For the first time this holiday we were both awake before our alarm went off. This wasn’t a bad thing though as the earlier start to the day enabled us to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the Novotel. We kept with our selection from the previous days and munched our way through this whilst reading the weekend copy of the Jakarta Post that had been delivered to our room. Its presentation was very dated with black and white photos but it passed a few minutes before we checked the UK news on our iPads.
Returning to our room, we completed the packing process checking out of the hotel at 10.30 a.m. On arrival from the airport a few days earlier we had opted to travel into the city centre by train to the nearest station and then complete the journey by Grab Car. As Grab are not allowed to pick up from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and we’d read that metered taxis were often unreliable and expensive it seemed the best option and worked well.
However, Grab Cars are permitted into the airport to drop off passengers so we were able to order one from the hotel. This cost IDR 92,000 + IDR 17,000 in motorway tolls (£6.11) for the 55 minute journey. We arrived at the Domestic section of Terminal 2 very early as it can often take in excess of two hours depending on traffic, but obviously on a Saturday morning this wasn’t a problem. Each of the Grab Cars we had used whilst in Jakarta were fairly large vehicles with polite drivers but not necessarily speaking English. Although the cars appeared to be well maintained, the majority did not have working seatbelts to the rear seats but as we were mostly travelling at a snail’s pace, I doubt we were in any danger.
As we were too early to check-in for our Air Asia flight we sought refuge in a KFC as this was preferable to the hard seats in the main concourse and to pass the time we each had a bowl of their cream of chicken soup, only IDR 11,000 (62p) each. When check-in opened we tried to use one of the Air Asia automated ticket machines for our luggage labels as we had already checked-in on-line and had boarding passes on our phones. Each of the machines appeared to be faulty as other passengers were having the same problems as us, so we joined a short queue at the bag drop and had our tags printed off without problem. 15 kg of checked luggage is complimentary on Indonesia Air-Asia flights with small surcharges for 20, 25 or 30 kg. As our baggage allowance on our international flights with Qatar Airways was 30 kg we opted for 25 kg but could have saved a little as both our large suitcases actually weighed less than this.
Passing through to the airside domestic terminal it was quite pleasant as it had been designed in traditional Indonesian style and we soon found a window seat where we settled down and read for awhile.
Our internal flight to Bali boarded promptly and as with my previous experience of Air Asia, the cabin was in a pristine condition with polite, smartly attired cabin crew. Shortly after reaching our cruising height the meal service commenced and as we had pre-ordered when booking as this was cheaper, we were one of the first to be served.
To be honest our expectations weren’t high and we had only really ordered meals to pass the time on the two hour flight. Surprisingly, our choices were really quite good. We had ordered Kung Pao Chicken with rice and Roast Chicken with black pepper sauce which only cost about IDR 44,500 (£2.50) each.
Included in the meal deal was either coffee or water and as my son spotted a tea pot on the trolley he requested that but bizarrely it was not an option. After spending the remainder of the flight reading an e-book on my iPad and adjusting my watch a further hour to +8 hours GMT it was soon time to disembark via an airbridge into the domestic terminal of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
After collecting our luggage we made our way to the pick up point for our complimentary hotel transfer and waited and waited but sadly our pre-arranged transfer did not arrive. As we were unable to connect to a Wi-Fi network we couldn’t contact the hotel so we finally gave up and made our own way to the Holiday Inn Express Baruna Bali. As we received a warm welcome from the receptionists we didn’t bother to mention the transport issues. This new hotel has a swimming pool theme running through the entire property and our room continued in this style.
After unpacking and freshening up we were eager to start exploring on this our first visit to Bali. We walked the short distance to the beachfront but as it was already dark we were unable to see very much.
There were a few bars strung along the beach but surprisingly little activity for a Saturday evening. Our stroll continued into Kuta’s main street which, as expected, was lined with bars, cafes and restaurants. We passed some small food stores, a couple of large malls, one of which contained Marks & Spencer and SOGO franchises. Taxi drivers proved annoying as they were constantly kerb crawling and pestering us for rides but we just brushed them aside. After finding somewhere for a late evening snack we returned to the hotel, Skyped home and then realised that it was already midnight and time for bed.
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Great post. We usually go to Nusa Dua as it’s a lot quieter than Kuta and the beaches nicer. Also you don’t get bothered as much on the beach. I feel sad now for Bali as they rely so much on tourism but it will be a while before I visit again.
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Yes, what a difference a few months make. It will be difficult for the island now as it is heavily reliant on tourism but it will eventually pick up again. Thanks for your continued support of my blog Alison, it’s good to hear from you.
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Your welcome Little Miss Traveller 🥰
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It’s pleasant to read your post. Hope I can visit Bali one day. Thanks for sharing 😍
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Thank you AnDu for your kind words. I’m pleased you enjoyed my post on Bali and hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the series.
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So much to see in Indonesia and away from the crowded cities it is beautiful, Usually when I transited through Jakarta to other places within the country I booked an airport room. Fairly basic and certainly was not like the place you stayed in there. But given the possibility of a bad day when the freeway was jam packed and the chance of missing the forward flight that worked for me as I needed to meet appointments on time. Love Bali and its unique culture though you do need to be careful travelling on your own. If proceeding further east for a look then be realistic to know you could find yourself bumped off the list even after confirming the flight onward. That can sometimes be rectified by a personal encounter with someone in an inside office if you get what I mean.
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We enjoyed our week in Bali but felt that some parts of the island were a little too touristy for us.
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Lovely! Indonesia hasn’t been on my radar, but your post makes me curious as to what it’s all about. Can’t wait to read more of your adventures in the country!
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Thanks for taking an interest in my Indonesian posts Rebecca, it’s great to hear from you. Hope you enjoy the remainder of the series.
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Their airport looks great! I love what I felt having seen your Bali airport photo… makes me wanna go on a holiday tour!
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Thanks Janis for taking the time to comment on my post. Bali airport was very welcoming with lots of flowers. More airports should try to do that to make them more attractive.
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True! It sends a certain feeling… like they really want you to be there… ❤️When I went to Hawaii for the first time, I thought they’d actually put a garland on me… like it was on movies hehehehe… I was so naive 🤣
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Did you enjoy Hawaii – I’d perhaps like to visit there one day.
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I did, although it was a very short trip… perhaps if we’ve gone there longer, the experience would have been 100x better!
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Indonesia has always been on my list, Bali especially. Growing up in South East Asia ( Sri Lanka – have you been?) then Australia, I never really made the trip. Cannot wait. Thank you for stopping by my blog, Love your photos, so glad I found your blog, unable to leave a ‘like’ on a post at the moment, will try again. Really enjoying your journey!
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Thank you for taking an interest in my blog. I do hope you continue to enjoy my travels. I’m yet to visit Sri Lanka but have been to Australia several times but before I started blogging.
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I always enjoy to travel without cost, thanks again for taking me along. What, no face masks, or was this pre-covid?
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Thank you for continuing to take an interest in my posts, it’s so nice to hear from you. This trip took place in autumn 2019 when life was very different!
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The flowers and gardens in the airports are beautiful. I think it is nice to have a bit of nature around you as you move from one place to the next. It’s not something you see so beautifully done in the European airports I’ve used.
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That’s very true, hopefully when the new Manchester airport terminal opens they will have an indoor garden. Singapore Changi has to be one of my favourites with flowers everywhere and even a butterfly garden. Thanks Helen for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated.
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This particular trip sounds quite extensive, not at all like your European short breaks. I’ll be interested to see where-to after Bali. As you’d realise, it is incredibly popular with Australians*, but until now, we have resisted the urge.
*(even after the 2002 bombings put a temporary dampener on tourism)
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Thanks for taking a continued interest in this series of posts Gwen. Hope you enjoy reading more about our stay in Bali.
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I like the way you describe the travel day, all those little unexpected things that in the end don’t count much when compared to the pleasure of being in an interesting place to explore. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for your welcome thoughts on my post. It’s pleasing to read you enjoyed it .
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