Kunja Villas, Seminyak
Compared to Nusa Dua, Seminyak is a far more bustling area on Bali. Many stores, narrow streets and a multitude of people certainly changed the atmosphere.

Consequently, the difference is apparent in hotels too…this time we stayed at the Kunja Villas in Seminyak, and the difference was noticeable…and awesome. The Kunja Villas are comprised of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom villas located in a small complex. Each villa has a swimming pool, and I believe all have breakfast included. We had the 3 bedroom at the very end of the complex, which amounted to a very quiet and private experience. Each room has a king bed with a mosquito net around the four posts. The bathroom is technically outdoor, as each bathroom (very very large with garden tub and showers), has only 3 walls. Therefore, the bathrooms themselves are warm, and you will have to lock the door leading the bathroom for security. The bedrooms are the only ones that are air-conditioned, however the weather and the coolness of the pool more than make up for it. Breakfast was promptly served every morning by two staff members (one chef, one waiter) who cook and set up the meal at your table. The great thing is everything is made to order, and there are several options (American, continental, Indonesian, Japanese) with fresh fruit, juice and great pastries. After breakfast is complete, you choose what you would like for afternoon tea (I loved the Jaffa “cake” which amounts to a jam sandwich).


3 bedroom villa
I have some videos, I’ll try to upload and embed.

My little niece loved the pool, and went on the slide (special request, fulfilled before we got there) every chance she could. I would easily say that the Kunja villas surpassed the Grand Hyatt by leaps and bounds.

After a few days, it was time to head back home. The drive from Seminyak to DPS was supposed to take 1.5 hrs in heavy traffic, but thankfully I managed to get there in 45. There was a massive back up of passengers due to volcanic activity, and Virgin Australia and Jetstar had canceled a large number of flights to Australia.

Check in was a bit of a nightmare! I was flying back to Singapore on SQ, and then CX to the US. I merely asked for an interline for my bags, which should not have been that complex. Instead, it involved 2 additional staff members, two superiors, one of whom took my passport to get it specially signed! Crazy, and it took at least 40 minutes to complete. Way too long. Finally, my bags tagged all the way to JFK (and since I was traveling F on CX, the agent tagged my bags with SQ F tags).

I was onward through immigration and security, and was faced with a money exchange desk, and another labyrinth walk through the duty free in order to reach the main terminal. Piece of advice? Don’t change your money at the moneychanger prior to the duty free…once you get through, you will see many more stores with many more souvenirs, ALL of whom use Rupiah. This just means that the currency you use will be converted first into Rupiah, with a pretty unfortunately exchange rate. Also, the duty free is decently stocked, but there are more (cheaper) options inside. Plus you can always go back to the labyrinth DF if you choose.

I was allowed access to the Premier lounge (due to *G, but it is also a Priority Pass lounge, and a lounge for a LARGE number of airlines). After checking in, I found one chair left in the over packed lounge, and had some snacks from the buffet. The buffet itself was substantial, and had several hot and cold options. Of particular note was the cooked-to-order option, which was a pasta dish for that night. My flight was delayed several times, but thankfully it wasn’t cancelled unlike the multitude of passengers in the lounge. As I was leaving, the line was out through the door, but I assumed that this was just due to the volcanic activity and not a regular occurrence.

After a quick boarding on the older A330 SQ, I settled into my seat and relaxed. I knew that the flight was relatively short, so I tried to sleep as much as I could. However, I did order the seafood meal prior to flight, and must report that I probably wouldn’t have it again. It consisted of a seafood “salad”, fish with red sauce and rice, and a decent dessert.
Overall the meal and flight was fine, but nothing amazing. I think the late hour of the flight made it feel longer than it really was.