Slept in until 7.00am this morning - those Vodka roskas really did the trick. Pity I have made such a big dent in the bottle of Absolut though - it's not going to last much longer at this rate!
We head to breakfast & then say our goodbyes to the friendly wait staff - see you next year we say (we've already decided that we'll be back at VPA for next Christmas). Hubby heads off on a last bike ride while Miss 5 and I start packing & then head for the pool. Checkout is not until midday so it's a leisurely morning.
We check out & leave our luggage & walk 2 mins down the lane to Sumo for a Japanese lunch. The food here is really good, so good that we have not made it to our previous favourite, Kokoya, once during the week. It's just too convenient to the hotel to bother going anywhere else for Japanese.
At 1.00pm we head back to the VPA to wait for our transfer to the Novotel at Nusa Dua. We've booked 5 nights in the Penthouse Ruby, privately owned 2 bedroom apartment. I've never set foot in Nusa Dua before so it's all new to me.
We check in through the hotel reception & then head up to our apartment in Block 8 on the 5th floor. Wow! The apartment is gorgeous, spacious and beautifully furnished in tropical style. The pictures on the website do not lie :-) Everything you could want is here - fully equipped kitchen with a fridge stocked with drinks, computer with internet, mountain bike, 3 big screen TVs, a DVD player with a selection of movies. There are 2 balconies - 1 off the main living area & 2nd bedroom with a table & chairs & a double daybed and a smaller one of the main bedroom with a table & chairs. 2 bathrooms. The fittings & furnishings are top quality.
I may never leave this room LOL.
Miss 5 has other ideas though, she wants to check out the pool ASAP.
We head down for a swim, play a bit of water basketball and then Miss 5 makes some new friends while hubby & I have a poolside cocktail. He has a Lychee mojito & I go for the Pina Colada served in a coconut shell. We won't be making a habit of this as the cocktails are expensive (RP 100,00 each) but it's nice to celebrate our arrival in style!
After a shower (aahhh bliss, the biggest overhead "rainfall" shower with thermostat temp control) we head for the lobby to catch the shuttle to Bali Collection for dinner & to pick up a few supplies.
Bali Collection (aka BC) was not what I was expecting! It is far, far bigger than what I'd imagined with many, many shops & restaurants including a SOGO department store. I had thought that I'd ease off on the shopping for the next 5 days but I may have to reassess that idea! We had dinner at Tropical (it is a "chain" of restaurants & we'd eaten at the 2 in Ubud previously & found the food really good). Hubby had prawn fettucine, Miss 5 had chicken nuggets & chips (real fried chicken, not frozen nuggets) and I had mushroom risotto. Mine was very disappointing, it was bland & I could not taste any of the pesto it was supposed to contain. Hubby & Miss 5's meals were good though, although the serves are quite small. Miss 5 had chocolate fudge cake for dessert. Hubby & I shared a bottle of the Two Islands Riesling (not bad, quite drinkable when it's very cold), we had a water & a juice Total bill was RP 515,000 and we were offered free return transport to the hotel.
Everyone was in bed by 9.00pm sleeping soundly in our comfy king sized beds :-)