Day 03 - Friday 30th September 2022

This is a very comfortable hotel but it can be noisy. You can often hear noises in the hallway and knocking noises in adjacent rooms.

This morning there was a very loud noise just before 6am. I'm not sure what it was but it could have been a low-flying plane or a truck. Perhaps it was just a thunderstorm.

I eventually got out of bed at about 7:30 because noises made it hard to get back to sleep. Somehow I managed to stub the little toe on my right foot. I can't remember how or when I did it but I do know that it still hurts.

Once again, I had problems with the hotel Wi-Fi and so I solved the problem again by using my mini Wi-Fi device.

Opening the curtains, it looked like a bright sunny day. However my weather app was forecasting up to 40mm of rain. Currently it was 27C with a forecast maximum of 32C. Humidity was 89%.

We went down to the Rock Royalty courtyard area for breakfast soon after 8:30am - except for John who had gone to the hotel gym and joined us a little later.

This was a very different breakfast experience from the one yesterday at the main hotel restaurant. For a start, it wasn't crowded. We had no trouble getting a table next to the pool while a few families enjoyed swimming and relaxing.

Also it was table service rather than a help-yourself buffet. I ordered the Rockstar Big Breakfast which turned out to be ideal. I had thought it might have been over the top like many cafes provide but it was fine. Nicky ate the mushrooms for me.

Yet another big difference was the quality of the coffee - much better than upstairs.

Harry has been booked in for the kids club at 9:30am. By this time he had eaten his pancakes for breakfast and, naturally, was playing with Graham's iPhone.

After a long breakfast, it was time to relax back in my room reading my iPad etc.

Just after midday, I ventured out to explore the hotel further and to take more photos. As I walked past the hotel restaurant, I noticed the kids club were having lunch. Harry was there too - sitting a table for four people - all  the other three were girls - typical Harry style.

It seems that every time I go for a walk, I manage to bump into Graham. He was considering buying a local SIM card for his iPad and so I gave some tips on how to go about it - including taking his passport and getting them to check that it works.

On the balcony on level 3, I had a good view of the pool area below. So I got more photos from this perspective. Then I ventured down to the street level to take photos there including Jamie Oliver's where we went for dinner last night.

There was a steady stream of cars including taxis asking if I wanted a ride. Along the footpaths, there were rows of motor bikes. On the corner, there was a KFC. I also had a brief look inside the Rock Shop where I could have bought caps, t-shirts and other memorabilia.

Graham and I decided to go for a late lunch at about 1:45pm. Initially we went down to the Rock Royalty Suite but, after waiting a while for service, I asked at the counter and was told they don't do lunch but can order room service for us next to the pool.

We decided to go back of to the main hotel restaurant instead. The restaurant wasn't crowded. Both of us ordered a barramundi dish plus a Bintang beer. It proved to be a good choice - a delicious meal.

While we were sitting there chatting and waiting for our meal. we got messages from Nicky saying that they were down at the pool. Harry was enjoying the slides again even though it had started to rain.

She also said that she and John had set up a WhatsApp group for the four of us to communicate while on our Bali holiday.

The plan was to go to Rock Royalty Suite (inside) for cocktails at 5:30pm. In Graham's room, there was a staff member trying to fix internet problems for John and Graham without success.

This afternoon, there had been light rain but none of the predicted thunderstorms. The suite was still the obvious choice instead of outside next to the pool - air conditioned and no risk of getting wet.

The others had cocktails whereas I had the same shiraz as last night. I was feeling fragile but I felt better after a couple of glasses of wine.

We caught a taxi to the Beachwalk shopping centre. This is an upmarket, modern, clean shopping centre - similar to those you might find in big cities anywhere in the world. It contained many famous name shops. 

When the taxi reached the entrance to drop us off, there were security people to check inside the car and under the car (using mirrors on a stick).

We walked around the centre to find an Italian restaurant called Sardinia where Nicky and John have been before.  It provides pizzas, Indonesian and western food. The others had more cocktails and I had a Bali cab sav. 

We ordered a marguerita starter pizza. For main course I had an Indonesia beef meal. Harry fish and chips. Good food and great service. Plenty to eat and drink.

The restaurant had live music: two people - a vocalist and guitarist. They both had good voices. and we was a very talented guitarist. They accepted requests from the diners.

It was a brilliant experience. A fabulous restaurant. No wonder Nicky and John wanted to come back here.

After leaving the restaurant, we went next door to get an ice cream for Harry and some coffee at a shop called % Arabica. By this time, Harry was very tired.

John organised a Grab taxi  to take us back to the hotel. Although the hotel was apparently only about 500m away, the taxi took us on a long loop down one-way streets and narrow laneways. I lost count of the number of tattoo shops we passed. 

The streets were busy with cars, bikes and pedestrians. There were plenty of people out celebrating and enjoying the street life. The whole area was pumping with excitement. It was an amazing experience. A very memorable night.

The taxi eventually drop us off at hotel entrance at about 9pm.  What a night!

Back in my room, the hotel staff had done the turn down service. They do a great job.