Bali and beyond

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LadyC

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Although not as exotic as some of the trip reports being written up at the moment, I thought I would add to the fray with a trip report on our impending Christmas break holiday.

With all offices ‘closing’ for the Gentleman, MasterC and myself, I thought it was a good opportunity for us to escape overseas for a Christmas break. We normally book all of our flights on points but we left this decision late so I couldn’t find us any flights from MEL to DPS. After some timely vacillating, Qantas released a double status credit offer and there was the incentive to book the tickets (via SYD as why fly direct when you can connect). I locked in our return flights using some SQ points (at a standard rate – ouch), meaning we would come home with an overnight stop in SIN and catch a morning flight from SIN to MEL. Then a couple of weeks ago, Qantas did some very cheap one way J tickets from SIN to MEL that fell right within the period we were coming back home. It was an easy decision to cancel the award flights and book the Qantas flight instead. That left me with re-organising the DPS-SIN leg. There are some very good value J tickets from DPS to SIN via KUL on MH with no increase in price for a stopover. We have never been to KUL, so we decided we would stop over for 2 nights before flying to SIN and connecting later that day for the first QF flight to MEL. When I add up the DSC in J to DPS, the J flight home and the MH J flights, I will accrue 535 status credits. Looks like I might be doing a status credit run in early 2019 to lock in gold for the year. Hmmm……when is that next DSC offer going to be……

So our trip now looks like this

QF MEL-SYD-DPS
10 nights in Bali
MH DPS-KUL
2 nights in Kuala Lumpur
MH KUL-SIN
QF SIN-MEL

Rather than a blow by blow TR, I’ll just cover off our accommodation and some restaurants/good food. And the flights of course!

It’s just under a week until we leave. I can’t wait!
 
Looking forward to the updates. We've never been to Bali.... so will be good to see through your lens.
 
I'll stow away for this one.

Not been to Bali either. 10 days seems a decent whack of time. Don't think I've managed to stay in one place for 10 days for a long time!
 
Last went to Bali more than 20 years ago. looking forward to an interesting comparison
 
Love Bali - clearly your restaurant choices will be somewhat dictated by your location Lady C but if Seminyak not too far away DO NOT miss Barbacoa - food is SENSATIONAL and ambience perfect. Not sure how old Master C is but 100% guarantee you will not be able to stop him ordering the 'flaming ice cream' - kids go crazy over it.

Do not go to Plantation Grill at Double-Six - fabulous ambience in Sling Bar to have a drink but downstairs in Plantation Grill grossly overpriced poor quality food and wine way overpriced as well with a Sommelier who is a right royal flog.

Seminyak has a wonderful array of stand alone restaurants unlike the boring munde line up resort to resort in Nusa Dua.

Just a note on Bali in general - a few years back the Kuta / Legian / Seminyak beach front was really littered with rubbish day after day non stop - apparently tdal flow or such from Jakarta - no matter how much clean up took place it was same same next day.

We spent 13nts their in Sept - walked the beach Legian to Kute / Legian to past W Hotel in Seminyak day after day - not a scrap of rubbish in sight - beaches were pristine.

I know you will have a ball Lady C. Oh and enjoy those disgraceful lounges in DPS on dep. :-)
 
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Love Bali - clearly your restaurant choices will be somewhat dictated by your location Lady C but if Seminyak not too far away DO NOT miss Barbacoa - food is SENSATIONAL and ambience perfect. Not sure how old Master C is but 100% guarantee you will not be able to stop him ordering the 'flaming ice cream' - kids go crazy over it.

Do not go to Plantation Grill at Double-Six - fabulous ambience in Sling Bar to have a drink but downstairs in Plantation Grill grossly overpriced poor quality food and wine way overpriced as well with a Sommelier who is a right royal flog.

Seminyak has a wonderful array of stand alone restaurants unlike the boring munde line up resort to resort in Nusa Dua.

Just a note on Bali in general - a few years back the Kuta / Legian / Seminyak beach front was really littered with rubbish day after day non stop - apparently tdal flow or such from Jakarta - no matter how much clean up took place it was same same next day.

We spent 13nts their in Sept - walked the beach Legian to Kute / Legian to past W Hotel in Seminyak day after day - not a scrap of rubbish in sight - beaches were pristine.

I know you will have a ball Lady C. Oh and enjoy those disgraceful lounges in DPS on dep. :)
The rubbish flow is also dependent on time of year. In January Kuta is a mess from all the rains flooding the drainage into the sea. And the water is hot! Sanur on the other side was much cooler. Not so much rubbish. We were in Bali in September. Went straight from the airport to the IC and didn’t budge. We just like the beach there. No hawkers. Great sunsets.
 
Looking forward to the updates. We've never been to Bali.... so will be good to see through your lens.

It's not quite as salubrious as your upcoming trip!

I'll stow away for this one.

Not been to Bali either. 10 days seems a decent whack of time. Don't think I've managed to stay in one place for 10 days for a long time!

10 days will be the longest time we have spent in Bali. We were there for 8 earlier in the year and felt we could have stayed longer. Part of it being 10 days was just that ticket pricing if we left AU a day or two later was significantly higher (higher than the cost of the accommodation for those nights).

This will be my 9th trip to Bali. I've been to Fiji and Thailand but not yet to any Malaysian or Filipino resorts. Everyone is different, some like Bali and some don't. We have friends who live in Bali who we visit when we are there which is also a motivating factor.

Last went to Bali more than 20 years ago. looking forward to an interesting comparison

The first time I went was ....ahem....nearly 25 years ago. It has certainly changed in that time. Even over the last 8-10 years there has been significant development and shops/buildings keep popping up.

The rubbish flow is also dependent on time of year. In January Kuta is a mess from all the rains flooding the drainage into the sea. And the water is hot! Sanur on the other side was much cooler. Not so much rubbish. We were in Bali in September. Went straight from the airport to the IC and didn’t budge. We just like the beach there. No hawkers. Great sunsets.

I haven't been in September but have noticed there are making much more of a effort to keep it clean. We have stayed down at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay a few times but found we disliked being stuck in the resort with very few restaurants close by, so we have stayed more recently in Seminyak.
 
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Love Bali - clearly your restaurant choices will be somewhat dictated by your location Lady C but if Seminyak not too far away DO NOT miss Barbacoa - food is SENSATIONAL and ambience perfect. Not sure how old Master C is but 100% guarantee you will not be able to stop him ordering the 'flaming ice cream' - kids go crazy over it.

Do not go to Plantation Grill at Double-Six - fabulous ambience in Sling Bar to have a drink but downstairs in Plantation Grill grossly overpriced poor quality food and wine way overpriced as well with a Sommelier who is a right royal flog.

Seminyak has a wonderful array of stand alone restaurants unlike the boring munde line up resort to resort in Nusa Dua.

Just a note on Bali in general - a few years back the Kuta / Legian / Seminyak beach front was really littered with rubbish day after day non stop - apparently tdal flow or such from Jakarta - no matter how much clean up took place it was same same next day.

We spent 13nts their in Sept - walked the beach Legian to Kute / Legian to past W Hotel in Seminyak day after day - not a scrap of rubbish in sight - beaches were pristine.

I know you will have a ball Lady C. Oh and enjoy those disgraceful lounges in DPS on dep. :)

I have heard good things about Barbacoa but haven't been yet. We are mainly eating European as it works better with MasterC (Italian, French, Greek). We are staying in Seminyak so mainly eating in that area. Some of the restaurants we will be visiting include Zibiru, Settimo Cielo, Da Maria, Sip Wine Bar and L'assiette. And we will definitely be trying to partake in some babi guling.

And regarding those lounges - I know - disgraceful!
 
We did stay closer to the restaurant scene when the kids were younger and as teenagers. They’d be bored at Jimbaran. But now it’s just us. Agree about the restaurant choice though, although it’s gradually improving.
 
So one of the reasons we are flying from MEL-DPS via SYD is that the SYD flights have been upgraded to A330s for the peak Christmas period. Based on my research, they are a significant step up from the 737s that currently run the MEL/SYD-DPS route. I know that Qantas have been upgrading their A330s and that there is still one that has yet to be upgraded. Commerntary on various websites has stated that this A330 will be running the SYD-DPS leg.

So I have been intently watching over the seating plan of the plane to work out which A330 we are likely to be flying on, in the hope it is an upgraded one. The seating plan has changed twice already and we are currently flying on one of the international longhaul refurbished A330-200s (based on seating allocation). Fingers crossed it doesn't get subbed at the last minute!
 
So one of the reasons we are flying from MEL-DPS via SYD is that the SYD flights have been upgraded to A330s for the peak Christmas period. Based on my research, they are a significant step up from the 737s that currently run the MEL/SYD-DPS route. I know that Qantas have been upgrading their A330s and that there is still one that has yet to be upgraded. Commerntary on various websites has stated that this A330 will be running the SYD-DPS leg.

So I have been intently watching over the seating plan of the plane to work out which A330 we are likely to be flying on, in the hope it is an upgraded one. The seating plan has changed twice already and we are currently flying on one of the international longhaul refurbished A330-200s (based on seating allocation). Fingers crossed it doesn't get subbed at the last minute!
Anything would be better than the planes they currently send to DPS. Good find.
 
I know that Qantas have been upgrading their A330s and that there is still one that has yet to be upgraded. Commerntary on various websites has stated that this A330 will be running the SYD-DPS leg.

So I have been intently watching over the seating plan of the plane to work out which A330 we are likely to be flying on, in the hope it is an upgraded one. The seating plan has changed twice already and we are currently flying on one of the international longhaul refurbished A330-200s (based on seating allocation). Fingers crossed it doesn't get subbed at the last minute!

Qantas upgrades Sydney-Bali flights to Airbus A330

Thanks for the info. Good to know.
 
I am watching as I have never been or had any desire to go to Bali and spending 8-10 days in one spot is something I am not accustomed to.
 
Jumping on board as well, I have never been to Bali either. Looking forward to seeing it through your eyes.
 
Definitely jumping on for this one as I love to hear the tales of others. As regular visitors to Bali for about the last 12 years it’s always great to see the thoughts of others. Some love it, some hate it
 
QF434 MEL-SYD J

A relatively uneventful flight on a 737 up to Sydney. Late boarding and poor weather in Sydney meant we arrived about 15 minutes behind schedule.

Lunch was served with three options:
1) Ham cheese and tomato toasted sandwich
2) Chicken and corn soup
3) Proscuitto and egg salad with roasted vegies

Our ride to Sydney (on the left)
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Obligatory legroom shot
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Toasted sandwich
20181219_135151.jpg

Prosciutto and egg salad with roasted vegies

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The lunch menu was pretty average. The Gentleman wanted to order the salad but they had run out. He didn't miss much. All the meals were very carbohydrate heavy.
 
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The transit across from the domestic to international terminal was quick and painless however going through immigration was not. Whilst Border Force may want everyone to go through SmartGate, not everyone can. So we got stuck with many other families in the queue with just one officer processing all the outbound passengers. Adding to the confusion was a JQ MEL domestic flight going through the international terminal and one surly staff member who seemed to get angry at everyone.
 
The transit across from the domestic to international terminal was quick and painless however going through immigration was not. Whilst Border Force may want everyone to go through SmartGate, not everyone can. So we got stuck with many other families in the queue with just one officer processing all the outbound passengers. Adding to the confusion was a JQ MEL domestic flight going through the international terminal and one surly staff member who seemed to get angry at everyone.
What a surprise. Lots of families unable to use smartgate, travelling at Christmas time. Who’d thought!
 
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