Fat Chow

During my recent trip to Bali, I insisted that we, Mum, Dad and I, try the new Asian-Fusion restaurant located at the beach end of Poppies Lane 2 in Kuta. I heard about it via a couple of Bali gurus and being the foodie I am, I just had to give it a go. It has only been open for about 4 or 5 months but has already earnt itself a good reputation.

The restaurant is easy to find. We caught a taxi to the Beachwalk shopping mall, down the laneway and the restaurant was just around the first bend. It wasn't busy at all despite its high rating on TripAdvisor. The decor is quite industrial but very comfortable, with a couple of large tables, benches with some beautiful cushions, exposed brick wall and funky lights.

The menu is quite extensive, with soups, salads and your typical Asian dishes. All were well priced between $3 and $13, the most expensive being a tasting plate. We decided to order entrees and mains to share and were glad we did. The dishes were perfect for sharing and we got to have a taste of everything. My goodness, the food was all so delicious. For entrees we ordered:

Pork on Fire

And Tokyo Prawns

Both were delicious, with the pork being the favourite. The meat was nice and tender with a beautiful peppery flavour.

Our mains were:

Pork Ribs

Chicken Satay

And Pad Thai. The pork was once again the favourite. I've tried a few rib dishes around Bali and this one has topped them. The meat just fell right off the bone, it was so tender and the sauce was just delicious. The roast potatoes were the perfect accompaniment. I easily could have eaten another serve of them. The Pad Thai had beautiful flavours too but the rice noodles were a little gluggy while the satay, also with great flavours, had a beautiful spiciness in the sauce. I like my satay hot!

The serves were on the small nice (but big on flavour!) which meant we for once had plenty of room for dessert although I'm sure we know I would have orderd it anyway. Mum and I got:

Green Tea Creme Brulee

And Grilled Banana. The Creme Brulee, although yummy, didn't have much of a green tea flavour which is good in my opinion; green tea for dessert? No thanks. The Grilled Banana, which was grilled with icing sugar, was amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. Such a simple dessert with such great flavour. What I wouldn't do to have some right now!

Our meal, including 4 drinks, came to about $55. Not bad if you ask me!! The staff were so friendly, the service was great and the restaurant was nice and clean with a fantastic atmosphere. Fat Chow has earnt a spot as one of my favourite restaurants. I recommend giving it a go:)

Address: Jalan Poppies 2, number 7C

Phone: +62 361 753516

Email: fatchowbali@gmail.com

 

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Tips For Planning a Cheap Trip to Bali

In January, I snuck off to Bali for a quick getaway. With cheap flights a good deal on accomodation thanks to booking.com, I was able to make a 3 night stay, not only affordable, but wortwhile. Of course I am spoilt living in Perth and having Bali just 3.5 hours away so not everyone will be so lucky to escape for just 3 nights, but no matter where you live in Australia, it's not so hard to get the best deal. Here are some steps that I follow to get the best price on my holidays.

1. Do your research!

One of the first steps to planning a trip to Bali is figuring out which area best suits your need. Are you looking for a quiet and relaxing holiday, do you plan on being out and about and want shopping and great restaurants on your doorstep, do you want a nice swimming (or maybe surfing) beach, or maybe you're after a view of lush greenery? Or maybe you're staying long enough to be able to split your trip between a couple of different places. Bali has got something for everyone. Figure out what you're after and take that to friends that know Bali or to a Bali forum like this one on TripAdvisor. If you're asking for advice, listen to it! It's important to have all the information so you can make the right decisions and really enjoy your trip.

 

2. Finding cheap flights

Every airline has specials now and then so sign up to their email alerts or be prepared to check the prices each day. I find a tool like SkyScanner to be invaluable because it saves you from visiting each different website. Keep in mind that the cheapest flights will generally be at the worst times. If your budget is quite strict, be prepared to book a very early morning or late night flight. The cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesday's and Thursday's so take this into consideration when you're planning your dates. A great trick to getting even cheaper flights is to make use of Jetstar's Price Beat; if you take the price of another airlines flight (must be at a similar time), they will give you the flight for 10% cheaper. Conditions apply for this offer and you must book and pay when you call. Click here to go to their website and check out the conditions.

 

3. Finding cheap accommodation

Have a notebook ready for this step. I always head to a website like booking.com to see what kind of prices I can get for hotels. Write a list of hotel's that catch your eye and the price they're offering. You can often get free cancellation on booking.com, sometimes for a slightly higher price but your card won't get charged until you're actually at the hotel, so you can cancel it if something else comes up. While I'm doing this, I always head over to TripAdvisor to check out the reviews for the hotel's I'm interested in. If they've got bad reviews, they are off my list. It's worthwhile to check the prices available on the hotel's website. Sometimes it's cheaper to book direct due to early bird specials etc. Sometimes I'll stop here and book directly with the hotel if they offer a cheaper price or I will take the prices I find to Flight Centre, where they will give you an even cheaper price. Yes, they will only beat it by about $1 but if you need to book multiple rooms, this can add up. It can be reassuring to some people to know that someone else is going to do the hard work for them in the case that you need to find alternative accommodation.

 

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Whoops!! Here We Go Again

I'm sure you've guessed it already, but yes, I'm heading back to Bali. I feel a bit silly after the fuss I made about last month's trip being my last one for who knows how long, but hey, a trip to Bali is a trip to Bali! Now I'll just have to repeat the process after this trip! My mum and I are in the process of planning our short 5 night getaway for October. We got cheap flights ($550 return for both of us!) and Mum bribed me by offering to pay for my airfares. I'm very lucky, you don't need to tell me. No accommodation is booked yet because we're still throwing a few ideas around and tossing up between hotels. Our dates align with family friends so I'm really looking forward to enjoying the trip with another mother-daughter duo. We plan to spend our first 2 nights in Candi Dasa where I've never stayed before so hotel and restaurant suggestions are very welcome. Let the planning begin again!!

 

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The Art Cafe: Special Offer

Since discovering The Art Cafe last July when they moved their premises from South Sanur, the restaurant has quickly become one of my favourites and I cannot get through a trip to Bali without eating there at least once. It's in a great, easy to find location on Sanur's main street, Jalan Danau Tamblingan, has a lovely setting, great staff and delicious food. Everyone I've recommended the restaurant to has been pleased with the service and the food. Their menu is extensive, with plenty of Indonesian and Western dishes, all beautifully presented and reasonably priced.

But, I'm sure you all know that my absolutely FAVOURITE thing is the decadent, delicious and perfectly cooked Chocolate Melted Cake. Oh, just thinking about that chocolate sauce oozing out of the cake has my mouth watering. It is heaven in the form of food.

If you haven't been to The Art Cafe, you're missing out. And lucky for you, now is the perfect time to go. The Art Cafe and I have worked together to come up with a special offer for my readers that are in Bali or will be going soon. There are 2 forms of this offer:

1. If you go to The Art Cafe for dessert only and order the cake, you will receive a complimentary tea, coffee, cappuccino or latte. The complimentary drink is valid per order of chocolate cake ie if you order 2 cakes, you'll receive 2 complimentary drinks
2. If you go to The Art Cafe for dinner AND dessert and order the cake, you will receive 10% off your final bill.

Conditions:

• The offer begins TODAY and will be continuing until further notice
• The offer is valid for evening only, not lunchtime
• If your party is more than 5 people, you will need to book and order the cakes in advance to ensure there is enough and you won't miss out

THE MOST IMPORTANT CONDITION:

• To receive the offer, you must order the cake as "Anna's Chocolate Cake". If you don't reference it as such, you'll miss out

I'm so excited to bring this offer to you all and I hope those of you that get to try it, will love it as much as I do!!

 

Contact The Art Cafe:

• Click here to go to their Facebook Page. Message them here to book
• Click here to go to their website
• Click here to check out/write a review on Tripadvisor
• Address: Jalan Danau Tamblingan Number 82 (across the road from the Besakih Hotel and next door to the Lazer Sports Bar)
• Phone: +62 361 283811

Map from Pinterest

 

 

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Staying On Nusa Lembongan

My trip to Bali in March was the first time I stayed on the island of Lembongan, located off the East coast of Bali. I had visited for a day trip last year while on the Bali Hai Cruise (see here) and had gotten a bit of a feel for the island. After drooling over other traveller's photos, I decided to include it in my itinerary for three nights. Because I had never stayed there before and didn't know the area, there were a few things I had ask. If you're considering staying on Lembongan for the first time, I'm sure you'll be asking them too so I've put together this post to help as best I can:)

 

• Why stay on Lembongan?

Nusa Lembongan is away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. The lack of traffic, with the exception of scooters and transport trucks, the fact that the island is made up of two local villages and is somewhat still undeveloped, it retains an "Old Bali" feel. If you're wanting to relax and enjoy some beautiful beaches, it might be the place for you. It's where some of Bali's best surf breaks can be found along with some great snorkelling and diving. It's got watersports, spa's, yoga, great restaurants and beautiful hotels and villa's.

 

• How to get there

The only way to get to Lembongan Island is by boat. If you're prone to sea sickness, don't worry too much - it's only half an hour away! There are a range of fast boat companies to choose from and the trip should cost about 450,000 Rupiah (about $45) per person for a return trip. Kids can travel at a discounted price. This includes pick-up at your hotel in Bali, transfer to and from your accommodation on the island and drop-off at a hotel or at the airport when you get back to Bali. I chose to travel with Rocky Fast Boats.

 

• Where to stay

On the island, you can find accommodation to suit every budget. It has everything from cheap and cheerful, boutique hotels, luxury villa's and everything in between. You can get beachfront, street front, cliff front and with an amazing view. There are a few different locations to choose from, depending on whether you want to have everything on your doorstep or just a short walk away or maybe you'd like something a bit more out of the main area. I stayed at Lembongan Harmony Villa's. A map like this one from WikiTravel will be helpful in getting your bearings and choosing a place to stay if you haven't been to Lembongan before.

 

• Getting around on the island

There are no taxi's on the island so getting around can be tricky. Walking is of course the most obvious option, and with the island only being about 4 kilometres from end to end, it's doable, but with Bali's mostly humid climate, it may not be preferable. The easiest way is to hire scooters. This will cost you about 70,000 Rupiah a day per scooter. You're not required to have a license for a scooter on the island, but keep in mind that unless you have your international license and the equivalent license from home, your insurance will probably not cover you if you have an accident. Getting scooters means you can explore the island at your leisure. The traffic lacks here but the roads are not in the best of shape. Push bikes are also available but be aware that there are quite a lot of hills. If you're not able to ride or scoot, golf buggies are available for hire on the island. At about $80 to over $100 a day, you'll need to factor this into your budget. A lot of restaurants offer free pick-up after 5:00.

 

• The experts

If you're thinking of staying on Lembongan Island for the first time, resources like The Lembongan Traveller will be invaluable to you. You'll be able to get answers to every question you have as well as discounted rates for accommodation and restaurant recommendations.

 

I absolutely loved staying on Lembongan and really enjoyed its slower pace. It was quite overwhelming to return to the busy streets of Bali with its honking horns. I would definitely return and would probably stay longer. I would recommend staying on the island for at least 3 nights to give you plenty of time to relax, explore the island and its neighbours (Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida) and maybe go snorkelling. It's a beautiful place to visit with some nice spas, lovely restaurants and amazing accommodation options.

 

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The Shampoo Lounge

My Mum and I treated ourselves to a bit of pampering last month by heading to The Shampoo Lounge in Seminyak. A few friends had raved about it so we decided to give it a go. In Bali, you can head to almost any spa for a hair treatment and cut but there's always the question of what kind of products they use and whether the staff are properly trained. I've heard some stories about people that have been left very unhappy with their hair after having it done and it makes it easy to vow to never have your hair done in Bali. The fact is that loads of people get their hair done in Bali all the time because it's so much cheaper than having it done in Australia and if you know where to go, you should have no reason to worry.

I always trust the word of people that have been to Bali times before and know their stuff so Mum and I were excited to head to The Shampoo Lounge for a "Sexy Summer Hair" package that included a wash, treatment, cut and blow dry for the price of 550,000 Rupiah (about $55 AUS). We would probably pay double that in Australia!

The Shampoo Lounge is located in Seminyak at the North end of Seminyak Road. They offer not just hair salon treatments but spa treatments and also have an old-school barber corner just for the guys. Although it's expensive by Bali standards, it well worth having the peace of mind knowing that they use high quality products and have staff that actually know what their doing. Their packages are really well priced so it's worth checking them out! The place is very clean, has proper salon equipment and furniture and has a funky vibe to it. The staff are friendly and professional and although there was a bit of a miscommunication with our booking, they sorted it out and began our pampering as soon as they could. They were very apologetic for this and it had no effect on our visit what so ever.

Mum and I were both really happy with our end results. Our hair was nicely cut (we just got trims) and beautifully blow dried; it's a shame that lovely hair never lasts in Bali because of the humidity because we would have loved to strut around for the rest of the day with our freshly blow dried hair. If I was staying in the area, I'd definitely return and I'd quite happily get my hair cut there again. I probably wouldn't bother having another massage here. Although it was good, there was a bit of chatter between staff members and the music from outside the massage room was quite loud and drifted in over the relaxing music. These are the only small complaints I have about my visit.

So if you're looking for a nice salon to get your hair done at in Bali, I recommend The Shampoo Lounge. You can visit with the confidence that you'll be in the hands of properly trained staff, in a nice clean facility. You can visit their website here to check out what they offer (from hair, to nails, massages and make-up) and make a booking. Enjoy!

Photo from www.shampoolounge.com

 

 

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