I met this lovely couple several years ago when I was working in a retail travel agency in Reading. It was a delightful surprise when they tracked me down via Google to ask for help in putting together a dream three-centre trip to Bali.
After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, they finally made it to Bali, and I couldn’t wait to hear all about it...
Amanda superbly organised our silver wedding safari back in 2008, and we followed her to her next job to arrange a family trip to New York.
We sadly lost touch when she moved from the area but when discussing our son and daughter-in-law’s Bali honeymoon and wanting to look at options for a special holiday of our own, we were keen to see if Amanda was still in the business and thanks to good old Google we managed to find her.
Originally, in 2020 we had planned a two-centre stay in Bali but with Covid delays and the knock-on effect of Paula’s work commitments, when we were able to eventually go in 2022, excitingly, Amanda was able to add a 5-night stay on Lombok with all the required transfers.
We flew from London Heathrow to Denpasar with Malaysian Airlines with an hour-and-a-half stopover in Kuala Lumpur.
With the media full of stories about chaos at terminals, we were a little concerned but fortunately, the airline had just moved back to terminal 4 so check-in and security were great. It was a little more clunky at the Indonesian end with Covid checks, visas and passport control but this was down to the volume of passengers arriving simultaneously.
Amanda had chosen to work with Destination Asia for all our internal transfers and they were brilliant, especially our superb guide Dian, who we were delighted to meet when we eventually emerged from the airport.
Our first stay was three nights at the magnificent Ubud Village Resort, where we were greeted with a splendid welcome drink and shown to a gorgeous garden villa with a private pool.
We promised the kids a video room tour for each of our stays before we got it untidy. Professional filmmaker, I most certainly am not, but there is no better way to share a taster of this fantastic relaxing accommodation...
The grounds were immaculate and the staff we met were very friendly and went out of their way to help.
We used the hotel’s shuttle to go into Ubud and returned via taxi, and arranged a day trip with Dian to enjoy some great local experiences, which included traditional dancing, visiting a Batak clothing outlet, a jewellery manufacturer, a wood carver, a historic village, a waterfall, Mt Batur, and a coffee plantation, where we were brave enough to try Luwak coffee.
The next five nights were spent at the Sudamala Resort on Lombok, which we reached by an exciting fast boat transfer.
The resort was fantastic. The only downside was being pestered by hawkers each time we went on the beach. Again, the staff were very attentive, and Paula enjoyed being referred to as “Mrs Paula”.
Unfortunately, many of the local eateries hadn't yet reopened post-Covid but fortunately, the hotel restaurant was brilliant along with its fantastic "happy hour" cocktails.
We went with their excellent cocktail of the day, and all dinners were served on the terrace overlooking the beach. Each tasted as good as they looked and on the recommendation of our waiter, we loved the Sasak Begibung, Lombok’s traditional feast for two, with many dishes to taste.
Having the opportunity to view the sunset from our room terrace, dinner overlooking the sea, and seeing coral and marine life for the first time whilst snorkelling were memorable experiences here too.
Our final destination was seven nights at the Segara Village in Sanur, reached once again via a pleasant fast boat transfer.
We were staying in Village 2 where there were only three rooms being used and the décor in ours felt tired and dated, which was a bit disappointing, but for future guests, the others are being renovated and from what we saw will be excellent when completed.
On the plus side though it meant that we had the pool to ourselves, and the grounds are beautiful.
One of the reasons we like to opt for a bed and breakfast stay is so that we can get out and try different restaurants. We sampled three within walking distance, but our favourite was Tootsies, where we tried most of the dishes on their Indonesian cuisine menu. It’s amazing the different ways they use rice!
Sadly, the adventure was over too soon though we did manage to meet Dian for lunch just before we came home.
Due to Malaysia Airlines changing their schedule, we ended up with a 7-and-a-half hour stop in Kuala Lumpur, and never more has the value of a superb travel agent like Amanda been illustrated.
She advised us to book the airside hotel, meaning we could rest, shower and eat comfortably. The cost was reasonable, and the facilities were good with the best part being able to check out just 30 minutes before the plane boarded and strolling to the gate.
This was a wonderful holiday and so worth the wait for our first trip to Asia. It was so much better than we were expecting, as we knew Bali had suffered badly through the pandemic with no tourism and the locals were so pleased to have visitors returning.
The friendliness and willingness to assist of all the people we met, tour guides, hotel staff, waiters, and boat crews were so impressive, and we hope that Bali continues to recover - it’s a special place.
Amanda was awesome. All her hard work, patience and planning came together, and we had no logistic problems at all. She kept us informed of Covid-related changes, cancellations and all the entry requirements for each country from beginning to end and was always one step ahead, even having alternative flights on standby.
Thank you, Amanda. We are glad we found you again.
Clive & Paula
