Our sixth trip to Bali started off without a hitch. Me and the Duchess of Fife headed out on the 9:30 Jetstar flight, arrived early, breezed through VOA, was second in line at the Immigrasi queue, neatly skipped past the porters who imperiously asked to see our passports when we had picked up our bags (you've got to hand it to them, they are inventive!!) no dramas with customs and we were soon on our walk to Tuban South along the new (new to us) covered walkway from the terminal to the car park. The longest delay was waiting for the driver to get his car, but hey the whole thing really went like a breeze, speaking of breezes, what is that?
As we take in our first deep breaths of the fragrant Bali air, can I feel a cool breeze, cool and Bali is something I would never have put together. We mention this to our driver that it feels cooler than we would normally find in Bali and he complains that it is very cold at night for him. I can't believe it's going to be cold, but if I don't have sweat pooling around my waistband 24 hours a day, it'll be a very pleasant first for me in Bali!
We arrive at the Cicada Townhouses in Seminyak, it's a little place of just six villas down a little road at the back of the Living Room restaurant. The location is great, just a few minutes walk to the Living Room, Hu'u's, the beach, La Luchiola etc. Each time we come to stay in Seminyak we seem to find ourselves staying further and further north, not intentionally but as we later take a walk down Jl Laksmana and see more and more new buildings and construction I can imagine we'll be staying in Canggu before too long.
Cidada Townhouses is a lovely little spot, the staff are ultra friendly of course, the villa is really spacious, quite modern, with a little Balinese twist, super clean. There isn't much of an outdoor area though, just the plunge pool and barely enough room to sit around it, but the lounge opens right up to the pool area and looks very comfy. The bedroom and bathroom is huge, high ceilings etc.
We need to eat rather urgently so walk down to Sea Circus for Marinated Pork Tacos which at 85k were deliciously messy. The first Bintang is inhaled and we are both wearing grins that belie how overdue this holiday is for us.
We head for Grocer and Grind for a takeaway flat white that is as good as back home and walk up Jl Laksmana to the money changer, a cab to Wendy Silver on Dhyana Pura, to hire a bike for the next 6 days (40k per day), a stop at Bintang for the essential fresh milk (I hate UHT in my morning coffee), and limes for our Margies.
A swim and homemade Margie around the Cicada pool later and we walk up to Hu'u's as we are both feeling a little wrecked. We came to Hu'u's years ago and had a lovely evening there lounging on the 'pillows' in their garden. We've persevered on subsequent trips and found it empty/closed/taken over by a wedding, so we were chuffed that it looked normal and we hit the pillows with a flop and just about managed to lift our heads to enjoy a 'best dam cocktail' which seemed to be their house speciality. We were a little confused when the waiter started talking about his recommendations being a Lychee Martini the best dam cocktail?? But the menu clarified that the 'best dam cocktail' wasn't a good Lychee Martini but was blackcurrant Vodka, Raspberry liquor, Raspberry Puree, muddled cherries and lemon and lime (115k). Not bad! Went down well with a Mezze Plate (100k) - Samosas, duck spring rolls, Potato wedges, Beer battered prawns and Angus beef Sate. Half a dozen rampaging kids (ie under nines) nearly made this our final Hu'u's experience but they were whisked off just in the nick of time, a James Bond Martini later and they were forgotten.
Monday
Our first day in Bali, promises lots of time sitting around and reading and doing not much else. The Duchess has promised 'no shopping' this time. Yeah right, I'm no fool. I spotted those 'hungry' eyes darting into the shop fronts either side of Jl Laksmana yesterday and heard those 'whoo that's new' comments. I'll cope (if I take a book with me and find somewhere to drink cold binnies).
We surprised ourselves and got up early to go for a walk. It's a beautiful morning, almost fresh and we did a good walk up the beach and past the W restaurant and then along this very long windy back path to get back out on the road. It was an experience, lots of rice paddies and cows (surprisingly) and a few building sites. Locals going to work, trucks full of labourers, one who quite intimately told the Duchess that he loved her. She was a little surprised being the prim and proper middle aged woman she is, (and slightly sweaty at the time).
Just made it back in time for our 8:30 breaky in the villa, feeling quite proud of ourselves for getting off to an early start to the day and having already had one or two 'Bali' experiences. I'm just now writing this on our dining room table wearing only my undies (well why not?), as housekeeping have just wandered in to clear up. She rang the bell, but must have done it with her third arm somehow, she was coming in, ready or not.
Just really getting stuck into my new John Grisham, Duchy announces she wants to go shopping. I knew it! Managed to swing lunch at Grocer and Grind (Caesar salad, Chickpea burger, vege juice and two coffees - 170k) first, followed by foot massages and pedicures at Bodyworks (1 hour foot massage for her, and 30 min foot massage and sports pedicure, for me; total 400k). I happily spent an hour or so sitting in their courtyard moving between moments of semi consciousness and gazing at the birds playing in the frangipani tree. Do birds play by the way or are they actually up to something all day long? Do they report back to 'big bird' at the end of the day? Maybe I should have bought a book to read.
OK shopping time, so I take Duchy up to the corner of Raya Seminyak and Laksmana via a quick stop at Mama San to book in for tea tomorrow and I head off to find a quiet spot for my book and a beer. Chandi was my first thought, it's closed, great, so I try the Coco Club as it was new thought I'd check it out. Music loud and terrible, construction noise across the road, not relaxing methinks, I'm out of here. So I head to a new French looking place across the road from Living Room near our villa, by the time I got there I'd navigated the traffic along Laksmana too many times in one day and really needed a beer. This is a great little place called Petinget, only been open for a couple of months, spent a very relaxing, calm hour or so here until Duchy called for her pick up.
Where too for dinner? Mama san was booked, so was Sarong, we decide to plump for an old favourite - Pearl. Have I mentioned the weather yet? It's warm don't get me wrong but just beautifully so. It's not that insanely hot that we are seeking out air con from morning till night, the sky is blue no danger at all of rain and we are loving it. So we had a refreshingly cool ride up to Pearl and tucked into Jeremy's recommendations of Lobster Bisque following by Duck leg Confit and Rissoni for me (Duck was crispy, flaked off the bone beautifully and melted in the mouth) and Ravioli with aubergine caviar following by duck breast with a caramel balsamic and roast potatoes for her, plus two lemon squash (total 700k) faultless and with good service we left happily in search of Cocoon for a nightcap.
Couldn't miss Cocoon, right at the end of double six, we had heard the food was good here and the place was pretty busy. The bar/pool area was also buzzing but definitely with a younger crowd, we are feeling a little aged (hit the big 40 last week!) Someone letting off firecrackers around the pool and a couple distressingly breaking up out the front kind of confirmed we were maybe not the demographic. But I had a delicious Rustini (Drambuie, Scotch and Bitters - 95k) and enjoyed the great music, comfy beds and view out over the ocean before we headed back home.