Our driver, Odik, was just a delight. He was always early, which meant we were never running behind schedule. He answered our questions, and provided commentary from time to time, especially when the Guide wasn't with us. He was very alert to my desire to take a photo from inside the car and would stop or slow down as traffic permitted. And speaking of traffic, it's a little crazy navigating the roads. There were a few times when I closed my eyes because I thought something bad was about to...
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Our driver, Odik, was just a delight. He was always early, which meant we were never running behind schedule. He answered our questions, and provided commentary from time to time, especially when the Guide wasn't with us. He was very alert to my desire to take a photo from inside the car and would stop or slow down as traffic permitted. And speaking of traffic, it's a little crazy navigating the roads. There were a few times when I closed my eyes because I thought something bad was about to happen, but it never did.
Our guide, Badi, was likewise very engaging and informative. He provided lots of great historical and background information on the places we visited. He dealt with our on-the-fly requests to find an ATM we could use, and to buy some liquor to take home with us.
All of our outings were much better than the descriptions. We were particularly happy with the cooking classes at Rumah Desa and Paon Bali were excellent! Well-organized, efficiently delivered, and informative. The Monkey Forest was a delight as well, getting to be up close and personal with the animals.
One tiny downside...it would have been helpful to have a level-of-effort rating on some of the walks. I was able to do pretty much everything, but my traveling companion had to forgo some of the walks, or sections of walks, because they were just a little too strenuous.
In the end, though, I will be happy to recommend Kimkim and our consultant, Marc Urban to anyone who asks!
Hotel Review
Tejaprana Resort & Spa
Bali
We felt like we sat down in the lap of luxury when we arrived at Tejaprana. Once you turn off the very busy street, you descend (literally) into an island paradise of quiet and green and luxury. Frankly, we were happy to spend all of our free time at the resort, partly because we'd been traveling for a long time, and partly because it's just so damn nice.
Similarly, Aruna Restaurant is excellent! We ate our way through most of the Balinese offerings they had on the menu, sometimes more than once. Staff is very friendly and welcoming, from the top management to the people cleaning the resort.
Authenticity & Character
I can't speak to the authenticity of the establishment, since I've had little exposure to the culture. But the character was very much in line with what I expected.
Location
It was relatively central to all that we wanted to see. It took us a while to understand that you can't move very fast in Bali, particularly in congested areas. But all was great.
Staff
From top to bottom the staff was excellent! Pandi, the restaurant manager, was particularly helpful and welcoming.
Cleanliness & Comfort
When your hotel is in the middle of nature, as is Tejaprana, you can't expect it to look 100% pristine at all times. So there were times that there were leaves and other natural debris scattered about. But it wasn't in the least offensive. Cleanliness was top-notch.
Activity Reviews
Visit a local market & enjoy a cooking class
Indonesia
The market walk was interesting, because it gave us such a good glimpse into daily life. The cooking class was exceptional, start to finish!.
Quality of Experience
well-run and delightful from start to finish!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Staff was really great! It seemed like they very much enjoy what they do!
Cultural Immersion and traditions at Rumah Desa
Indonesia
It was absolutely fascinating to step into the world of a Balinese family, if only for part of a day. Our guide (I wish I could remember his name, but he was 6'5" tall, so very distinctive among Balinese men) did a great job introducing us to religious traditions and other aspects of daily life. I enjoyed learning about their 18-character alphabet, and getting a memento of my name written in Balinese. It was also interesting to see the amount of labor that goes in to producing coconut oil, coconut milk, and grated coconut.
Quality of Experience
Nope. Start to finish, it was excellent.
Food
The meal we helped to prepare was excellent!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
I've talked about our driver elsewhere. The staff was uniformly warm and welcoming.
Transport
Discussed elsewhere.
Local specialist: Marc Urban
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