In Reply to: What is the Lokha in Legian like? posted by baligranny on Friday, 22. April 2011 at 01:35 Bali Time:
have changed a bit since then. It's in a great location with great shopping and places to eat in the area.
The Lokha-rooms were relatively clean, sheets changed daily and hotel staff lovely. Breakfast was good, from memory you could have eggs, omelette to order and very yummy pancakes amongst local dishes. You could eat as much as you wanted back then but I'm not sure now. The pool has a shallow section and a deeper pool which is nice. It was a little dirty at times but what pool doesn't get like that after heavy rain?? Pool cleaner was out in force which was good to see. The downside to the Lokha that I found was the bathroom. There is an open cavity in the wall between the room and the bathroom with only a roman style blind/curtain for your privacy. This would not be a problem if you're traveling with someone you're intimate with however I was with a friend so a little annoying. Also a bit awkward if you're say affected by all the chilli you eat if you get my drift!!
Other than that I would stay there again but would probably prefer to stay in a ground floor room which has a daybed out front overlooking the pool, I think they only have these with king beds but I could be wrong.
Shellfish Allergy- I have a severe life threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) to all seafood, fish and related sauces so it's a little tricky (but not impossible) to eat anywhere in the world, particularly where seafood is so prominent. I ate at some Aussie owned places as they ensured all cooking utensils, pots and plates were cleaned thoroughly. One of them was Sheppy's (Jim and Jo-owners) in Melasti St which runs parallel to Padma St, just walk up Garlic Lane and it's a little to the right once you get to the end and cross over. I also ate at Indo National (across the road from Lokha and a little to the left) which gets good and bad reports on here, again I ate here out of necessity rather than the amazing food but I never had a problem at either place, I have also heard the owners have changed hands but still western. I stayed at Casa Padma just down the road from Lokha in 2009 and ate across the road at Wayan and Friends. I mostly ate here for lunch as they have nice rolls which are very cheap (@ IDR 30-35K) from memory, again no issues here.
There are plenty of places to eat around here both western and local, it all really depends on the severity of the allergy and what risks they are willing to take.
I always travel with medication (Telfast 180-non drowsy, Phenergan 25mg-very drowsy! and an auto injector Epi-Pen) I also travel with anti bacterial wipes to makes sure cutlery is wiped down as I can react from touching something which is a pain!!
Last but not least I took out travel insurance with Southern Cross Travel Ins as they cover pre-existing for only a small fee. I also travel with a letter from my Doctor to cover the medication I need to take over-on board luggage and never in checked bags, never had an issue with customs. Also good to familiarize yourselves with any medical centres, BIMC was great when my friend took a fall but very expensive if you don't have insurance!!
Other places to eat that people like but I wouldn't rush back to are the pizza shop attached to Lokha and Mozarella's across the road, I didn't like them and wouldn't rush back but they both get great reports so maybe I'm just fussy or got them both on a bad day!!
A must 'go to' if you like good quality leather bags is Tommy's which is across the road in Padma st and to the right towards the beach, just past Garlic Lane, opposite Posers Pub (Posers also gets the thumbs up from many forumites but have never tried it). Tommy's have lovely leather bags, not cheap for Bali but very cheap compared to Aus, closed on Sunday's and maximum discount I have evr managed to get is 10% after buying 7 bags-tough nuts to crack but I didn't mind, it kind of gets like a game with the boys there on every trip! Can't wait to go back in Oct, though having said that I don't need any more bags!!
if you want a nice cheap spa "Ambiente" is across the road and just behind the Circle K on cnr of Garlic Lane and Padma St-good prices, clean salon.
You can search the forum on all the places I have mentioned and you should be able to find reports from other forumites or just type my username "kik" in and you can find my posts/JBR from 2011 which may be of some use for shopping tips and day trips. Apologies for any spelling errors, have come off night shift and am a little sleepy!!
I hope this helps somewhat, I have left my email open if you need more info, cheers, Kris