Bali, Indonesia: Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali; hotel review

Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali  

Jl Petitenget Gg Cendrawasih No. 99 DS, North Kuta, Badung, Bali 80361, +62 361 8466 966.  121 rooms; 4 stories.  Pool; fitness room; full-service spa.  Breakfast buffet included; restaurant; 2 bars.  Free shuttle service via open-air buggy to shopping, restaurants, and clubs in nearby Seminyak area, as well as to Batu Belig Beach and beach club. 

Newly built in 2012 and located just 45 minutes from the airport and a few minutes from shopping and restaurants, the clean-lined, contemporary Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali hotel features a Balinese style.  It sits in a quiet neighborhood amid what formerly was a rice field, and the remaining field around the exterior is still farmed--giving the hotel a pleasant rural feel.  Guests often return to the spacious open-air lobby with a musician playing traditional music from Bali or Borneo, and a gaggle of bellboys are anxious to assist and eager to speak in English.  An expansive breakfast buffet with particularly tasty pastries, fruit, and local noodles is complimentary to all guests and served in the open-air Devali Restaurant, which also serves lunch and dinner.  Beautiful intricately-woven silk panels line the guest room wall acting as a headboard, and comfortable king-size beds are made up with two light duvets (one for each side) and white cotton linens.  Marble-tiled bathrooms have a glassed-in shower separate from the bathtub and feature a large glass window with a view into the bedroom and beyond to the view outside; a pull-down shade permits privacy.  All rooms have a balcony.  

exterior of Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

guest room bed at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

guest room bath at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

breakfast buffet plate at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

spa at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Bali, Indonesia: Natrabu Minang Restaurant; restaurant review

Natrabu Minang Restaurant  

Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 163 (Sanur), Denpasar. 

Specializing in Minang cuisine, Natrabu Minang Restaurant serves many small dishes that are sort of like rijsttafel.  It also features an ornate stage where diners can take a break, dress up in exotic royal head wear, and snap some fun pictures.  

rijsttafel dinner at Natrabu Minang Restaurant in Bali, Indonesia

rijsttafel dinner at Natrabu Minang Restaurant in Bali, Indonesia

playing dress-up after dinner at Natrabu Minang Restaurant in Bali, Indonesia

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Bali, Indonesia: Tanah Lot, things to do

Tanah Lot  

One in a chain seven sea temples along the south-western Bali coast--each established within eyesight of the next--the expansive Tanah Lot temple complex is always spectacular, but morning light provides the best photos.  Sunset is good, but bus-loads of tourists arrive then and the rock is in shadow.  If you’re here then, perhaps the best way to watch the sunset is fortified by a cold beer or refreshing fresh coconut water in one of the bluff-top cafes.  Souvenir stalls are plentiful, and hawkers offer interesting items as you walk around.  The temple name translates as “small island floating on the sea.”

Tanah Lot temple in Bali, Indonesia

taking selfies at Tanah Lot temple in Bali, Indonesia

Tanah Lot temple in Bali, Indonesia

sunset from a cafe at Tanah Lot temple in Bali, Indonesia

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Bali, Indonesia: Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar; hotel review

Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar  

Jl Danau Tamblingan 99a, Sanur, +62 361 8497 000.  4 stars.  338 rooms.  Pool; children’s pool; beach club passes; fitness room; poolside massage.  Restaurant; swim-up pool bar, lobby bar. 

Located in the heart of the popular Sanur beach area, with plenty of shops and restaurants located just outside the property, the stylish Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar hotel has a Balinese touch.  A large open-air lobby is a comfortable place to gather and to people watch.  A large free-form pool with wonderful lukewarm water dominates the interior courtyard.

pool at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

There are plenty of lounge chairs, and many of them are sitting right in the shallow water—the way I like it, and perfect for toe-dangling.

pool at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

More lounge chairs await on the nearby beach, reachable by a 10-minute walk or free shuttle ride.  I think the best guest rooms are those on the bottom floor with their own little shallow plunge pool right off the deck.

plunge-pool rooms at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

But I did like my third-floor room with a private whirlpool tub for four on my outside deck.  And I liked that it looked out to the roofs of village homes, and I could hear the roosters and other animals in an adjacent barnyard in the morning.

third-floor guest room view at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar
in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Room decor is contemporary, with soothing earth tones and wood trim.  White cotton sheets and duvet cover keeps things comfortable.

guest room at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Bathrooms have a Toto toilet with all the bells and whistles.  Shower and toilet stalls are separated by opaque glass, and the counter is extra-large.  All rooms have a balcony, and the A.C. is gentle, quiet, and efficient.  Breakfast in the morning is in an open-air restaurant by the pool.  I favored an area in the back that fronts a quiet residential road, and I adored the French toast with papaya jam.  

breakfast room view at Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Sanur beach and shops

Sanur Beach in Bali, Indonesia

restaurant by Sanur Beach in Bali, Indonesia

shopping street by Sanur Beach in Bali, Indonesia

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Bali, Indonesia: Indus, Ubud; restaurant review

Indus  

Jin. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud. 

The owner of atmospheric Indus, situated inside a vintage building, Ketut Suardana, is a story in himself.  So is his wife, Janet DeNeefe, who is a noted expert on Balinese cuisine and hosts the town’s annual food festival.  Together they own three top restaurants in Ubud plus a guesthouse.  The couple also sponsors an annual writers conference.  This restaurant’s open-air dining room overlooks a vast jungle area and is both nicely decorated and comfortable.  My Asian-fusion lunch here included some crispy appetizer chips and a delicious shrimp curry.  It was among the best cuisine I enjoyed in Bali.  And I must mention that the restrooms, located downstairs and with a view into the garden, are surprisingly special and a don’t-miss.

dining room at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

children's area in dining room at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

view from porch at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

crispy-chip appetizer at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

orange fruit drink at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

shrimp curry at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

shredded chicken and fish stick at Indus restaurant in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

  


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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Bali, Indonesia: Puri Candikuning + Bali Botanic Garden/Eka Karya Botanic Garden; things to do + restaurant/hotel review

Puri Candikuning  

Jl. Raya Candikuning KM 52, Baturiti, Tabanan, +62 368 203 3252. 

Located in the highlands, the serene luxury resort Puri Candikuning overlooks Lake Bratan.  The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the views exceptional.  Though I did not stay here, I enjoyed a lovely meal in the dining room and later toured the atmospherically decorated accommodations. 

Nearby, the Bali Botanic Garden/Eka Karya Botanic Garden is a good place to enjoy the cool central Bali upland.  It is popular with both locals and visitors, who enjoy the highlands scenery combined with the vast collection of tropical plants--many of which are rare--and wildlife viewed in their natural habitat.  The giant and rare Rafflesia blooms several times each year.  Bali Treetop Adventure Park, with six main circuits stretching from tree to tree, is also found here, and a Balinese-style guesthouse provides onsite lodging.  A trip to the gardens is commonly combined with recreational activities at Lake Bratan and visiting the iconic Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple.

view of Lake Bratan at Puri Candikuning in Bali

dessert plate at Puri Candikuning in Bali

lodging at Puri Candikuning in Bali

garden statue at Puri Candikuning in Bali

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Bali, Indonesia: Jatiluwih rice terraces; things to do

Jatiluwih rice terraces

Bali’s most beautiful rice fields and terraces are said to be in Penebel village in Tabaman, a UNESCO cultural landscape.  The Jatiluwih rice paddies are notable for using traditional Balinese irrigation techniques.  

 

Jatiluwih rice terraces in Bali

If you’re lucky, you’ll witness farmers separating the rice from the stalks.  Mount Batukaru looming in the distance makes the fields particular picturesque.

This is also the area to make a stop at a roadside stand and try some exotic fruits. 

rambutan fruit on stems in Bali

 

mangosteen fruit in Bali

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Bali, Indonesia: Taman Ayun Temple; things to do

Taman Ayun Temple  

in Mengwi village, Badung regency, 17 km northwest of Denpasar.

Taman Ayun translates as “beautiful garden,” and you will indeed find expansive garden landscapes with lotus and fish ponds at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Royalty once sailed small canoes in the property’s vast pools, which are now fenced off to visitors.  Featuring magnificent traditional architectural, this temple complex has three parts, like a body—head, body, leg.  It was built with Chinese architectural inspirations in 1634 by the second king and then-ruler of the Mengwi kingdom, Tjokerda Sakti Blambangan (my guide’s ancestor), and was significantly restored in 1937.  Today cats frolic among the ruins.

Towering tiers of temple shrines make up most of the complex, which is considered the “mother temple” of Mengwi.  (More “mother temples”’ include Besakih Temple in Karangasem, Batukaru Temple in Tabanan, and Batur Temple in Kintamani.)  The fourth and last court, referred to as Utama Mandala, is considered the most sacred.  An intricately ornate central gate is open only during ceremonies to allow in consecrated heirlooms and other ceremonial paraphernalia.  Another gate on the east side allows daily access.  The temple’s three areas denote the three cosmological levels in Balinese Hinduism--the world of man, the realm of gods and deities, and the topmost divine level.  According to ancient texts, the complex represents Mount Mahameru in the “churning of the sea of milk,” or the cosmic formation of the world.  

entrance to Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

ticket booth at Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

interior gate at Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

pathway at Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

cat patrols at Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

scenic with canal at Taman Ayun Temple  in Mengwi village, Bali

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Bali, Indonesia: Mount Batur volcano and Lake Tegalalang + a coffee plantation; things to do

Mount Batur volcano 

last erupted in 2000 but is still active.  People come here to hike the lava trails, see the monkeys, and soak in hot springs (the pools at Toya Devasya are reputedly very good).  The town of Songan is the largest in this regency area, with 10,000 inhabitants.  

Mount Batur volcano and Lake Tegalalang in Bali, Indonesia

viewpoint of Mount Batur volcano and Lake Tegalalang in Bali, Indonesia

On the way back to the south, you can visit a tropical coffee plantation to taste kopi luwak, or civet coffee, made from partly-digested coffee cherries that are eaten and then defecated by the Asian palm civet!  The civet eats the fleshy pulp of the cherry, the seed of which undergoes fermentation in the cat’s stomach.  Though traditionally feces was collected from wild civets, today the jungle cats are kept in cages and force-fed the cherries.  It is reminiscent of the way chickens are caged in the U.S. and ducks are force-fed in France.

The name kopi luwak refers to a way of processing the beans rather than a variety of coffee, and it is considered one of the most expensive coffees in the world.  Perhaps you saw the 2008 movie “The Bucket List,” in which Carter Chambers, played by Morgan Freeman, revels in relaying to Edward Cole, played by Jack Nicholson, how the kopi luwak he is drinking was made.  Cole replies, "You're shitting me!" and Carter replies, "No, the cats beat me to it!"  Pretty funny scene.

The plantation I visited had a spacious back porch overlooking the grounds where a variety of coffees were presented for complimentary tasting, though a fee was charged to try the kopi luwak, which is quite smooth.

caged civet jungle cat on coffee plantation in Bali, Indonesia

make kopi luwak at coffee plantation in Bali, Indonesia

tasting kopi luwak at coffee plantation in Bali, Indonesia

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Bali, Indonesia: Penglipuran Village; things to do

Penglipuran Village

The families in traditional Penglipuran Village open their houses to visitors every day in exchange for government payment.  It is a great chance for visitors to step through gates and get inside fences to see how local people really live.  We visited a very simple household that raised pigs and chickens in their back yard and had an assortment of fruit trees in their garden.  Another compound kept a cadre of roosters for fighting that were sadly restrained in cramped bamboo cages that were only a little bigger than they were.  Construction in this area uses a lot of bamboo because the wood is produced in great quantity here.  A large temple complex is just uphill from the houses.  Sarongs are available to borrow for a small donation before entering.

entrance to Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

children in Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

pig pen in Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

jack fruit in Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

caged roosters in Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

temple at Penglipuran Village in Bali, Indonesia

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers