Hi Fiona

You might like to post your photo on the Facebook page on 'Lost Bali' someone will recognise it.

We are off to Bali for 3 weeks in May

Geri

hi geri
good to see you back here.
Have to say I had forgotten I had posted this! I do actually know where it is from- Monkey Forest. I found that a magical place.
Are you headed up to Ubud again?

Hi Fiona

I still check in most days but I haven't posted for a while.

This trip is going to be a cheap and cheerful one. 10 nights in Kuta, 3 nights at Greenfields in Ubud amongst the rice paddies, I only hope we go before the harvesting as they burn off the rice stalks after the ladies have thrashed the last of the rice out of them, they then throw them in piles and set fire to them... we were unlucky to be there one year when this happened and we were choked. Talking to a staff member about the procedure he said "it is good smoke... no plastic" LoL Then we go to to Sanur for the last 8 nights.

I've always loved monkey's, but I've since had a change of opinion, I've seen too many people bitten including myself (fortunately, the skin wasn't broken) Rabies is now prevalent in monkey's and dogs in Bali. We stayed at Tegal Sari in Ubud and was 'trapped' in the room as a large monkey was on the verandah checking and rechecking an empty crisp packet out of the bin, they really are nasty pasties. The staff just shoo them away.

When, where is your next trip?

Geri

Geri
I have been fretting about not getting back to Bali. It has been 4 years since we last went. OH wanted to go to other places but I think I might be able to work on him again! Not going in the near future though. We are just back from Goa and going to Cambodia and Thailand in the summer.
Tegal Sari is somewhere we have looked at. Haven't seen Greenfields. I love Ubud though and Sanur is our choice for beach stay. I hear its a bit more built up since our last visit

Greenfields is next door to Tegal Sari, it's much the same price and enjoys a good reputation. Since that daft film Eat Pray Love Ubud is FULL of tour buses and is very congested during the day. We use Ubud as chill out time and book a the 1st floor room over looking the rice fields, reading, relaxing with ots of nearby lovely restaurants to venture out to in the evening.

Last year we stayed at Vila Shanti which is next door to Griya Santrian, before that was Besakih Beach Resort all great priced smallish hotels. As much as we prefer a beach front hotel, we've chosen to stay again at Sanur Beach Villas (a short walk to the beach) it's run by an Australian guy Ron and his lovely Indonesian wife Irma. http://www.sanurbeachvillas.com/

My husband recently retired so our $ has to stretch further. We are travelling more but staying in cheaper accommodation and grabbing airline specials as they come out.

I'd love to go to Goa.

Geri

Hi Geri,

Great to see you on the site again! Get hubby covered in DEET and enjoy yourself in Bali.

We have been looking at Bali for later in the year (Sept/Oct) but are rather stuck. Our visit last year gave some mixed thoughts - especially about Ubud - see http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/bali-trip-june-2013-t158652.html . We also learn that the Hyatt in Sanur (which we got to love) is closed for long overdue refurbishment for a couple of years.

We prefer to being further north than the Sanur Beach / Mercure / Puri Santrian area and we have even debated whether to go to the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua - as Sanur lovers, this doesn't quite stack up, though.

We also struggled with Ubud last year - as both you and Fiona have pointed out, "Eat, Pray, Love" has a lot to answer for.

We have been to Chiang Mai and Hua Hin, earlier in the year and have a couple of weeks booked to take 2 grand daughters to the Canary Islands in July. Whatever happens, please update us on your Bali trip this year - it may well influence our choices for Sept / Oct.

Enjoy yourselves!

Peter

Sanur Beach Villas- are they just down a bit from Puri Santrian? They look quite nice but don't fancy a shared bathroom.
Ubud- trouble is with that film is that you would believe you could still do a beach holiday if you stayed there. I think that as long as the evenings where coachtrip free I could go back there. It's the evenings I enjoyed. Would just relax during the day by a pool.
Pete- that's a major refurbishment if it's taking two years. Have to say that I thought the grounds were lovely but the building itself looked from the outside like it hadn't changed since the 60s. It's in a great position so I can imagine prices will be sky high when it reopens

Hi Fiona

There aren't any shared bathrooms at Ronnie's place. Sorry it's confusing... he does have a single stand alone 3 bed 2 storey villa that shares the same driveway as the Griya Santrian and Vila Shanti but that isn't where we stay. He has another small complex also known as Mangrove Beach Sanctuary further down past the Puri Santrian which has 6 en-suited rooms (very basic and budget) and 3, 2-bedroomed stand alone villas... all set around a very sociable pool. You can have breakfast delivered to your patio or eat communally under the Bali Bale. As you open the link the photos are of the Mangrove. I prefer to be it the thick of it but the staff will call a taxi, it comes in minutes and it's only $1 to get to the centre of Sanur.

Pete, after my husband contracted Dengue Fever I will nag and smother him personally in DEET LoL He still remains our Dr's only case of Dengue Fever as we live in Melbourne. We used the local product 'Off' last time, now we take enough of our own to last the trip. We are booked to go back again for last 2 weeks in October, we are taking our daughter and g/daughter so it's 7 nights in a Mangrove Sanctuary villa (from there we will do the Bali trips as it's their first time) and 7 nights at Bali Dynasty which is a kid/family oriented hotel. That'll be new to us have a hundreds of kids around all shouting "Mum mum look at me" splash!! not to mention the thwacking sound as they smash the pool noodles on the water Grrr.

We started off in Nusa Dua 20 years ago at the Putri Bali then Melia Bali but have crept in towards the busier areas and now favour Sanur and prefer the smaller hotels where there is no fighting for a sun bed... some places are like battlegrounds. I got abused terribly by a Russian woman last year in Phuket... the good thing is, I have no idea what she said :-)