My inevitable trip to Bali with my SO

[kevinkhchan]

I now have an even greater appreciation for the TRs in AFF. It isn't easy to squeeze some AFF time between excursions and events...more so when you get caught up reading the many excellent threads on AFF. I'm now aiming for the slowest ever TR on record. Parked ourselves in the on-site cafe after a late-checkout of 1pm...waiting for the airport transfer at 4pm...and a departure at 10.10pm. They tried to provide a later check-out but were fully booked.

Anyway back to the TR. The King sized bed was reasonably comfortable and the Mrs. got some shut eye. I'm more of a light sleeper from years of avoiding the night-time "unintentional" punches and kicks. Those of you who are married will empathise...those of you who aren't married will eventually understand why our older generation tend to sleep in separate beds <grin>

Being reasonably early risers we headed for brekkie by 7.00am. We found a whole lot of ponds dotted around the grounds. Just about every building had a pond in front of it. I'm assuming you could tell the break-down of guests based on the size of koi in the ponds...those who would feed the koi and those who just watch or ignore the koi. I would have loved to stake out the ponds after "Happy Hour" at night...watching guest navigate the stone steps.



The Square restaurant is the central point of the property. It is fairly large and can accommodate guests out towards the pool or into the Blue Bar if required. There are a number of main "food" stations around the restaurant. First there is the refreshment station with 3 different juices being tamarind, strawberry and guava this morning. There is milk and 4 different types of cereals to choose from...sorry but my background guides me towards rice for brekkie so I have no idea what was on offer. I'd say there was corn flakes and something that looked like Weat-bix.



There is a bread station with your usual sliced bread and conveyor toaster. However right next to it is a selection of freshly baked breads which you can add to your plate (most likely from the on-site cafe called Pause which has a bakery). Next up is some muffins, cakes and a warm bread pudding with vanilla custard. Caution: This should only be used by families to fuel their kids if they plan to take up all the activities organised by Novotel staff.

My favourite is the obligatory egg station. The chef makes a mean omelette from a selection of ingredients on display - that would be spring onion, tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, onions and some kind of sausage or fish ball. We stuck with onions, capsicums and mushrooms since I am not a fan of meat surprises.



At the far end is the Japanese section with Miso soup, a salad of tuna, plain rice, and two hot dishes of Oden and fish teriyaki this morning. Then we come to the cold sections with one refrigerated stand for salads, one for fruits, and one for cold cuts including a variety of smoked fishes I have not encountered (and am yet to encounter).

The central stands is a East Vs West affair of hot food. On the one side is creamy potatoes (can't remember the fancy name they used), scrambled eggs which actually resembled scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, green beans Provençal, beef sausages which tasted like chicken sausages and chicken sausages which tasted like beef sausages, roasted tomatoes, baked beans and actual bacon (though with texture appeared to be of the candied variety). I zeroed in and hogged the other side which had congee with accompanying condiments, soto (local soup), nasi uduk/lemak (coconut rice), fried noodles and a balinese braised beef (with an unusual name I can't remember but it was delicious). Not many pictures as my stomach dictated my actions at this time...though it is usually the camera that "eats first".

On the way out I grabbed a pic of the Blue Bar. It's a little bit sedate at this time of the day...however I can vouch for the party atmosphere at "Happy Hour" which is between 9pm and 10pm.



Vera was happy to pose in one of the comfortable lounges poolside as we made our way back to the room. It took a bit of effort to get her up and off again as she may have had a little too much to eat...apparently she had to sample the range (note: she will be reading this).

 

[kpc]

I'm not a huge Bali fan but love your trip report, and all your photos...it's been a long time since I did a TR but may do one again on our trip to BOB in 2 weeks

 

[kevinkhchan]

I decided to take a few pictures on the way to our room to er...lighten up before exploring the area by foot.

This gave me an opportunity to get my head around using the Panorama option on the phone again. It was also an opportunity to take pictures pool-side without getting into trouble with parents. There was an elderly gentleman who was having his morning exertions interspersed with his morning ablutions (yes I'm sure you have seen such actions before). This was as close as I was going to get to the pool...you never know what inebriated guests and underage guests (and elderly lotharios) add to the pool.



I realised that I had not captured any pics of the main area past the lobby I decided to add a panorama to this...any opportunity to irritate...I mean practice my panorama shots. We would discover a lot later that there is an apparent difference between the buildings to the right (apparently for Accor Club and Advantage Plus members so it is a lot quieter) and the buildings to the left (just that bit closer to the Blue Bar with the joys of Happy Hour in the evening and the pool with the exuberant screams of children in the day).



I thought this pic of the path on the pond was warranted so you can imagine the temptation of the "hop, skip and jump" after a drink or two...or many.



As it turned out, today was Independence Day for Indonesia. As a celebration the hotel invited the kids from a nearby "special needs" school to the celebrations held at the hotel. Apparently everyone had a lot of fun though I missed it...as I was otherwise <ahem> indisposed back in the room. The Mrs. grabbed a few pics and a video of the tug-of-war between the guests and the staff.

 

[love_the_life]

Thanks for the trip report. Bali is not on our list, having visited a whiles back, back it's always great to read about hotels. places and experiences.

 

[kevinkhchan]

This is the video that the Mrs. captured of the staff "trying" really hard to beat the guests...

Note: I have no idea how this will work so it is a post which I may try to remove if it is problematic. Please let me know if you prefer not to have videos.

[video=youtube_share;wb3OQWgWFcs]https://youtu.be/wb3OQWgWFcs[/video]

 

[love_the_life]

The video worked a treat!

 

[kermatu]

Worked just fine.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Great TR. even just reading through the reasons for edits brings a laugh. Nice work.

 

[kevinkhchan]

Note: We're parked in the Premier Lounge at the moment but that will warrant it's own post right at the end <grin>

Once I am able to get my act together we head out of the hotel to get a lay of the land. It is short of 9am and I am well on my way to getting a two-tone-tan. We have barely stepped past the security gate of the hotel when we hear a soon to be familiar call of the local fauna..."Taxi?!" I turn to see something running out from the bushes. Fighting the urge for flight I see that there is a car parked behind the bushes. I barely utter, "No thank you," when i hear the next most popular cry of "Tomorrow?!" Again I utter, "No thank you." Unfazed he just has a big smile and calls out, "Have a nice day." I'm getting good at this...or so I think.

I love to chat with locals where possible - it tends to give you a different point of view. So along the way I stop to chat with Wayan*. I can't remember his name past Wayan but I would suggest not to call that name out too loudly as you would get a lot of Balinese responding. He is tending to the plants by the road and we have a short conversation...and he is smiling all the time. There is a certain air of friendliness about the place...so far.



The one thing any visitor to Bali will notice is the abundance of shrines and carvings. Most of these shrines and carvings have a purpose and wonderful explanation or story to it. That is the beauty that is Bali. There is a wonderful shrine in one of the main roundabouts near the Novotel. I am tempted to get closer but common sense and my ever present sense of self-preservation banishes that thought as numerous motorcycles and cars and busses zoom past.



Some of these carvings are exquisite even if they just adorn the Masterplan (or map) of the Nusa Dua Tourist Resort.



Others are quirky and I spend some time trying to grab pics of the quirky sculptures. One that really catches my eye is some type of anthropomorphic turtle or tortoise that looks like it's carrying some sort of drum.



The Mrs. and I stand and admire it as one would in an art gallery. Thoughtfully considering the possibilities we suddenly realise the role of this particular sculpture!



* We later learn from our driver that the first child in a Balinese family is called Wayan (pronounced Wa-yarn with a silent r and sounding nothing like Wayne), Gede (literally meaning big) or Putu. The second child is called Made (pronounced somewhat like Mar-day with a silent r) or less commonly Kadek. The third child is called Nyoman or Komang. And the fourth child is called Ketut (made famous by AAMI). The driver said if you had more than four you earned the right to call them whatever you wanted.

 

[Doddsquad]

Whilst we have been here numerous times, this was a great read... So much so, I thought I better book Bali again...JOB DONE!!!

 

[Bali Belly]

This is a great read and especially the Wayan comment so true

 

[kevinkhchan]

Apologies for the treacle like nature of the TR updates. Life is getting in the way...and I promised the Mrs. I'd return to the job market after DPS and BNE.

Anyway here is the Masterplan of the Nusa Dua Tourist Resort for your reference.


<click on image for a larger version on Fl!ckr>

The central area marked in red is the Venus Fly Trap of the tourist resort. Known locally as the Bali Collection this is where anyone staying in the area would go if there is no desire to venture out in search of culture, shopping or anything beyond the beach experience.

Novotel Nusa Dua Hotel and Residences is located on the southern end of the resort whilst Sofitel is at the northern end.