if you sit outside. We did see a number of close calls between people, cars, motor cycles and horses so please be careful walking across the streets in Bali!!! Pedestrians don't have the right of way! As long as you know we are at the same level as the bugs on the food chain when it comes to traffic, you'll do fine. Ryoshi's - service wasn't great but the sushi was! It's up a flight of stairs right beside Batan Waru. Had dessert at BW and it was delicious.
The hotel was less than a 10 minute walk to Kuta Square and Matahari's. Found a great shop on Kuta Square called Bagus watches. They had really nice knock off items: watch's (nicer than what you see on the beach), scarfs, pens, sun glasses, hair clips, jewelry etc. Most of the girls went back 2 or 3 times because the shopping was so good here.
I have to admit that after 16 trips to Bali I always think there couldn't be anything that I will find to buy...I have everything. I have done 4 - 40 foot containers of furniture over the years so I even have my house and yard filled with beautiful furniture, stone carvings etc. Never say never though because I am always one of the biggest shoppers on the trips. The Balinese have new handicrafts, clothing, jewelry etc., every year. I find that the girls that say they aren't shoppers, are usually the ones that are racing around on the last day buying more. It's just such a different experience to shop in markets and deal with the local artists and shop keepers than it is to fight your way through a mall at home.
The only thing that we had booked while at the beach was a trip to Jengalla in Jimbaran. They sell the green ceramic pottery that you see everywhere but now it's made in almost every color you can imagine. They also have beautiful glass items, silver cutlery and some other home décor items. I love this showroom. It's very large, bright and full of beautiful pieces. They will pack your goods so that you can take them as carry on or they even do shipping if that's what you want. Every time I go to Bali I buy a few pieces that I add to my collection. Fixed prices, they take credit cards, it's A/C'd and they have good toilets.
After that we drove down to Uluwatu to see the Kecak Dance. If you haven't been before, this is another highlight for me. The dance is performed in an amphitheatre style venue and it starts at 600PM. While the dance is being performed the sun is setting over the ocean and Uluwatu temple in the background...spectacular view.
A word of caution is that the monkeys here are brutal. They will try and steal anything from you that is not attached...think glasses, earrings, cameras, hats etc. I talked to a friend who said some groups were boycotting Uluwatu because of the monkey problem. They felt that the locals were contributing to the problem by not feeding the monkeys and then charging the tourists money to try and get back whatever the monkeys have taken. It's all fun and games until someone gets their prescription glasses taken and doesn't get them back or gets them back and they are totally mangled. It's usually older tourists that this happens to and they are quite mad plus they can't see! We sat next to an elderly man from Holland and that's what happened to him.
I took half the girls to get our seats when we arrived but the other half wanted to walk up to the temple (this is where most of the monkeys are). They all came back laughing as my guide had his glasses and hat taken. He said that was the first time in 20 years of going to Uluwatu this has happened to him. He had just finished telling the girls he didn't need to remove his glasses or hat as the monkeys were afraid of the locals. He admitted afterwards the monkeys probably didn't know he was a local from the back! I hope they get this sorted out as it really is a must see if you are staying in the southern part of Bali.
One night I took my 75 year old friend on the trip down to Legian Beach to watch the sunset. We managed to get 2 chairs (and a couple of cold Bintangs of course!) but found ourselves surrounded by the local beach sellers so ditched the chairs and stood down by the ocean. The beach was packed and the sunset was fabulous that day. I love watching the sunset in Bali and apparently many others do as well as the beach of a beehive of activity. Definitely a must do as well. One of these days I am going to get to S & S's for a cocktail with fellow forumits!
Afterwards we all met up at Kori's Restaurant. Great food and the best chocolate martinis anywhere. The shopping on Poppies 2 is great. Every time another girl from our group arrived at the restaurant she would show us what she had bought and then there'd an exodus of girls leaving the table to find those shops. It was a fun night and we all ended up with the silky Balinese housecoats from the shop down the road. When they finally ran out of housecoats we ordered our dinner!
A few last things...
Never had any credit card problems and I used my card at all the hotels and restaurants that I ate at plus Matahari and other stores that had fixed pricing.
Two of the girls (out of 16) got sick for a few days...mostly severe stomach pains that radiated into the back area. I don't think it was Bali belly as they didn't have to be close to the toilet (if you know what I mean) so it was kind of unusual. One girl had a fever as well and severe sweats one night. It lasted for 4 days for both of them.
My guide that I've used for 16 years now had a baby (well, his wife did) while we were in Bali. That was a special time for all of us as we got to see the new baby when she was 5 days old. This was their 3rd girl and I know they had hoped and prayed for a boy. Nick (English name) is the oldest of 4 boys and has certain family responsibilities so a boy would have been the icing on the cake. I hope that in years to come the tradition of having the girls leave the home to live with their husband's family changes. Most of the Balinese traditions I love and that is what keeps me going back to Bali but this is one tradition that needs to be re-visited by the powers that be. They are trying to control their population and suggest that couples only have 2 children but that is a contradiction for those couples that only have girls.
The departure tax did increase as of November 1st to 150,000 rp. and there seemed to be lots of people still on Nov. 24th when we left that were caught off guard. The line up was really slow to pay the departure tax as people dug through pockets, bags etc., to find the extra 50,000 rp.
Bali was the busiest that I've ever seen it although I walked over to Bemo corner one day and it seemed pretty quiet in that area. I wondered if the Discovery Mall was taking away some of the local business.
The girls on this trip just loved Bali but all for different reasons. I'm just getting the trip evaluation forms back and some loved Ubud best for its quaintness and others loved the beach area best because it had more of the comforts of home. I guess that's why I love Bali. It had something for everyone...spirituality, shopping, spas, beautiful scenery, golfing, amazing restaurants and the most beautiful people who are willing to share their homes, traditions and culture with us.
This was the 4th time that I've taken a group of ladies to Bali with me. It is a totally different experience that travelling by yourself (and partner) but it is a blast. The main challenge when we are all together is finding a restaurant that can accommodate 16 people. I usually book ahead when we have group dinners and I find most restaurants are even willing to give separate bills. The food in Bali is so wonderful so I try and stay away from the hotel restaurants (not slighting the hotel food but there are just so many choices). In Amed I had to include the meals because it just wasn't going to work transporting 16 people around for lunch and dinner when we were snorkelling, getting massages etc. It's not something that I would recommend if you are travelling on your own but it worked for our group.
The fun part is that we get to share the experiences together. Of course the shopping is always a huge part of our trips and if someone finds something unique/beautiful/good price etc., etc., then we all get to check out that shop as well. And best of all is that we always have enough people to have a party, regardless of where we are. Life is supposed to be fun and Bali is an easy place to make that happen! I can't say we get really wild (at least nothing that I can share on-line) but there is lots of laughter and sharing.
My groups always leave Bali with a smile on their face and a feeling of calmness. To see people living a simpler life, respecting their community, friends and family, honouring their religion and not letting the normal stresses overwhelm them, is very refreshing. My tour guide still says that his goal everyday is to be able to feed his family. This is what brings him joy!
And then we get back to reality... This is when I start planning the next Bali trip!
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Just a few words about Hong Kong. We spent 2 nights at the Royal Garden Hotel - loved it and loved the location. I've been to HKG over 30 times (my husband used to work for Cathay Pacific) and had never stayed at this hotel. Great beds and plasma TV's...not that I watched TV but if you had the time...
We really only had 1 full day there but went to the Jade Market, rode the Star Ferry, walked through Central to the Peak Tram, had lunch at the Peak, taxi to Aberdeen and did a sampan ride and then took the double decker bus to Stanley Market...shopped and had dinner there and then took a taxi back to Kowloon. A crazy day but we saw a lot and did more shopping (just when everyone thought we couldn't possibly shop more).
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Love the BTF and thanks to all of you that have contributed over the years. I lurk around on this site quite often. Sometimes to find answers to my questions, sometimes to share info but mostly to get my Bali fix when I have the ‘I'm missing Bali blues'.
Cheers and wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Cathy - Calgary, Canada