Seminyak stopover

Umadasa guesthouse

Umadasa guesthouse

Seminyak beach

Seminyak beach

Our flight from Bangkok to Bali had been bought on a special deal that meant we got seats with extra legroom, and since all the other seats around were empty we had a row each and a very comfortable flight. The exit route at Denpasar airport funnels passengers past a taxi desk – I was quoted Rp150,000 for the trip to our hotel, until I pointed out that the displayed list said Rp120,000 for Double Six beach.  At which point he pretended to have misheard the road name I gave.  Hmm.  In the end we just did a deal with a driver outside for Rp100,000 (£5) for the half hour trip (the metred Bluebird taxi that we later took back to the airport was less than Rp90,000, so the airport desk was seriously overcharging).

Surf lesson on Seminyak beach

Surfing lesson on Seminyak beach

It was already dark so I couldn’t make much sense of our convoluted route but suddenly saw a restaurant name that signalled that our guesthouse was down the next alley on the right.  It was a good thing I’d done my research because we’d never have found it otherwise, tucked behind shops in an unlit courtyard, within a high-walled compound.

The Umadasa only had 4 rooms plus a family suite, but it was a little gem – immaculate room with fridge, wifi, A/C and cable TV, garden, dinky little plunge pool, and two smiling young women who cooked a different delicious breakfast each day and kept the place clean. And it was quiet.  If only the mattress had been firmer – unfortunately 4 nights there undid the 7 weeks on Talad Noi’s perfect bed and I had to dig out the painkillers.

75p dinner at Warung Murah

75p dinner at Warung Murah

We’d picked Seminyak as a compromise; not too far from the airport since it was such a short stay, but away from Kuta’s reputed mayhem.  We could have returned to Sanur but I was interested to see the other coast, and I thought the shopping might be better (I had failed to find a decent dress in Bangkok).  I was right about the shopping – Jalan Arjuna (which is actually the border between Legian and Seminyak) was lined with cheap clothes shops and, unlike Bangkok’s MBK mall, there was actually some variety between them because a lot of the items were made in-house.  Most dresses still had the uneven hems that I hate but I found one place that catered to my taste exactly, so I bought two.  I’ve found that wearing clothes I actually dislike is kind of depressing.

Generally, the area wasn’t too bad.  Lots of restaurants, including the super-cheap Warung Murah (well, the clue is in the name), where we could fill a plate with vegetarian food for Rp15,000 (75p).  Normally we avoid places with pre-cooked food, but this is how traditional warungs operate and this place was so busy that nothing sat around for long.  Most tourists were Australian – a little loud sometimes, but cheerful and friendly and, at this more sedate end of the strip, reasonably sober.

Seminyak surf

Seminyak surf

The beach was the polar opposite of the one at Sanur. Instead of a narrow strip of white sand, calm turquoise water and gaily painted fishing boats, huge rolling waves crashed onto a wide yellow strand.  This coast is all about the surf, and few people bothered to enter the water without a board: swimming was impossible.  The beach was very clean though – I’d seen horrendous pictures of rubbish on Kuta beach, but either it’s a seasonal thing or Bali has got its act together with regard to beach cleaning. It was a good beach for walking; the sand along the edge of the waves was firm, and there were views right along the coast, past the airport (where approaching planes seemed almost to skim the water) to the Bukit Peninsula, and up Bali’s curving west coast to Negara.  The hawkers, about which so many Australians had complained on Tripadvisor, would barely register to anyone who has dealt with those of North Africa or parts of India.

I wouldn’t want to stay in Seminyak for a long time, but for a quick stopover it was fine.

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