Yes, Bali again. For this five day trip we decided to try an “All-inclusive” package. That means all food and drinks are included. In other words – stay put in the hotel and get fat.

We did just that.

We stayed at the Merusaka Nusa Dua on a Luxury Escapes package.

We touched down at Ngurah Rai International Airport Denpasar, at around 8.30pm. We were met by a representative from Bali Fast Track to escort us though immigration quickly. The last time we used them the airport was empty and we didn’t really need this service – same again this time. I’m not sure we’ll spend the $130 next time. Airport transfer was included in our package and we were met by their transport services.

The Merusaka is a big lovely hotel with three restaurants, a few bars and two large pools. Some rooms had their own private “lagoon” (although one lagoon was shared with 3 to 4 other rooms). Our room was called “Deluxe”. It was quite spacious with a very large bed, a sitting area and a balcony. The bathroom had a free standing bathtub and rain shower head . The bathtub looked luxurious, but we didn’t end up using it. We tended not to stay long inside the hotel room. The room was in Building 3 on the second floor. There was quite a walk to the restaurants and pool areas.

We arrived, checked-in and got to our room around 10pm. The main restaurant, Gading, was open until 11, so we immediately went to test out our “all inclusivity” . We didn’t know what to expect – but wow! we were not disappointed. The menu has three pages of food with quite a wide variety. The drinks menu had 15 cocktails, mocktails, red/white/rose wine, as well as a large choice of juices, soft drinks and iced teas. The only disappointment was there was only one type of beer that was “free” – Singaraja Pisner. While this was quite a nice tasting beer, it was disappointing to see a 20,000 IDR ($2 AUD) surcharge on Bali’s staple Bintang. The spirits and wines were “local” brands. Jane had the red and rose wine and said it was quite good. The cocktails were generally good. The Gin based drinks were definitely better than the vodka based one. I had several dry martinis which were surprisingly good. We filled our bellies and retired, eager to explore the hotel the next day.

We woke up late and went to breakfast in the Gading restaurant. The breakfast was massive and packed full of hungry guests. There was a vast variety of breakfast food, including a “pork station” which had real bacon. The coffee was good too, with espresso options. After breakfast we toured the hotel and settled at the pool. The main pool had three infinity tiers. Judging by the number of people at breakfast I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a nice spot to “lounge”. We needn’t have worried though. It seemed like all of the breakfast crowd disappeared. The pool was quite empty and the restaurant and bars were devoid of people also. This trend continued for the remainder of the stay. Very busy breakfast – very quiet lunch and dinner.

Most of the five days were spent lounging around the pool drinking and eating.

Friday after breakfast we went for a walk. We got as far as the Sofitel Hotel. Jane wanted to case the place as a potential for our next trip. We asked to see the rooms and the young Swedish intern showed us the King Deluxe and the Honeymoon Suite. Both rooms were spectacular. He offered us some welcome drinks as we rested in the lobby. Definitely a place to consider. We took the main road back to the hotel via Bali Collection shopping centre. We rested there also with a beer at one of the restaurants. Back to the hotel via the Grand Hyatt (which also has potential for our next trip).

Saturday was football day and we decided to venture out of the hotel and watch the game in a Pub somewhere. Our old mate Pedro happened to also be in Bali and he suggested we meet for lunch at James Cook Sports Bar in Kerobokan (near Seminyak). Made’s brother Ketut picked us up for the one hour drive to Kerobokan. When we arrived, Pedro’s wife, Kerry called us to say Pedro had woken crook and wouldn’t be able to join us. That was a shame. More of a shame was Fremantle’s performance on field, suffering a big loss to the Brisbane Lions. We left early and made our way back to the hotel to console ourselves with cocktails.

Sunday after breakfast we went for a walk in the opposite direction (south) this time. We ended up at St Regis hotel. Wow, this place is truly magical. We made our way around the lagoon with villas sprinkled along the jungle trail. The Villas looked huge, each fronting onto the lagoon. Later we checked on the prices – $700 per night for their basic room, going up to $4,300 for a two bedroom lagoon access – then to $13,000 for a four bedroom beach access with private pool. We’ll definitely have to wait for the lotto numbers to come up for that one. We caught a taxi back to Bali Collection and again walked back to our peasant hotel.

We had a late flight Monday. They kindly let us check out at 1pm and use the pool until our transport to the airport at 4,30. Jane used that time to have a massage and manicure at Zahra Spa. Whilst she had two massages at Meruska included in our package, she loved Zahra’s service and prices.

The vacation was short but immensely enjoyable. We really couldn’t fault the hotel and its staff. If I was being really picky, the air conditioning in the room couldn’t be turned any colder. We were able to sleep comfortably, however, and I didn’t report it. If you want to just stay in a resort, with leisurely walks up and down the beach, Nusa Dua is the place to go. There are dozens of hotels for all budgets. We are considering coming later in the year.

The Package

The $1,599 (AUD) package included:

• All-inclusive dining: daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and poolside snacks
• Free-flow local beer, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks at any onsite restaurant and bar
• One 60-minute Balinese massage per adult
• Complimentary minibar refilled daily
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• Daily access to Tamaya Kids Land (for children 5-12)
• Daily hotel activities, including yoga, volleyball and beach soccer
• Inclusions valid for up to two guests

This equates to $320/night

Estimating the room tariff of $180 it leaves $140 for food and beverages.

We were always presented with a bill for the food and drinks we ordered with the real cost with a 100% discount.

There were no prices on our menus.

I have asked the hotel for an itemised list of the food and beverages we ordered but have yet to receive a reply.

Value for Money

Was it value for money? Immediately I would say yes – because we had such a good time. But it’s hard to tell without the itemised account.

Roughly prices (Australian Dollars) are:

Wine: 115,000 IDR = $12.50
Cocktails: 120,000 IDR = $13.00
Beer: 45,000 IDR = $4.90

Appetisers: 125,000 IDR = $13.60
Mains: 160,000 IDR = $17.40
Desserts: 90,000 IDR = $9.80
Ice cream/Sorbet: 50,000 IDR = $5.40

_{Using the current exchange rate: $1 AUD = 9,200 IDR}

Breakfast was included in the package. That’s a fairly standard inclusion for most big hotels.

We estimated we averaged around $260 a day for food and beverages With the room tariff at $180/night the value is estimated to be $2,200 over the 5 days We paid $1,599 for the package so it lands squarely in the good value for money area.

Jane and I aren’t typically big eaters. I have had a gastric sleeve operation and cannot eat large meals. Jane is a relatively small person (in stature I mean, of course!). In our package we were able to order an appetiser, main meal and dessert each. The portion sizes were quite large and I struggled to finish even just a main meal. Ordinarily, this would be a good thing because we would order a smaller meal, or Jane and I would share one meal. Because we were able to order more, we did. We felt that because we paid a premium, we needed to sample all, or most of the dishes on the menus. This resulted in us half finishing most dishes and being embarrassed when the waitstaff took the half-eaten food back. We understand that wasting food like this in a country with real poverty is not responsible. For this reason we probably will not choose the all-inclusive package again, preferring to take a more respectful approach. We did tip the waitstaff to ease our conscience a little bit.