Балийское лето Bali summer

Decided to fly regular flights. We chose "Emirates", through Dubai to Jakkarta, and in Jakkarta 1.30 local a / k "Garuda". Although the flight turned out to be longer than our charter, the comfort, service, organization of the flight turned out to be better than any expectations. "Emirates" is fully consistent with its advertising. Individual screens with the ability to watch new films in Russian, a large selection of music, games, full information about the flight all the time, ergonomic seats, a Russian-speaking stewardess is required, really tasty food, drinks (including spirits) in an unlimited number of , while the cultural behavior of passengers - and this is only an economy class. The only one who will fly with connecting flights, choose more time between planes (at least 3 hours), because. the airports are big and Duti Free has a lot to see, you won't get tired. And at the Jakarta airport, the distances are long.
OPERATOR "Ultra-Travel" - the meeting party of "Indolink Holiday". Special thanks to both "Ultra-Travel" for organizing the holiday, and "Indolink Holiday" for a warm welcome and attentiveness. An excellent guide Yana (this is a man). With good Russian, the ability to answer any question in an interesting way and just an attentive guide. Yes, take a card from local telecom operators - much cheaper than using roaming. The guide usually offers a map immediately upon meeting. For us, $10 on the card was enough for all calls both local and to Russia.
HOTEL «Inna Grand Bali Beach»: Excellent, large, beautiful hotel. Large area-garden, sea, swimming pools - all included. Representatives of various conferences and exhibitions are accommodated in the main building. Tourists are settled on the territory: there are 2-storey buildings - they have standard rooms and apartments (a room, a bathroom and a balcony are twice the size of a standard one). Then villas: there are double (for two rooms, standard rooms) and single standard. We were settled in a single villa: simply beautiful, like your own country house, with a terrace, everything is in greenery and flowers. Moreover, the villas are so well located that you can’t see the terraces of neighboring villas - some isolation, so you can at least enjoy the silence, even sit with the company on the terrace - you won’t bother anyone. Villa guests do not need to go to the main building for breakfast: a second restaurant is located nearby. It is small, but there has never been a shortage and there has never been too many people. The food is quite satisfying, there is a choice. But it is worth noting that the hotel, nevertheless, is a bit old: some rooms show signs of repair, scuffs, the results of a humid climate, but everything works and the rooms are clean. Yes, each room has air conditioning, kettle, water, coffee, tea, sugar, disposable bathrobes, slippers. The bar in the room is paid and much more expensive than the same thing to buy in neighboring stores. Cleaning and change of linen - every day, usually in the morning. Tipping the cleaner - 10.000 rupees (a little over $ 1) is enough. Another fad: in the villas on the ceiling (not visible, of course, but audible) squirrels run, well, they live there. Not even a disadvantage, but just a joke. The safe is free at the reception in the main building. Sun beds and towels are free. "Umbrellas" are sprawling trees planted neatly in a row on the beach, providing great shade all day. As for the ebb and flow of the sea: they last only 2-3 hours and shift in time. Those. at the beginning of your vacation, they can begin in the morning, and then only in the evening. Therefore, the opportunity to swim will always be. There are no waves, to the coral reef the water is shallow, calm, clean. It happens to cause algae and debris when it's windy. Ideal for relaxing on the water, for parents with small children, for those who are afraid of open water. It is even more interesting to wander at low tide, to see various marine life, as in an aquarium (there is nothing poisonous). The sand on the beach is normal.

SANUR. Small, clean, quiet town, which is quite possible to get around on foot. Taxi in Sanur simply does not make sense to take. There are two main streets: the main Jalan By Pass Ngurah Bali - there is, in general, nothing to do on it, because. it's just a big road, no shops or cafes. And parallel to it, it runs closer to the line of hotels - Jalan Dan au Tamblingan, which is full of shops, restaurants, cafes, massage parlors, exchange offices, a fruit market. Everything else is small branch streets, often dead ends. The market where you can buy fruit is at the beginning of the street, open from 8.00 to 13.00. The choice is not very large (those who have been to Thailand know what to compare with), but there are mangosteens, mangoes (green, but ripe), various bananas, pineapples.
NUTRITION. There are no problems, because restaurants for every taste are full with any cuisine (work until late). Do not be afraid to try Indonesian cuisine: sauces add spice to dishes, but you can refuse them or ask them to serve them separately. Indonesians clearly follow the wishes of their guests. But it makes sense to try Indonesian skewers on skewers. Great for preparing a variety of meats. From seafood, mainly shrimp, grilled tuna fillet, crabs. Local beer "Butang" is good, but rather weak. I really liked the "Gesser" of local production: excellent quality. Be careful: in many restaurants, tips are immediately taken into account in the bill as 10% of the order value (to be honest, not very pleasant). Dishes are prepared upon arrival of the client (without blanks), so the wait can sometimes be long. Personally, we liked the bar “BARB’S SPORT” (Jalan Dan au Tamblingan street, no. 108, tel. : 0361-289482. Landmark - across the road opposite the stone shop and the black sign “DG”). It is a bit far away (300 meters from the beginning of the street, but at the same time you can see all the shops). The hosts are a very nice couple from Australia. Large selection of dishes (European, local, Chinese, Japanese cuisine), large portions and prices slightly lower than in neighboring cafes (no 10% tip), wine list, good interior, TV, music, few people and what is nice, You can bring your own alcohol. 
EXCURSIONS: Earlier in the reviews we read that it is cheaper to go around everything by taxi. Yes, the distances in Bali are short, the roads are good, the cars are comfortable. But, it is unlikely that the taxi driver will give you any information. Usually he delivers and waits. You can go with driver-guides who will find you on the beach. But their English leaves much to be desired, and Russian, if they try to speak, is simply not good. Moreover, you will only pay for their travel, but you will still pay for tickets and meals yourself. Therefore, if you decide to see, for example, a bird park, then just a driver is enough. But, if you are interested in learning about the country, religion, architecture, trying sea extreme sports, it makes sense to go for the whole day with a normal Russian-speaking guide (he will already pay for the tickets, food is all included in the tour), who will tell you everything, answer questions and just be responsible for you. I won’t write much about excursions: all the information will be in booklets and for every taste. The only thing worth visiting is at least one or two temples, watching Indonesian religious dances - colorful, unusual, interesting. Villages of craftsmen - in principle, you will see the same thing more than once in stores. Very positive parks of birds, reptiles, orchids: live communication with birds, some of which sit freely outside the cages, wonderful photographs, especially interesting for children. Those who are fond of can go to an inexpensive, so-called. "village fishing" right from the beach of the hotel: in addition to you - two fishermen, a decent motor boat, tackle and a catch of the most beautiful coral fish. The fishermen give the catch and they will cook it for you in any restaurant (for free, if you order at least beer).
SHOPPING: You can start shopping on big excursions, but it will be a little more expensive. However, bargain. Bought perfectly packed for flights (perfectly delivered in luggage). Very beautiful wood carving: from figurines, 2-3-layer paintings, three-dimensional frames for mirrors to large carved gates, comparable to fine lace. Such a beautiful stone carving. In principle, even large and bulky products can be delivered (the guide will help organize cargo). Excellent cotton fabrics and products from them. In Denpassar (15 min. drive from Sanur) there is a Pasar Badung market: there are also a lot of fruits, spices in bags, sauces in factory packaging, clothes, etc. On the rows of the street (where you will be brought up at the beginning) there is a huge selection of different fabrics: cotton, guipure, silk. Beautiful lace products (we call this “richelieu”). Silver products - for an amateur. The so-called "finift" in our country is somewhat banal in design, the rest is simple products. The only thing is that in the market in Denpassar there are shops that are kept by Arab jewelers, here you can find original products in them. There is no gold at all. It is unpopular with the locals. Lots of good pearls, but in big stores. The painting is very original.  Balinese coffee - high-quality, strong, fragrant. It makes sense to bring yourself and as a gift (buy only in good stores, mini-markets sell mixtures). There are good, high-quality essential oils and perfumes based on them. There are few leather items. But you can sew clothes and shoes from local tailors: they sew well, the leather, the soles are excellent and it turns out much cheaper than bought from us (tailoring time is from 3 to 5 days). Cigarettes, cigars - with aromatic additives, very much for an amateur, but worth a try.  Alcohol, for some reason, expensive, even local. Be sure to bargain, do not hesitate to call an extremely low price: you will still converge in the middle. 

IN GENERAL: A beautiful island, friendly people, excellent attitude towards Russian tourists and liberal attitude towards tourists in general. Very active sun, do not forget about protection. Rains, if they happen, then quickly (1-2 hours) pass. If only at night there are more prolonged ones. Everything dries quickly and the streets are absolutely clean and sunny. For those who decide to travel on their own, the phone (local mobile) of our guide Jan is 081-337-07-03-06. We really liked his organization of excursions and attitude. For independent trips from Sanur anywhere you can use the services of a driver - Ayan tel. : 081-246-19-594 - takes inexpensive, punctual, good English. You can drive directly to the hotel or wherever you say. If you need more detailed information, then write to me: fxalex@nm. ru Irina, I will be happy to answer your questions based on fresh impressions. Well, and finally, do not be too lazy to learn one Indonesian greeting: OM SWASTIASTU [Om suastiastu], which means “May God bless you” and you will be pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the Balinese. Good luck!