The price is slightly to expensive for what
you get - however rooms were pretty clean and spacey. The double bed was made
up from two singles which was disappointing and slightly uncomfortable. The breakfast however, was
delicious and I could not fault the staff and service.
(score
out of 10)
Things to do
MonkeyForest
- Beware of the monkeys! They may appear cute and curious but they can be quite vicious. You can buy bananas to feed the monkeys, make sure you have your cameras at the ready, these monkeys sure know how to put on a show.
http://www.monkeyforestubud.com/about.htm
Batur Temple - This is about an hour away from
central Ubud on a bike. It is extremely high up in the mountains and the higher
you go the colder you get! If you embark on this adventure I advise you take a
jumper. From here you can see a great panoramic view of MountBatur and LakeBatur. There is a small entry fee and you must be covered up. If you do not have the appropriate attire the locals will make
you buy/rent a sarong and sometimes even a head piece (bit of a money making scam). The Temple its self is not much to look at, however the views are simply breathe taking and it is well worth the trip.
Tegenungan Waterfall - I was unable to get to see this waterfall but I have heard great things about it. I would highly recommend a visit if you have time.
HangingGardens - This is a phenomenal resort
in the heart of the rain forest
of Ubud. At approximately
£300 + a night it is a real luxury, I managed to worm my way in and have a quick peak - lets just say a night there would be money well spent!
"Enjoy every sunset, look forward to every sunrise."
Accommodation
Name and Location
Grand Barong Resort, Kuta
Value for money
7 (£40 a night)
Staff
7
Facilities
7
Security
9
Atmosphere
8
Location
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
7
Breakfast
7
Website
http://www.grandbarongresort.com/
Comments
Great if you are looking for a tad of luxury and some time to relax. They provided a brilliant service and the rooms were extremely clean. An added bonus was being able to walk straight out from our balcony into
the pool and pool bar :)
A very well priced hotel - you get what
you pay for - basic, just about clean enough and in a good location. The only down fall was
during the time I stayed, there was ongoing maintenance work on the pool. I can imagine that
if the pool had been functioning there may have been a better atmosphere and used more as a social hub.
(score
out of 10)
Things to do
Kuta Beach - I spent most of my
days down the beach surfing! You can hire a board on the beach for around £4 a
day - although you have to barter hard. Also, the sunsets are really rather here are beautiful here.
Sky Garden - You can pay 100,000 IDR (£5) for all you can eat and drink from 5 - 9pm every day. It does get very busy towards 9pm - I advise you head off to Ally Cats at this point (grab some double doubles 20,000 IDR) and then onto Ikon to finish your night off! Balangan Beach - This is about 45
minutes to an hour north of Kuta. I jumped on the back of a friends bike to get
there but I am sure you can grab a taxi if you are not to keen on bikes. The
only problem with taxis around Kuta is the traffic! Unless you hop on a bike be
prepared to almost double your journey time. BalanganBeach is beautiful and more chilled
than KutaBeach. Although it is becoming more
built up it is a perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuta and is a great spot for surfing to - just be careful of the coral. Few good little food
places too!
Uluwatu - Single Fin Bar - I drove to
Uluwatu from Balangan to watch the sunset (this takes about 15 minutes). Single Fin Bar sits on the edge of a
limestone cliff over looking Uluwatu beach. The views are exceptional and the
vibe is pretty funky and chilled. It is a great spot to have a few drinks, watch the
sunset, eat some good food and meet new people. Sunday sessions kick off here -
get there for around 3pm and settle in for the night!
After a gruelling 27 hour flight I arrived at Heathrow Airport to an overly excitable mother bobbing up and down with a rather embarrassingly "welcome home - our princess" bright pink and glittery balloon. After a few tears and firmly in the grip of both my mother and father we set off home.
Saturday night at the Searles! Upon arrival I was greeted with a spectacular welcome home banner that Fran and her boif had painted me. After several glasses of champers and a yummy dinner we embarked on a very competitive and vicious game of spoons - broken bracelets, battle wounds and a victory for Harvey Searle to end the night!
Sunday. Prancing around in my pjs and childishly holding my teddy the doorbell rang.. A delightful surprise morning visit from my favourites - Rice, the Wifey, Kmoore and Yazzy Yasemina! Bacon Sarnies all round - cheers mum. All year I have been craving my Yaseminas amazing cake creations and hellllloooo here were my own welcome home Christmas cup cakes - @minnies_bakes she is a baking goddess! My morning activities continued as I headed off to see my nutty cousin Sal - what a babe - which consisted of lots of cuddles and cups of tea!
Then it was time to get my party pants on for a jolly old knees up in Essex - Lovejuice, CTZN Bar. Back with my Wifey and Miss Simpson, on the vodkas and the laughing gas we were on top form. Great night!
Monday. Quality time with Mumma B. Shopping and hot chochys! Then off out for dinner with "just Kat" at Vodka Revs.. SURPRISE. My friends continue to amaze me at just how cute they are. We all got very drunky drunky and stumbled home for the second night in a row.
Tuesday. Back with the Full Circle gang for their Xmas Partayyy. After an interesting three course meal and shots shots shots - of limoncello - VOM - we headed to the Wheatsheaf. To summarise: there was a lot of lesbian action, selfie stick usage, wing manning and copious amounts of alcohol. Too much fun! Stumble stumble night number three.
Wednesday - feeling rather delicate I was determined to stick with the tradition that every year on Xmas Eve I head up to work with the father. A pounding of the credit card - pizza munch out and the last minute panic buying for mother. After a quick turn around to get ready it was round FIVE at the Slut Hut. Still going strong and in festive spirits the Wife and I drank merrily, caught up with some old faces and headed home super excited for the arrival of SANTA!
Christmas Day. I woke the household up at 7.30 - sharp! First the stocking presents - spoilt. Then onto the "main" presents - super spoilt. I can now join the go pro crew! Yay! My instagram game is going to be seriously upped! A photo shoot and Christmas hugs with Boris the bearded dragon and Sasha the gecko - I love them. This resulted in the Bournemouth Birds #petchristmasdayselfie - please see below - they crazy. Dad decided to crack out the champers at 11am and we had finished the second bottle by 12.30. The Baileys were drunk. Auntie G was with us for the day and we popped down the road to mum cousins for yet another drink! Pissed as a piddle, cooking Christmas lunch was a very funny affair and to be honest we hardly ate it and Dad nodded off at the table! The day pretty much fizzled out after that - full to the brim, boozy and quite frankly - exhausted.
Boxing Day. The big Surprise. Rocked up at Auntie Sues and got bunged into a box, only to discover that Nan was busy brushing her teeth! So 15 minutes later - still in the box with a glass of champers, of course - the old dear emerges and the rest is history.
Food, drinks, whistle playing, a sing a long and an intense quiz time and that was boxing day!
Saturday. Yet another family affair, another quiz, more food, more alcohol.. and a whole heap of fancy dress fun! A lot of laughs and a chance for me to release my inner child.
Then off out with the my besties for lots of shots, salsa and singing! A night out in London is never complete without a visit to THE BEST Chinese EVER - The Mayfair! So.. £120 worth of Chinese later I was extremely satisfied and it was time for bed!
Sunday. A delightful Pancake spread by the simply wonderful Yazzy Yasemina to start the day and cure our hangovers. Then off to visit the in-laws.. The Ryan gang! A brilliant game of "guess which Antarctic animal I am" by Charlie's little cousin to start us off - safe to say, I lost. Dance class started at 5pm lead by the sickest, trapping frapping moving groovin' Madstar. Charlie and me can now completely own the dance floor - don't even try and compete!
Finally a night to myself and able to catch up on MIC! Also to note: first day of no alcohol consumed - this however was to be the one and only day.
Monday. I actually had some time to my self to - caught up with Miss Kingham - always a delightful affair! Tea and gossips galore. She is now part of the ASIA 2015 gang.. not that she took much persuasion of course. More MIC. Topped off with a Chinese and Wine night with a top loser. Drunken monkeys.
Tuesday. O'len and Bailey Crimbo. My second family. Reunited with my "birth friend". My favourite "bits and pieces" dinner, a few snowballs and a rather intense word association game, involving a hard ticking time bomb pudding - shit went down!
Excuse me but - Dear Santa.. Next Christmas please can I have a snake.
NYE. Kicked off with my new favourite game - Cards Against Humanity! How outrageous! I love it! Bunga Bunga was the lucky club to accommodate us to see in the New Year. Apparently I thought I was a millionaire - champagne all round. Smooth move Bailey. I also had a full, fisty cuff fight with the bouncer over a bloody blow up parrot - in all fairness it did become my best friend for the night. Bunga Bunga was followed by a small party back at a flat, raw chicken nuggets - VOM - and spooning of the parrot.
Thursday. Battling what I thought was a hang over, I manned up and got ready for Tobacco Docks day rave. However, two hours in I had to admit defeat and spent my NYD with horrendous food poisoning, stupid nuggets.
Friday. Mother decided we should go for a forest walk. Having not eaten for the past 24 hours I couldn't think of anything worse - but off we went. A chance to test out the go pro. It happened to be a very jolly walk and highly refreshing.
After a quick nap - I was off out again to see my gymnastic girlies for dinner at Prezzo - Epping. Cor do I miss them and love them!
Saturday. A lie in! Tea in bed - Princess - The loser was whipped already. HA!
Later on I had drinks with Mr Walshballs and co. Jacks dad - an absolute stud monkey - kept setting the boys wonky bets, which obviously they "had" to accept. "Five big macs in 30 minutes for £50" pretty impossible, VERY amusing - good try Harry.
So it was my final night in Essex and it was topped off by dinner with my college hot pots! Lots of catching up, laughing and trips down memory lane! Funny Fuckwits!
Sunday. Final goodbyes to the Wifey and Partner in Crime - Emotional. A good old family roast dinner and a frantic rush to buy travel insurance - dad was not impressed. Airport goodbyes are officially the worst! What a whirlwind of a trip back home! Maybe see you all in a year or two.. But for now I am happy back in Sydney before my next adventure to Asia begins in April!! The End.
