Spent 5 nights in Legian at the Puri Raja Hotel. My second stay there. This time we stayed in one of the four delux rooms @USD145pn. The standard room some of my friends were in @USD110 was quite adequate and a bit better than the standard room I had on my last stay. If I was to stay here again I would be quite content with a standard room.
Although we have stayed in Legian on many occasions, there are quite a few beachside restaurants we have never eaten at. This time, as there were 6 of us, it was easier just to stroll along and choose a place as opposed to getting taxi/transport.
We ate at Seaside and the Lanai on this strip. We also ate at Sang Ria Grill in Jl Werkudara.
One evening went Malos on Jl Nakula. One of my friends was very ill a couple of hours after eating here and although I understand it is hard to pin-point were someone gets a bug, it is doubtful any of us would return.
A newer place we tried was Motel Mexicola in Jl Kayujati. Interesting décor. It is pretty loud here and very busy. In high season it would pay to book a table but being March we were quickly seated. In fact the whole meal was quick. You know when you go somewhere and you feel you are being hurried along. It may have been that we were cocktailed out when we arrived and only ordered mocktails and a couple of beers.
The first day being a travel day only left a precious few to venture out. One day was spent shopping for homewares on Jl Legian and a quick trip to Mal Bali Galeria. I did pick up a nice item from Vinoti Living at Galeria - a large silver koi fish which came to the princely sum of RP175,000 after some automatic discount that was given. I don't tend to buy much but I picked up a nice silver vase here on the last trip so I was keen to return.
I was looking for a particular cream from the Body Shop and they had run out of the at the Galeria so headed over to the Beach Walk in Kuta. What most annoyed my about this place is that there is no signage or store directory. It didn't bother me last time and I didn't actually notice because I was just strolling around, but this time I needed to find a particular shop. I think we had to do three floors before we stumbled on the Body Shop. I wasn't in the mood for their I can tell you.
We had a day out to Sanur and had a meal at Sweet Magnolia at Mertasari Beach. We also called past a bar - the Man Shed - and had a look around. It has a collection of bric-a-brac for decoration but it was too hot for us to stay, and with my friend still being a bit unwell we headed back to Legian.
We also had a day out to Ubud and headed to Sari Organik in the rice paddies. It was a pleasant walk of about 800m and, as the day was a bit overcast, it wasn't too hot. There are one or two other cafes now on this path but none as developed as Sari Organik. Lovely fresh food and juices. For those who have been there and wonder about the cleanliness of the wooden straws they provide, I saw them being fished out of a large pot of boiling water in the kitchen.
We didn't book for lunch here and got there about noon. It was full within the hour so it might pay to book if going in a busier season.
After lunch we stopped at a bar called the Melting Pot in Jl Raya Pengosekan. Lots of flags from various countries on the wall for people to sign and a tall ladder for those flags that are high on the wall. One lone signature on the North Korean flag.
We were the only customers at the time and I suspect the place is busier in the evenings as there are pool/billiard tables and other games to play. We had one drink here and headed off back to Legian before the traffic got too heavy.
The trip was over before we knew it. The airport is a vast and we were thankful that the arrivals area is now air conditioned. The amount of travellers who hold up the process by not completing formalities is unbelievable. Most of the delay on this trip was caused by people from a China airways flight who did not have their arrival form filled out. I wonder what they think these forms are handed out on the flight for?