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| Sarah's Bali Educational - June 2005 |
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In early June, I was lucky enough to be invited to join the Bali Bound educational that was being held. I was very excited about it because I hadn’t been to Asia prior to this trip. It was a flying visit as we were only away for four nights and one of those nights was spent on an Air Paradise flight. It was really just enough time to work out that I wanted to go back. The purpose of the trip was to not only ‘see’ Bali, but also to get an idea for the types of accommodation that Bali provides. In the short time that I was there I saw over 20 hotels.
The flight with Air Paradise was quiet good; I received wonderful service from everyone involved. Our flight went via Sydney, where we stopped for about an hour before departing Australia for Indonesia. I spent the time on the flight getting to know the nine others on the educational from other travel agencies and our hosts from Bali Bound.
 When we arrived in Denpasar the temperature was a lovely 30 degrees, (a big change from Melbourne at this time of year). We were then taken to Alam Kul Kul Resort, which was where we stayed for the first night. It is a reasonably small resort, which I think, adds to its charm. The resort has standard rooms as well as luxury villas that have private pools and outdoor spas. The resort is in Legian, opposite the beach known for its sunsets. It is a fair distance to walk if you want to get to the markets or centre of town, however taxis are so cheap that it doesn’t really matter.
Our host at Alam Kul Kul provided a beautiful traditional Balinese meal for us as we sat on an outside deck overlooking the beach. The meal was called ‘Rijstafel’, which means a table of rice. It consists of appetizers, mains, rice and dessert served in a “family style” so that we all could share and taste everything.
 The following day we moved on to Hotel Padma. The hotel itself has many different room types ranging from “Presidential suites” to “Garden suites”. The hotel grounds include a magnificent pool with a swim up bar, restaurants that overlook the ocean and plenty of sports areas. The hotel is in a fantastic location, when you step outside the gates of the hotel you are in a great shopping district. The locals love to haggle and let me tell you the tourists love to shop. The local streets provide the opportunity to purchase everything from vibrant frangipani paintings to “Bingtang” t-shirts.
 There are many great hotels ranging in price and style in Kuta and the surrounding areas. One, which is family friendly, is the Bali Dynasty Resort. This resort has a “kids club” that is free for guests between the ages of 4 and 12. It also has some wonderful swimming pools for people of all ages. Bali Dynasty is in a fantastic location for those wanting to do a bit of shopping during their stay. For those travelling to Bali on a budget a resort that is great value for money is called The Oasis. The resort is centred around the pool, is very clean and in the heart of Kuta.
 In the hills about one hour’s drive from Legian is Ubud. Ubud is famous for it’s arts and crafts including stone, silver and woodcarvings. The area is also known for its tranquil views and rice paddies. During our day trip to Ubud we visited some amazing resorts, one that caught my attention was the Maya Ubud. Maya Ubud is a deluxe five star resort and spa situated on the Petanu River. The location makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere however you are not far at all from the centre of Ubud. The newly refurbished spa resort focuses on healthy living. The three restaurants in the resort continue the healthy living theme with their delicious cuisine. This resort would be such a special place for a couple to stay to enjoy some quiet time together.
The Balinese are wonderful hosts; they provide spectacular resorts and service, which result in tourists having a fantastic holiday. The opportunities for some bargain shopping are also a draw card for this destination. If warm weather, friendly locals and beautiful scenery sound like what you look for in a holiday then Bali is the place for you.
Sarah Dart |
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