I have been an avid reader and a rare poster here since I booked my bali trip-but as I used so much of the information I gathered here I thought I would do a bit of a JBR.I hope it doesnt become too boring as am probably only telling the same as everyone else!!
I travelled with my husband and my 2 sons, (15 y/o and 8 y/o).
Accommodation-Puri Raja
We looooved the Puri Raja. We had 2 rooms (207+208) upstairs very near the pool bar and restaurant. They were very clean and I thought plenty spacious enough for us. The boys hired a dvd player to watch all their new movies and were happy of the room to themselves.
The breakfasts seems to have varying reports and I was a little worried due to some of the bad reviews but I thought they were wonderful. We just ordered whatever we wanted from the menu. The value was to be up to the cost of the american breakfast but we all ordered different things and we still didnt ever seem to reach the limit and had more than enough beautifully cooked and fresh food to start our days. I loved that it wasnt a buffet and was cooked as you ordered. Our breakfast waiter was a delight and befriended my children and they loved seeing him each morning.
Bali Baik- We did this on our second day here. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. I am lucky enough to work with the gorgeous DidiAust and she told me that this wasnt to be missed and I am so glad I listened to her. It was pouring in Legian when we were collected and we drove through flooding roads up to Ubud and I was a bit worried about how we were going to ride through this rain but once we arrived the raining subsided and was beautiful. It did make the roads very slippery and one of our more vintage riders came off over her handlebars down a hill about 15 minutes into the ride and our guide Suka, was so attentive, he couldnt get off his bike and run to her quickly enough. She was ok in the end and did the rest of her trip in the support van and said she enjoyed it just as much. I found the journey to be quite spiritual in parts where I was riding at the back of the pack and there was a ceremony on with loud music and the rain softly sprinkling on me in the middle of the greenest canopy I had ever been in. I was thinking that no wonder the Balinese people are so serene!
We had a delicious lunch at Wayan's compound, met his father and wife and he showed us the new house he had built for his brothers and wives and the new pavillion he is building for a restaurant and has plans in the near future to run a cooking school. Quite the entrepreneur. His Dad got out his cockfighting chickens and put on a little scratch for us(no blades etc) which was a pretty bizarre but unique experience.
I think this day is a must do for everone that goes to Bali.
Dreamland and BIMC day
We hired the delightful Buda on recommendation for the day and headed off to Dreamland for my husband to surf and us to relax for awhile with the plan of heading on to Uluwatu etc later in the day.
I loved Dreamland and just ignored the monstrous building going on around it. My 8 y/o hired a boogie board and off he went. The husband went off surfing and the 15 y/o and I grabbed some sunloungers and he had a massage and I relaxed......until the 8 y/o came out a bit upset as had been massively dumped and was covered in head to toe sand. I thought this incredibly funny and was asking him (quite insensitively) could I please take a photo of him covered in the sand-hehe.
Then my husband came up beside me and said quietly that the was injured. I had a look at him and his right shoulder seems at a very odd angle. We slowly made our way back up to Buda and we were trying to work out what was wrong, I (selfishly) hoped it was just his shoulder popped out and we could just get it popped back in and be on our merry way. Husband soldiered on and we went to Uluwatu for lunch and Buda stopped to get him some ice for his shoulder, the pain increasing he finally admitted he needed to go to hospital.
So off to BIMC we went and dropped him off for what we thought would be a long wait, Buda took us back to hotel to grab insurance papers etc and dropped them back . In this time he had already been seen and diagnosed with a fractured collarbone up near the shoulder socket and that they wanted to do surgery. Anyway 2 days in hospital and 30 odd phone calls backwards and forwards between hospital and insurance and we are told by insurance that surgery will not be performed in Bali and they will upgrade his ticket to business class to have more comfort on the flight and for us to follow up once in Aus.
BIMC was the nicest hospital I have ever been in. I live in Newcastle and I have had children in the supposed upmarket private hospital and BIMC was much better! I felt very comfortable there and would have had no hesitation in having his surgery performed there.
So there ended my husbands surfing trip, he suffered through the rest of the holiday with his broken collarbone and once we arrived home went to our local hospital and were told that had started mending already and no surgery required now which was great.
Waterbom Park-kids loved it. We loved the gazebo (no.8). Right on the lazy river with one of the water features behind us so was a lovely sound all day. I had the Balinese massage in the spa which was heavenly especially as I still had a few sore muscles left over from the bike ride. The only thing I found disconcerting in the spa was while I was totally relaxed getting massaged the music they were playing, obviously catering for the predominantly Aussie clientele. I would be half drifing off to sleep and then there would be a crash of thunder and louding laughing kookaburras etc. Which even in Aus I wouldnt find relaxing-lol. The massage was really worth the extra expense and would go back again even with the kookaburras!
Safari Park-Booked Buda again for the day and went off to Safari Park, I told Buda I had read that he could get in for free as our guide (well that is what I read on here so was hoping it was true!). He hadnt ever heard that so asked once he got there and got his free guide pass and was so chuffed that he was getting in too. I was more than happy to pay for him though if it hadnt been accurate info.
We got there right on 9 and was perfect as not too many people there and was no line up to nurse the orangutan etc. I loved that so much. The park was fabulous and got to get much closer to animals than you would ever be able to here.
We stayed until about 1 I think (didnt do the waterpark as had done waterbom the previous day). I liked the park but dont know if I would go back next time I go to Bali. Think its a bit of a one time thing.
After this we all went to Cafe Wayan for lunch which was my fave restaurant of the holiday!
Took the kids to the Monkey forest after this where my 8 y/o bought bananas and loved feeding all the monkeys, especially all the ones with the cute new babies on them.
I loved Ubud and think if I went back would stay up here for at least a few days.
Shopping-I had intentions of getting clothes made and doing lots of shopping. With the accident etc time slipped away and it didnt happen.
The boys did HEAPS of fixed price shopping with Ketut and got their summer wardrobes sorted for well under $100 with more clothes than they will probably wear. They also bought quite a few pairs of the market shoes (adidas, lonsdale etc), be interesting to see how long they last!
I am not really a market type shopper (not because I am a snob but dont really wear surf clothes). So was looking forward to going shopping in Seminyak. I quickly called up one day while Husband in BIMC for a look and bought some beautiful shoes from ET CLUB in JL Seminyak (across from Bintang) and some jewellery from Alia Silver for gifts. I looked about for a bit but children were over it and thought I would go back on my last day when we had nothing planned.
The last day being a Sunday, off I jump in a cab and leave the husband and boys around pool at PR. Very excited to be finally having a shopping day in Seminyak! I had read so much and had so many shops written down.....only to find that the majority shut on a Sunday. I was so upset! lol. I got the driver to take me to Joy jewellery hoping I would at least be able to get the bracelet I had been admiring on the internet for 6 months! I jumped out and there were two others waiting for it to open too. I walked up and down the street for half an hour looking in closed shops and the gave up and went back to hotel.
In the afternoon I did take another cab up just in case and was opened again so luckily I did buy the bracelet but still the clothing stores were shut.
Probably ended up ok in the end as have money left for another trip now-hahah.
Restaurants-again due to the injury plans went awry. I had planned to go to some nice places such as Sarong and Hu'u etc but once the accident happened the husband could put a shirt on so we ate at the local places that this was ok, draped a shirt around his shoulder).
Seaside x2 -The boys loved the pool table and voted to go there every night.
Kumala Pantai restaurant x 2-I loved this place. Had woodfired pizza one night and was great. Loved the gelato too!
Ate at lots of warungs- Warung Wali, Tropical, Yogya. Legian snacks.
La Monde-the satay were delicious here.
Ordering cocktails was pretty funny as they all seemed to be out of tequila and bacardi. I was having daquiris made on vodka etc. which was ok in the end!
Gave in and let the kids have kfc while Husband was in hospital. We went to have a look at Centro (which I thought hopeless) and let them pick what they wanted. It was the only day I ended up with a funny tummy too which I thought funny after some of the dodgy looking places we had eaten.
These has probably gone on too long already so will go now and hope it will be slightly helpful to a first timer as everyone elses information was to me! Thanks