RamadaResort Benoa Bali

I stayed here 2 nights as I was attending a work conference and to be honest I have been in better resorts and places in Bali but still it was nice and quite upmarket.
Benoa is the otherside of the airport and almost directly opposite to Kuta on another coast facing east.
The resort is a long line of hotels on one side of the road with access to the beach the other. Benoa is about about 45 minutes from Kuta/Legion from my experience, mainly due to traffic and roadworks and to Kuta Square it costs about 85,000 rupiah one way.
You can take a taxi directly there from the airport for a flat rate of around 100k.

The hotel itself has a big reception at the top of a lot of steps and the main dining area is underneath that. There are lot of steps and stairs there but the welcome and atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.

The room I was in was a twin and it was spacious with all the usual stuff in it, tv,m beds, table etc. The shower had a double shower head and the water was a good pressure and plenty hot. Towels were changed daily and the beds were made.

There was a sign on the balcony doors not to leave the doors open as mosquitoes would come it, not a reassuring notice. Although the view from the balcony was just backs of houses and some tall bamboo.

The pool was kidney shaped with a bar inside it, but it seemed that is was not open until 9am and shut at 7. There was also a volley ball area on sand, table tennis table, seats around the pool. Also a hindu temple and a travel agent.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. Taxis that were called arrived quite quickly, there was also cars and drivers who could ferry you to where you needed to go.

The resort has lovely gardens throughout that are well manintained and lots of things to look at. Across the road there seemed to be another swimming pool that belonged to the resort and then the beach itself.

It is not a swimming beach as fishing boats are moored there but the view was pleasant enough. The downside was that the resort is under the flight path of everything arriving from Java and so there was often noise from planes through the day.

Food was ok and there was plenty of it. The breakfast was huge with plenty of choice from western to the usual rice and porridge. The evening meals were not part of the weekend so I cant comment.

All in all it looked and felt like an expensive place to stay with no real benefit to being there. Benoa on the other hand looks great and a nice place to explore so I would consider going back to stay somewhere else to have a good look around.

If I am scoring it I would give it 7 out of 10.

The resort website http://www.ramadaresortbenoa.com/

I have cut and paste this straight off their website, no offence meant or intended and I take no responsibility for changes in prices or rates at any notice, but rather I have done this to help you know the prices.

Internet Rates

Rate Period	Room Type	Single or Double Room per Night
6 Jan - 14 Jul 2011	Village View Room	USD 90.00	Book Now
	Garden View Room	USD 95.00
	Pool View Room	USD 100.00
	1 Bedroom Villa	USD 180.00
	2 Bedroom Villa	USD 280.00
	1 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 230.00
	2 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 330.00
	Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with pool	USD 330.00
15 Jul - 15 Sept 2011	Village View Room	USD 100.00	Book Now
	Garden View Room	USD 115.00
	Pool View Room	USD 120.00
	1 Bedroom Villa	USD 200.00
	2 Bedroom Villa	USD 300.00
	1 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 250.00
	2 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 350.00
	Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with pool	USD 350.00
16 Sept - 22 Dec 2011	Village View Room	USD 95.00	Book Now
	Garden View Room	USD 105.00
	Pool View Room	USD 115.00
	1 Bedroom Villa	USD 200.00
	2 Bedroom Villa	USD 300.00
	1 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 250.00
	2 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 350.00
	Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with pool	USD 350.00
23 Dec 2011 - 5 Jan 2012	Village View Room	USD 120.00	Book Now
	Garden View Room	USD 130.00
	Pool View Room	USD 140.00
	1 Bedroom Villa	USD 225.00
	2 Bedroom Villa	USD 325.00
	1 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 275.00
	2 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 375.00
	Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with pool	USD 375.00
6 Jan - 31 March 2012	Village View Room	USD 95.00	Book Now
	Garden View Room	USD 105.00
	Pool View Room	USD 115.00
	1 Bedroom Villa	USD 200.00
	2 Bedroom Villa	USD 300.00
	1 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 250.00
	2 Bedroom Villa with pool	USD 350.00
	Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with pool	USD 350.00

Note:

• The above rates are NET (included 21% Government Tax and Service Charge)

Hotel Angsoka, Lovina Bali

This is my 3rd stay at this hotel and it is for me a nice laid back, well presented quiet hotel, in the middle of the strip called Lovina in the village of Kalibukbuk.
Lovina is 3.5 hours drive north of Kuta and not too far from Singaraja. It is well the worth the trip to Lovina as the Git Git waterfall and the temple on the lake near Bedugul.

Lovina is famous for its Dolphins although they are only seen in the early morning and on a boat in the sea close to the land.

The hotel is just around the corner from the Dolphin Statue and also a short walk to the main street and the small bars and restaurants and coffee shops that are there.

The hotel does a range of rooms from the 90,000 IDR a night no AC, fan only room to the luxury villa for 4 people and all sorts in between. We stayed in super standard which was a chalet with big bed, mosquito nets (cos they are big there) shower and bath tub.
Price of the room was 275,000IDR which whilst a little pricey was again ok and I don't mind paying the extra as the place and gardens are wonderful and the pool is big and deep. At night there are frogs and crabs running about as well as huge spiders but dont let that scare you, they are not in the rooms just outside them. I hate spiders but it does not put me off going there.

The rooms are fairly old and the bedding could be newer but the beds and pillows are comfortable, the towels sadly have seen better days but that was not the end of the world.

Out of 10 I would give it a 7 but a high 7 and when I return to Lovina I am sure to check in there again.

The hotels website can be accessed here

or you can call 62-362-41130

They take Credit Cards or cash.

Pesona Beach Inn Kuta revisited

I did stay here again for 3 nights bed and breakfast although again I never ate there instead I had big breakfasts at Swell or Kedin cafe.
The price was the same as January. for a room with 2 double beds which was nice and the room was situated again right by the pool. The AC was cold, the water was hot but the pressure was very low. The TV worked fine but the remote was broken. The room was very clean and it was amazingly quiet despite being fully booked.

The staff here are more than helpful even though there is only a handful of them and they either seem to be doing nothing or everything. It is a great place to stay for a few nights and well worth the money.

Tucked away behind a mini mart and opposite SWELL bar restaurant, Pesona Beach Inn is a comfortable relaxed hide away in Poppies 1, Kuta.
I stayed 2 nights and was charged 140,000idr per person for an A/C room with Cable TV a very hot shower and breakfast. With the option of keeping the room until 6pm on day of checkout for half the price of a night which was fairly reasonable.
Check out was at 12 noon and there was not really much fuss about anything while I was there. It was relaxed and very quiet and the staff were low key and accepting.
The rooms were immaculately cleaned and the beds felt new. The decor was fading and both rooms had issues with damp and peeling paint but the AC worked exceptionally well, the TV signal was weak but still clear.

The pool was less that a metre from my room and the water was clean and clear and warm and deep enough to dive in (depth 1.85cm) although it was not really very big.

The beach is 5 minutes walk and there are plenty of good restaurants to choose in walking distance as well. I would consider staying there again.

Some views of the hotel outside in Poppies. Would I stay there again?
Probably.

More information can be found here: http://pesonabeachinn.blogspot.com/
or you can call them 62-361-765778

Keyalang Beach Cottages Belitung

I have just returned from a 3 day 2 night trip to Belitung and the beach resort of Keyang Beach which is in the north west of the island around 50 minutes from the airport.
The resort itself consists of about 10 beach bungalows and a restaurant cum reception cum everything else. Thats it.
No TV, no billiards, no karaoke, no scrabble, no playing cards. Just a set menu and a fridge full of beer water and soft drinks and happy to serve and smiley staff, a few dogs and chickens and 20 lizards.
For a getaway from it all it is perfect. Why? Well on a blue sky day, the beach is pure white sand, soft and stretches away into the distance. It is broken up by its landmark rock formations, coconut trees and in the flat warm sea, boats and canoes. The sea is warm, crystal clear full of fish and sandy bottom although the rocks are everywhere but you can easily spot them.

I flew there with Sriwijaya airlines and we arrived on the first flight at 7.30am. We were met by a driver of the resort who took use the short cut route and shaved off 30km trip to the resort. 

On arrival we were given a warm welcome and shown to our bungalow which had great views of the sea.

The cottage I stayed. Basic but comfy.

The bed was very comfy and the AC worked wonders. There are Mosquitoes at night and in the day but the nets worked really well. The shower are was ok, the water comes from a groundwell and is pumped up to a tank and then fed to the room, so the water is not drinkable but showerable. Yes it is brown ish but its water and it cleans you. The pressure is not so great but the shower works,

The view from the room

The food as I have mentioned was basic but well done. The seafood was all prawn and squid but it was fresh out of the sea and very cooked and served with either rice or noodles. The menu was limited but great as all fresh and the staff more than eager to help. 

The beer was cheap and always cold. 

The view from the beach of the restaurant.

The view from the resto looking out. It was rainy it was sunny, it was hot, it was very hot. It was awesome,

Some facts for you.

They do not take anything but cash so have plenty.
2 nights with ac was 600,000 (rooms with out AC are 250 a night)
Transports to and from airport was 300,000 in total
All day boat trip to where ever you want 300,000
Hire life vests 25,000 each
Bike hire 40,000 all day (not with petrol)
Food from 4,000
Beer 20,000 large Bintang
Can Coke 4,000
Bottle water 4,000 (large)

Now the bad news :(
The beach has sandflies. If you are asian you might not feel them straight away like I did but bites do swell and itch. Oh my god do they itch. You need to bring some serious repellant with you but they are seasonal, they are not about in the wind. They are so small they are hard to spot but you will know.
If you are attacked and need relief which ultimately you will take tiger balm with you as it will help you. Then see a pharmacist off the island asap to get more relief. Sadly these bites can take weeks to go and can leave nasty scars.

Overall it was amazing. The beaches are the best I have anywhere in the world I have travelled and I have been to quite a few places, New Zealand comes close (and with the flies as wow ha ha ha) but the views are simply amazing. The boat trip is great, trips to the old lighthouse, the sand bank any island you want and snorkelling as well is well worth it. A bike trip around the island again is well worth it again the views are beautiful, the people friendly and very polite and the roads well looked after.

Out of 10 it has to be an 8. It should be a 9 but the sandflies make the place lose a whole point.

More pictures can be found by clicking here and the website for the beach cottages here