A Dream of Bali
May 31, 2021 | 12:54 am
After spending 5 days in hotel quarantine and a further 2 weeks of independent isolation after arriving in Jakarta from the UK, it's time to head back to Bali. Unfortunately, having an economy primarily reliant on tourism, the island has been ravaged by the pandemic, resulting in many hotel, restaurant, and business closures. The majority of frontline workers have been vaccinated, and there are plans for Indonesia to open its borders soon (although details are very scant at the moment).
We booked everything as close to departure as possible to limit any possible circumstance changes. After an abysmal experience flying Indonesia's Batik Air four years back, I've decided to try and fly them again to see if it has improved the slightest - more on that later. Many (mostly independent) hotels in Bali are offering unbelievable rates, particularly to locals, and foreigners with Indonesian resident cards. In some cases I've seen some hotels slashing their prices to 70% off a normal rate pre-covid, although there are other hotels who still charge normal pre-covid prices. After some thought we decided on starting the journey at the Kayumanis hotel in Jimbaran, a place I've stayed before a few years back.
The trip is more or less live, and more details will follow as the trip progresses. Hope you enjoy reading this!
Sincerely yours,
Clubeurope
Content
Introduction <you're here!>
Flight Review : Batik Air Business Class Lounge and Departure
Flight Review : Batik Air 737-900ER Business Class (CGK to DPS) part 2
Hotel Review : Kayumanis Estate Jimbaran
Hotel Review : Kayumanis Private Villa Ubud
Hotel Review : COMO Uma Ubud
Hotel Review : Amankila
Hotel Review : Tandjung Sari Hotel
Hotel Review : Amandari Ubud
Last edited by clubeurope; Jun 25, 2021 at 8:50 am Reason: Adding links
May 31, 2021 | 1:45 am
Batik Air ID6061
Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport / Terminal 2
Departure: 08:55
Denpasar I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Bali
Arrival: 11:45
Flight time: 1h50m
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-900ER
Mini Introduction
Having flown Batik Air several years back and had an underwhelming experience, I've decided to take the plunge and fly them again. The airline belongs to the infamous Lion Group, whose namesake airline is Indonesia's largest airline and also amongst the biggest LCCs in SEA. Batik has been known to provide very reasonable fares in both Business and Economy Classes, and has grown very quickly since its inception in 2014 - now flying 76 planes. Whereas flag carrier Garuda Indonesia at the time was charging ~90 for a one way in Y and 500 in J, Batik had limited seats in J at just over ~100 (wow), and regular fares at ~200 (still rather reasonable). Furthermore, they had a great offer that includes a testing arrangement with the ticket, which just sweetened the deal.
Pre-departure (testing)
On domestic flights, Bali requires an Antigen or RT-PCR testing 48 hours before boarding. Both Lion and Batik have partnered with several laboratories all over the country to provide testing for their passengers. A day before our flight, we headed over to the Lion Group Tower at 8am to get our tests done. Upon arrival we showed our e-ticket and the reservation agents printed a test voucher that we'll use for the testing. From there we headed down to the basement parking lot where they've set up a makeshift testing clinic. There were already a groups of people queuing, but the process was very straightforward and systematic, and the whole process lasted only 40 minutes until receiving our printed results (compared to some private hospitals that take 4-5 hours). Impressed!
That evening I received a text message from Batik offering a seemingly complimentary personal assistant (lol) to take care of the departure admin. I didn't take up on the offer. Still quite impressed, more points!
Departure
Upon arrival at Jakarta Airport Terminal 2, there are queue lines in place before entering the check-in area that serves as a validation point for our test results. It was a straightforward process. We then headed to the check-in area, passing through a quick luggage security check as common in Indonesia. Surprisingly the terminal was very crowded, and there were snaking lines for the Economy class check-in for Batik. We were directed to an empty desk that handles check-in to Bali and Lombok, although upon the agent's inspection of our ticket, we were then brought to the Business Class check-in that had a short line. Nevertheless we were brought to the front of that line in true DYWKIA style
, and they explained that the people queued up were handled as an overflow of the Economy line (it was still rather embarrassing, though I appreciated their good intent!).Lounge
After a quick check-in, we were brought to the Batik Air Lounge.
Lounge Entrance
On our previous experience with Batik, they didn't have a lounge. I was rather impressed that they had one now. After quickly showing our boarding passes to the friendly receptionists, we were quickly admitted. The lounge still seemed rather new, the furniture has had some wear and tear but was in no way shabby. Not a big fan of the design of the cushions and decorations but I guess it follows the trend of Batik (South East Asian patterned cloth). The space was rather small compared to the size of the airline, but there was quite a lot of seating.
Lounge Seating
More Lounge Seating
Refreshments wise, they had a small buffet near the entrance that had a selection of Indonesian-esque food and some home fries to cater to more 'western tastes'
. The Indonesian food included some Indonesian fritters and fried pastry like things as well as the typical Indonesian spread of fried rice and fried noodles. It didn't look very appealing as is the case in most Indonesian lounges and the fact that it was served as a buffet made it even less so. They also had a selection of unbranded ice cream and the normal coffee and tea selection.
Washroom
There was a small washroom near the entrance, and it was modern, well kept and very clean. Every now and then an agent came by and manually announced boarding for flights. I then noticed they didn't actually have loud speakers. Overall not bad at all- so far so good!
Last edited by clubeurope; Jun 6, 2021 at 5:08 am Reason: edited link
May 31, 2021 | 5:15 am
Batik Air ID6061
Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport / Terminal 2
Departure: 08:55
Denpasar I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Bali
Arrival: 11:45
Flight time: 1h50m
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-900ER
Seat: 1F
After leaving the lounge, we headed through security, which was very crowded although thankfully orderly. Once through we went straight to Gate E4 where our flight would be departing from... or so we thought. Boarding was slated to start at 8:25, although an informal boarding announcement was made at 8:14. Boarding was a free for all unfortunately, although it soon became clear that it didn't matter for it turned out that our plane is parked at a remote gate.
Boarding Lounge
After ~5 minutes waiting on the (socially distanced) bus, we were driven a halfway through the airport to our plane that's parked at the old Terminal 1 (which appears to be closed at the moment).
The plane taking us to Denpasar, a 7.5 year old B737-900ER, registered PK-LBI
The upcoming Indonesian Airline, Super Air Jet
Once aboard, we found our seats in row 1. There are 12 seats in the J cabin, considerably small compared to J cabins on EU or US flights. The cream coloured leather seats look rather worn although was still very comfortable. We noticed the bags being loaded based on priority. Transfers and Business Class luggage are placed last, door-side. Really appreciate this detail that many airlines often can't pull off (I'm looking at you BA). The attention was evident later on when our checked bags were the first to come out (more points!). After three socially distanced bus loads of passengers, the flight was finally boarded. Business Class ended up with 4 empty seats. It appeared that two passengers may have upgraded at check-in as 3 hours before the flight 7 seats were still available. Furthermore, one deadheading Lion Air pilot took a seat at the row across.
All the announcements were very clear in both Bahasa and English.
Business Class Seats
Baggage Loading
Bulkhead
Interesting traffic... also note the Batik Air plane with an identity crisis
Service and Entertainment
There wasn't a pre-departure service of hot towels or PDBs, although that is widely the case across the industry and expected with regards to the pandemic.
After take-off, there was a significant lack of service in the cabin. The F/As kept to themselves up to halfway through the flight (more on that later). Meanwhile, I checked out the inflight entertainment system. A PTV can be pulled out from the centre arm rest. The screen was very responsive, and as such is very impressive compared to the screens found older Garuda aircraft. There were a handful of Western films and television shows, as well as a bunch of Indian and East Asian films. A flight map was also available although unfortunately it was one of the older kind.
Welcome screen
Movie Selection
Flight map
Now back to the lack of service for the first half of the flight... Around 35 minutes prior to landing everyone was handed a doggie bag containing a meal. Along with this was an announcement explaining the reason and instructions that the meal was not to be consumed on the flight. This is furthermore justified by an official court order placed by the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation prohibiting all airlines the serving of food and beverages for flights under two hours. As far as could be observed, both Y and J pax were served identical looking doggie bags, although it was later apparent that the contents are different. Interestingly, shortly after two back-to-back announcements on the consumption instructions, the deadheading pilot sitting across casually opened his box and started eating... hmmm...
Up to this point I was very very impressed by the airline's performance although this is were things went not so good. Shortly, before the meals were served, a man came up from Y and plonked himself on the empty seat in row 2. If that weren't bad enough, he wasn't wearing his mask and started talking out loud to the passenger across from him (who was probably his friend). Mind you, he was talking so loud that his saliva was splattering everywhere. That's rude before a pandemic, but is a lot worse now... unfortunately, the F/As never actually confronted the passenger despite passing by him multiple times. It was evident that they noticed, although it just seemed that weren't willing to confront the self-upgrading passenger.
I was about to head to the lavatory in the front section, though I was momentarily stopped by an F/A who claimed the lavatory was occupied. It turns out they were cleaning the lavatory (great attention) and shortly they came and explained that it was ready for use. I'm happy to say that it was in a very clean state. As I passed the galley on the way back to my seat, I noticed an F/A was peeling what looked like a whole burdock or cassava root in the galley. What the?!
In spite of all this, the F/A were all very friendly and courteous.
Mt Semeru(?)
Jimbaran
We soon started descent, and in no time we were on our final approach. The flight landed more or less on time, despite departing around 10 minutes late. Our landing was smooth. The arrivals was deserted. There were a few people checking that everyone has filled in the Indonesian passenger locator forms, and a few airport employees but otherwise the arrivals level is devoid of people. Once we arrived at the baggage claim, the baggage handlers put up a sign allocating a dedicated area for business class baggage. Sure enough once the bags started coming out 3 minutes later, all the priority marked bags were taken and placed in that area. Again, points for the attention of detail.
Shortly after, we were met by the representative from Kayumanis and went on our way.
I only had a chance to eat the meal once at the hotel. The meal consisted of a small bento box that contained something described as "Oregano Cheesy Salty Choco Cake". What was inside was two pieces of bread. The first looked like a cross between a focaccia and a spongecake. Upon closer inspection there was some gooey velveeta-like cheese spread wedge between. It was surprisingly edible and very moist. The chocolate cake was also surprisingly moist... something i wasn't expecting from aeroplane bread in SEA. Overall, not bad at all!
Doggie Bag
Meal served wrapped
Cheese filled focaccia like bread with chocolate bread (talk about carbs!)
Verdict
Despite the shortcomings with rule enforcement, the flight and overall experience was surprisingly very good, particularly at the price paid for the ticket. I'm very impressed and this was a significant change from the Batik Air I flew 4 years prior. Overall I'm happy with the airline, and would be willing to consider them again for flights in the future.
Last edited by clubeurope; Jun 6, 2021 at 6:06 am Reason: clarity
Jun 4, 2021 | 2:34 am
Kayumanis Jimbaran Private Estate & Spa
Central Yet Secluded (23 Photos)
Kayumanis Jimbaran Private Estate & Spa
Kayumanis Hotel Jimbaran is part of the small Indonesian Kayumanis chain that operates several hotels in Bali and China. The chain itself seems to focus on operating small scaled villa-only resorts. The Jimbaran hotel does not have access to a beach, let alone a private one, although is physically located 5 minutes away to Jimbaran Beach by foot.
Prior to the Pandemic, the hotel charges around ~200 to 300 a night for an entry level room, including return airport transfers and a lot of other amenities. However, due to the pandemic, the hotel is charging an incredible rate equivalent to 80 a night, reflective of the unfortunately dire current situation in Bali. Note that the rate is aspecial rate for residents of the country (Indonesian nationals, and foreigners who carry a residency permit). This is a trend observed throughout the island both in internationally brandedand local chained hotels.
Check In
Upon arrival at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, we were met by a friendly representative from Kayumanis, who would drive us to the hotel. After a long walk to the airport's parking lot area to the car, it was a 10 minute drive to Kayumanis. In the car were two bottles of water along with a bottle of sanitiser. Traditional Balinese music was playing in the stereo.
The arrival was seamless and we were met with familiar faces from our previous stay. Because of the Pandemic, we were kindly requested to wash our hands at a dedicated sink before checking in. The courteous staff remembered the details from our previous stay, and apparentlyplaced us in the same villa!
Lobby Grounds
Lobby Grounds
It wasn't long before we were taken to our room, as the rest of the check-in formalities are done in-villa.
Room
We booked a one-bedroom villa, an 'entry level' room.At 500 squared meters or ~5400 sqft, the space is much larger compared to the offerings at the Jimbaran Puri next door and the Four Seasons down the road. The villa itself was very well furnished. Upon entering, we were met by soft Balinese music playing in the background, and two refreshing guava drinks.
Grounds leading to Villa
The space comprised of three structures, and a private pool.The first structure is the combined living and dining area, where a typical living room is set up, along with a dining table seating four and a kitchenette. Right behind this is an awkward indoor space housing two lounge chairs, that apparently can be repurposed to accomodate spa treatments. I was told that this space can also be converted as a second bedroom should the need arise. Next to thisroom is a guest bathroom of sorts, that includes a wash closet, bidet, and an outdoor shower.
Living Area and Kitchenette
Dining Area
Kitchenette
View of private pool from living area - Notice the poolside Gazebo
Guest Bathroom - Outdoor Shower
Guest Bathroom
The bedroom itself is of good size, and has a four poster bed, along with a day bed by the window and a desk. along with a closet. The room is tastefully furnished, in my opinion, and I appreciate the sense of place brought about by the tatched roofing. The bed is rather hard as is common in Asia, but that didn't prevent me from getting good nights of sleep.
Interestingly, the pens provided are actual cinammon sticks, a great reflection of the hotel's name Kayumanis, which apparently means cinammon in Indonesian.
There is a sizeable open air bathroom behind the bedroom, which features a sizeable terazzo bathtub, and an outdoor shower. The soap and shampooare placed in reuseable stone containers, and are unbranded (presumably sourced from a local producer).
Bedroom
Bedroom
Master Bathroom
Overall, the villa and its surroundings are very beautiful. Despite the economic effects of pandemic, the place is very well maintained, and the grenery remain very green. The garden and pool area get rather dark at night if that is of any bother, but I find the setting overall very serene and peaceful. There were other guests staying at the adjacent villas, and yet we cannot hear any noise from them (possibly due to the sheer size of each villa area). One downside of the villa is probably the open air bathrooms, particularly to those who do not care for mosquitos and insects disturbing oneself whilst doing one's business.
Dining
We had all our meals in the villa, and overall they were excellent. The hotel's restaurants, Kayumanis and Cuca (closed at the moment) are well-rated on numerous food or traveller review websites. Whilst I doubt the validity of the integreity of such websites, I could attest that the food at the Kayumanis is indeed very good and of great quality. We had a selection of different local dishes for breakfast over our three night stay, and they were all very delicious. The fruits and bread were all fresh as well, to our delight. Additionally, orders of Green Tea or Balinese Coffee are served with fresh-cut lime and honey.
In-villa breakfast setup (Indonesian Nasi Goreng and Bubar Ayam/Chicken Congee)
Indonesian Fried Rice - 'Nasi Goreng'
Balinese Rice - 'Nasi Tapis' (Rice, chicken, eggs, noodles, sambal, prawn crackers)
Balinese Rice Porridge - 'Nasi Tepeng'
Omelette with some really odd bacon
Breadbasket with surprisingly good pastries and muffins - not European quality but better than the ones you'd find locally
We also had dinner in the villa on one of the nights we couldn't be fussed to go out to find food. We ordered an Indonesian chicken dish called 'Ayam Intuk' and some satay, both of which were excellent in terms of quality and taste. Both dishes are priced at around Rp. 150,000 to Rp 160,000 before taxes (~7-8).
The Ayam Intuk was especially fragrant, probably from the amalgation of being cooked with many spices. It came with a Thai basil and chilli sambal sauce, which was hot but refreshing.The chicken was physically small, but it was explained that the meat comes fromanindigenous variety of smaller chicken called 'Ayam Kampong'. Sure enough, thereis a noticeable difference in taste compared to the chickens I'm used to in the UK, being more gamey and more savoury. Very good!
Ayam Intuk
Pork and Chicken Satay
Service
The hotel's staff are very warm, friendly and courteous. No matter where you walkwithin the hotel grounds, each staff member, from gardener to butler would stop whatever they're doing to greet you 'Good Morning' or otherwise - a pattern I also witnessed at the Four Seasons down the road a few years back. A very nice and welcoming touch.
Every morning, as breakfast is delivered to the villa, the two peoplebringing the food would set the table very carefully and gracefully to ensure everything is placed correctly on the table. Some may think that it makes the process a bit slow, although I think it is very good attention to detail.
Additionally, it is interesting to note thatthe people at the reception are referred to as butlers, and refer to themselves as such.
Location
Jimbaran, despite all the development in the past decades, remains classified as a village. The area is 10 minutes from the island's international airport, Ngurah Rai International. Despite the proximity, there were no problems of aeroplane noise pollution.
Physically, our villas is located just a few hundred metres from Jimbaran Beach. Due to the absence of noise pollution, we were able to hear clearly the sounds of crashing waves from our villa, despite the hotel not having direct access to a beach. In spite ofthat, the hotel is located only a 5 minute walk away from the public entrance of the beach. There are no beach chair or day bed facilities provided by the hotel (or at least as far as I know of).
Prior to the pandemic, the hotel had some sort of an arrangement with the Belmond next door that allows hotel guests to use Belmond's beach facilities, although that arrangement appears to have been suspended (understandably).
The hotel's quaint Kayumanis Restaurant
The stretch of Jimbaran Beach near Kayumanis.
The adjacent Jimbaran Beach sits very empty nowadays. The beach has long beenknown for its adjacent grilled seafood restaurants and sunsets, and had been very crowded prior to the pandemic (although arguably not as much as Kuta or Seminyak up north).
The stretch of beach near the Kayumanis and the Belmondextendssouth passing the old InterContinental and all the way to the Four Seasons at the end, and extends north all the way to the airport's runway.
At this point, the beach and water is very clean, apart from the odd washed up water bottles. There are many live clams and crabs, and occasionally some schools of fish in the water, a sight I haven't seen before in the southwestern beaches of Bali prior to Covid.
The beach is located within a way, and there aren't really any big waves. I can't comment if the water is suitable for swimming. There are occasionally a couple people surfing, although I haven't seen anyone swimming.
Overall
Overall, I can't recommend Kayumanis Jimbaran enough. In spite of its (little) shortcomings, the hotel itself is ultimately a wonderful choice in the Jimbaran (or dare I say the south of the Island?). The villas, service, food, and location are excellent. The small size of the hotel makes the service a lot more personalised compared to the likes of Belmond and Four Seasons, both of which are larger villa resorts.
I would not hesitate to stay here again in the future.
Jun 6, 2021 | 4:50 am
you better be extremely comfortable with your partner whilst staying here :PView of bathroom from dining area/kitchenette (notice the visible toilet seat) Service The service at Kayumanis Ubud seems overall courteous and polite, and not at all overwhelming. The staff appeared to be more reserved and perhaps rather distant compared to the staff in Jimbaran (who for example wouldn't hesitate to start a conversation).Despite that, attention to detail was generally good, as perhaps best reflected by the toilet paper logo-stamped every time the room was refreshed. Any requests for anything were taken cared of quickly, so that is definitely a plus. Dining Like in Jimbaran, we had our breakfast sent to our villa over the three nights we were here. Overall, the food quality is decent, although admittedly nothing to write home about. We sampled what essentially constituted the entire breakfast menu, and I'd probably just praise on how customisable the options are. Our favourite dish would definitely have to be the 'Nasi Bungkus Ayam' or Balinese Chicken Rice, the dish was packed with spices and flavour and just overall delicious. Note that this option is actually outsourced from a local eatery (or known as a 'warung'), and as such had to be preordered the day before.A pair of very crusty 'Pancakes', along with a side of honey and a strawberryBoiled Eggs with vegetables'Mi Goreng' - Indonesian Fried NoodlesPlain Omelette with Toast and HashbrownsPlain Omelette with Toast and Hashbrowns'Nasi Bungkus Ayam' - Balinese Chicken Rice'Nasi Bungkus Ayam' - Balinese Chicken RiceWe also decided to have dinner in our villa, one night and sampled the 'Iga Babe Bakar' or Pork Ribs and an 'Ikan Sambal Matah' or Fish (Gindara) with pickles and vegetables. Both were very reasonably priced (Rp. 80,000 or ~£4 and Rp. 50,000 or ~£2.5 respectively). The pork ribs were decent and fresh, and the fish relatively decent as well. 'Iga Babe Bakar' - Indonesian Pork Ribs'Ikan Sambal Matah' - Gindara fish with vegetables Location Kayumanis Ubud is located in Sayan, within a village complex. The hotel shares the area with a handful of other 5-star resorts, including the Samaya, Four Seasons, Mandapa, and Amandari. Right outside the hotel is a quaint street where you're likely to encounter a family of chickens crossing the road, and some of the friendly(-ier) village dogs. The town centre of Ubud is located further away from the hotel although can be reached in 30 minutes by foot if cutting through some of the village's narrow alleys.The hotel itself has an expansive spa, along with a large main pool (that is unfortunately closed at the moment), located past a bridge that crosses a stream. The grounds of the spa/pool area is very lush and green, and oversees the sacred Ayung river. Yet as they are closed, the area felt very much abandoned.What struck me as a bit odd is how tightly placed the villas are were there is a significant amount of unused space in the pool/spa area... making it seem unbalanced.View towards Ayung RiverBridge to Spa/Pool AreaClosed Restaurant/Café(?)Path to 'Dining Corner' RestaurantClosed Pool Overall Objectively, the Kayumanis is a good hotel in Ubud, although given the plethora of other hotels (whether luxurious or reasonably priced) it doesn't really shine over any other. Perhaps it is a matter of personal taste, but I just found the (our allocated) villa to be very oddly designed, and not something I'm a fan of. Whilst I would excuse the food quality and service, overall, I couldn't make a recommendation for the hotel - it just doesn't fit my tastes. Of course, others may appreciate the hotel's design and service approach, so each to their own.
Jun 6, 2021 | 5:56 pm
Jun 9, 2021 | 3:00 am
Jun 12, 2021 | 1:40 am
Our borders are closed in Australia so I am much missing my regular commutes to my home in Bali.
Meanwhile we are looking after our staff and making sure they have enough rupiah to buy rice and other staples.
Jun 12, 2021 | 10:19 pm
Our borders are closed in Australia so I am much missing my regular commutes to my home in Bali.
Meanwhile we are looking after our staff and making sure they have enough rupiah to buy rice and other staples.
hope you can come home to Bali soon! Take care
Jun 13, 2021 | 9:25 am
Jun 14, 2021 | 1:02 am
Jun 14, 2021 | 3:55 am