Today’s exchange rate: About 9,800- 9,900 RP per AUS $
We tried to have as much of an easy morning as we could today. I was, as usual, awake and up early and went out on our verandah to sit and talk with mum. Soon Sam got up as well and we discussed breakfast. We went out onto the street and walked across the road to Mona Lisa. Sam and I had eggs benedict, Dad had an American breakfast which came with a little fruit platter that Mum ate for her breakfast.
After breakfast, which cost us about $15, we walked along the main street and cut through the back of Sand Restaurant to go to the beach path. I had promised Mum to take her down the laneway next to Benno’s restaurant to look in a couple of stalls. Unfortunately, the one she really wanted to look in- a fixed priced stall that I had spotted some green Bali china pieces that mum loves- wasn’t open (when Mum went back to look later, it was still closed), so her and Sam looked around in a couple of other stalls while Dad and I made our way back to the hotel; by this point I was pretty much past the market shopping. We walked along, chatting and admiring the view. We got into our bathers and went out to enjoy our little pool that, once again, we were lucky enough to have to ourselves. The temperature at this time was beautiful.
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Enjoying the 3rd pool
Mum and Sam soon arrived back from their last minute shopping and came to join us in the pool. Sam and I took up on the pool lounges and Dad got on his bike to get his last Bali massage of the trip. His favourite place to go for a full body massage is to the ladies on the beach in front of Segara Village Hotel. Mum soon got on her bike as well and went to meet him. When the massage was done, they went to return their bikes. They got them from Sarah’s Bike Shop which is down the laneway on which Café Smorgas is on the corner and where the German Consulate resides. They had paid 200,000 RP for 2 bikes for the week.When Mum and Dad returned, it was time for Sam and I to check out of our room. We packed all of our things and moved them into Mum and Dad’s room next door, which we had booked for a late check out. After check out, we made our way to Matande Spa across the road from Hardy’s. I wanted to have my eyelashes redone, Sam wanted a manicure and pedicure and Mum was after a hair treatment. We went here again rather than Alam Spa because, although they did a great job, they don’t have many treatments on offer. In saying that, we did absolutely love our treatments there and can’t wait to go back. I’m usually very happy with the treatments at Matande, but I was disappointed during this trip, both with my manicure at the start, and with my eyelashes, which had come out by the next day. I’ll be finding somewhere else to have them done for my next trip. Mum was very happy with her hair treatment, which cost about 70,000-90,000 RP. It included a hand, arm, shoulder and neck massage and a hair blow dry, which was done very well and Mum was really happy with it.
Mum enjoying her hair bath
My treatment was finished first and it looked like Mum and Sam would still be a while, so I made my way to meet up with Dad, who was having a beer at the Duckz Nutz. While I was walking along the road by myself, I noticed that I was bothered a lot more by the drivers and the male market people. Whenever I’d been walking along with Mum or Dad, it hasn’t been as much as a problem I ordered a smoothie (I’m not a big drinker) and Dad and I shared some spring rolls, which were actually really yummy! We used the WiFi and chatted with each other until it I nudged dad to leave because Mum and Sam would be finished at the spa soon. We walked back to the hotel and got back in the pool. By this time, the pool had warmed up quite a bit, but as my dad kept reminding us, it’s all relative.When Mum and Sam returned, we were ready for lunch. We decided on returning to Warung Pregina. We were, once again, the only patrons. We ordered lemon ice teas to start with, which were beautifully refreshing. I ordered mie goreng and asked for a fried egg on top, which they happily gave, Dad ordered nasi goreng, Mum ordered fried rice noodles, which we hadn’t noticed on the menu before, and Sam ordered French fries because she was annoyed they didn’t have burgers. We all, with the exception of Sam, enjoyed our meals, especially Mum who loved her rice noodles.
Mum's fried rice noodles
My mi goreng
When we returned, we finished the last of our packing and had a bit of down time before we got picked up at 4:30. We had organised with our original drivers, Gusman and Made, to pick us up. They’re very reasonably priced and Gusman has got great English and is very knowledgeable. We’ll definitely use their services again.Our check-in at the airport was quick, as was going through Immigration. We went into the Garuda Lounge at the airport, which is towards gate 6. It costs 130,000 RP and is much more comfortable than sitting on the floor. It is separated into 2 sections; the Executive Lounge (which I assume just costs more) and the normal lounge, which is where we were. Both have got a drinks fridge, a small buffet, WiFi and plenty of seating. We got comfortable, enjoyed the air con, the food and the drinks. There was unfortunately very little choice for Mum because of her gluten intolerance.
The flight boarded about 20 minutes late, and took off late. I’m sad to say that I was somewhat disappointed in Garuda’s service this time round. I was unluckily assigned a seat that wouldn’t recline. As it was a night time flight, all I wanted to do was lay back (as much as you can in a plane), put on a movie and have a bit of a sleep, but I was left uncomfortable and as a result, tired and grumpy for the flight home. When I brought my seat to a flight attendants attention, there was not much she could do, but she didn’t start well. When I first told her, her response was simply “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but your seat must be broken”. Well, der. I asked her what I was supposed to do for the flight, at which point she left and soon returned offering me another seat, which was as the back of the plane. As I was sitting with my family, I refused (I was secretly hoping I would be moved into 1st class) and the flight attendant instead suggested that when the flight landed, they would get the technician to look at the seat. I responded with an ashamedly rude “How is that going to help me now?” Did I tell you I was tired and grumpy? I found the service lacking compared to how it was on our flight over. Yes, it was a night time flight, but I was still very thirsty and tired and grumpy (did I mention that?). Drinks were not being offered nearly as frequently as they were on our flight over. I’m sure it really wasn’t that bad, but was relative to my mood at the time.
We landed just before midnight, and were through immigration and customs just about as quickly as we had been at Bali. What a beautiful week it was, and it’s back to reality for all of us to earn some money for our next trip. The countdown to July has started.
THINGS I DIDN’T MENTION
MOSQUITOES: Sam and I got bitten quite a lot more than we usually do, even though we were fairly vigilant with our mosquito sprays etc. We sprayed our room every night and wore both RID and OFF (Bali bought). We found that RID worked the best. Despite our bites, we both returned home healthy.
GRIYA SANTRIAN RENOVATIONS: Yes, the Griya is currently undergoing renovations towards the back of the hotel in the Garden Wing. Until our last 2 days, we hadn’t even noticed the renovations. To the best of my knowledge, they are rebuilding some rooms as 3-storey Premiere Deluxe Rooms. I don’t know how different they are going to be from standard Deluxe Rooms, nor do I know the cost. When asked, the staff were unable to tell us when the renovations would be finished. UPDATE: The Griya Santrian has announced that their reno's are due to be finished in/by October 2013
WIFI: Having stayed Segara Village Hotel last year, where WiFi was accessible all over the hotel, I was somewhat disappointed with the Griya’s WiFi. Although it is accessible in quite a few spots, they have got a number of different networks, all with the same password, available in different areas of the hotel. I would make the suggestions that they upgrade their WiFi to one single network that is available all over the hotel. Each night when I wanted to upload my blog, I would have to go sit in the lobby because WiFi was not available from our rooms.
I found that a lot of restaurants had WiFi available but didn’t advertise. When I asked, they were happy to provide their password.
STAYING WELL: My stomach and Bali food have never agreed with one another. During my first 3 trips to Bali, by the 3rd day I was suffering from uncomfortable and constant stomach aches that would disturb me during the trips. Just before my 4th trip, Mum suggested that I try having probiotics and Yakult before and during the trip. A lot of people of Trip Advisor have said that this doesn’t help, but it has definitely made a difference for me and I will continue to do it for my next trips to Bali.
OUR ROOMS: We had rooms 157 and 158, which were interconnecting. The room Sam and I had was a twin and about 3 quarters of the size of Mum and Dad’s. Both rooms had updated bathrooms (no bathtub) with plenty of counter space and a good shower, although the hot water took a long time to heat up, and verandah’s with a table and chairs. We were very happy with our rooms, but if I am to complain about anything, it would be the pillows on the bed. I woke up a few mornings with a very sore neck that even a massage couldn’t fix.
Mum and Dad’s room was huge. It had a king size bed and lots of floor space for another bed and even a cot. Their bathroom was much bigger than ours, but also lacked a bathtub.
My and Sam's verandah
Mum and Dad's room
Mum and Dad's room. Interconnecting door in front and bathroom on the right
My and Sam's bathroom
My and Sam's bathroom
My and Sam's room: interconnecting door behind and bathroom on the right
Before I finish, I would like to do a shoutout to my family, who were very tolerant of me taking photos of absolutely everything and not allowing them to eat their meals until I had taken a photo of it. They were also very good about my insistance to try new places for the purpose of my blog so I could provide my readers with as much information as I could.
And I would of course like to thank you, the people who read my blog and gave me feedback, encouragement and appreciation. It is, because of that, that I chose to write another blog during this trip, and again why I will write another about my July trip.
I would love to hear people's feedback, especially things you would like me to include (more of) in my next blog so I can improve it even more. If there is anything else you would like to know, please feel free to PM me:)
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