Bali Trip Report - Sept 2016

2,522 Views | 11 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Hoyt Ag
Hoyt Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Just returned from 12 days in Bali and 3 in Thailand.

We flew on EVA Air in Elite Class. I cannot say enough good things about this airline. The service, food, quality of planes and overall experience was very good. I swore off United years ago and will never use them again and EVA is another example of why I made that choice. Even the economy class looked very nice and tickets are very affordable. Flight plan was IAH >TPE>DPS; Return BKK>TPE>IAH Upon arriving in Bali, we arranged for a driver to take us to Ubud for the first leg of the trip for 6 days.

We stayed at the Moksha Ubud hotel for the first part of our holiday. This hotel has 4 or 5 rooms with one pool and they are almost done constructing a Spa overlooking the rice fields in the back. The hotel is around $50USD a night which includes breakfast brought to your balcony each morning, 2 water bottles each day, afternoon tea/juice and afternoon snack.







The rooms have air conditioning, TV with English programs and very nice outdoor shower/bathroom. The bed was very comfortable with clean linens each day. We did not use the pool, but every other guest did and they seem to enjoy it. The hotel is not much more than a year old and is run very well by the staff. They offer very cheap laundry service with a 24 hour turnaround. Overall, no complaints at all for this hotel.

The hotel sits off the main road in Ubud which is a blessing in itself due the constant noise of scooters, horns and cars 24/7. It is a short 5 minute walk to the main drag in town, making the location ideal.





We hired a driver for two days to take us on some tours of the island, which was a really good idea. I do not remember the order of what we did, but here are the highlights:

-Salt operation on black sand beach- This was pretty cool to see how they make salt. The ladies pour the sea water onto the sand, let is harden the sand, rake the sand ships, pour into a hollowed our palm tree, filter more water through it, let the concentrated water dry and salt for eating is created. They make around 80kg a day with 3 people working.









-Virgin Beach- We spent an afternoon at this beach on the east coast. A small version of Jimbaran (discussed later). We rented a canopy and chairs (free with food purchase) and also ate lunch/had a few beers on the beach. The waves were kinda choppy so it was not an idle beach, but you could go get in the water and swim with no issue. It would be an amazing boogey boarding spot if that is your thing.







-Temples - We wanted to only see one or two temples on the trip, so our driver took us to the more interesting ones. Below is a pic of the blessing pool (not the official name, but it's all I got). Very interesting to see people of all cultures take place in this activity of the blessings.










We went to one temple and it was closed to outsiders due to a celebration taking place, but across the street an amazing market with tons of food was open. We made the best of it and stuffed ourselves with all sorts of street food for an hour or two.







We also took a cooking class in Ubud (Organic Farm Cooking School)an activity we enjoy especially in SE Asia. We learn so much each class and enjoy replicating what we learned at home. This school had a garden I would love to have in the states, probably a few acres big with hundreds of species of plants, trees and herbs. The class was taught primarily by one Balinese girl with the help of two assistants, all spoke good English. You start the day at a market selecting your foods (typical agenda for cooking schools) and then head to the facility. The class was around $25USD a person, which was a good price to us since it included pickup/dropoff from hotel, food, apron, cookbook, tea and an amazing facility.

Starting off at the market:







Garden at the Cooking School:











Cooking School and dishes:











We spent a few days in Ubud just walking around, my wife doing yoga at various studios and just relaxing from our jobs and life in general. Ubud is a great little town, reminds me a lot of Chiang Mai. It is very walkable with a lot to do for everyone. The food was amazing, the people were friendly and overall a great place to spend a lot of time.







We then made our way south to Nusa Dua to the Conrad Bali. This hotel was one that left me with mixed feelings. The hotel grounds were very nice, but the room was aging and the service was well below standards. We used points for this hotel and being a Diamond HHonors member, I expected better service. I will not bore you with the details, but I will leave you with this opinion: I do not recommend this hotel due to poor service (especially to HHonors members), location not being that good, and not much to do within walking distance of hotel. If I could do it again, I would have stayed around Sanur and saved my points.

View from room:



We used Joes Gone Diving for our 2 days of diving. We elected to dive the USS Liberty (2 dives) and Manta Bay/Manta Point (3 dives). The dive shop is top notch, leaving us with nothing but high remarks. I highly recommend this dive shop. We only saw one manta, but tons of fish, coral and other marine life.

(I apologize for poor photography skills, we are very novice and are trying to learn)





















I fell ill one day, so we hung around the hotel all day. Luckily it was just a 24 hour bug, but it basically cancelled out all activities one whole day. The rest of our time in Nusa Dua was spent wandering around Seminyak and Sanur at markets, shops and yoga for the wife.

We did the tourist thing and did a dinner on Jimbaran Beach. I highly recommend Radja Seafood as a place to eat. We had lobster, shrimp, squid, snapper and clams. I think with several drinks and food it was around $45USD. The view was very nice and luckily we did not get hassled at all by vendors while eating.







We took a flight to BKK on Air Asia on the 6th to spend some time in BKK and do a few things we enjoy there. We did another cooking school, went to Flower Market(and surrounding area) and also hit Chatuchak Market on Saturday before our flight home. We enjoyed a few nights on Khoa San Road people watching and having a few beers to bring the trip an end.





















While in BKK, we stayed at the Millennium Hilton. We cannot say enough good things about this hotel. We have stayed here several times before and it always serves us well. The lounge, pool, and rooms are always in great condition and the service is top notch, another hotel I highly recommend.

The cooking school we chose in BKK was Sompong Thai Cooking School. Very well run operation. Again, we learned a lot and came away stuffed with 4 meals. Good value at $30USD a person (includes pickup service, apron, cookbook, food and great teachers).








All in all, a great 2 week+ trip. Not much bad I can say aside from the Conrad Bali hotel. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.


Matsui
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
wow - excellent report

how much was the flight if bought cash?
Hoyt Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I want to say $1800 a person if in Elite cabin. Economy was $795 then I used points to upgrade(which was WELL worth it). I booked it around 5 months in advance and I forgot how I did the points, but I just called and they walked me through it.
I Play With Guns
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Holy smokes! This is incredible!!! <3

Have no booked plans as of yet but will def be going in 2017 since it's easily accessible from the UAE.

The cooking classes sound absolutely amazing!

Thanks for the *great* report.
Potcake
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
+1 on EVA.
Seeing pics of that minced shrimp satay is making me salivate. Loved those things. The rice terraces in Ubud were awesome to see. Loved Bali.
Ag CPA
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Awesome report, we are going in March and can't wait.
OasisMan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
awesome

im trying to set up a surprise for the wifey
looking at bali/thailand/vietnam for next summerish
krishnaz
How long do you want to ignore this user?
hi this is krishna the Bali driver ...

nice post of bali vaacation , if anyone want to come to bali and need a driver
please dont be hesitate to contact me

my whatsapp number : +6281999765888
email: krishna.bali.driver@gmail.com
website : www.balitourdrivers.webs.com
trip advisor : krishna bali driver // Bali Gator Tour Service

https://www.tripadvisor.co.id/Attraction_Review-g297694-d3348298-Reviews-Bali_Gator_Tour_Service-Denpasar_Bali.html

thank you


Hoyt Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
For clarification, that is not the driver we used.
OasisMan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Hoyt Ag (or any others who have been to Bali),

Did you vaccinate against HepA, typhoid, etc.?

Thanks
Hoyt Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
No. We just took some basics in case we got sick (Immodium, Pepto, Tylenol, etc.).
Potcake
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
+1 on no vaccinations, however I already get Hep vaccine for work.
Didn't take any stomach meds either. wish i had, got Bali belly the last night.
Hoyt Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I got it the first night at the Conrad. I am convinced that the food in the Exec Lounge was undercooked and that is what made me sick. I went over a week in Ubud with no issues and show up at the Conrad and Bali Belly got me.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.