Been back in the real world for a few days and Bali seems like a lovely dream.
Saturday morning and we were due to leave the All Seasons and head for the Bali Hyatt in Sanur. Before going to the Hyatt, we had planned a visit to Roni, a little boy we sponsor through Bali School Kids. For a very small annual amount, we can help send Roni to school and pay for his uniform, books and other things he needs. Our trusty drive Made picked us up on schedule and drove us to the school in Sobangan. We met Roni, his father and little sister on our last trip to Bali. When we arrived and saw the huge smile on Roni's father's face, I felt very welcome. Roni is quite shy and does not speak English, so I think the 4 of us are quite intimidating. We had received a letter from Roni's father thanking us for the support and he certainly showed that his words were heartfelt. We also met Roni's mother this time and were invited to their home. It was a typical Balinese compound where we also met Mamma and Pappa. I feel very privileged to have met this lovely family and hope our relationship will continue for many years.
After visiting Roni, we headed to the Bali Hyatt. We arrived at midday and as check-in was not until 2pm we were given a hospitality room. We were very grateful for this as it meant we could change and so for a swim. The next day, we actually received a letter from the Hyatt apologising for the inconvenience and asking that we accept a bottle of wine. Hubby and I declared they could inconvenience us more often! It was little touches like this we experience throughout our visit, that make the Hyatt such a wonderful place to stay.
Now that we were in Sanur, I had another list of restaurants to try!!! Here goes.
Cinnamon - this wasn't actually on my list, but we came across it on our first night of exploring. Every restaurant we walked past, including those rated highly, were empty - not a good sign in my book. Cinnamon had quite a few people having dinner so we took the plunge. I am glad we did. All of the food was lovely and very reasonable, this was also the cheapest place we had seen the Hatten Rose. The manager Wayne had a chat with us and we were very impressed with what he had to say.
Charming - this is a lovely restaurant close to the Hyatt. The menu had a French theme and everything we ordered was nice. Nothing was outstanding but when you realise how cheap everything is, there are no complaints.
Rasa Senang - this place was a true culinary experience. I had checked out their website before going to Bali and decided that the Rijsttafel was a must do. There were 17 different taste sensations presented to us and it was a wonderful way to experience dishes we wouldn't necessarily order. Only hubby and I had the rijsttafel but there was enough food for at least 3 adults - I felt wasteful leaving so much food. The kids ordered from the a la carte menu and Master D declared the chicken satay the best he ever had - so much so, we had to order another round. Gee it's expensive feeding a teenager!!! He grew another centimetre in Bali and we were only there 10 days. I thoroughly recommend this restaurant. The décor was beautiful and the staff so helpful, especially when it came to explaining what we were eating!
Ristorante Massimo - this restaurant was close to our hotel and as it rates reasonably well on trip advisor we thought we would give it a go. We popped in during our afternoon walk to have a look, when we saw all of the reserved signs on the tables we thought we had better book - lucky we did, it was very busy that night. When reserving our table the waitress could not have been less interested in us. She fobbed us off onto a young man who was a lot more helpful. Unfortunately, that waitress was to be our waitress that night - need I say more. She was terrible!!! It was more her attitude more than anything, she definitely looked down her nose at everyone. We had another waitress, who was basically the busgirl, she was delightful. At the end of the night we discreetly gave her a tip, but hubby seems to think someone took it off her. About the food - nothing special. Considering this place has an Italian chef, I am surprised the food was so tasteless. The pizza hubby ordered hardly had any topping and had no flavour whatsoever. I couldn't taste any garlic or herbs in any of the dishes. I truly don't know why this place was busy and others not. Although the gelato served at the front of the restaurant was yum!
Pizza Ria - this restaurant was at the Hyatt. As we were leaving at 9.45pm, it seemed like a good idea to eat at the hotel. We were not disappointed. The food had all of the flavour that had been lacking at Massimo. A lot more expensive but a lovely end to a wonderful holiday.
Once again, we did a little more than eat. The Hyatt in Sanur has a shuttle that runs to the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua a few times a day. We took the morning shuttle and spent the day at the Grand Hyatt enjoying the numerous pools and lovely beach. We could even order food and drinks and charge it back to our room in Sanur - how's that for service!
Went shopping at the Sindhu Beach Market and came across Sarina's Shop. Sarina is a dress maker and a real character. She convinced me to try a few things on and I am glad I did. My purchases ranged between 11 & 15aud and are nothing like the usual Bali garb. She copies from magazines and also clothes that her customers bring her. I will definitely be paying Sarina a visit on my next trip with clothes I want copied.
Hardy's in Sanur was also an interesting find. Apart from being able to get all of your food, drink and toiletry needs, they sell clothes, bags, shoes and basically all of the bits and pieces you see in the roadside stalls. Without the hassle of bargaining and very reasonable prices, we kept going back and buying just another handbag, or just another pair of denim shorts.
The final 'event' I will tell you about is our encounter at Bali Dolphins. This experience was truly surreal. When I look at all of the wonderful photos and videos of the 4 of us with Jasmine the dolphin, I cannot help but smile. The experience still does not feel real. We are so lucky to have been able to get so close to such a wonderful mammal. All of our photos show sheer delight, there are no staged smiles to be seen. I don't remember the last time I saw my family so happy. This memory will stay with me for a very long time.
This trip to Bali was wonderful. All of the things I worried about (dengue, rain, Bali belly, exchange rate, security of our money, terrorists, house being broken into while we were away - usual stuff!) never eventuated. Everything was perfect (except the bickering between the kids, but even that was minimal).
Now, to save for the next trip.
Thanks for reading!