We’ve been to Bali too

OUR long-awaited family holiday in Bali did not begin well. First, our plane had to circle Denpasar airport for an hour because US President Barack Obama decided to fly out as we were flying in. Next, our two eldest children were detained at the airport without explanation.

It’s not a great feeling, trailing along behind your 12-year-old son and 14yo daughter as they are escorted by a uniformed guard, who has abruptly gestured for them to follow him to a small room.

Once there, we waited while that guard conferred with some other stern-faced officials in an even smaller room adjacent.

It was late and the kids sat there, probably too tired to be concerned (it was their first overseas trip; maybe they thought this was all part of airport procedure). I lingered in the doorway, wondering if I should ask for an explanation or continue to wait quietly.

The wait seemed endless but was probably only four or five minutes. It ended when the guard came out, handed the kids back their passports and uttered the first words spoken to any of us throughout the whole unsettling experience: “OK”.

It struck me that some sort of polite explanation was in order, but we just got out of there before they changed their minds.

Welcome to Bali, have a nice day.

In the weeks before our trip, the Australian media had been full of stories about the “Bali boy”, a New South Wales Central Coast 14yo who spent two months in custody after buying a few grams of marijuana on Kuta Beach.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians visit Bali every year, taking advantage of the cheap flights and strong exchange rate. But our experience, although of course a mere blip compared to the Bali boy’s ordeal, was a sobering reminder that although we were only a three and a half hour flight from Perth, we were a world away from Australia’s procedural integrity and rule of law.

Safe to say, Bali and I got off on the wrong foot.

Ten minutes after our airport adventure – and twenty dollars poorer thanks to a pair of larcenous baggage porters who took advantage of our shell-shock and desperation to get the hell out of there – the family was on the road to Sanur, our first stop.

The popular notion is that Bali is overrun with Aussies – a perception that goes back as far as the 80s when Redgum sang I’ve Been to Bali Too – but at Sanur’s Prima Cottages we were in the minority, easily outnumbered by Europeans and Americans.

(Later, however, at our final stop, fellow Aussies were freakin’ everywhere.)

Prima was great value – $100 per night for two rooms and a big patio area. Free breakfast and wireless too. No private pool for that price but we had the shared pool to ourselves most of the time anyway.

Sanur has been derided by the party set as "Snore" and yes, it is a little on the sleepy side, but we liked its relaxed feel and its plentiful restaurants.

Besides, it’s only a ten-dollar taxi ride to Kuta if you feel the need to join the masses, while Ubud and the mountains are a pleasant day trip away for only $30 or so in one of those cheap, plentiful taxis that are the lifeblood of Bali tourism (just make sure the aircon works before committing to a longish journey!).

From Sanur we went up-country – and well up-market – to the Nandini Bali resort in the hills north of Ubud, where $450 per night (ouch) bought two rooms perched on the side of a gorgeous jungle valley complete with mountain stream a mere 200 steps away. I’m still catching my breath.

The Nandini is popular with honeymooners and it’s easy to see why. It’s a peaceful, idyllic setting and undeniably romantic, although of course not so much with three kids in tow.

From our all-too-brief jungle interlude it was back to the coast and Canggu, a 15-20 minute drive north of Seminyak.

For $315 per night the Echo Beach Villas were solid value. We got three big rooms all with ensuites, spacious lounge, kitchen and dining areas, and a large private pool. To compensate for the fact that the villas are a little off the beaten track, the owners provide a private driver who is at your beck and call for eight hours a day.

Our villa was a five-minute walk to a surf beach that is popularly known as Echo Beach (“far away in time”) after the bar/restaurant of the same name. It’s a great spot and we went back three nights in a row – after all, where in Australia could a family of five dine out by the sea in style for fifty bucks?

That’s a big reason folks keep coming back to Bali. It’s a win/win: we tourists enjoy watching our dollar go further while the locals reap the economic benefits too.

Unfortunately Bali’s popularity could be its undoing unless the Indonesian government gets serious about improving infrastructure. The shambolic road network in the touristy southwest seems to be fast descending into permanent gridlock – at least for those who don’t join the throng zipping through the traffic jams on scooters.

Traffic isn’t much of a problem at the Bali Dynasty, the last stop on our lap of southern Bali. It’s only a short drive from the airport to the Dynasty and some of the guests don’t seem to venture far after that. Shops, restaurants and the famous Waterbom Park and its thrilling waterslides are close by.

For $260/night the Dynasty gave us a cosy little pool-side suite with king bed, bunk bed and a trundle bed for the littley. As mentioned earlier, the Dynasty is a little piece of Australia in Indonesia. At times it felt like we may as well have been in Mandurah or the Gold Coast. Even the price of food and drink seemed Australia-high by Bali standards, while the extortionate cost of wireless internet left a bad taste. It was the first time we had been asked to pay for internet access.

The Dynasty is designed for families and while the younger kids enjoyed the free kid’s club and waterslide, we still couldn’t escape the unpleasant feeling we were being gouged at every opportunity.

Speaking of unpleasant feelings, the dreaded Bali belly struck on the second-last night – our own fault for forgetting the rules and trying the coleslaw.

So, now we’ve been to Bali too and returned loaded up with bargain t-shirts, boardies and sneakers. And it’s easy to see why some Aussies return, year after year. As an overseas holiday for families on a budget, it’s pretty much unbeatable.

Although after that airport experience, it might take a few years until we get the courage up to go back. Maybe we’ll save for a bit longer next time and try Thailand instead.