This is our third holiday to Bali with our two kids now aged 7 & 9. Mum & Dad have been a few times pre-critters.
Coming from Tassie I can sympathise with those who commute long distances to get to their international departure point .... oh and New Zealanders as well. It is wonderful however to migrate north during our winter school break.
We thought we would give Pacific Blue a run this year, who post booking messed around with our flight times no end. Our departure time ex- Melbourne changed to 8.00am hence the need to do an over-nighter at Melbourne Airport. Thanks to some savvy internet hunting I found a 40% discount code for the Hilton and we bunkered down in a (Double/Double) room at the Hilton Melbourne Airport Hotel. Being six foot six I wish they had a (Queen/Queen) or even better a (King/King) room. The room however was modern and well appointed with double glazed windows, so plane noise isn't a problem. The kids eagerly watched the planes and activity in the busy airport below. Another big bonus was the hotel pool which instantly placed us all in holiday mode.
Dinner was enjoyed at PJ O'Brien's Irish Pub inside the terminal. We were all pleasantly surprised. The food was tasty and the servings were large, prices (for an airport) were reasonable. I had a very nice roast pork washed down with a pint of Guinness of course.
Next morning we flew out with Pacific Blue. I think their planes are smaller than Jetstar but the crew were very friendly. I always go an exit row which allows good leg room. For those who think this is a luxury for big people, think again. The downside is that shoulder room is at a premium. Let alone trying to share that little arm rest. Needless to say the shoulder room on Pacific Blue seems heaps less than Jetstar. Myself and the big bloke next to me seemed to share time alternating between reclining and then leaning forwards reading to prevent the next feature film 'Clash of the Shoulders' filmed exclusively in the 'blue zone'!!. That's certainly not the mile high experience I am after.
Ahh Imigrasi at Denpasar, only 1 hour this time shuffling in line at a snails pace. Why oh why don't they just open a few more counters??
Anyway we picked up a few RP at a low rate at Denpasar Terminal and then grabbed a cab from the pre-paid counter outside the main doors to Sanur for RP 95 000.
Our digs for our first five nights was The Peneeda View Beach Hotel in a two bedroom apartment. This isn't a glossy or fancy shmancy joint but pleasant all the same. There were also plenty of friendly guests and other kids for ours to play with. My wife commented a few times they could certainly do with a karcher high pressure hose on some paths and walls. It has three smallish pools and the best two are in the middle. I so wanted to get a back hoe and join them up together. There is no grand foyer in this established resort. The two bedroom apartment was large with a decent sized fridge and a TV in the kids room. BBC & Aus TV were the only two English speaking channels so if your kids can't do without cartoons bring a portable DVD player. I brought the IPod with portable speakers which provided a little ambiance. It was reasonably clean but the loo stank of concentrated ammonia. The beds were good and I slept like a log. Oh & the aircon worked fine. Price has since gone up but we scored the apartment for AUD $100 per night through balidiscoverydotcom, which I think is great value for a two bedroom apartment beachside. The rate also included breakfast at the beachfront restaurant.
Breakfast is an experience in itself. You order what you want from a set menu. This includes cereal (be sure to order milk as well), a single sausage, eggs, toast separate, fruit, croissants, scrolls, nasi goreng etc.
Oh there is also complimentary afternoon tea which is as it says .... a cup of tea.
First night we dined at the Coriander restaurant opposite the resort on the main drag. We dined on lumpia 'spring rolls' and squid rings for entrée, fush and chups and chicken satays for the kuds, green chicken curry and Nasi Goreng. It was such a nice feed we returned again on another night.
Food prices across the board seem to have gone up a little. Few places are providing complimentary bread, prawn crackers or arak upon arrival anymore.
I am at a quandary about a few dishes. In particular Nasi Goreng. I mean Coriander had the nicest Nasi Goreng rice out of anywhere. However just about everywhere serves up a fully fried egg on top. I thought a real Nasi Goreng was meant to have an egg which you could break the yolk on making it soak into the rice, yum yum. Perhaps I'm wrong?
Anyways we are the family of lumpia samplers and the best are yet to come.
As a side issue, I pride myself on grading a few foods which are;
Nasi Goreng - Coriander Sanur
Souvlaki - Lambs Melbourne
Dim Sims - East Melbourne Market
Creamy Seafood Pasta - Italian Restaurant Napier NZ, 24 Hour Italian Restaurant Chapel Street Melbourne, Massimo Restaurant Sanur & LaTaverna Sanur
Spring Rolls AKA Lumpia - To be revealed !!
First impressions; .... It was so nice to arrive at a decent hour giving us time to have a swim, get supplies, change money and have tea. Apparently it had been a dry March/April and we experienced a lot of mainly overcast and rainy days in our first five days in Sanur.
Would we stay at Peneeda View again, maybe ... although dated it had a lot of good points. We had a walk through the Besakih which had lovely grounds and a fantastic looking true beachside pool. They also have a few interconnecting deluxe and superior rooms but it's in the next price bracket up from the Peneeda.
Other restaurants we dined at in Sanur included;
Massimo - Big yummy dishes, gelato for dessert as you leave.
Star Bar - Great breakfast menu and nice lunches, internet RP6000 for 15 minutes.
Donald's On The Beach - Simply the best apple cinnamon pancakes about.
Bonsai - An old favourite on the beach.
Bennos on the Beach - Nice for lunch.
We tried to get into Mona Lisa but it was booked out, that must be saying something.
We also spent a BIG day out with a few local boys but I'll leave that for Part 2 as it is a lengthy tale in itself.