Sweet Bali high

MANILA, Philippines - Where do you go to indulge in sinful earthly pleasures without guilt and nourish your starving soul at the same time? There’s one place that invariably comes to mind — Bali, but of course!

And now, going to Bali just got a lot more convenient — and way cheaper, too — with the recent launch of the Philippines’ largest carrier Cebu Pacific Air’s direct Manila-Bali flights every Tuesday and Saturday at the lowest year-round fare of P3,499.

So, we dash off to NAIA Terminal 3, sleepy-eyed and all, to catch a nearly four-hour maiden flight to Bali on a Tuesday at 4 a.m.

With flying colors, Cebu Pacific now caters to a broader Filipino market with this new route. “With Cebu Pacific’s direct flights to Denpasar, Bali is a convenient and affordable option for leisure travelers, honeymooners, groups of friends or families,” notes Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific VP for marketing and distribution.

Candice adds, “Moreover, tourists from Bali who wish to make the most of their holidays can now add fun Philippines to their travel itineraries. With so many diving, eco-adventure, and beach destinations here, these foreign tourists can maximize their travel budgets and holiday time by visiting the Philippines as well. They will surely find Cebu Pacific’s trademark lowest fares and unbeatable Philippine route network a great value proposition.”

Surely, as with each new route that Cebu Pacific opens, the new direct flight will open more avenues for business collaboration and trade and investment opportunities for the country.

Visibly in high spirits, Indonesian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Kristiarto Legowo remarks, “One of the best things that ever happened to Indonesia is Bali. As you all know, Bali is a consistent top tourist destination not only in Asia but in the entire world as well. This has been proven over the years because of the numerous awards and recognition Bali has received from the international travel organizations. Foreign tourist arrivals in Bali exceeded its target of 2.8 million in 2012. And for this year, Bali is set at a goal of 3.9 million.”

Bali’s high hopes and dreams

Opening the Manila-Denpasar-Manila route will help Bali achieve its goal, its high hopes and dreams, says Legowo.  â€œLikewise, it will give more tourists from Indonesia — including other nationalities who are staying in Bali — the opportunity to see the grandeur of the Philippines.”

With an ear-to-ear grin, the Indonesian ambassador gives kudos to Cebu Pacific for paving the way for every Juan to fly to Bali. By giving low fares and great value to all Filipinos, Bali is just a smile away.

Breezing through a four-hour flight, perked up by Cebu Pac’s popular “Bring Me” contest that this time does not include showing off a photo of one’s mother-in-law, we land at the Ngurah Rai International Airport (a.k.a. Denpasar International Airport) in southern Bali bright and early Tuesday morning. We’re welcomed with garlands of flowers as soon as we step into the airport. “We just got lei-d,” says a member of our happy party with an impish smile.

To sukawati market we will go

So, what do you do after a most refreshing breakfast at Starbucks? Well, you can plunge headlong into shopping at the Sukawati market in Ubud where your haggling skills are put to the test. But first, have your money changed as you have to pay cash in this market.  US$1 converts to nearly 10,000 rupiah — thus, it’s easy to be an instant “millionaire” in Indonesia. And it’s also easy to lose your “millions” or a bagful of cash after a trip to this market.

“There are a lot of nice bargains in Bali,” says Viveca Singson of JG Summit Holdings. “And I saw some outlet stores.”

No shopaholic, Viveca got for herself some nice and colorful wallets at below P100 each, unique tops at P400 each, Bali coffee for P200 per big box, and really pretty Balinese paintings at P400 per three pieces measuring two-and-a-half feet long and between six and 10 inches wide.

At Sukawati, I got myself a pair of small Ramayana paintings for P320 each, a batik-designed bread basket with cover for a mere P80, two pairs of shell earrings for P80, and a fabulous pair of cloth slippers for less than P200. At the Krisna souvenir shop in Ubud, I got a set of five ref magnets for less than P40, a set of three lipstick holders for a little over P40, a cloth bag for less than P200, a pair of lovely brocade shoes for less than P300, a set of miniature massage oil bottles for less than P50, and a small pack of Balinese coffee for less than P100. At the Discovery Mall in Kuta, I got a cat wood-carved figurine for less than P100, a really pretty summer dress for less than P300, and three original handmade batik paintings: a 45x70cm with a design of two fab cats at less than P400, a 30x30cm with a woman weaver design at less than P200, and a 45x50cm, also with a woman weaver, at less than P400.

“Bali is like a small market of Indonesia; all the souvenirs from all over Indonesia you can find in Bali,” says our ever-so-efficient tour guide Rudy. “The Balinese people are famous for their arts and crafts. There are things you can only find in Bali.”

Of course, we just couldn’t leave Bali without getting our hands on (and our teeth into) the finest Javanese chocolate: Cokelat Monggo. Those who have tasted it just can’t get enough of it so they ask for this when they hear about friends going to Bali. So, we launch a Bali-wide search for Monggo and end up in a supermarket. Proudly Indonesian, Monggo is made from a fine selection of Javanese, Celebes, and Sumatran cocoa beans, and crafted by great master chocolatiers.

Eat’s incredible

Now, all that shopping should make you really hungry.  There are a ginormous number of dining places  in Bali, depending on your taste buds and budget. Allow us to recommend some for you:

• If you want al fresco dining with a refreshing view of a pond, try The Pond Restaurant in Ubud and treat yourself to a robust set menu of grilled Balinese pork ribs with herbs and spices, served with Balinese chili dip, French beans, and steamed rice with crab cake and avocado salad and duck spring rolls on the side. A fruit platter makes a fruitful ending to a hefty meal.

• The Bebek Bengil Restaurant in Ubud has a lot to quack about. Its crispy duck set menu with tom yam goong soup served with brown bread and tropical fruit juice will leave you quacking for more!

• The Labagha Restaurant (on the way to the Ulun Danu Temple) serves up a buffet menu consisting of a salad bar, asparagus soup, plain/fried rice, beef stew with potato, fried chicken with soya sauce, fried noodles, Balinese fish satay, sauté vegetables, spring rolls, prawn crackers (something we just couldn’t get enough of we had to bring home some), fresh pickles, fresh fruits, traditional Indonesian cake, fried bananas, hot tea and coffee.

• If you want to eat by the beach and watch the sun slowly sink on the horizon as your appetite quickly rises at the sight of assorted seafoods, try the Furama Restaurant in Jimbaran. You can order the set menu that’s got a welcome drink (I don’t remember the name of the drink, but I remember reading a drink called Sex on the Beach on the beverage list), Balinese peanuts, fish soup, grilled fish, grilled prawns, grilled clams, squid calamari, grilled crabs, kangkung (water spinach), steamed rice, and tropical fruits.

• Discover Oceans 27 Restaurant & Bar at the beach front behind Discovery Mall in Kuta. You can choose between a set menu of grilled salmon and sirloin steak (I assure you both are succulent choices) with pumpkin soup, prawn cocktail, and Fruit Pavlova, a light and graceful meringue-based dessert named after Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. This beach club and grill is open from 11 a.m. till late with sunset DJs at 4-7 p.m. and DJs at 10 p.m. till late.

• If you want some fiery action (other than the Kecak and fire dance), go to Papa’s Café in Kuta. To rev up your lethargic taste buds, order the Virgin Papa Colada. The action heats up as someone lights up your pizza order, like the Volcano Fujiyama (pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, shrimp, and calamari) or Volcano Kintamani (tomato sauce, mozzarella, beef ham, and beef pepperoni).

The suite life

And where should you stay in Bali? I highly recommend two places:

• The multi-awarded Nandini Bali Jungle Resort & Spa in Ubud (www.nandinibali.com) that’s an idyllic place for honeymooners (but there are honeymoons that can turn sour, but more on that from GRO Iwan Suryadi later) carved out of mountain slopes amid verdant green forests and sparkling rivers.

Tucked amid the lush greenery are 18 traditionally built alang-alang roofed villas. Surely, if you want a room with a view, it can’t get better than this. And here, you don’t need an alarm clock to wake you up as the chirping of the crickets will do the job.

A superior (queen) villa twin costs US$180 (21% tax & service charge) while a de luxe (queen) villa twin is at US$210, inclusive of complimentary jungle breakfast for two at Wild Ginger Restaurant. Plus  a welcome drink and chilled towel on arrival, a 10-minute foot massage in the spa, in-room tea and coffee-making facilities, daily replenished mineral water, complimentary shuttle to Ubud area, your own butler, yoga meditation course, and daily afternoon tea.

There are special promos for honeymooners who get a romantic room setup and a honeymoon fruit basket.

Nandini boasts celebrity guests like actress Helen Miren, singer Pink, our own Christian Bautista, and a Colombian actress who had her wedding here with 1,000 candles lining the path to the site of the wedding.

Iwan also remembers hosting a couple who came in together as honeymooners and left in separate cars at the end of their stay. “The girl saw another woman’s picture in her husband’s iPad, which she threw at him,” Iwan relates. “They were fighting and creating a lot of noise which disturbed the other villa guests.”

But that’s an isolated case. Today, Nandini allows couples to bring their children, who were probably “made in Nandini.” “They come back a year after their honeymoon with their babies,” Iwan says with a chuckle.

• If Le Meridien sounds French, it’s because it is. But it takes on a Balinese accent with Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran (www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index).

“We have six hotels in Bali with two more in the pipeline,” says Adhiyanto Goen, Starwood Hotels and Resorts director, marketing & communications, Bali Resorts Collection.

Surrounded by refreshing elements of water, Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran has 75 guestrooms, 35 suites, four penthouses, and four villas equipped with a lagoon sundeck.

Stay at Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran and gush nonstop over your elegant suite with your own pool, the Balinese artworks and Markus Reugels’ liquid art, as well as the food offerings at the all-day Bamboo Chic, Latitude 8 lobby lounge overlooking the lagoon with its choreographed cocktails, light snacks, and evening tapas, and Wala for indulging in handcrafted gelato or a perfect cup of Illy coffee.

Of course, never leave Bali without trying one of the treatments at Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa. I and press friends Charles Legaspi and Jimmy Calapati opt for an aromatherapy foot spa — just what you’d need after all the walking you’d be doing. I get my royal foot scrub from the very young but very skilled masseuse Devi.

Truly, in Bali there’s something to nourish the body and nurture the spirit.

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For the latest seat sales and bookings, go to www.cebupacificair.com; call the reservation hot lines (02)7020-888 and (032)230-8888. Follow Cebu Pacific Air on its official Facebook and Twitter pages.