After a refreshing overnight stay at Capri by Fraser, I headed over to Changi T2 as early as possible. When flying Singapore Airlines out of Changi, you are able to check in upto 48 hours prior to your flight. I walked over to the dedicated Krisflyer Gold (*G) check in desk, which is located near the business class/first class desks. I had booked my SQ flight to Denpasar (DPS) through SQ’s Krisflyer, but I needed to attach my TK *G account to the booking (which proved to be especially helpful considering how heavy my check in bags were; short range SQ Y gets 30Kg, I had 48!). Switching my TK number to the booking appeared to confuse the check in girl, and a number of people were involved after almost 20 minutes of frantic typing. Finally, they were able to tag my bags as priority, allow me the extra weight and printed my boarding pass (granting access to the Krisflyer Gold lounge).
I walked in and looked around the area, not really sure where to begin. As many of you know, Changi airport is one of the most interesting airports in the world, with a wealth of things to do. Being remarkably hungry, I decided to head up for some food at the food court (Singapore food courts can be awesome) for some chicken rice. I haven’t had some since December, so I had to get my fix! The chicken rice was ok...but that was to be expected for an airport food option. However, considering the cost of my meal plus an iced milo amounted to approximately $10, I didn’t complain at all.
I headed over the Krisflyer Gold lounge, which is located just outside the main SilverKris lounge. The lounge itself is rather small, as it is meant for *G passengers not traveling in premium cabins. The spread of food was quite decent, and they had Tiger beer on tap (which is always a plus in my book). The food included soup, sandwiches (quite tasty for wrapped sandwiches), some hot wings and a few other hot dishes. You could easily make a meal out of the buffet, but as I had a decent lunch, I only snacked a bit as time went on. The only ding I would make against this lounge was the fact that the bathrooms were located outside and were thus available to everyone. One of my favorite things about lounges is the clean (usually) toilets they have. Ah well…not exactly a burden.
After a while, my sister and niece checked in, and met me downstairs in the concourse for some coffee and a quick croissant (my little 3 yo niece loves croissants). I wanted to take them into the lounge, but we didn’t have enough time prior to boarding.
As we passed through gate security, boarding was announced and we promptly got in queue. Once aboard the A333, we made our way over to our seats. I actually enjoy SQ economy class, and it is perfectly reasonable for a short 2 hour flight. SQ staff are generally friendly in Y, and even managed to serve a full meal with accompanying drinks within the short flight time…and a tasty meal too! Curried chicken with rice and veggies, with a chocolate cake dessert. Decent enough white wine too, although I did not know what it was per se (tasted like a Chardonnay). The SQ IFE system is very solid, and a big hit with my niece, who was kept occupied throughout the flight. As I hadn’t seen my sister in some time, we just spent the flight talking. I did take a few photos, but nearly all of them had my niece in them, and therefore for her privacy I will not post them.
Overall, a great flight with SQ, and for the miles/cash spent on it, well worth it.
Denpasar airport is a little nutty, but the apparent renovations have made it much smoother than it used to be. Several security gates later, we found our hotel driver and started our journey to the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua.
The Grand Hyatt is a beautiful property located in a very resort-heavy location in Nusa Dua. I would say that the area is pretty good if you want a very…commercial feel to your vacation. The property, however, was lovely and spread out over a large area. We were booked into three separate rooms, with my parents having a larger suite, a club room for my sister and niece, and I made a last minute upgrade to a Grand Hyatt suite using a Hyatt DSU. I tried to make my sister take the room, but she said it would be too large and difficult to keep an eye on the munchkin. True enough, the suite I was in was gorgeous, with a separate living room, and a large bathroom. The outdoor deck was quite lovely, although I was woken every morning around 5 am by a remarkably obnoxious parrot outside of my window! Ha, quite an alarm clock.
Lobby View. Yes, that’s the ocean in the distance!
My parent’s suite
My suite living room
My suite bedroom
Suite bathroom with the unfortunately stinky shower
Hotel grounds
More of the hotel grounds
The club lounge was located outdoors, and made a nice setting for breakfast and evening capanes. The drinks were plentiful, the appetizers were quite tasty, and the breakfast was pretty good (eggs cooked to order). We did have breakfast mostly in the Garden Café rather than the lounge itself.
There were some things that I didn’t really like about the GH…my bathroom had a remarkably nasty sewage odor every time I turned on the shower, and the maintenance tech who came in said that the cap was not on the drainage. Even after his “fix”, the odor kept coming, but not to the same level. I did complain but nothing was done to compensate…either a move, a proper fix or maybe even some points. A simple, “we’re sorry for the issue”, would’ve been appreciated too. The Garden Café, while having a decent breakfast spread, was very lackluster for an Asian hotel; it was more appropriate for an American 4 star than anything else. Sadly, this kind of service/behavior extended to just about everything in the resort which dampened some of my enthusiasm.
I would probably not stay at the GH again, especially considering the number of beautiful villas available for rent throughout the island…case in point, our next location, Kunja villa in Seminyak.
One thing to keep in mind when you’re in Bali…only use metered cabs (Blue Bird is a decent company), and when leaving the airport, make sure you have arranged transport with your hotel. Bali is a nice enough destination, but the locals will do their best to help you part with your money. Being Asian myself, and seeing how Sri Lankans can increase costs for foreigners, I was still shocked at the magnitude in Bali. While Sri Lankans will charge an x10 for tourists, Balinese seem to charge in excess of x100! So be careful and be wary of where you go. Bali Safari and Zoo is a nice enough location, and while it includes a stage show, the cost per person can be around 70-100 USD, which is a bit much. Keep in mind that elephant safaris elsewhere can cost that much just for 30min-1hr though.
When in Bali, check out Kuta Square if you like to find some fun, obvious-knockoff stuff. Bagus watch has the best deals for the most part, and while bargaining is not allowed, the cost is reasonable. Just be aware you get what you pay for…so a $30 “Cartier” probably won’t last two years.
The monkey forest is pretty neat. Just be aware that they can and do climb on people, so just don’t freak out, scream, or stare into their eyes directly.
Paddyfield
Entrance to the Monkey Forest in Ubud
One of the monkeys, don’t be a jerk and give them sugar packets like someone did to this little guy!
One of the seafood restaurants in Nusa Dua…they send their cars to pick you up/drop you from your hotel, so make use of that!
Additional pictures taken during the trip can be seen here:
livingfire83.500px.com