Arrived in Bali 19th January. had a wonderful flight from perth on Garuda and breezed throgh arrivals. There were 7 of us so organised 2 taxis from the airport to the White Rose.
Spent 6 night at the White Rose and then 5 at the Besakih in Sanur
Restaurants in Kuta:
Bunut cafe at the Hotel is quite expensive for Bali mixed juice was 30000, coke 20000, spring rolls 45000 and Nasi Goreng 65000 plus service charge and tax
Also went here for the Chinese new Year BBQ Buffet dinner with Barong dance which was 175000 per person, this meal was quite nice
La'Walon in Poppies 1 was cheap and really nice food we went here twice for meals, Nasi goreng 25000, coke 10000, spring rolls 15000
this is including tax
Kori in Poppies 2 is over rated and over priced as well as disappointing
seafood chowder was 46500 but it was watery with about 6 tiny chunks of seafood (I have never had a chowder like this ever) The homestyle potato wedges were 42000, there were 7 wedges on the plate, we just had to laugh at this because it looked so pathetic, nasi goeng 76000, Spaghetti 86000, coke 14000, small bintang 32000 plus tax and service charge
Green Garden in Tuban was was lovely, so was Daddys
Alley Cats nice and cheap, had the Sunday roast (have to pre-order)it was massive and very tasty
Batu Bata restaurant at the besakih was OK
Mades restaurant in Sanur, really nice(turn right at the entrance of the Besakih and it is only about 30m down the road)Coke 9900, Nasi goreng 36900, Mixed juice 12900, shrimp cocktail 21900 plus 10% tax
Mona Lisa also a lovely meal (turn right at entrance of besakih on the opposite side of the road about 50m)this also has 10% tax
Ducks Nutz (new name Duck sh*t) worst place ever, would never go again or recommend it,We saw the raving reveiws on trip advisor and can only assume that the owners put them on.Club sandwich did not even have chips with it, have NEVER had a club sandwich in Bali with no fries
Rib warung steak restarant(near the Mona Lisa) also very nice also has 10% tax
Massimo (have to catch a taxi from Besakih) was the best italian meal I have had ever,large serves and good prices
Shopping:
Mum had some blouses made st Janoko in Poppies 2 as asual they did a wonderful job and she very happy with the results
Krisna was very cheap but we were the only non asian people there my daughter was shocked when an asian man came up to her and took a photo (I told her that maybe he has never seen a 6 foot tall auburn haired 16 year old before)
Jenny 29 and Tootsies in Sanur were great one stop shopping and I really enjoyed Hardys
Spa's:
The Spa at the White Rose was very expensive so we went to the Carla spa in Poppies 2 for everything, a full body massage was 45000 for an hour, manicure 30000, pedicure 35000, foot scrub 35000, hair cut 30000 they did a great job and were professional
Also went to a Carla spa which was in the street that goes into the Sindhu Beach markets
Laundry:
We had our laundry done at the Eva laundry which is just past the Kuta Townhouses in the lane between Poppies 2 & 1, it was a bargain at 7000 per kilo
In Sanur it was 14000 per Kilo (turn right at the entrance of the besakih about 500m on the right side of the road there is a lane with a laundry sign)
Money changer:
The best money changer near the White Rose was at the Kodak shop on the corner of Poppies 2 and jalan Legian
DO NOT go to the money changer opposite the Besakih he tried a shifty on my Brother-in-law and nephew. There is a very good money changer if you turn right at the entrance of the Besakih and 400m down the road on the opposite side there is a lime green building, there is no commission here and it had a better rate than elsewhere
While we were at the Besakih my nephew became quit ill. My sister and I took him to the BIMC. My sister had all of her insurance papers with her but they were only interested in charging 1000US per night and did not offer any assistance in contacting insurance company at all, it seems to be driven by the almighty dollar
Any way nephew refused to stay there overnight so had blood tests and found out he had the dreaded dengue, I have had it before and was well aware that there is not much you can do but ride it out. All in all it cost over $100 aus for a Doctors consult and blood test.
The airport departure was a huge curfuffel,it is too long and drawn out to discuss at the moment, all of the renovations has made it a nightmare and a long walk to get into check-in
I have been going to Bali every January for quite a few years now and this was the wettest trip we have ever had
I would not stay at the White Rose or the Besakih again but as a first timer to Sanur I reaaly enjoyed it. Next time I might start off with 3 days in Sanur and then spend the rest of the holiday in Tuban or Legian