JBR Day 5-8 – Seminyak
Day 5 – Up not so early & with a slightish hangover but feel great all the same. Breaky at the hotel then a long morning by the pool. We made friends with another family who are lucky & come to Bali about every 3 months for business. Oh how I wish!
11am we are packed & checked out. Farewell Legong Keraton. A quick taksi ride down to seminyak. We arrive at our next hotel the Mutiara Bali resort which is in behind seminyak square & eat st. Check in not until 2pm but the room was ready so they welcomed us in 🙂 we have a family room on the 2nd storey with balcony overlooking the pool. It’s pretty & the pool is pretty big. The room is generous & cool. Bathroom seems open air but is covered in. It has a good vibe!
Is feeding time again so we walk out of the hotel & turn right, right again & then right again onto jalan Laksmana or eat st & there we find our destination – ginger moon.
We loved this last year & it lived up to it again. Quick service, fresh quality food. Delicious!!!!
We had a sneaky cocktail just to take the edge off our little hangover 🙂
Lunch done we go up to Sem square to have a look in the book shop & change some money.
Across the gang to have a look in frokk. Sweet things but just not quite my taste & pretty $$$ if you only wear it once. Looked in all the shops along there including hobo, kody & ko. Bought myself some mimpi mannis shoes! & a sweet little purse.
Back to hotel for a swim & now having quiet time before tonight’s adventures.
Head on out to meet a very old friend of Willi’s. Paul is opening up the ‘Corner House’ on the old corner store site. We head into khaima for a quick bevo. They were chefs together back in the day & had fun catching up on mutual friends. I loved hearing about life in Bali, the local security gangs who run the streets & his plans for the new place. I had a glass of Hattons rose. Was nice!
Catch up over we walk the gangs to motel mexicola for drinks & dinner. But on the way we find Samantha Robinson so go in for a squizz. Beautiful pottery & I will return in the next couple of days to bent the credit card. Willi thinks he discovered it! Lol.
MotMex was heavily booked but they had room for us at 5.30pm! Whilst waiting for the drinks I went across the road to the 4 boutiques in search of something, anything to buy! Nothing tickled my fancy so back to my family I went.
2 passion fruit/pineapple cocktails later we float into the main dining area.
Last year we didn’t make it thus far because our credit card wasn’t accepted there & our drinks took our cash but thankfully wasn’t the case tonight! Dinner was nice, we liked it.
They stuffed up our order & remade our drinks from outside. We both can’t stand anything being wasted so we drank the 2nd round before ordering the house cocktail – the mexicola. Spicy, alcoholic goodness that it is, hick!
We sat & enjoyed the vib. Clops danced & had a ball. Finally we paid & walked home quick & easy. Hotel is in a very good possy. So it seems I need to do my Panadol & big glass of water trick to try counter the hangover. Oh well, I’m on hols after all!!!!!!
Day 6 – So our bed sucks! Not as bad as Legong but pretty close. Oh well.
A slow morning. Clops catches up on regular show which we both like too. Ah snap! Legong only had local TV, Mutiara has cable so her beloved Cartoon Network is back.
Out we go down eat st. It’s so quiet. No throng of bikes, no other pedestrians. Past Corner House to anomali for coffee & Breaky. It’s really industrial in its fit out. Coffee is goooood! I can see the cook making the hollandaise sauce fresh for my order – I am very hopeful now 🙂
Yum – it was perfect!
Oh no – alls not well in paradise. Clops has turned nasty. Sour look on her face, cranky pants eyes. She’s not happy. Won’t eat her breakfast & is showing all the signs of a teenager. I threaten to call a nanny, I tell her no swims today but she still back chats & refuses to eat. FFS! I look around at all the other diners… All child free… So we ignore her then slowly she starts to eat. It’s been bumpy but I think we’re through the tantrum. Sheesh, there’s only enough room for one diva in this family & their names Willi! Lol
Meet up with Paul & get the grand tour of Corner House. It’s really nicely fit out. I can see it being quite a popular place. Good for him.
We walk down jalan drupadi to see what we can see. Walking, walking, walking.
Checked out a couple of shops & bought a doggy door stopper from a very cute shop called mahana. They only take cash which I told her was a shame as if they took credit card I would have bought a whole lot more. I liked the look of almost everything in there. Oh well, we only have $100 cash per day so I have to suck it up.
Walking, walking, walking & then we get to jl raya seminyak so head to a money changer then on to bintang supermarket for a proper look around.
I stocked up on some coconut soap & some presents for Clops’ class mates. Taksi back to hotel to drop shopping off. I spy my old school friend who I knew was in Bali with her family at the same time thanks to FB. As politely as possible I scream out the window to her! Sorry my friend. Thrilled to have seen her! We were in year 7 together. I hope well catch up in the next day or two.
Hungry now we walk around the corner to sisterfields which is in the group of shops with frokk & kody ko. Cute, cute spot. Juices were delicious.
Lunch great too, I just chose wrong. I had a soft shell crab wrap kind of thing, Willi had a beef baguette. Clops a chicken snitzel. They loved theirs. I panicked & ordered mine even though I don’t really like eating a whole animal in a sandwich. Oh well!!!!
We will go back for Breaky for the juices alone. Back to hotel now for a marathon swimming afternoon. Catch youse later.
We had a lovely swim & lazy by the pool. Thirsty we head out to U Passha a hotel on eat st with a rooftop pool, bar & BBQ with views to die for. Up we go, looks awesome. Clops & I both have our swimmers on ready to dip. We head up to the enticing pool – so pretty! Ask for the towels, explain we are drinking & eating but not staying in house – big mistake. They will let you spend your money in food & bev but won’t under any circumstances let you use the pool. Fair enough I suppose by they lost us as customers.
Thinking, thinking… Swimming pool cocktails & food… Where to go?????
The W of course.
I’m wearing my mumpy mantis new shoes (is that what they’re called ladies? Lol) so we get a taksi. We chose to walk the driveway so he drops us on street. What a lovely driveway.
The hotel is pretty non Balinese in anyway shape or form but quite impressive. In we walk like you are in house guests. Choose a lounge, order a cocktail & slip into the pool. There is quite a bit if eye candy here & I’m enjoying this view. Have a little chat to a cute chap then thinks to myself I’m not his cup of tea & not just cause if my husband & child if you know what I mean! There are lots of beautiful people to look at. Willi & I settle in!
More cocktails & some yummy tapas we manage to spend 1.3 mil!
Apparently this is how we roll in Bali! Sun sets, I’m in wet swimmers with no spare undies & we are still hungry.
Grab a taksi back to eat st & roll into our firm favourite fun family food establishment – ultimos! Pizza, rocket salad & their yummy cheese sticks later we are full as googs. A quick stop off at quickie mart & were home. I don’t want this holiday to end!!!!
Day 7 – Up early & out for our morning walk through the back gangs & around to sea circus for breakfast.
Last year we dropped in only for coffee & I got serious menu envy so we had to come back this year. Loved the quote my coffee came with. Moved me to get a tear in my eye which was quickly reversed by yet another clops melt down!
Breaky was lovely. Toast for me with lemony crushed avocado & a side of bacon. So good! Willi had a bugs bunny juice & me a Mary poppins. Yum yum!
We walk around back to seminyak square looking in shops along the way – nice home ware shop called satunama but very expensive.
Stopped into deus where Willi stocks up on tshirts. I bought an outrageously expensive tea towels but justify the expense cause they will be art somewhere/somehow in the house. We also grab matching deus hoodies just like Japanese honeymooners lol!
Back to hotel for a swim!!!
Tummy rumbling we head out. We duck into the white peacock & manage to buy a dress, purse & 2 bracelets.
On we go to Manos sea side beach club in the hopes it might be a hidden treasure. Turns out that it is not.
Out we go & over to La lucciola for an absolutely great lunch. Prosecco x 2. Spaghetti, prawn, chilli for me – molto bene! Willi had a spatchcock salad which looked amazing too. Clops had chips.
Chatted to a family from Hong Kong who’s daughter was at the beautiful 10 month age – all smiles & just crawling. Lovely. I asked to swap but they declined for some reason??? We even had dessert – I am so full now! Taksi home & into the pool.
A slow old afternoon with plenty of pool time. Happy child, happy holiday – that’s the theory anyway.
We have a reservation at salt tapas within the Sentosa resort tonight. The Mutiara where we are staying is very close by so we risk walking in the back rather than the main entrance around on jl petitenget. Success – it might be the staff entrance but in we go all the same. We walk through the service driveway & don’t really see anything other than the private villa walls & pretty gardens.
We get there & are made very welcome.
We choose a lounge near the shallow, kiddy pool area & order cocktails.
They are made & served so quickly it’s great. Clops has a swim as we peruse the menu. Willi worked with Luke Mangan 20 years ago in Sydney & recognises some dishes they did back then!
We order pork sliders for the child & the following for us to share: cured salmon with ginger, tuna tartare (beautiful), scallops with polenta & shiitake mushrooms (yum!!) & chips with truffle & Parmesan (omg yum!).
Lovely service but the place is empty! We have another cocktail & chillax but there’s no one to people watch. Clops splashes around & I’m happy to let her because there’s no one to annoy!!!
We have the liquorice parfait for dessert (Willi used to make 100 a week back in the day). Omg it’s gorgeous!!!
A great place to eat, food amazing. We highly recommend it for food & service. Atmosphere was a little flat but worked for our needs. Fun over we cab it back to hotel just in time for the formula 1 qualifying – oh the joys!!!
Day 8 – Mothers Day! Had a great nights sleep. Willi & I slept on each others side cause it just happened that way. Bed still not very comfy but I’m tired from the walking, swimming, sunning, cocktailing & eating.
Monsieur spoon for breaky. I liked it. The French butter was great as was the strawberry jam. Coffee & juice – we’ve had better. The croissant & baguette were lovely.
Had a little walky to the deli in Sem square thinking maybe we could buy some weetbix for Clops (the past 3 years I have brought them with us & she hasn’t eaten them!). They didn’t. Off we go just walking cause it’s early & not much traffic. No shops open so we head back for a swim.
Today being the last full day in Semmy I need to get down to jalan kunti to have a look. We walked there & had a look at shops along the way including bomba where Willi finds a Keith Richards tee shirt – so now we have a tee shirt with matching tea towel. Lol!
Into a bead shop for some little bracelets for Clops’ teacher. I couldn’t help but buy some green glass stars made from bintang bottle to hang somewhere. I love anything repurposed. The bag he put them in was even recycled paper from a magazine!!!
We walk up & down kunti until we are hungry. We like the look of the rolling fork. Glad we did. Food was delicious. Willi had insalata, clops a burger & me a handmade pasta which was amazingly yummy!!!! Seriously I wished I could have licked the plate 🙂
Grab some dvds for my brother who’s been looking after our doggy then grab a taksi back to hotel.
4.30pm reso at Mozaic beach club up on batu belig – my all time favourite experience of a bali restaurant in 3 trips. High expectations!!! Arrive, given the royal treatment as I’d been emailing back & forward to make sure my Mother’s Day experience was perfection. Turned out to be a bit of musical chairs but all good.
Seated next to ankle deep pool as it was a scorching day & we needed the shade. Clops has an unsatisfactory swimming experience so daddy lets her swim alone in the deep pool (eye roll, father of the year not!).
Not. Happy. Jan. Divorce imminent I insist we move up to the deck so the pool is not a temptation. Up we go & the mood shifts, praise The Lord!
Order more drinks & food, people watch & enjoy the beautiful sun setting over the Indian Ocean.
Food arrives – yummy. Crispy squid, baby octopus, tuna salad & Japanese crispy chicken. Delicious-ness-eses.
More cocktails. Then a cow entertains us by frolicking beach side. Adorable.
Smokers move in & it really gets up our noses so as the sun has set we move down to the bar for dessert – valrohna chocolate bar for him & a magnum mosaic style for her. Me? Another cocktail of course. So great spot, can’t recommend enough. Want to be here the day I turn f.f.f.f.f.fooorrrtttyyyy.
Owner came over while we waited for taksi & gave clops some fish food to feed the gigantor goldfish. Had a chat as you do. Was lovely. Fun is now over, grab a taksi home for yet more motor sport. Ear plugs!!!
Thanks for reading so far… xxx
MonoWilli&Clops 