The View From the Beach

Just back from a long weekend in northwest Bali. Returned to Menjangan for snorkeling and a bit of relaxation — two years since the last trip.

Menjangan snorkeling remains a most excellent adventure. The little island is inside the Bali Barat National park and is a protected area. As a result, the corals and the number of fish and other fauna is truly impressive. It’s some of the best snorkeling I’ve done in Asia.

For this trip we stayed at the Waka Shorea resort. Courtesy of a special concession from the Forestry Service the resort is actually inside the Bali Barat park boundaries. No roads connect it, so you take the boat. The resort is built to be very low profile and is almost completely invisible from the water. They profit share with the Forest Service, so part of your room rate goes back to preservation. The photo above was taken from the jetty at Waka Shorea - looking back at the main part of the island of Bali.

Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Groundbreaking for the LIV Bali property development on beautiful Jimbaran Bay was held this last Sunday.

With a mixed crowd of local dignitaries, foreign nationals, buyers and prospects on hand, the ceremonies began bright and early and proceeded through midday. Live entertainment followed the formal ceremonies where the local template blessed the site and the endeavor. Local media was also out in force for the event, with coverage from both print publications and local Television.

The LIV project is a milestone for the re-development of Jimbaran Bay. The project launch follows fresh on the heels of the completion of the first stage of the renovation of Jimbaran Bay and the re-opening of the first of the seafood restaurants on the bay - located just across the street from LIV. Next round of development will see the creation of a local communtiy and arts center and the renovation of the fish markets further down the Bay.

LIV features 29 units and a variety of facilities, including Jimbaran Bay’s first beach club. Project pre-sales exceeded 60% in advance of the launch. The project will be managed by BHM and the Head Sales Agency is held by Elite Havens. You can learn more about the project online at www.LIVBali.com.

The Q1 2007 arrival numbers are in and they validate what those of us in the industry suspected: 2007 is set to be a record year. Year-on-year, the 2007 numbers for Q1 were up more than 47% over 2006. Each of the individual months - Jan, Feb, and March, exceeded their 2006 counterparts.

Perhaps more telling though is the historical context: The 2007 Q1 numbers exceed even those of the pre-bomb 2001 season.

It’s a strong showing and one that will be reflected across the board in tourism-related revenues on the island. Good news for people who have worked hard to win back the credibility of this wonderful island.

Moving further into the realm of the subjective, we present here my list of the ten best restaurants in Bali (in no particular order!):

1. La Sal - Great Spanish tapas in a garden setting.
2. Gado Gado - Beachfront in Seminyak with a continental and fusion menu. Good intimate dining in the evenings.
3. Warisan - Fine dining with a french flair, a great wine list, and a rice field view in Seminyak.
4. KuDeTa - Posh eatery with the best sunset vibe on the island, in Oberoi.
5. Mosaic - Fine dining at its finest in Ubud.
6. La Lucchiola - A mixed menu, heavily Italian, at a great beachfront location in Oberoi.
7. Ko - Fab over-the-top Japanese fine dining at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran.
8. Take - Authentic Japanese at a great price in (a hard to find spot) in Kuta.
9. Breeze - Nuvo Fusion beachside at the Semaya in Oberoi. Good wine list and nice selection of single malts, too.
10. CasCades - Continental dining with a fab view at the Viceroy in Ubud.

Dear Sirs,

I have been a fervored consumer of your publication for years and have always held it in the greatest esteem but I felt I needed to address several factual and perspective errors in a recent article that appeared in your publication.

Firstly you reference “tourist numbers have plummeted since the bombings’ – the reality is that the Bali tourism market, with very little assistance form the central government or outside sources, has recovered from the terrible atrocities inflicted by outsiders on this fantastic island. The number of arrivals is setting records – please see http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=3717

Secondly, your portrayal of the Nyepi holiday in Bali makes it sounds like some sort of negative for the island. You refer to its traditions of quiet as a ‘ban’ and imply it would discourage visitors to the Island. The concept behind Nyepi is a day of passive contemplation. In my personal opinion it is one of the island’s most cherished traditions. Everyone stays at home with family or friends while tourists spend the day within the compound of their hotels. In terms of its appeal it’s a bit like a snow-day in Canada or having a typhoon party in Hong Kong.

It’s more special in Bali, as you know out of choice and respect and entire island of 3 million people choose to cease their normal daily activities an atmosphere of complete calm permeates the island (not some ‘ban’ governed by ‘guards’ as categorized in your article).

The celebration of Nyepi also acts as a barometer for the strength of the unique culture of Bali. In the days of Suharto, they forced the Balinese to keep the airport open and facilitated tours of empty streets, a veritable insult if you understand the religious underpinnings of the event. Now with some of the devolution of power from the central government to the provinces, the Balinese are ensuring their traditions are properly respected by outsiders and it’s a privilege to be on the island when it occurs.

In these days of global mono-culture and onslaught of ‘western values’ (which in and of itself is almost an oxymoron) it should not be criticized but celebrated (with a day of silence).

Another article on the same topic might be of use as a reference:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/24/opinion/edhogue.php

Yours sincerely,

Ian Macaulay

Bali, Indonesia
www.elitehavens.com