JBR Sanur
Just back after spending a week in Sanur. We stayed in the relatively new, Sudamala Suites and Villas in Southern Sanur near the Cat and the Fiddle and next door to the Linga Longa Bar (gotta love the name). The Sudamala is a wonderful hotel. The staff are very friendly, the hotel is spick and span, very clean and the rooms are very, very comfortable. They do extra little touches like a bedtime story that is left for you along with the program for the next day and yummy chocolates at turn down time in the evening. The pool area is just beautiful and I appreciated that the pool was big enough to have a bit of exercise in - just the right temperature too. Pool towels are left rolled up on each lounger so you don't have to trouble with signing a towel out and back and the bar and spa are lovely. Breakfast is taken in the restaurant out the front and was very nice in the main - very nice potato blinis with home cured salmon!! Some dishes were a bit odd like their version of Hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict which was bright yellow and curdled and the croquet monsieur was a dry, toasted bun with a thin slice of ham and a thinner slice of cheese in it. That's OK, you get that in Bali and you never know when or from where it will come.
The really disappointing thing for this wonderful hotel is that the loud music from the bar next door went on into the not-so-small hours making earplugs a necessity to sleep at night. We asked to change rooms and got one further back but this bar's music is going to cause a lot of angst for Sudamala owners and their guests. In Kuta, you kind of expect this, but in Snoreland, that is exactly what you want to do. This, plus amazing (and embarrassing) sound transference between rooms, makes sound issues something that they will have to sort out one way or the other in the not too distant future. I hate to have to mention this as the hotel during the day is amazingly good and fantastic value. It is not on the beach but is not far from the beach front walk which we did many times.
I am disappointed to say there seems to have been an increase in shonky money changers. This was our 11th trip to Bali and I have never had a problem until this time when 2 changers decided they were going to cut themselves hundreds of thousands. They did not get away with it but I wish I had the presence of mind to turn around and shout to the world, 'This man is a cheat and brings shame to Bali!' I would be more prepared next time. One was the money changer behind the Trophy Pub and the other was not far down on the same side of the road. They didn't seem to worry too much about it. Disappointing and annoying. I also had 2 grumpy taxi drivers for the first time. I was there in January and friends had several problems with Bluebird drivers not wanting to use their metre. This time it was grump grump grump from these ones. Happily most were lovely as usual, although the increase in petrol costs is making them a but more anxious than before.
I went to Kuta to see Jermyn tailor in Poppies 1. Ketut is great and I had 2 lovely suits (800K each and an extra 200K for extra skirts) made, both with 2 skirts (shorter and longer) and I bought a great pair of handmade leather shoes (400K). This was all very exciting and I am very pleased with the result. Advice - go knowing where you want to wear the skirts (Hip? Waist?) and know exactly how long you want them to be. Even better, take something similar that you like and that fits you well and they will be able to copy exactly. The wool material was beautiful and I know I will get lots of wear out of them both. Ketut brought the final garments out to Sanur for me which I really appreciated as it is quite expensive to go to and from Kuta from Sanur.
I didn't do a lot of shopping otherwise. I bought toothbrushes, batteries, Good shampoo and conditioner, betadine pharmaceuticals etc and some things like t-shirts from Hardy's which are good value. Happy pants, shirred at the top and elasticised around the ankle are very comfortable and I bought for 150K for 3. I found the street shops in Sanur to be more expensive than I expected and less willing to bargain down than Kuta.
I did go to the Kamuela spa just down from the Sudamala - very good value. They have a board with ‘promotion' prices out the front and I had a 2 hour lomilomi massage and facial for 259K which I was very pleased with. I loved it and it was very nice surrounds. Actually, the Kamuela was really nice and I would consider staying there at some point in the future. Very classy. I must admit to being far more discriminating with spas after having talked to a doctor who said that all the girls come back from Bali with nail fungus and I think, in retrospect, that was where my toe thing came from that I have had for years - not bad but annoying. I caution anyone going to a street spa about getting nails done. Hygiene is more important than I think I realised.
We ate up and down the road. Food was OK but not stand out. We went to Mila's Warung (quite nice) and ended up at Mona Lisa for the last supper (OK but not quite as good as I remembered). I was a bit disappointed about not being able to get the elusive frozen strawberry dacquiri that had been haunting my dreams since touch down, in Sanur but maybe I was in the wrong places - I tried Wicked Parrot even and they don't do frozen. I was trying to match Ultimos in January but it was not to be.
The weather was fabulous, I read lots of books, walked for miles up and down the beach and the road, and had a couple of days in Kuta and Seminyak just as days out. We didn't do any excursions this time but would really recommend Alam Rafting from January - awesome in every way. We flew Air Asia for the first time and found them to be just fine - better than expected, actually.
So that is it really. It was a great holiday and we have come back refreshed and rejuvenated. Thank you again, Bali! And thank you very much to the forum and the people who post. It is invaluable and much appreciated.