(The Holiday Inn was re-named in 2002. It is now known as the Balihai Resort and Spa.)

The Holiday Inn at Tuban, the district which fills the space between Kuta and Ngurah Rai Airport, is our usual haunt.
Tuban, and the Inn, are quiet at night when you need to sleep, although there are a wide variety of shopping markets and a good choice of restaurants and cafes in the local area. It is a good 4* hotel without any pretensions to be anything more, unlike a lot of it's competitors.
It's a nice 1/4 hour walk into Kuta in the cool of the evening, or a taxi ride for less than $2 in the heat of the day.  Kuta, of course, is the frantic mecca for shopping although much of it's nite life moved to Seminyak after the terrorist bombing.
The Inn itself is right on the beach front and it is very compact.  Rooms 102 - 4 are our favourites, ground floor and facing the pool across a stretch of lawn and one of the gardens of native plants, which are generally named on small plaques.
Rooms in the southern blocks overlook a large expanse of lawn and a Lily and lotus pond. They are known as the Laguna rooms and are also nice but you can't see the pool which we prefer.

Rooms at the back of the hotel overlooking a small service lane and side street are to be avoided if at all possible. They are inconveniently located, noisier at times, have no nice view and are not as clean, bright and fresh as those facing the pool.
The Inn has a nice pool and a great pool bar, as well as the Ratna Satay Bar and O’Brien’s Bar which often has live entertainment.
The 'theme night' dinners are good value and entertaining, particularly the Bali Night with dance groups performing on the hotel's outdoor stage.

View from the pool bar at Happy Hour, looking towards the beach which is just behind the coconut palm trees and in the other direction from the pool, looking towards the Reception building with the roof of the Ratna Satay Bar off to the right on the top.

The view from the Royal Suite showing the main pool and the children's pool, the pool bar, the lobby area with the breakfast/dining rooms on the ground floor level (upper right) and the beach (upper left).
The Satay Bar is on top of the tower-like building whose roof breaks the skyline in the background.
The outdoor dining area is bottom right and the outdoor stage and Pizza Hut are just behind the top of the main pool.

Nyoman Sujana is the friendly woodcarver who works in the grounds of the Holiday Inn.
He has now developed a passion for Chuppa Chups.
His brother often works with him painting beautiful and delicate Balinese scenes and symbols on egg shells. He uses bright and vibrant colours and packs the eggs so that they survive the trip home.

The morning beach at Tuban, just north of the Inn and the fantastic Pantai Restaurant.
The tide is in and the waves hiss as they run back down the sloping white sand beach.
A jukung rides at anchor (which is probably a lump of coral) after a night's fishing, but if you show any interest in it a fisherman will magically appear and offer to take you fishing, or for a ride around the reef or to the surfing drop off spot where the wave is breaking on the right; a dangerous spot which claims much skin from the unwary and the inept.

Fishing or dive jukungs (also called prahus in Indonesian) pulled up above the high water mark on the beach at Tuban.
This is very near the Ramada Bintang Hotel beach front where we follow our morning religion of massage indulgence with Wayan, Mystri and Adi.

The wonderful Pantai Restaurant, right on the beach at Tuban.
This is the front 'bale' or raised and covered platform which is our favourite for sundown drinks to be followed by a dinner in the starlight with floodlights shining into the water.
I can personally recommend the Onion Soup.

Ready to feast.
The happy travellers with Fransiskus Ruben, the manager of the Pantai Restaurant.

One happy diner at the Pantai.

L to R.
Mistri, Adi and Wayan.  "The Girls" on the beach at Tuban.
Mistri has strong hands and Wayan is soft and gentle - until she finds the sore and tight spots!
Adi is a clothing seller who is full of mischief and laughter and a taste for chocolate éclairs.

Pamela Paul and Herself with a recovering 'critter' at the Street Animal Rescue home.
This is a small indication of the real dog waiting inside all of the street curs in Bali. All they need is a little help to come out.
When they are ready, and after de-sexing, they are found good homes or returned to the area where they were caught.

 While dogs are considered the incarnations of bad spirits cats are from good spirits and therefore much more welcome around homes and businesses.
These good spirits are at the Puri Ayung Restaurant, perched on the edge of the steep ravine cut by the Ayung River near Ubud.

A purple water lily at the Puri Ayung Restaurant.
I'm told that these are the Indian variety.

 A pink water lily, also at the Puri Ayung Restaurant.

 Where to now?

A link back to the Bali Story link to Day 5 where we leave Nusa Dua?.

- or to Day 6 when we -
       are re-united with the massage girls on Tuban Beach,
       have breakfast at the Pantai,
       find Yoyan at ENT Tailors,
       go to Dolphin's Leather,
       have my sandals repaired at the Matahari,
       have another hypnotic massage experience,
       go to the Mongolian Theme Dinner at the Inn
       and Margaret arrives?

- or back to our Home Page to take a different detour?