It has started raining during the night - cats & dogs - and when we wake up after 7.00am there is no sign of it stopping soon.
We hang out in the room for a while to see if it's going to clear up but finally concede defeat & head to breakfast at 9.00am.
The breakfast at the Risata is a pleasant surprise. They have quite a large buffet for a hotel of this size, and there's lots of variety. I am over bacon & eggs though, so have cereal & toast - followed by dessert of course LOL. They have a few different pastries to choose from, but there is also bread & butter pudding! Guess I must not be the only one who likes it for breaky :-)
After breakfast we head back to the room & I contemplate what to do on a rainy day. This takes all of about a minute - I'm heading for Discovery of course LOL.
Miss 5 wants to come too, which is probably a good thing. She tends to curb my spending somewhat - there is only so much damage you can do with a whingeing 5 year old in tow LOL.
We order a taxi at reception but get told there will be a delay - there is flooding on the roads & some taxis are not willing to go through. There is a lady waiting in reception on her own - also going to Discovery - so when her taxi arrives she offers to take us too :-) She's been waiting half an hour so I'm glad she was kind enough to offer.
First stop is Marks & Spencer and I buy a pair of gorgeous purple tie-dye bathers (RP 600,000) and a top for work - silk & cotton (on sale RP 350,000). I SO want to buy Miss 5 some bathers here, they have the cutest frilled one shoulder tankini & a heap of one-pieces on sale but she is a skinny-minnie and the pants of the tankini are falling off her.
She starts asking to go to the toilet while I'm paying (no surprise, she ALWAYS wants to go to the toilet!!) and I'm told it's over in the far corner so I pretty much give the ground floor a miss after M&S.
We head upstairs after our pit-stop & Miss 5 announces she's hungry (what the?? Didn't we just finish breakfast?). Over to Bread Talk we go for a chocolate stick. 'I didn't have breakfast dessert Mummy' is her reasoning. Can't argue with that one!!
We head into Mothercare (I am a fan of the UK outlets) and Miss 5 is refusing to cooperate - she won't try anything on... well not until she spots a pair of yellow 'Little Princess' Winter pyjamas which come with a matching tiara headband. This combines 3 of her favourite things - pyjamas, the colour yellow & the TV show she loves. There is no way we're going to be able to leave the shop without buying them - RP 300,000, hmmm maybe I should've looked for them on Ebay!!
I get a text from hubby - when are you coming back & what are you guys doing for lunch? I might come up there & meet you. He must be bored LOL.
There is a craft activity outside of Centro (you buy the picture, they provide the other materials) so Miss 5 sits down & starts doing a coloured sand picture - RP 24,000 - and I have a look through the kids department. I find some very cute bathers - they are made of chlorine resistant lycra & they are all only RP 180,000. I have trouble finding many in Miss 5's size though - in the end I get her a 2 piece in size 3 which fits. I will see how these go in our pool at home & if they last the distance I'll be back on the next trip to buy more.
Poor Mum hasn't had the chance to look for a black handbag (on my 'must buy' list) but Miss 5 has had enough (& to be honest, was giving me the sh*ts by now!) so we head back to meet hubby in the lobby to go to lunch. It is still raining so we decide not to venture far. I'd noticed a few small restaurants to the left of the Risata when we'd gone out the night before so we head in that direction until we reach De Bali. Miss 5 is not hungry, so just has a juice. Hubby & I both have mie goreng - me with chicken & 2 chicken satays, him with seafood - both are topped with a fried egg.
The food is great, very tasty & cheap. The Bintangs here are only RP 16,500 which is a nice change from the hotel & not much more than you pay in the supermarket.
Total bill including 3 drinks was only RP 108,000.
On the way back from lunch I convince Miss 5 to have a hair creambath at Bali Princess spa while I have a foot massage. I think it's a good way to kill another hour on a rainy day. I should've known better! Miss 5 has all this pent up energy from not being able to swim or be active & it's like she's got ants in her pants. She won't sit still, is generally just being naughty & a pain. The least relaxing hour I've spent in a long time LOL. The spa is cheap but kind of grotty and the service is not good. They keep one eye on the street for more potential victims & are apt to go running outside in the middle of whatever you're having done. Not somewhere I'd rush back to. Hair creambath & a 45 min foot massage RP 110,000.
I have gathered some brochures from some more 'upmarket' places nearby - I plan to spend my last day in Bali being pampered :-)
Back to the hotel, STILL raining. It hasn't really stopped for more than 5 or 10 minutes since the previous night.
Miss 5 watches Disney Jnr (another plus at the Risata, they have several kids channels) while Mum and Dad read.
About 6.30 I ask hubby what he wants to do for dinner. He never makes the decision about what to eat - either here or at home - and I'm not surprised when he says 'you decide'. I really can't be bothered so I ask Miss 5 what she wants, 'sushi' is the reply so I tell hubby we're going for Japanese LOL.
I'd noticed there was a Ryoshi at the front of Bali Garden so we jump in a taxi. Miss 5 LOVES all the flooding on the road - she thinks it's exciting! The restaurant is quiet when we get there - only 2 other tables of people. We order chicken teriyaki rolls, Edamame (Miss 5), Gyoza and tuna sashimi (hubby) and I order the Yakitori mixed grill with steamed rice & a side salad. Hubby & I also try a cocktail each with the 'Japanese vodka' they sell. Only RP 35,000 each & taste like rocket fuel LOL.
The meals are OK, good but not great. We had far better Japanese in Sanur though, for a lot less money. The total bill is around RP 450,000.
Back to the hotel & guess what? It is still raining!!