Category: Reviews

Independent Restaurant and Hotel Reviews

D’Medina Bistro

Looking for a Restaurant eatery with fabulous service, good food and great prices in Legian Beach Kuta, Bali?

Restaurant Name: D’Medina Bistro
Address: Jalan Legian No. 111, Legian, Bali, Indononesia – across from Star Surf

Note:  This is an independent hotel / restaurant review based on my personal experience.

The Restaurant: A tidy, small and narrow eatery with a fresh modern cafe diner feeling.  Colourful pictures displaying some of their offerings decorate the brick look walls.

The Service: We were warmly welcomed on our first visit and every visit after by the super friendly server Malik! She was simply great! She had recommendations, was efficient, chatted if you wanted and was always smiling.

The Food: Nice menu serving traditional Indonesian Food with some Western as well as vegetarian options.

Unfortunately, on our first visit, at 1 pm in the afternoon they did not have any cooked rice and said it would take an hour. Assumedly, they had no rice because I have never heard of rice taking an hour to cook. Instead of getting upset, we simply doubled our original order of Mie Goreng Ayam.

The fried noodles with chicken was delicious. A side dish of Sambal Goreng Pedas added the perfect spice level to our meal.

The servings are not huge, but a satisfying amount so you will not walk away stuffed, but not hungry either.

The Cost: 92,000 Rupias / €5.50 / US$6.85 including 1 small mineral water, 2 lemon iced teas and 2 Mie Goreng Noodle dishes.

Do I recommend D’Medina Bistro? I definitely recommend it. Excellent prices, tasty food, friendly service. Affordable, cheap food – where to eat in Kuta Legian Bali.

More dishes we tried:
Sapi Lada Hiram & Rice – Beef in Black pepper sauce, bell pepper, ginger and Capsicum, good
Ayam Lemon & Rice – Deep Fried Chicken Fillet with lemon sauce, ok
Chicken Satay with white rice, good
Ayam Kung Pao – Chicken with cashews and white rice, delicious.

Opening Hours: 12 noon to 4 am

Get There:

Location: Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kabupaten Badung > Legian Beach > Jalan Raya Legian > D’Medina Bistro

Grand Bimasena Hostel Bali

Quiet, affordable accommodation within Walking Distance to Legian Beach, Kuta Clubs and Restaurants.

Hotel Name:  Grand Bimasen Hostel
Address: Jalan Legian No. 190, Legian, Kuta, Badung, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Note:  This is an independent hotel review based on my personal experience.

The Hotel:  We arrived late in the evening, but our wonderful hostess greeted us with a big warm smile and quickly checked us in.  We were on the second floor.  The room itself is simple and outdated, but a comfortable bed, a night table, a lamp and a tv provided the bare necessities.  The bathroom was a typical Asian wet room – toilet, sink and shower in one small area. A big bar of soap and towels were provided at no extra charge.

The Service: Fantastic! Friendly, helpful and outgoing.

The Breakfast: Included in the price, the breakfast was a definite highlight. I had a banana pancake while my husband enjoyed fried eggs. A plate of fresh fruit, butter, marmalade, fresh pressed juice, coffee and tea were presented on a table by the pool.

Convenience: Restaurants, clubs, shops and Legian Beach are all within walking distance. The side street where it is located helps with night life noise levels and while we were there, the guests seemed quiet and respectful.

Breakdown
Positive: Almost everything; the host, the breakfast, the location, the pool.
Negative: Outdated, run down rooms; Internet is often weak to non-existent so best idea is to buy a SIM card so you don’t have to rely on it. Both afternoons we came back to no electricity, which lasted a few hours due to hedge / tree trimming, I think.

The Cost: €13 / US$16 per night (3 nights, Rp 689,700 / €40 / US$50)

Do I recommend it? Yes! If you are a person who is looking for a quiet place to lay your head at night for a great price, this is what you are looking for.

Contact: +62 818-0564-4611

Get There:

Location: Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kuta Badung > Jalan Legian > Legian Beach > Grand Bimasena

Apache Reggae Surfer Bar Our Kitchen

Happy hour, live music, food and fun! When the Bali sun sets in Legian Kuta, it is time to head to the Apache.

Restaurant Name:  Apache Reggae Bar / Our Kitchen / Apache Surfer Bar
Address: Jl. Raya Legian No.146, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Note:  This is an independent restaurant review based on my personal experience.

The Restaurant / Bar: has Happy Hour two for one and themed nights of live entertainment including rock, reggae, and chart performed by great bands. There are several bars, a dance floor, high seating and table seating.

On the first night when we arrived, a super duper Indonesian live band was performing cover music of hits from the 80’s to present.  People were dancing, drinking and having an all round good time.

It is a fantastic atmosphere with disco balls, patio lanterns, palm leaves and neon lights. They say “the air is charged with the positive energy of love and sweet music” and from what we saw, we have to agree.  Bands start playing at 11 pm.

They serve Indonesian, Chinese, Western and Mexican food from 11 am in the morning until late.  We ordered Satay Campur and Ayam Sambal Matah.  Both dishes were fantastic, I think the Satay was some of the best we had on the Island.

Cost:  Our night including our meals, 4 beers and 2 slings cost 344,500 IDR / €19.50 / US$25

Opening Hours: 11 am to 3 am
Contact: Apache Club

It is definitely worth a visit; whether you love dancing, good music or crazy fun vibe, it is hard not to have fun.

Get There:

Location:  Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > Kuta > Kabupaten Badung > Apache

 

Warung D’Pererenan Bali

Craving Pizza?  This well priced roadside Restaurant between Tanah Lot and Canggu may calm your Hunger!

Restaurant Name: Warung D’ Pererenan
Address: Jl. Raya Canggu No.88, Pererenan, Mengwi, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80351, Indonesia

Note:  This is an independent restaurant review based on my personal experience.

After a wonderful morning walking the park setting of Tanah Lot, we were ravenous and looking for somewhere to eat in the Canggu area.  Driving along the Jl. Prerenan-Tanah Lot highway, we eventually stopped at Warung D’Pererenan.

The Restaurant:
This is a simple, convenient roadside stop serving traditional Indonesian dishes, salads, pasta, burgers, steak and pizza. It is very noisy due to the constant passing traffic, but easy access, fabulous prices and lots of parking make it an easy choice.  This is Indonesian Food without the Bali price!

The Service:
No complaints at all.  All though the lovely ladies working could not speak any english, they tried very hard to understand and kept smiling through it all!

The Food:
For drinks, we ordered a vanilla milkshake as well as a papaya juice.  We kept switching, because one was as good as the other!

Along with the drinks, we asked for a Mie Goreng and a Nasi Goreng.  Again, both dishes, although not huge, were more than filling and tasted delicious.  If you have been following my blogs, you will understand why the following prices make this restaurant an all around winner.

The Cost:
– Mie Goreng 15,000 IDR / €0.85 / US$1.05
– Nasi Goreng 15,000 IDR / €0.85 / US$1.05
– Milkshake 15,000 IDR / €0.85 / US$1.05
– Papaya Juice 10,000 IDR / €0.57 / US$0.70

Later, we saw the pizza and although we had not ordered one, it looked quite tasty and is probably worth a try!

Do I recommend Warung D’Pererenan?  Yes.  Good food, fabulous prices! Seriously, did you see those prices?

Get There:

Other Canggu Links of Possible Interest:
→ Canggu
….⇒ Stay: Sleepy Gecko Guest House
    …..→Eat: Breakers Tavern 
    …..→Eat: La Pan Nam Warung Restaurant
    …..→Eat: My Wahrung
 …..→Drink: Where to Drink / Happy Hour
…..⇒ Go: Temples Tanah Lot & Batu Balong
…..⇒ Do: Top Fun Things to Do 

Location:  Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > North Kuta > Canggu > Warung D’Pererenan Restaurant

Sleepy Gecko Guesthouse Bali

Finding paradise in Canggu, Bali. A delightful Guest House experience.

Guesthouse Name:  Sleepy Gecko Guest House

Address:  Jl. Padang Linjong No.6, Canggu, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80351, Indonesia

Note:  This is an independent hotel / guesthouse review based on my personal experience.

Our host Putu, met us on arrival; as we would discover during our time with her, she has a gentle kind spirit and a beautiful aura.  Due to availability, she graciously, without request or mention, upgraded us to the charming Wood Room villa.

The Accommodation: The Wood Room features large glass windows facing the pool. A huge, romantic, queen sized poster bed is the focal point, while a wardrobe, side tables, tv/dvd player (more on that later), air conditioner, and fan provide appreciated conveniences.

The rustic stone, spa style bathroom had a shower area, a soaking tub, sink and of course, a toilet. A small ladder provided a perfect drying rack for swimsuits and towels.  A bar of soap, some liquid hand soap and towels were provided.

A Community kitchen equipped with a good variety of pots, pans, dishes, flatware and glasses along with a two burner stove was well appreciated by the guests.  Thoughtfully, drinking water is available to use as needed. Just off of the kitchen, was an eating area with tables and chairs.  We liked doing our computer work here in the breeze.  It was a great place for socializing too with other guests and our host.

The refreshing swimming pool was a god send on most of the hot, humid days and we really used it – a lot.  Surprisingly, only one other guest seemed to appreciate it as much as us, which we had no problem with because it seemed like our own little paradise.

The DVD Player in the room actually had a purpose. In the community area is a fairly generous movie library with old and new titles to borrow and watch.  We had a movie night one evening after dinner and it was very relaxing.  I assume if it rains, guests are very thankful for this thoughtful diversion. In addition to films, there is a small library of books to borrow as well.

Sleepy Gecko Guesthouse also has Motorbikes for rent at 50,000 IDR / €3 / US$3.50 per day.  We discovered very quickly that this affordable means of transportation is a necessity, so plan with it.

Things I did not like:
– Barking dogs, it didn’t matter whether you wanted to take a nap in the afternoon or were rudely awakened in the morning the dogs were often barking.
– Watered down hand soap. I guess at the fantastic price, we can let it slide and be thankful there was soap at all.

The Cost:  Deluxe Double (our original booking) – 4 nights, 2 persons: 1,180,000 / €70 / US$87.  That is a meager €17.50 / US$21.75 per day!

Do I recommend Sleepy Gecko Guesthouse?  Definitely, it is an extremely affordable, clean place, within walking distance to a few restaurants, laundry service and an atm, not to mention all of the amenities.  Thank you Putu!

Contact: +62 821-4649-7798

Get There:

Other Canggu Links of Possible Interest:
→ Canggu
    …..→Eat: Breakers Tavern 
    …..→Eat: La Pan Nam Warung Restaurant
    …..→Eat: My Wahrung
    …..→Eat: Wahrung D’ Pererenan
 …..→Drink: Where to Drink / Happy Hour
…..⇒ Go: Temples Tanah Lot & Batu Balong
…..⇒ Do: Top Fun Things to Do 

Location:  Asia > SouthEast Asia > Indonesia > Bali Island > South Coast > Kutu Utara > Canggu > Sleepy Gecko Guest House