Disclaimer: This is my opinion ONLY. I do not mean to offend any Bali lovers out there.
With that said, I would like to say that Bali is just not for me. True, the country is beautiful. But having been to Bora Bora such a short time prior to Bali, it really did this country a big injustice. In my opinion, NO WAY does it compare to Bora Bora!!!!
We arrived after about 26 hours of traveling on Singapore Airlines (SFO-HKG-SIN-DPS), with 1:45 transfer in Hong Kong, and 5:30 hours layover in Singapore. We made it to Bali at around 9:00 p.m., and it took us another 1.5 hours to get through customs and complimentary hotel car ride over to the Intercontinental Bali.
The Intercontinental Bali is a lovely hotel, with such gracious people. Now, if it weren't for the fear of dengue fever, I would have basked in the club pool, and enjoyed the beach. It is truly a lovely hotel. However, because of the dengue fever outbreak, we covered up, applied the DEET, and just prayed we won't get bitten by mosquitoes. On top of dengue fever, travelers to Bali are at risk of malaria. So, again, MORE DEET. It was also very humid and hot. It's mainly the fear that turned me off from such a beautiful country.
Day 1: Jimbaran Bay, exploring the grounds, a wedding.
The first day consisted of us exploring the hotel grounds, and finding the infamous Menega Cafe. Menega Cafe was set back from the waters of Jimbaran Bay, which is known for its romantic sunset dining.
Breakfast: The breakfast buffet at the restaurant was superb. If we weren't so worried about the bacteria over there, and getting sick, we'd probably go all out with the smoothie station. There were so many fruits, breads, meats, cold cuts, ethnic foods of all different parts (Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, American). It was truly superb.
Breakfast: The breakfast buffet at the restaurant was superb. If we weren't so worried about the bacteria over there, and getting sick, we'd probably go all out with the smoothie station. There were so many fruits, breads, meats, cold cuts, ethnic foods of all different parts (Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, American). It was truly superb.
Lunch: Menega Cafe was pretty good, but coming from San Francisco, the fresh caught seafood of the day didn't compare to anything we can get in an SF Chinese restaurant water tank. The sauces were good and different, but it overpowered the seafood. Overall, a good experience, yet fearful one.
We spent that evening at Cathy and Ken's wedding. It was at the Grand Mirage hotel in Nusa Dua. We were glad we made it to Nusa Dua, as it's one of the "must go to" places in Bali. Why?? Because it is FULL of tourists. I believe the whole area is dedicated JUST for tourists. The whole of Nusa Dua was lined with one nice hotel after another. The beach there is much more calm compared to Jimbaran. However, there were many boats, making me wonder if the water is dirty or clean.
This is also the night I got food poisoning. We had to leave the wedding early and I spent the whole night yacking into the toilet. * sad *
Day 2: Tourist day, Taman Ayun, Monkey Forest, Tanah Lot.
Day 2 was all about the tour. We went on a big tour bus and visited three popular destinations: (1) Taman Ayun, (2) Monkey Forest in Ubud, and (3) Tanah Lot. We haven't traveled much, but we LOVED Tanah Lot. It's probably one of the nicest and largest temple we have visited.
Day 3: Kuta, Seminyak, W Resort, Babe got sick
My poor babe got sick on Day 3. We spent the day exploring Kuta, Seminyak, and the poor boy was so sick, we had to go back to Jimbaran. I saw a spectacular sunset at our hotel, but did not bring my camera to take a picture of it. We also got one of the first massages on day 4. The babe was in bed all afternoon, but somehow managed to wake up for the massage, then straight back to bed he went.
Kuta was dirty, and personally, I felt it's catered to tourists only. It reminds me of Vietnam, sans Viet writings. Everything was written in English. It was in Kuta that I realized that culture is completely lost in Bali (or at least in the tourist places of Bali). On the contrary to what we've experienced thus far, with such nice Balinese people, the people in Kuta were trying to rip us off. We were trying to purchase about $100 worth of goods and souvenirs, only to have the shop owner NOT give us a discount. We decided to "pretend" to walk, and ended up walking for real. Wonder if the guy thought "where are those two?? aren't they coming back?".
Semiynak is very clean. The W Resort felt like a hotel straight out of Vegas. The pool was new and hip, the hotel was very modern. A bit shocking to see actually. The streets of Seminyak did not look like SE Asia, but some western place. It's like a dirtier and smaller version of Hawaiian street shops, maybe a strip in LA. But definitely not SE Asia feeling.
This is also the night I did not sleep. When we came back from the massage, Babe killed six cockroaches by the toilet (yes a 5 star hotel where the room we stayed at costed retail price of $450 a night had COCKROACHES!!!!). I was so scared that I left the light on the whole night, did not sleep, and was texted anyone who was online in the US.
Day 4: Massage and depart.
After not sleeping all night, I got out of bed, and proceeded to shake out the luggages (so none of the critters will come home with us). The redeeming thing for Bali and Intercontinental especially is the BEST massage ever!!! I still dream about it. The Intercontinental Bali Spa is truly a lovely place. I completely recommend it to anyone who wants a thorough massage.
All in all, this was an up and down trip. Good experience, but I probably won't go back. Also, I'm very happy to have stayed only 4 days, as I don't think I would sleep after seeing the critters. Thank goodness it was the last night that we saw them and not the first!
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