Having just returned from another holiday on the island of Bali, I am ready for another holiday on another island in Indonesia. Whilst its not the last time I will return, there is a need to go and explore elsewhere. However it was fun while it lasted and it lasted a little bit longer than expected thanks to the Volcano Mount Raung which erupted and closed Bali Airport for a while.
This was the second time we have taken Jeremy on a plane and he went to Bali last year and being 1 was a handful on the plane. This time being 2 he was a little more sedate but, still a handful however he was more settled. We went to Bali because my wifes sister was attending a wedding and so we thought it would be fun that we joined and had a family holiday what with the Mother in law as well going, so all in all there were 6 of us.
We took a Golden Bird taxi to the Airport which was cheaper than 2 taxis and worked out at 50,000 rupiah each and now Jeremy can recognise different things we were treated to 'look car, taxi, bus, crane, plane etc' all the way to the airport. We flew Air Asia and so we had already Wed Checked in which left us to dump the luggage with them and go and eat.
Flying with Air Asia is nice in Jakarta because you go from Terminal 3 which is never very crowded and its new and spacious which meant Jeremy could run about, and he did. They also had a Nursery Room in the departure lounge which was helpful. Air Asia was on time and the flight was not full. We took the bus to the Plane which made Jeremy even more happy because it was his first bus trip anywhere.
Jeremy was well behaved taking off and enjoyed playing with a toy and also watching offline videos on my tab through the flight. The flight itself was as normal pretty routine. We did however see a smoking volcano which later proved to be the one causing all the disruption.
Our Hotel was the Holiday Inn Resort in Tuban, Kuta. Tuban is next to the Airport and far enough away from Kuta to be pleasant and near enough to Kuta to be able to walk to the shops. The Holiday Inn was lovely. The rooms whist not so big had a sea view and it was quiet and the AC worked far too well. There was enough space for Jeremy to play and a balcony to sit on and get bitten by Mosquitoes.
The resort had 2 swimming pools, large gardens to wander around in, bars and a small coffee shop. The small store sold cheap beer which helped hugely.
If you walked from the gardens to the beach you could see the airport and it was a 15 minute walk to Discovery Mall and a 15 minute walk to Lippo Mall Kuta, so again useful when you needed to shop for nappies and things for Jeremy.
Jeremy has developed a fear of sand. Wed discovered this in Nusa Dua when went to a great beach. He refused to walk on it and would not allow anyone holding him to put him down or go near the sea. And considering we planned to visit beaches and go swimming we had to change all our plans, so we went to Bali bird Park instead.
We had hired a car and driver for the day, the same one we used last year and will probably continue to use and for 500k for 12 hours, it was very useful. The bird park was a way from the Hotel, probably no more than an hour but it felt longer. I never went in the park because I refused to pay 400k for me when everyone else who was Indonesian paid 120k. I don't mind dual pricing but that was extreme. So I waited while everyone went around and chatted to the driver.
Once back in Kuta and eaten, I took Jeremy for a long walk to the Discovery Mall from Kuta Beach Walk while everyone else went shopping. It was fun for Jeremy because along the way we saw dogs, some monkeys, horses, turtles and birds and he enjoyed that.
On Saturday there was an announcement that the Airport was closed due to Mount Ruang erupting and so it was not safe to fly. This stopped all flights in and out of the island and has had a huge impact on tourist numbers as well as the amount of Australians unable to travel home due to no flights. Yovita and her sister went to the airport to find out what was happening on the Sunday as was told to check in as normal and go from there and if the flights were cancelled we could rebook.
Sunday arrived and so we checked out of the room and went to the new and improved Bali International Airport, dropped the luggage and went to departures to wait. 40 minutes later the airport was closed due to more eruptions. We were given the choice of waiting until 4pm at the airport and then maybe we could fly or rebook for the next day and go to a hotel. We chose to rebook. A few hours later we checked into a small room at Holiday Inn again, unpacked, went to the pool and forgot about Jakarta for another day. We had flights for Monday and so there was no worries.
Saturday and most of Sunday was spent in the hotel either swimming and playing with Jeremy or watching TV and doing very little. Thats a new thing for me because I do like to wander but a 2 year old gets bored easily and he is heavy to carry and pushing him around in a stroller is fun but not for long.
Monday came and so we went back to the airport and it seemed like business as usual, and it was. Our flight was on time, not full and by mid afternoon we were back home enjoying the hot Jakarta air.
All in all another fun time and a new experience. A great hotel and times with Jeremy and the family. Now to find somewhere for Christmas.
This was the second time we have taken Jeremy on a plane and he went to Bali last year and being 1 was a handful on the plane. This time being 2 he was a little more sedate but, still a handful however he was more settled. We went to Bali because my wifes sister was attending a wedding and so we thought it would be fun that we joined and had a family holiday what with the Mother in law as well going, so all in all there were 6 of us.
We took a Golden Bird taxi to the Airport which was cheaper than 2 taxis and worked out at 50,000 rupiah each and now Jeremy can recognise different things we were treated to 'look car, taxi, bus, crane, plane etc' all the way to the airport. We flew Air Asia and so we had already Wed Checked in which left us to dump the luggage with them and go and eat.
Flying with Air Asia is nice in Jakarta because you go from Terminal 3 which is never very crowded and its new and spacious which meant Jeremy could run about, and he did. They also had a Nursery Room in the departure lounge which was helpful. Air Asia was on time and the flight was not full. We took the bus to the Plane which made Jeremy even more happy because it was his first bus trip anywhere.
Jeremy was well behaved taking off and enjoyed playing with a toy and also watching offline videos on my tab through the flight. The flight itself was as normal pretty routine. We did however see a smoking volcano which later proved to be the one causing all the disruption.
Our Hotel was the Holiday Inn Resort in Tuban, Kuta. Tuban is next to the Airport and far enough away from Kuta to be pleasant and near enough to Kuta to be able to walk to the shops. The Holiday Inn was lovely. The rooms whist not so big had a sea view and it was quiet and the AC worked far too well. There was enough space for Jeremy to play and a balcony to sit on and get bitten by Mosquitoes.
The resort had 2 swimming pools, large gardens to wander around in, bars and a small coffee shop. The small store sold cheap beer which helped hugely.
The best thing about the place was the breakfast which was probably the best I have had in Bali. The range and amount of food was far too much, but when you saw the size of the Australians staying there you could see why there was so much food. The hotel was also next to the one in which we were married and so we went back to look at the grounds and the place we said our vows. Its still the same and still beautiful.
Jeremy has developed a fear of sand. Wed discovered this in Nusa Dua when went to a great beach. He refused to walk on it and would not allow anyone holding him to put him down or go near the sea. And considering we planned to visit beaches and go swimming we had to change all our plans, so we went to Bali bird Park instead.
We had hired a car and driver for the day, the same one we used last year and will probably continue to use and for 500k for 12 hours, it was very useful. The bird park was a way from the Hotel, probably no more than an hour but it felt longer. I never went in the park because I refused to pay 400k for me when everyone else who was Indonesian paid 120k. I don't mind dual pricing but that was extreme. So I waited while everyone went around and chatted to the driver.
Once back in Kuta and eaten, I took Jeremy for a long walk to the Discovery Mall from Kuta Beach Walk while everyone else went shopping. It was fun for Jeremy because along the way we saw dogs, some monkeys, horses, turtles and birds and he enjoyed that.
On Saturday there was an announcement that the Airport was closed due to Mount Ruang erupting and so it was not safe to fly. This stopped all flights in and out of the island and has had a huge impact on tourist numbers as well as the amount of Australians unable to travel home due to no flights. Yovita and her sister went to the airport to find out what was happening on the Sunday as was told to check in as normal and go from there and if the flights were cancelled we could rebook.
Sunday arrived and so we checked out of the room and went to the new and improved Bali International Airport, dropped the luggage and went to departures to wait. 40 minutes later the airport was closed due to more eruptions. We were given the choice of waiting until 4pm at the airport and then maybe we could fly or rebook for the next day and go to a hotel. We chose to rebook. A few hours later we checked into a small room at Holiday Inn again, unpacked, went to the pool and forgot about Jakarta for another day. We had flights for Monday and so there was no worries.
Saturday and most of Sunday was spent in the hotel either swimming and playing with Jeremy or watching TV and doing very little. Thats a new thing for me because I do like to wander but a 2 year old gets bored easily and he is heavy to carry and pushing him around in a stroller is fun but not for long.
Monday came and so we went back to the airport and it seemed like business as usual, and it was. Our flight was on time, not full and by mid afternoon we were back home enjoying the hot Jakarta air.
All in all another fun time and a new experience. A great hotel and times with Jeremy and the family. Now to find somewhere for Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment