When I first stepped out of the plane, the airport gave me a feeling similar to that of Thailand.
The airport is really clean and its toilet was no exception.
The speed of luggage being ready for collection is between fast to average.
(Note: some staff members will off to help collect your luggage. If you accepted the help, you will need to give a tip)
I stayed at Harris River View Hotel. The rooms are really nice and clean, with good lighting and air conditioner. The bed was also comfortable and many channels were available on the television. Although so, the bathroom has a minus point. I felt that it will be better if there was a hook to hang clothes and towels in the shower. (Also, the water from the tap seems to taste quite salty O.O. Wonder why...)
The hotel in overall is quite quiet (except that speakers all around the hotel plays ears pleasing popular English songs. But they are not so loud that it will disturb you when you're in your room). The swimming pools are not crowded so its great if you want to soak in the water and swim a few laps without having the path blocked by others. There are really nice food for breakfast (And have a wide variety: Noodle, Rice, Porridge, Eggs/Omelettes, Pancake, yogurt, fruits, cereals, tea, coffee, milk, juice etc, and many desserts like cakes and bread.) and the menu changes everyday.
Lobby
Refreshments provided upon arrival
The hotel provides shutter bus from and to the airport and also to other areas.
Shutter bus to the airport cost 100000 RP while going to other areas are free. All shutter bus services needs to be booked at least 20 minutes before departure time.
Example of shutter bus
Shutter Bus Schedule
Shutter bus route map
Also, the hotel room I was given has a really nice view of the sky^^
The evening Sun
For more information: http://www.harrishotels.com/
Some of the places which I recommend to go shopping at are Bali Galeria Mall and Kuta Square.
For lunch on one of the four days, I ate at this place:
Here are some of the food and drinks I ordered:
This was labeled as must try!
This one is really nice and crispy, and together with the sauces that were meant for it, it was heavenly ^^
This dish is quite spicy
The drinks are really smooth and thirst quenching
For more information: http://bebekbengil.com/
For dinner on the same day, I brought some BBQ pork ribs from Naughty Nuris back to my hotel.
I really recommend getting some as the BBQ sauce was no typical BBQ sauce! It was not too sweet like most. (Address: Jalan Batubelig, 41)
BBQ Pork Ribs
For more information: http://www.naughtynurisbali.com/
On one of the evening, I went to the Jimbaran Beach area near the airport to have some seafood. There are many seafood restaurants around the area (so close your eyes and choose one! Since most have quite a number of customers, I find it hard to differentiate which is better O.O"). Most of the tourist starts flooding in are around 6 pm (so if you want a good view, go around 4/5 pm!). I ordered a set meal from one of the restaurants.
Nothing is better than eating seafood with your feet/shoes in the sand, watching the waves beating onto the shore, listening to the ocean, feeling the touch of the sea breeze on your skin and watching the sunset before your eyes.
For supper on one of the nights, I ate some Mee Goreng (Fried noodles) which were brought from a small push cart style stall on the left side my hotel. (About 20 second walk towards the right after coming out of the hotel) The stall is in front of a Q Mart and have really good business. It opens when night falls. The noodle was one of the best I've ever tasted and is not too oily like many of the fried noodles I had eaten (don't be deceived by the size and look of the stall!). Also, it is extremely cheap (10000 RP) and the amount per packet was really large (enough to fill the stomach of 2-3 people!)
Picture of the noodle
On the last day I am in Bali, I ate fried rice from here:
The fried rice was really nice. Also the satay which comes together with the dish was really tasty as the sauce is really smooth and has a rich peanut flavor that was also not too sweet like those in Singapore. I had also ordered a mango juice (Which turns out to be really concentrated - worth the cost!) and a ice chocolate milk (which was really rich too -worth the cost, yet again!) (Address: Br. Pande Mas, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia)
For more information: http://www.madeswarung.com/
One of the things which I discovered in Bali was that KFC sells spaghetti! (At a price of 12000 RP)
It taste really amazing too. Although the noodles seems a little too soft.
Spaghetti sold at KFC
Here are some of the things which I recommend buying when you're on a trip to Bali:
These Rhino-drinks are really good for reduction of body heartiness (And taste good too! Comes in many many flavors! Should check them out) and the Bear-Milk are both convenient and tasty.(And is rumoured to be able to prevent colds)
This milk tea has really nice aroma and has minimum bitterness in the tea
If you can't find the milk tea, buy some of these! (If not buy both! ^^)
There are about five taxi companies in Bali and there are many taxi of many different shades of blue. I can't really differentiate which is cheaper or better etc, but what I suggest is to always settle a price with the driver(or ask if the price follows the meter) before taking off (so that you will not be cheated or pay a higher price than your budget). Also, it is good to settle if you want a one way or two way journey.
Lastly, upon arrival at the airport, you will see many brochures. If you just want a nice and detailed map for getting around, I recommend the one circled in red here:
Even though the magazine is in Japanese and the discount coupons cannot be used unless you have a JCB credit card, but the map on the last few pages of it is really easy to read.
Photo editor used: http://pixlr.com/
Camera used: Samsung S III
