Bali, Day 5-8
On day 5, we were heading to Manggis, a seaside town. In Part 1, we talked about our stay in Ubud. The Alila Ubud was a great hotel with fantastic hospitality. The staff was so accommodating that one would never want to leave. They get five stars for customer service. The crew was very impressed and humbled by the wonderful staff. However, it was time to move on to the next stop.
We ate breakfast at the Alila Ubud and then prepared to leave. Two SUV’s were waiting on us. We expected the typical minivan, however, the manager didn’t want us to be cramped during the 90-minute ride to Manggis. So, he ordered two cars for the four of us. It was a hot morning, so thank God for nice cool air conditioning. During the ride, we talked to the driver about life in Bali.
Almost everyone speaks English. I was told that they learn the language in elementary and high school. We saw many school children walking along the roads while riding along. Our driver spoke of how expensive public education is for the families in Bali. Yes, the parents must pay for a public school education. Imagine that! Think about how Americans can get free education from kindergarten through 12th grade! FREE!
During the drive, traffic and driving were crazy. Motor scooters and cars everywhere, coming from all angles. I could never drive in that quagmire! Finally, we arrived at the hotel. One could smell the sea air and feel the humidity. The Alila Manggis Hotel lobby was a nice open space. We were greeted warmly and with cool, refreshing drinks. We checked in, went to our rooms and unpacked the most important thing: the swimsuit!
Arrival in Manggis
We explored the grounds and then viewed the beach and the sea. We were a little disappointed that due to erosion there was no longer much of a beach, especially if the tide was high. Yet the sounds of the waves and the feel of the breeze did not disappoint. So, the plan for the rest of the day was to head to the beautiful pool, experience the three o’clock tea time, and ask about tours to Manggis and Candidasa. Later for dinner, we ate at the Alila Manggis Sea Salt for a traditional roasted pig. It was delicious with the crispy skin and all! I know it was bad for us, but we went the whole hog, literally.
The Virgin Beach
The next morning, day 6 we planned a day trip to the Virgin Beach. I don’t know why it’s called the Virgin Beach, but it’s beautiful. The total cost of the trip was about $10 per person. The hotel provided a driver for us and packed up the van with 2 beach towels per person. The driver was told to stay with us for as long as we wanted to remain at the beach. The drive was approximately 30 minutes. We unpacked the car and walked about a half mile down a secluded, rocky road. The walk was truly worth it. The beach was spectacular.
The Virgin Beach is a short drive from Manggis.Beach chairs and shops were located on the beach. You could rent chairs in front of a restaurant or if you purchased lunch from the restaurant, the chairs were free. We were in awe of this beautiful beach. Unfortunately, the water was very rough and swimming was not a good idea. The scenery was great for my photography fetish. I snapped some great photos. We visited some shops, caught some rays and then decided to try some food. Lunch was so fresh that they brought out a red snapper and asked, “Is this the fish you want?”
Tea Time
After a few hours on the beach, it was time to leave. Our driver packed up the towels and we schlepped back up the rocky road to the van. Returning to the hotel, we were in time for tea time. I couldn’t get enough of the fresh lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon tea with honey. Each day, a dessert was served with the tea. My favorite was the lime ginger sorbet with a pistachio ice cream cone. OMG! Later we a delicious dinner at Le Taz Restaurant. Again, the Alila Manggis presented great customer service, because the restaurant picked up and dropped off to and from the hotel. The food and entertainment were very good.
The next couple of days was spent relaxing by the pool and spa treatments. The time to depart Manngis came too quickly. We enjoyed our days in Bali, and we look forward to another visit soon.
Some of the highlights/positives of the trip were:
- Great deal from Living Social included airfare, rooms, tours, and daily breakfast
- Customer service at the Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis was magnificent.
- Experienced two sides of the country: the jungle and the beach
- Balinese people are kind and very accommodating,
- Korean Air was great, on time and plenty of room for flying in economy
- Rooms were nice in both hotels and the settings were beautiful
- Breakfast was delicious
- Spa treatments were fantastic.
- Great showers and nice, hot water!!
- Shopping is cheap!
- TripAdvisor gave the Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis excellent reviews.
