I have been on the forum for over ten years off and on (started before we had to have a password.) However, living in Canada means that we have only been to Bali twice. Since our last trip four years ago, we noticed a few changes.
We stayed for 19 nights at the Tegal Sari, FS Sayan, Taman Selini up in Pemuteran, FS Jimbaran Bay and finally the Resor Seminyak. All were repeats except for Taman Selini. We wanted to stay at Taman Sari but had been advised that they were full, but weren't when we actually got there . Sari looks much better that Selini and we had several meals there. One thing about Selini is that the owner and chef are Greek so there are tasty Greek dishes on the menu including Nescafe frappes.
News.
- Resor Seminyak is going to close in August for a remodelling to turn it into a five star hotel. Couldn't get a good idea of what they are doing but villas were mentioned. Sorry to see it happen as it was good value and well located. Stayed in the Superior room closest to the pool (#132) and worth the extra money for the extra space. Not so sure about the blue, heart-shaped Jacuzzi 'tho.
- Tegal Sari in Ubud is constructing two villas that will be separately managed. One is a 1 bedroom and is still being built. The other is a 2 bedroom but I believe it can be rented as two 1 bedrooms. Prices are $150 USD range. They are only taking walk-in traffic right now as the 2 bedroom is still in the last 10% stage of construction and not fully finished.
- The Body Works in Seminyak near the Legian is not the same as the one in Ubud. I went there on my wife's recommendation and it was only average. More of a production line with many rooms. Best massage was at the Four Seasons but Zen in Ubud was best for value. My wife liked her Ubud Bodyworks massage, and Jari Menari in Seminyak remains her favourite .
- Bali Safari Park is constructing a ginormous theatre and water area. Wonder if the $25 admission is going up or did I pay too much.
Highlights
- Ogoh-ogohs and watching them being built in Ubud. One village had a dozen all lined up for the procession on Jl Hanoman ranging from the kid's ones (sized for two to carry) to the biggest.
- Bike-Baik bike ride ('baik' is Balinese for 'good') www.balibike.com. Riding downhill for two hours (only a coupla small hills) through villages with only a few scooters for traffic. In every village, the kids come out with big smiles to wave hello. Amazing to see how the entire rice production is done by hand - threshing & winnowing in the field. At the end of the ride, had a meal at Wayan's family compound, getting a first-hand look at family life. He is in the process on building a restaurant building there as well.
- The baby orangutang and 4 month old lioness cub at the Bali Safari Park. However this was also a lowlight as the lion cub may have been sedated?? The 10-month old white tiger was sedated for sure. Also liked feeding the elephants carrots, and scratching a camel's nose.
- Tiramisu at Ultimo on Eat Street. Went back another night just for dessert.
- Tegal Sari and the staff.
- Having picture taken with 8 Japanese-Australian girls in bunny ears at Rumours, out on a hen party.
- The Four Seasons... villa with private plunge pool and breakfast room service. The very best place to spend Nyepi day.
- Really liked having my meal order repeated back to me for confirmation.
- Eat Street in Seminyak really lively at night and all the restos there are good.
- Monkey Forest in Ubud. Monkeys very soft and pretty well behaved. The wardens make sure that you handle your bananas properly.
- Mutiari shirt store on Jl Raya in Ubud. Love their designs and wife bought me 14 as a present.
- John Hardy workshop and lunch with owner and staff. Bought wife a few shiny things.
- Inexpensive transport. Even took a scooter back to hotel several times.
- Walking along the beach in the morning watching the surfers, dog walkers, etc., etc.
- Global Chiropractors at Kuta Galleria - did an excellent job on my wife's back which got out of whack while rafting
- Constant sound of running water and / or Gamelan music
- Durian tied to the back bumper, to keep the smelly fruit out of the car
- The delightful, gentle, friendly, relaxed Balinese people. We come back with a different view about what's important in life after spending time with them.
Lowlights
- The traffic. In Seminyak, the bypass or Sunset road can really get bogged down in late afternoon. In Ubud, the streets are already one-way - don't know how they will manage if things get much busier...which they will
- Bali Galleria. Turns out it is a DFS mall and all the big names plastered outside are just small counters.
- White water rafting company called Bali Rafting aka Bali Action Adventures. Boats and life jackets were tired, patched and rafts didn't ride well. We kept getting stuck where other companies' rafts would sail by. Noticeable at the dam drop where we got stuck and started to go sideways over the edge which isn't a good thing. And I was in the front! (Note: the river is gorgeous and rafting worthwhile overall - but this company sucked)
- The Living Room. Didn't get to it 4 years ago so when we were in the neighbourhood we went for dinner. Strange combo of ingredients and everything came with foam on it!. Imagine three different meals, all with the same whitey-yellow foam. Expensive compared to others on Eat Street. Stay away.
- Bebek Bengal (Dirty Duck) in Ubud. The duck was just plain overdone and nasty. No meat.
- Rained about three out of four afternoons. Had hoped that t would have been better weather but Nyepi Day was a determining factor for the timing of our trip.
- Garbage in the water whilst snorkelling at Menjangan Island. Seem to be less interesting fish this time too.
- Four Season meal prices. The rooms are worth it for what you get, but I don't understand why the meals are so expensive. And then there's the 21% service charge and tax on top.
- Seeing a crowd on the beach and thinking it was some sort of temple ceremony. Turns out it was the whole village as a 35 -yr-old Balinese man was missing and later drowned. He was a non-swimmer and got into trouble in the surf.
- Uluwatu Kecak performance. The dance was a spectacular as ever, but very crowded with tour groups that kept pouring in. Would be better if they limited ticket sales to manage the not large space
- Resor Seminyak pool bar drinks and drink prices. Terrible tasting drinks and it's only after 3pm ( half price Happy Hour) that the prices are reasonable. Can't understand this logic. Would sell alot more if fairly priced. Large Bintang is 45K- go figure.
- Cathay Pacific. Give me Singapore Airlines anytime.