Back from a great fortnight in Bali. Travelled as a couple with two good friends and had a ball.
AA flight from Perth was easy as was VOA and the whole arrival thing.
Part one: We stayed at the Pelangi Hotel in Seminyak, in a Deluxe Spa Room, the room was spacious and well maintained. The linen changed daily and the bathroom was clean and ample toiletries provided. The room was at the end of the corridor but no pool noise was evident due to the lush, well maintained garden in between. Our breakfasts were of a good standard and some items changed daily. The egg station girls were busy and friendly. The staff at the hotel are great, from the front desk all the way through the ranks. The pool is great and the swim up bar is a nice touch. Walk down to the beach and enjoy the beach wurrungs, wow, they are so cool. Crystal Palace and La Plancha were our favourites and sunsets on a bean bag sipping a cocktail were memorable.
The girls had a shopping trip to Poppies 1 and left us at the men's day-care centre at Blokesworld Bar, where a few cold ales were enjoyed while watch a live band, Crazyhorse, who rocked!
We enjoyed watching them again later in the night at Santa Fe. The crew at the string of gay bars adjacent were having a great time and we will check them out next year.
A shopping trip to Discovery Mall is so much more enjoyable having lunch at the Segara restaurant afterwards, I love the grilled squid.
We enjoyed a fantastic night in Seminyak dining firstly at Nirvana which was excellent and then down to Zappas Bar for a dance and drinks. Zappas was full with a fun loving mature crowd.
We enjoyed the location of the Pelangi for the beach strip scene but if its street action you crave, a taxi anywhere is very cheap.
Part two: Off to the Bali Spirit in Ubud, check in was memorable as there was an Earthquake which shook the place up, staff were great and ushered us out into the car park.
We stayed 4 nights in an Emerald Room. The room was clean and well maintained. Bathroom is a touch small but not terrible. The bed was comfortable and the views from the balcony are fabulous. Mozzie coils are placed in the room by staff in the evening. WiFi is ok. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well maintained. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. I would not recommend the hotel for people that cannot handle stairs as being built on a hillside there are plenty. The swimming pool and swim up bar are very nice where we spent many hours relaxing. Breakfast is adequate to kick start the day and is made fresh. We ate at the restaurant a couple of times and the menu and food was very good. There are also some good dining options within walking distance or a cab is cheap. The hotel provides a shuttle bus into Ubud centre. For the price that we paid for the room, we believe that the hotel represents excellent value. We had a very relaxing stay with our friends who had stayed at the hotel before and we would return again also. The construction on the other side of the valley is a minor negative only.
A trip to the Dirty Duck restaurant was enjoyable as was the Lotus Cafe and Laka - Leke restaurant.
Part three: The guys packed up and transported to Bedugal - Bali Handara Golf Club, wow what a breathtaking view up in the mountains, not as lush as Ubud but very nice. We stayed one night and had 18 holes in the afternoon and 18 the following morning. The course is challenging and in good condition. The fairways are a bit dry but not dead. The greens were perfect. The new manager is doing a great job in getting things up to scratch. The pro shop had plenty of stock and the hire clubs were good. The caddies were good. Our bungalow was better than expected as was the whole package, not perfect but quite good for the price. Bathroom was clean and beds comfortable and clean also. We had a look at the honeymoon suites to take our wives in the future as they look very good. The staff were friendly and attentive. Our meals were Indonesian favourites and of very good quality. The bar area is dated but not run down, drink prices are fair and WiFi is available as is an in house computer. The Hotel and bar lacks atmosphere as there are not a lot of customers but I think that the new manager has a good plan, get the course up to scratch, which is happening fast and the guests will follow as currently most visitors are day trippers for golf only. This place has HUGE potential and has turned the corner. We had a very enjoyable stay and will return.
Part four: Pack the bags and down to Ubud to pick up the Ladies who had relaxing day before at Ariti Spa, my wife enjoyed her Massage, Facial and Pedicure but said the Manicure was poor. They had lunch at Cinta, then tried Pusula Salon and had a good Manicure finally.
Off to Sanur to stay at the Mercure. We have stayed at this end of Sanur quite a few times and like the pace of it. We stayed 5 nights in a Deluxe Room upstairs in the Hibiscus Wing. The room and bathroom were clean and well maintained. A slow flushing toilet was promptly fixed by the maintenance team. The bed was very comfortable and the view from the balcony was over the temple area. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well maintained. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. There are two swimming pool areas which are very nice. Breakfast is buffet style and of good quality, I became addicted to the omelette with the lot, made to order...yummy. There are lots of good dining options within walking distance on the street or along the beach or a cab is cheap if you want to venture up further. The hotel provides a shuttle bus to Hardy's shopping centre. For the price that we paid for the room, we believe that the hotel represents good value. We used the hotel as a base primarily as all of our days were swimming at the pool, and then eating and drinking up and down the Sanur strip. It was my first time at the Mercure and my wife's second, we would stay again.
A highlight was while at Kyoshi on the beach, the ladies blew up balloons for the kids and wow did they have fun, the kids tied the balloons on a string and were running up and down the path and then hopped into a boat to play fishing, the smiles and laughter were priceless!!
We enjoyed eating and drinking at Kesuma, Sale Pepe, Laser Bar, Barbs Sports Wurrung, Kyoshi, Double Dutch (Cocktails were nice), Ratatouille, Mangos, Trophy Bar, Bonsai, Cinnamon and Caesars. Our style of holiday is a relaxing pace with good food and beverage and this one was made better because we were with good friends who we share a lot of common interests with. The formula was simple; we did not cramp each other's space and have lots of fun. The second time we have travelled together as couples and will not be the last.