Travelogue: Bali - Feb 2012 (Part 1)

It was considered an ultimate trip for the 6 of us – referring to my closest friends. It’s been awhile since the last time we went out of Singapore together.  We planned this trip for a long time, so long that we bought the deal from www.deal.com.sg since July 2011, booked our Air Asia flight in October 2011, secured our villa in January 2012 and finally travelled on February.  Yes, it was a post-Valentine group date!  It was made even more special by another friend joining us from Abu Dhabi who intended to pay us a “surprise” visit in Singapore.  Few weeks before the trip, we, including this friend, were all surprised to know that our travel dates coincide with her arrival in Singapore.  To cut the corners short, she flew to Bali with us!  Indeed, the more the merrier!

Before our much-awaited trip though, we’ve gone through a tedious battle with Far East Travel, the merchant from deal, which didn’t make our experience very ideal.  Pardon me for bringing this negativity over to my otherwise happy post, but I felt like this is something worth blogging about.  I don’t intend to criticize all their dealings with other customers, but what I am aiming is to share how traumatic our experience was with them.  By the time I was booking our 4D3N stay at Quest Kuta Central Park Hotel, it was very difficult to get hold of anyone by phone.  It felt like running around in circles.  I was referred to different people who didn’t even know what I was claiming for, so I need to repeat myself all over again and then at the end, I was asked to call back.  I even got to talk to someone who was no longer an employee of the said agency. Emails flew out to them with no single reply.  I had no idea what was going on but one thing’s for sure, they were in big trouble. We paid $100 each for the package that bragged to include hotel stay, daily buffet breakfast, 1-hour Balinese massage and return transfers. That time I knew this battle is something I don’t intend to lose.  I then filed a complaint to deal and found out that we were not alone.  Apparently, all customers who would be travelling in the love month were being asked to re-schedule their trips.  Knowing that this wouldn’t work for us, I demanded a refund.  Thanks to one of the managers of deal who was very helpful and got us the refund in no time.  What ever happened to the agency?  I have no idea.  I only wish they had the balls to face their customers and explain what went wrong and probably provided us with a clear-cut alternative.

This experience, however, opened a better window for us and served as a blessing in disguise.  We managed to book a perfect villa good for a big group!  Owned by French couple, Annelise and Benoit Jouffrieau (can’t help but notice all 5 vowels were used in their last name, hehe!), Villa Amsa has 3 air-conditioned bedrooms with attached bathrooms and toilets each, an open-air kitchen and living room facing the exclusive pool.  Its colonial style was both elegant and romantic and all furnishings were certified Balinese. The place was quiet and relaxing plus the location is definitely in the heart of Seminyak area - where restaurants, shopping, spa and entertainment are nearby.  Having a Wi-Fi internet access was a bonus.  All in all, it was perfect for the price of 300 euros!  This was definitely way better than the hotel we were previously set to stay.  Thank God, we immediately settled and felt “at home” soon after we arrived the villa at midnight.

The lovely Villa Amsa (sorry got no photos of the rooms)
You may visit http://www.flipkey.com/kuta-villa-rentals/p336732/
to contact the owner or email anneliseabali@yahoo.fr

Resting after a short flight from Singapore.  We got a direct return tickets from Air Asia on sale, $134 each - all in!

The girls.  We almost fell asleep on this huge comfy sofa.

We started the next day fresh with a power brekky at one of the restaurants at Seminyak.  The place is called Café Seminyak.  There are myriad of shops, boutiques and restaurants along the stretch.  This café won our hearts ‘coz it’s situated right in front of Bintang Supermarket where we grabbed snacks and a few personal effects. I found the place very hippy too because of its vintage look.  At the time, there were a lot of patrons so we knew we could never go wrong.  We had a combination of local and western sets.  What stood out were their Mee Goreng (fried noodles) and Pineapple Fried Rice.  Coffee was just standard but 2 thumbs up for their fruit shakes.  Overall, the food gave a great impression to start our day!

Looks very ordinary but they're delish!  Didn't have the chance to snap on the other sets.
These two came in earlier and by the time the other dishes were served, we feasted!

Cafe Seminyak

We met Ketut, our friendly driver/tour guide, on the first day in search for a van-for-hire. It was love at first sight! Hahaha! Ketut and the group went along instantly!  He’s one person that we will never forget on this trip. He was funny, simple, very accommodating and he never hesitated to go the extra mile to make our trip worthwhile. I will recommend him to the world!

Ketut's place and card

Off we went with Ketut, boarding the gray APV Suzuki van we rented for the whole day at 380,000 IDR.  The van was just enough for the 7 of us.  With an awesome tour guide and travel buddies, we enjoyed Bali!

Turtle Island: It’s located at Nusa Dua area, almost 30 minutes from Kuta. We took a glass-bottom boat from Tanjung Benoa beach and stopped for 10 minutes at a spot where we fed fishes.   After another 15-minute boat ride from the fishes, we arrived at Turtle Island, greeted by a perky tour guide.  I forgot his name but we called him “bloody awesome” ‘coz he’s fond of saying the phrase. I figured he’s got a slight Australian twang and was obviously trained to communicate well with foreigners. Going back to the island, it is a tiny place housing a few turtle species of different sizes.  There were a handful of other creatures like snakes, monkeys, birds and komodo dragon.  Visitors were allowed to have “physical encounters” with them.

The little island of Turtles

Turtle island has some of these too! 

Tanjung Benoa Beach: We’re back at the beach where we boarded the boat that took us to Turtle Island.  It’s a haven for water-sports lovers where one can do parasailing, banana boat, jetski, snorkeling, scuba and helmet diving.  I’m sure they have lots of other water sports to offer.  I’m not a big fan of water sports but I did enjoy watching my friend maneuver in the air when he did parasailing!  Oh good grace, he landed safely. :)

Tanjung Benoa Beach - My friend was up for an adventure!  Girls were the spectators! :) 

Dreamland Beach: It is now known as New Kuta Beach.  It was a long travel from Tanjung Benoa and we had to hike down a slope from the parking lot and then through the narrow stairs of a mismanaged commercial place.  Sorry for the term but the building by the beachfront looks like an unfinished hotel/resort/bar that now houses souvenir shops and eateries.  It could have been a cooler place… Nevertheless, the shoreline, the ocean and the cliff were stunning.  Tides were wild and it was a surfers’ paradise.  We stayed there for a while figuring how captivating it would look to watch the sunset.  We were right.  It was a perfect view of the sky-meets-sea-and-sand, complemented by a huge, picturesque sunset.  Amidst a failed development in the area, we understood why it was once called a Dreamland.

Breathtaking sunset view at Dreamland beach

Fire in the sky! :)

Friends + Dreamland = Love!

Jimbaran Bay: It was a night to remember! Ketut took us to one of the seafood restaurants along Jimbaran Bay for dinner.  We had the opportunity to hand pick from the fresh seafood selections and requested for them to be cooked just the way we wanted.  Food was great and so was the ambience.  We had candle lit dinner by the bay, with additional lighting that came from none other than - the moon and the stars. Balinese dancers onstage provided the entertainment.  There were also musicians playing drums and guitar right next to our table.  The night was swept by our laughter and non-stop stories!  What’s more, we got to know Ketut and how it’s like living in Bali and doing the things he does.

Left photo: Us with the performers onstage
Top photo: The boys with Ketut!
Bottom: Place was packed... Girls were starving but still smiling! 

We ended the day with a quick plunge in our villa’s pool.  The whole day’s experience was fun-filled, and to add, we’ve made a good friend in Ketut.  He’s such an inspiration and without him knowing, he made us overly grateful of the life we have… :)

Click here for Part 2 of this post...