Sorry for the delay in the HNRs - I have some catching up to do!!
So, day 6 at Nusa Dua and we can check out at midday but I've re-booked Sunday brunch at the St Regis due to missing out on Christmas Day with hubby's illness so we arrange to leave at 10.30am. We have free transfers to/from Nusa Dua so I've arranged to pay the driver extra to take us to the St Regis & then keep our luggage until 3pm then drop us in Legian. Miss 5 heads down to the kids club for a couple of hours so we can pack & I can get ready for brunch in peace.
I pull all the stops out - makeup AND I blowdry my hair. I have a nice maxi dress to wear and dressy flat sandals. Miss 5 wears one of her new dresses made by the tailor & hubby wears dress shorts & a linen shirt (I havc heeded the fashion advice of those who have been to the St Regis previously LOL).
The entrance to the St Regis is impressive. Everything is on a grand scale here. I was impressed by the entrance and lobby alone, complete with a duo of gamelan players, then Miss 5 announces that she has to go to the toilet (always the first stop when we arrive anywhere it seems!!). Wow, the toilets are nice and I think to myself, I bet hubby's taking a photo in the men's (he's a plumbing consultant so he notices these things). I also think to myself, I don't even think I'd mind having Bali belly if it was in toilets like these - I could think of worse places to spend a few hours LOL. Sure enough, hubby emerges from the men's with camera in hand :-)
We take some photos & then head into the King Cole Bar for the hour of free flowing cocktails. I have a Cosmopolitan to kick things off & hubby has a Mojito. It's only 11am but what the hell, we had a pretty sober NYE and you only live once :-) The waiters just wander around with trays of a variety of cocktails so you can take your pick. I see someone else with a yummy looking passionfruit concoction (turns out it's a daquairi) so I ask for one of those. YUM YUM YUM, best cocktail I've ever had. There is no watering down here - 2 cocktails down & I've got a really good buzz!! Hubby has the signature Bloody Mary with Miss 5 scoring the celery stick.
By this time I've decided that I'm adding the cocktail & wine package to my brunch but hubby decides to be sensible & stick to water. It is an extra RP 495,000 for 3 hours of cocktails, wine & champagne.
I had a couple of glasses of bubbly, 2 glasses of white wine & finished off with an apple martini (2nd yummiest cocktail I've had).
I should've been plastered but with the amount of food I ate the effects were nil LOL.
Enough has already been written here about how fabulous the food at the St Regis brunch is - all I can say is, if you like food & the finer things in life then you should not miss this! It is value for money at around $50 per adult and there is nothing like it in my part of Oz so worth it for the experience alone. It was 3 meals for the price of 1 - we had no breakfast or dinner that day. I was actually in pain when we left - holding my aching stomach. Miss 5, the bright spark, asks "Mummy WHY didn't you stop eating if you were full?". Good question babe :-)
So we roll out of the St Regis after trying to walk off some of the brunch, brave the traffic & head off to Legian and the Kumala Pantai.
There is some confusion upon checking in... I had booked a Junior Suite direct with the hotel & paid 1 night's deposit but before booking I had sent an enquiry through an online agent. The result was a double booking in my name - 2 Junior Suites for the same dates.
After we clear that up, we head off to our room. We are in S block, on the ground floor and overlooking the smaller of the pools. It's a great location, so convenient & we're off to a good start.
The Suite itself is pretty good, clean and spacious with a great bathroom (immaculate - not a speck of mould to be found). The decor is not really to my taste, but that's no biggie. As the day wore on we found out that the suite is a bit impractical though. I knew from previous posts on the forum that the TV was in the bedroom. Not a problem, just move it into the lounge area others said. Only problem is that there is no antenna connection in the lounge room. The fridge is also in the bedroom - not near the tea/coffee making facilities in the living area and it's also only a small bar fridge which is a bit of a pain after having full-sized fridges everywhere else. The bedroom is spacious, there is a king-sized bed & still room left over for Miss 5's fold-out single (once we moved a couple of chairs & a table into the living room). It is great having the double length terrace opening directly onto the pool area.
We have a quick swim & then head off to change money and get Miss 5 some dinner (glad she at free at the St Regis - all she had was a croissant, fairy floss, icecream & lollies LOL). We decide to check out the new Shandy's (previously the Coffee Shop in front of the Beach Melati apartments). Miss 5 is fond of the toasted sandwiches from there. Hubby & I have a couple of beers & Miss 5 polishes off 2 ham, avocado & cheese toasties - the most she has eaten for about a week. The owners are there celebrating their daughter's 8th birthday. We've met them a few times on previous visits so Miss 5 joins in & has some chocolate cake and a play with the party guests.
As we walk back down Padma Utara to the KP, I feel as though I've come home! Although I love exploring the different, and quieter, parts of Bali I am a city slicker at heart. Even hubby says it feels good to be in amongst it again. We missed Legian altogether on our trip last year & it feels so good to be back. I can't wait to hit the shops tomorrow!!