Road Trip to Sanur

I haven't been out on the road much lately, mostly because of a few health issues. But, an old friend returned from his new teaching job in China, and I wanted to get a chance to sit down and catch up with him. The first plan was to stay in one of the inexpensive hotels in Kuta where I usually sleep when I need to do something down in the south that will take long enough to warrant not doing a round-trip in one day. But, this being the tourist season, all the places where I usually stay were full. Not surprising as the Kuta area becomes Little Australia at this time of the year.

So, the next plan was to sleep on the floor at my friend's house in Jimbaran. I took off on a lovely morning last week and left early enough that I missed most of the crazy traffic of tourist buses that is common in August in the mountains just south of Singaraja. The drive was very enjoyable until I hit the Denpasar area and ran into major traffic. I was on the Bypass and by the time that I reached Sanur, I was hot, sore and choking on exhaust fumes. I stopped off at a restaurant that I used to frequent years ago to have a cold beer and stretch my muscles some. After a few beers, I asked about the price of a room and was pleasantly surprised at the price which was right in my range of 100,000 – 150,000 per night. The room was basic but had a comfortable bed, a fan that worked and a clean bathroom. Added to that, the hotel had a restaurant with good food and a location that's only a few minutes walk to the beach. I thought that it might be a good idea to grab a room in Sanur, rather than cramping my friend and his family in their small house. As things turned out the room was fine, the food that my friend and I had for dinner was excellent, and I had a pleasant afternoon walk down along the beach. We had a few drinks as well, of course.

So, I've found another nice place to stay down south, plus it's not in the Kuta area which is almost always a good thing. Occasionally, I like staying in the Kuta area if I really need to do some shopping there, but Sanur is much less hectic and pleasant overall. During my stroll down along the beach, no one pestered me for transport, a room, a girl, a boy, some drugs. No one even tried to get me to have something to eat or drink in one of the many restaurants along the beach. I'd forgotten that there are some places down south that are quiet and relaxed. Next time I'm looking for a place to base myself while I do business in the south, I'll pick Sanur over Kuta.