Local Updates of Bali

Bali is an island of contradictions. A place where wild goats can feed on the side of the road, five minutes away from a brand new Mercedes Benz showroom. Where opulent hotels co-exist moments from an orphanage sleeping 13 beautiful, unfortunate children to a room.

And where in the same week as trying to promote the jewel in Indonesia’s tourism industry as the safest possible destination for your family, they can shoot three men for blowing up 202 people, 88 of those from Australia. Those last two numbers still resonate, and always will, when one considers the island lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east.

But if fears still permeate about visiting or returning to Bali, then the expansion plans of airlines, and the booking levels at the higher-end hotels on the island, tell a different story. Even with the stories of the impending execution bubbling last October, Jetstar began three flights a week to the island last year which have now increased to four. And on arrival, the Accor group for one – who own the Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Grand Mercure and Mercure brands – will eagerly tell you the new post-bombing Bali is all about a place to take your family, not just your footy trip.

While Kuta remains the hub of most of the younger traveler, that is not where the larger hotel groups believe the growth market - or the money – is. Instead, Legian, Seminyak, Benoa and Nusa Dua are the upmarket, slowdown areas they think will appeal as smarter and safer than the nocturnal delights of the former fishing town down the road.

The gated community of Nusa Dua is perhaps a too perfect example of what those in Bali want their island to be remembered for. The resort provides pristine gardens, beautiful resorts and ever present security to make even the most wary traveler sleep easier - but somehow making you feel excluded from the island proper.

Of course that is what a proportion of the high-end visitor who target hotels such as the Novotel desire - and the attention to detail across the 188 rooms and apartments is another of those contrasts to the chaotic nature of Bali’s tourist hub. The two bedroom apartment for instance also has two bathrooms including a spectacular en-suite, media entertainment, a dining suite and its own terrace a stone’s throw from the resort’s massive central swimming pool.

It is no doubt a beautiful place to make your base in Bali, with the buffet breakfast providing for any possible taste, bars and restaurants open whenever you might need them full of overtly friendly staff. But it is the add-ons, such as the hotel’s babysitting service, that can turn a pleasant stay into something really memorable.

Given the often hysterical commentary surrounding Bali since 2002, it would be the ultimate exercise in trust to leave children in the keep of a stranger in a strange land. But the Balinese delight in and delightful manner with young children somehow puts you at ease - another stark contrast to the reaction likely if a similar interest was taken in your children by a stranger in Australia.

That genuine affinity with the younger traveler is a key factor in trying to convince Australia that Bali is safe for their loved ones again.

With accommodation and breakfast free for two children under the age of 16 staying in the parents’ room, the Nusa Dua resort has Children’s Clubs for three differing age ranges from 3 to over 12s. Video games, indoor and outdoor playgrounds and extraordinarily helpful staff reinforce the family feel, added to by manager Thierry Gasnier and his wife.

And that feeling flows through to the locale, with the Accor hotels on the island heavily involved in the YPAC orphanage and rehabilitation center just a few hundred meters away from the Nusa Dua site, but light years distant from the comfort and luxury enjoyed by foreign visitors.

Despite the work done on the building through the hotels and donations from visitors, the resident children still sleep on beds crammed together into dimly lit rooms. Many of them rely on the generosity of others for any slight privilege - be it a soft toy or a decent meal. And in yet another counterpoint, after all the impressive hospitality shown by our Accor and Jetstar hosts, it is the hour spent playing and talking to the children at the YPAC that is the greatest privilege felt in the week.

Donations of clean, good quality clothes, toys, school materials, art materials and non-perishable foodstuffs can be left at Novotel Tanjung Benoa Resort, the Novotel Nusa Dua Hotel and Residences, Mercure Resort Sanur, Mercure Hotel Kuta and the All Seasons Legian Resort.

Written by Tim Clarke
Published on Brisbane Times - brisbanetimes.com.au