The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
▲ Useful Tourist Information | ▲ Things to Do Bali Itinerary Overview (2015). p.s. Read about our post of how to get a Taxi at Denpasar airport without being cheated – learn from our mistake! Massage It’s our first time at Seminyak, and we only have the …
Bali is famed for its beautiful sunset. However if you are there during the monsoon season, don’t get your hopes too high on watching a magnificent sunset. We tried our luck on two evenings, and twice, the clouds did a great job in blocking the glorious sun. …
▲ Accommodation Review
Bali Itinerary Overview (2015). p.s. Read about our post of how to get a Taxi at Denpasar airport without being cheated – learn from our mistake!
Price? S$181.72 / US$135 / IDR1.7 mil per room for 3D2N (via Expedia)
Accommodation Type? Deluxe Room (Complimentary upgrade to Deluxe Room), including breakfast.
When? 2 nights in January 2015
Website: www.sensehotelbali.com
✔ Staff’s Hospitality: We were warmly welcomed by the staff, and got a free welcome drink as well. They were very helpful in giving us suggestions on dining locations as well as where to catch the best sunset. We arrived early, but our room was not ready for early check in. So they suggested we go for lunch first while waiting for them to clean up the room. But we wanted to change out from our airport fashion into more comfortable clothing (the heat!). So one staff suggested the spa room (which was unoccupied at that time). He prepped the room with lights and air-conditioner for us to change. The spa room even has a toilet for us to freshen up. Very good first impression!
✔ Location: In the centre of action, near to Seminyak Square, Potato Head, Beach, etc. Sense hotel is the red dot in the map below.
✔ Van Shuttle Service: Their shuttle service runs a specific route within about 2 kilometres radius of the hotel. If I am not wrong, it’s the route from Sarong to Seminyak Square. You get a ride from the hotel, but you have to find your own way back. You can simply request for a shuttle service at the reception and wait a few minutes for the staff to get the car to chauffeur you. No shuttle bus timetable to speak of. Almost private – we only shared the shuttle ride once with another lady.
✘ Swimming Pool: A really small lap pool, more like a water feature than a swimming pool? Only good for soaking or a short swim. Not recommended if you are looking for a workout. However, they have nice tanning beds beside the pool if you want to get some sun. But be prepared to get stares, because the pool, front desk, dining area and rooms balconies are all closely connected and at a close proximity. See how the pool looks like below. Sorry I didn’t capture the hunk in the pool clearly enough! :P
Good to know: The hotel has full spa services and tours provided. Enquire at the front desk. Also, the hotel does provide airport transfer but at a price of US$20/car/way. It’s probably more affordable to grab a taxi from the airport. Do read this for more information on getting a taxi from the Airport, and not be cheated!
✔ Free Room Upgrade: The reception told us that since it’s the low season for them, they have upgraded us from Superior to Deluxe Room. Who doesn’t love a free upgrade? :P
✔ Complimentary Set Up: We stated in our booking that we were on our honeymoon trip and the hotel kindly prepared a honeymoon set up of a flower and swan arrangement on the bed when we arrived. Good for photo-taking. Being the practical us, we would actually have appreciated a bottle of wine more than this set up. But still, a nice gesture and effort from the team.
✔ Clean and wifi-equipped room
✔ Good turn down service: I didn’t know what this service was before my stay at Sense. But I kept reading about the good reviews of Sense hotel with regards to this service. Basically, according to Wiki, turndown service refers to the practice of staff entering a guest’s room in the evening and “turning down” the bed linen of the bed in the room, preparing the bed for use. Noticeably, for our room at Sense, the curtains were drawn down, and a sheet of paper with different information was given to us every evening. The sheet provided us with information of the weather next day, things to do in Bali, and special promotion for their guest.
✘ Balcony Non- Privacy: Our room was on the second level and it overlooks the pool and the dining area. We didn’t utilise our balcony at all, because it has no privacy at all. We weren’t comfortable with people looking at us from the tanning beds, dining tables and even the reception area!
Bathroom: Average: A big shower area with the trendy rain shower for you to use.
Breakfast: Average: Our room came with complimentary buffet breakfast. The breakfast was average, nothing spectacular. However we were given a nice surprise on the first morning we had our breakfast. TL was chatting with one of the managers while waiting for his toast and casually mentioned that we were on our honeymoon. The next thing we know, one of the staff came over to our table and told us not to leave, and that they’ve something special for us. They then brought out a chocolate cake specially prepared for us. A really nice touch from the hotel (which is one of their biggest selling points really).
✔ Nice dining area: Relaxing poolside dining
Good to know – Dinner specials: For certain nights, they have very affordable dinner specials. When we were there, it was Friday seafood dinner specials with free live music. But with so many good restaurants out there to try, it was not surprising that the band had to play to an empty restaurant for quite some time before a couple went in. We observed while waiting for our shuttle at the front desk. :P
The Balinese things about this hotel is its hospitality and a part of its breakfast buffet which serves Balinese food. Good average hotel. Affordable rate at a central location, considering the hotels and villas in Seminyak can get quite expensive.
Travels During January 2015
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Bali Itinerary Overview (2015) If you are flying into Bali (Denpasar) on an international flight, you will arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport, located in southern Bali, 13 km south of Denpasar. I was wow-ed by the airport – Balinese Styled! But my photos didn’t …
☁ January Weather in Bali ☁ Our honeymoon trip! Yays! We told our friends that we are going Bali in January, and they went… “What??! It’s the monsoon period! The best time to go is from June to September.” ☂☂☂ So my mind went, “Oh no, tsunami, rains and no …
[Update: 10 Feb 2017] Woots! Back from Bali trip and it was awesome! Anyway, I saw signboards of useful Singapore Changi Airport Transfer information at the airport, and thought it would be useful to share with you! There are different transport options for you to consider.
In case you need to get from one terminal to another (e.g. to take the public train), take Skytrain, the a free train connecting Terminals 1, 2, and 3 in the transit and public areas (5:00 am to 2:30 am). Frequency: 4 minutes.
The line connecting Terminals 2 (E Gates) and 3 (B Gates) is closed for redevelopment. There’s a shuttle bus alternative for the closed line. However, the lines connecting Terminal 1 & 3, and Terminal 2 (F Gates) and Terminal 3 (A Gates) are still operational.
for the budget travellers
It’s one of the cheapest option, but you need to be attentive and know where you’ll be alighting. There’s no announcement of stops, so if you’re in doubt, ask the bus driver. Do note that the bus can be crowded during the peak hours in the morning and evening and the swerving bus might make it hard for you to balance with your luggage.
The bus will be a good option if you are alighting at specific stops along the route, such as Suntec City, Esplanade, Orchard. > No. 36 Bus route information
for the budget travellers
The public train is another affordable option. I would recommend this option over public bus. But like the bus, the train gets crowded during peak hours in the morning and evening.
Credit: www.smrt.com.sg
for the single traveller who’s willing to pay more for convenience
If you are a single traveller and want to save time and hassle, and taking a taxi or Uber is too expensive, airport shuttle is your best way to go.
The bus coach service (Transtar Cross Border Service (TS1)) will start at coach stands at Terminals 1, 2, 3 and end at Johor Bahru CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex). One-way fares from Changi Airport to Johor Bahru are S$10 for adults and S$5 for children. Click for more information on the coach from Changi Airport to Johor Bahru.
for the ones willing to spend, but not so much
When hubby and I returned from Bali, we decided to try out uberX, which was supposedly cheaper than the normal taxi. The ultimate pull factor for us was its lower airport surcharge of S$1.50 and no midnight surcharge as compared to taxi (airport surcharge at S$3 and S$5 and 50% midnight surcharge). The S$1.50 airport surcharge for pick-ups is automatically included into the fare. Of course, there’s surge pricing for Uber and Grab at certain times. So compare prices first!
For single rider, you can safely go for the lowest cost option: UberPOOL or GrabShare. Carpool with other riders, maximum of 2 riders per request. While more affordable than the other options, carpool trips may take a little longer. Also, you might not be able to fit large luggage. It all depends on what luggage other riders carry.
If you don’t want to share car with others, you can go for the next affordable option: UberX or Grabcar. Moreover, you pay at the price that’s stated upfront, unlike taxis. So you know exactly how much you will pay for and not worry about the driver going on longer or wrong routes. And if you are travelling in a group with multiple bags, you might want to consider their options with 6 or more seats (more below).
The cars are unable to wait for you, hence only request your ride after you’ve collected your luggage from baggage claim and are ready to step outside. To take your Uber or Grab, head towards the terminals’ Arrivals Pick-Up points:
(T1: located past Burger King at a sheltered outdoor waiting area)
(T3: Head to basement 1)
Credit above maps to Grab Singapore
The car that picked us up was not comfy and the engine felt like it was going to die any minute. Moreover, the car boot was packed with stuff because the driver was heading to Malaysia the next day. But… the driver should have expected luggage and made space when picking up passengers from the airport. In the end, we carried few pieces of our luggage with us in our seats. Imagine if we had more passengers?
And then, we weren’t paying much attention to where he’s going because we were tired after our flight. So it’s after a long while that we realised he took a wrong route! He had to U-turn back to the airport and this mistake made the fare more expensive than if we had taken a taxi (there wasn’t fixed upfront fee then). We reached home later than expected. But the horrible experience ended here.
We feedback to uberX, and their support was superb. They replied us within 1-2 hours, although it was already late in the night. They assessed that the route taken was not perfect and reduced our fare, more than we had expected. Though our first uberX experience wasn’t perfect, we were willing to give uberX a second try from Changi Airport. And do note that, different uberX drivers have different cars.
UPDATE (14Feb19): Uber is now operating under Grab. Other than Grab, there’s GoJek in Singapore.
You can use Uber calculator to estimate your fare or Shopback.sg APP* to compare fares between Grab and Uber at any one time. Tip: Download Uber and Grab Apps and register with them before you come to Singapore. In this way, you can start using them once you have arrived in Singapore.
*Click through this referral link, sign up and get S$5 for yourself.
for the ones willing to spend without hassle
If you have cash to spare, and find it bothersome to download Uber and Grab Apps, it’s best to get a taxi ride. Head to the taxi stand at the Arrival levels of each Terminal and join the queue. It’s usually not a long wait because many taxis will be available. Be careful to join the right queue. If you joined the queue for premium cab (such as Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, MaxiCab or London Cab) be prepared to pay about S$4 more than normal cab.
A ride to the city takes about 30 minutes and costs between $20 and $40.
Fares are metered, and taxi touting is illegal in Singapore. But note the additional Airport surcharge for all trips from the Airport:
Midnight and peak hour surcharge is applicable to the portion of the fare that falls within the time frame. Click for more information on the flag down rate and other surcharges.
To get back to Changi Airport, simply hail a taxi on the street or make a booking through your hotel or call one of the following taxi operators (comes with a booking surcharge):
Comfort or Citycab Tel: +65 6552 1111
Premier Taxi Tel: +65 6363 6888
Prime Taxi Tel: +65 6778 0808
SMRT Taxi Tel: +65 6555 8888
Transcab Tel: +65 6555 3333
for the comfort / style creatures, or those travelling in groups
Credit: columbinesmille.com/2011/09/18/london-6
If you have a large travel party, here are a few options:
For the last option, approach 24-hour Ground Transport Concierges at the Arrival Halls or call the following numbers:
A ride to the city takes about 30 minutes.
for the one who loves to drive
There’s really no neeed to drive because Singapore’s transport system is good enough for you to get around, especially around city centre. And with driving, you need to pay at almost every carpark you park at. Even if you can afford these charges, I would recommend you to use that money to take a taxi.
If you must, here’s the car rental details.
If it’s your first time planning a trip to Bali, you will soon realised that you got to pick the area you want to be in before starting to find your accommodation. So I did a bit research for my virgin trip to Bali and …
▲ Accommodation Review Bintan Argo Beach Resort Price and additional surcharges usually includes: 2-way ferry tickets (taxes), 2-way Land transfer, 60 mins Massage, Breakfast, weekend surcharge, upgrade from the Deluxe/Standard Room When? December 2014 Website: www.bintan-resorts.com/resorts/bintan-agro-beach-resort/ Location: 1 hour from ferry terminal I didn’t stay at this resort, but …