The hotel has got 2 restaurants, both with the same menu but breakfast is served only at one. It's quite an old part of the hotel but everything here has got such a stunning view over the ocean, it didn't matter. The hotel has plans to renovate this restaurant soon though. Although we were disappointed with yesterday's lunch, the breakfast here is fantastic. They had beautiful fresh fruit from tamerillo's to guavas, dragon fruit, pineapple and melons. They had plenty of Western options (probably for all the Europeans this hotel seems to attract) and a few Indonesian as well as an egg and pancake station.
After breakfast, we were off for a quick a walk before I spent the next 40 minutes enjoying having the pool all to myself. Something great I've noticed about the hotel is that there is no one up early trying to reserve pool lounges. Whether it's because there are so many lounges scattered around that no one feels the need, that all lounges are in a great spot or because the staff keep an eye on it, I don't know but it's so nice to get up and not feel the need to fight for a lounge. I had a beautiful morning swim and caught a few rays before it was time to face the world. And by face the world, I mean get picked up by our friends that are staying nearby and head to White Sand Beach.
Mum and I had visited White Sand Beach last year at the end of the East Bali Bike tour we had done. It's a beautiful place to relax for a few hours with a nice clean beach and an abundance of warung's. There are a few local people wandering up and down the beach trying to sell the usual Bali knick knacks and offering massages but they're not aggressive in any way. But first, we had to make another stop. Mum had been drawn to the Candi Dasa Chocolate Factory after seeing photos online. It was tucked away a little way out of Candi Dasa so our friends had organised a driver for us. It was a very cool place but it was lucky we hadn't gone for the chocolate because there wasn't any! It wasn't what we expected at all. There was no where to buy the chocolate (that I saw) or the soap that also gets made here. What we did love about it was the swing. A swing strung between two palm trees with that spectacular Candi Dasa view. Of course I had to have a go. After a swing, I reverted back to my childish ways and decided to have a swing on my stomach. This swing was not made for that at all and I ended up falling on my butt. I'm pretty sure it's going to bruise but we all got a good laugh from it.
The chocolate factory also had a pet goose that I feel I should warn you about. Whether he's very friendly or he's looking for a fight, it was hard to tell but not long after getting out of the car, he had waddled over to greet/fight us. We were all a bit to nervous to test the waters with him but I am 97% sure he had an agenda. He starting sniffing around our bags and it took our driver scaring him off to we could get them again.
So with no chocolate to be found, we got back into the car and headed for White Sand Beach. It was the perfect day for it; a light breeze to keep us cool while the sun was shining down with no clouds in the way. Our driver recommended us a particular Warung so we chose a few lounges (all the warungs have lounges out on the sand) and got comfortable. It wasn't long until the ladies were upon us offering their goods and services. I agreed with one to have a massage later on when I had finished drink my coconut but she didn't stray far. In the meantime, mum and our friends headed out for a dip in the ocean while I watched them from a distance struggle with the strong under current and laughing as the small but deceivingly strong waves had them falling all over the place. It was the perfect for people watching; I couldn't help but chuckle as I saw a European lady being too busy posing for a photo that she didn't see a wave coming that knocked her over. Don't worry, she didn't get dumped, just pushed down onto all fours. . It wasn't a choppy day by any means but depending on the tides, this beach would definitely not be good for weak swimmers. Even me, who was in a swimming club for years, was wary of the strength of the current.
As soon as I finished my coconut, she was upon me, asking if I was ready for my massage. I decided to cave and let her take over my feet. The foot massage was lovely and only 50,000 rupiah. My feet are very ticklish but I didn't not have any twitchy foot problems while trying to keep a straight face so it was a succes. We enjoyed our time laying under our umbrella, chatting and laughing before we started getting peckish and went into the warung for lunch. The warung was Warung Sunrise and with its simple menu, I wasn't expecting much. We ordered drinks and our food and although it took quite a while to come out, we were chatting happily away, passing the time.
The food, though simple, was delicious. All freshly cooked and nicely presented. I had decided on crispy calamari, mum had grilled mahi mahi, our friends Hilary and Nadine had grilled whole snapper and gado gado. We were all really impressed with the food and thanked the cook profusely. Our meal along with the lounge hire and earlier drinks was about $30 between mum and I. We didn't have long before our driver was due to pick us up so into the ocean we went. The temperature of the water was just amazing. The swell had been going from calm to a bit crazy throughout the morning but was looking pretty good at this time. It was perfect.
We went to find our driver to take us back to our respective hotels. I had only a couple of plans for the afternoon; swim and relax. Mum and I went for a quick dip in the hotels second pool before taking up places on lounges, overlooking the waves crashing on the shore. I got some sun and listened to the sound of the waves while I had a bit of a nap before. Mum came down to wake me up at about 3:30. We had planned with the hotel for me to do some room inspections and we were so eager to see the beautiful villas on site.
We met the manager in the lobby at 4:00 and he lead us towards the direction of the villas. But no, we weren't walking. People that are staying in the villas don't have to walk (to be honest, some of them could be a fair walk), they get escorted by golf buggy. What a novelty! We were shown inside one of the villas and it was just gorgeous. When I find my handsome Prince Charming (come on mate, where are you?!), I will be bringing him here. The villas can sleep 3 but are really only suitable for 2. It's got a big double bed overlooking the lap pool which overlooks the hotels grounds and the ocean. It has a double shower, a double spa bath, 2 chairs and 2 pool lounges. See, much better suited for 2. If you're thinking about staying here and can afford to splash out a bit, these villas are the place to be. Words cannot describe how stunning they are. They're all identical with beautiful views and a couple of them will soon be interconnecting for a group or family.
Back into the buggy we went and next we were shown an upstairs deluxe room. I learnt that the only difference between the superior and deluxes is the location; superior are garden facing, deluxe are pool/ocean facing. They're all the same size and same design but all so comfortable. We paid a quick visit to the spa as well which is also just spectacular. It is quite pricey for a Bali spa but it really is just beautiful. I'm booked in for a 2 hour pamper tomorrow and I just cannot wait. The spa rooms are designed for 2 people (ie they have 2 massage tables and 2 showers in each room) and are all individual little buildings, placed on an angle to make the most of the beautiful view. They have spa baths right up next to the window which is huge to let in the natural light. The sound of the waves is almost hypnotic, I felt relaxed just being in there.
The manager was just lovely so we thanked him so much for showing us around. We had some time to kill before we met up with our friends for dinner so after freshening up a bit, we headed to the restaurant for a cocktail. The prices here are not cheap by Bali standards but whenever we're in Bali, we have to have at least one cocktail at the hotel. We plonked on one of the lounges by the restaurant, overlooking the ocean and ordered our cocktails and some fries. They did take quite a while to arrive but luckily we were so content, it didn't matter. We chatted and relaxed, while I decided that this would be the place I get married one day (Prince Charming, just hurry up would you?!). Our cocktails were just right for us, when they eventually arrived. It was the perfect way to spend an hour with the sound of the waves and the laughs of local kids playing in the water.
We killed some time back in the room before heading to the lobby to wait for our pick up for dinner. We were off to Le Zat's, a little hotel located in the middle of town that has a fantastic restaurant. It located right on the waters edge so had a beautiful breeze blowing through that kept us nice and cool. I ordered a 3-course set menu of some soup that I can't remember the name of- it was like a coconutty Tom Yum soup and was delicious- vegetable samosas and beef rendang. Anyone that has been reading my blog for a while would know that I'm mad for beef rendang, especially the one from Mona Lisa's in Sanur. I decided before this trip that as much as I loved Mona Lisa's, I hadn't tried enough rendang's out there to really declare it the best. After eating this one tonight, I have come to the conclusion that Mona Lisa's may not be the best but it is my favourite. All the rendangs that I've tried have been different, with a uniqueness to them so I don't think it's fair to say Mona Lisa is the best. Mum and Hikary had "Nasi Bali" which is thir version of Nasi Campur and Nadine has honey ginger prawns. Le Zat's food was delicious; all of us loved our meals, except for the the vegetable samosas, wasn't a huge fan. We left with full bellies and smiles on our faces after sharing delicious food with great company. We shared many stories and laughs with Hilary and Nadine. It's so nice to holiday with people that you click so well with.
Another day gone but tomorrow is a new adventure. Back to Sanur we go!
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