Bali, Britain, Spain & Safari

[andye]

We did this trip back in April and I've been meaning to report for a while. Still, I'm currently in SIN overnight with no lounge access so here we go.

 

[andye]

Many of the AFF TRs focus on premium cabins (which I love to use when I can) but for many points collectors with families, having enough points then finding J availability is next to impossible.

On top of that everything x4+ becomes expensive. I'm a long way from the breadline but do have a Sydney home loan. So this trip is (mostly) in Y using a mix of points redemptions and LCCs.

As with any complex itinerary there are some "Made any travel mistakes lately?" moments but, hopefully, also a few ideas and tips to make "Little things I like"

 

[Rebus]

As a fellow points enthusiast with a familY, I'm on board.

 

[andye]

Like many Australian migrants, trips back to the homeland are tricky. You want to see the family you've left behind but you also need a holiday yourself. After our first few years of staying at people's homes, usually while they were still living their normal lives, we worked out that it would work better if we all met up for a proper holiday together when we all go to Europe every few years (they do stay with us when they come to Australia though. Manly is a holiday destination in itself). We do like to fit in somewhere interesting along the way too.

This trip has had a few incarnations. In 2023 we had SYD-CGK-DOH-CAI-LHR(-TFS) /MAD-DOH-MLE-CMB-SIN ticketed for a QF OWA but two of my boys got themselves picked for rugby tours to NZ at the same time so we cancelled. I'm still sore about the Red Sea and Maldives.

Arranged for SYD-LAX/BUR-RAP-ORD-LHR-AGP-LHR-SIN-SYD later that year but had to cancel that due to a family bereavement.

Anyway the QF points were building up and had some time to plan for this one.

 

[andye]

I've been lucky enough to go on safari twice already (Hwange on a rugby tours in 1995 and Tsavo/Masai Mara in 2001 for our honeymoon) and I've been hankering to do another.

The backbone of the trip came when I found Y QF award availability x5 for AMS-JNB on KLM (CDG-JNB on AF was also available) over Easter. This can't be incorporated into a QF OWA but I had already found that fashioning a OWA for multiple pax pretty hard anyway since QF award availability on QR dried up a couple of years ago.

We also wanted to visit mrsandye's sister in Ayr and her aunty in Norfolk along the way as we hadn't seen them for a while. The flights fell into place along the way

The final addition was the Bali stop at the start. This was a bit of an accident. Mrsandye and I found ourselves at a boozy rugby lunch. There was an auction for a 4 day stay in a Bali villa. I thought I'd make an opening bid to get things rolling but no-one else followed. Wasn't too hard to tack it on but did need to go through the process of permission to take the children out of school for last week of term (much easier in Aus than UK where you get fined for doing so).

 

[andye]

This type of trip is not for everyone. Most of our friends thought we were bonkers to take so many flights and stop at so many places along the way.

I can only do so many days sitting on the beach though and do like to see new places and (funny enough) I do love getting on a plane. The fabulous mrsandye is not always a super-enthusiast for an andye-type holiday, especially the unpacking and repacking but she does agree that these types of trips are always the most memorable and fun.

 

[andye]

Flight 1
SYD-DPS
JQ Y A321 neo
QF award 18K points+$151 pp includes baggage
Pax: mr&mrsandye, mstrsandye3&4

It's the classic way to go to Bali. Had originally booked for m-i-landye & mstrandye2 to come too but they couldn't make it (an advantage of award as you cancel for loss of 6k points only-or nothing if you wait and there is a flight change)

 

[andye]

I don't have QF status (though have OWS via IB currently) but we were able to access the QF J lounge with QC (earned via PC+). Qf is unusually generous by internatioanl standards in allowing children in as free extra guests.

I travel a reasonable amount so the SYD J lounge is fairly ho-hum but good for a G&T and the boys loved the hot chocolates

 

[andye]

Nothing to complain about the flight. Leg room reasonable. Fellow passengers well-behaved.

 

[andye]

Landed in DPS. Walked smugly past the long queues for passengers getting their visas on arrival.

Then Travel Mistake No 1. Mstrandye3 couldn't get through the electronic gates. The rest of us were already through staring at him on the other side. He went to the desk and it turned out I'd left his date of birth field to the default today's date when I applied online. Fortunately, he didnt need to go back and queue and was let though after he had a short chat with the official and clarified he was indeed 16 and not 3 weeks old. Cue ribbing on my family expert traveller status

 

[andye]

Turns out that the Bali villa auction prize was a Luxury Escapes package. Transfers were an inclusion so into the hustle and bustle, find the man with the sign and off we go. I had initially hired a car but the Bali traffic made me glad I cancelled it. I'd last stayed in Bali in 1993 and it has become much much busier

 

[andye]

We were staying in the Impiana Villas in Seminyak. There is a central building with restaurant attached. The villas themselves are a short minibus trip away but the buses are quickly available on request. Package included several complimentary coughtails. Never one to turn down a free drink but they were far from potent.

The villa itself was really nice. 2 double bedrooms, private pool, kitchem facilities, music speaker, very airy and quiet.

 

[andye]

Walked through the winding streets to the Seminyak main street to get lie of land and had some nasi goreng and Bintang.
In the evening went to the Frangipaani Indian restaurant next door to the main hotel building-another Luxury Escapes inclusion. Always been a curry fan, as a Londoner and ex-rugby player

 

[andye]

Next day off on a private tour to the monkey temple near Ubud and the Tegunungang waterfall. There is a lift back up with quite a swanky restaurant where you can have a drink. Mrsandye increasingly nervous of Balinese drivers and copping some stick for shrieking at the monkeys.

 

[andye]

In the evening went into Seminyak proper. It's pretty bustly. Lots of mopeds, tattoo parlours, cheap gift shops as you'd expect. All felt very safe though.

Ever one to use an points perk, we ate at the Ocean Beach Bar which give 15% off F&B for Accor Plus.

Throwing ourselves into the Bali vibe the mstrandye3 and I were dragged up to join the traditional Balinese dancers (much to mstrandyes4's ridicule)

Other entertainment included a "pub singer" crooning along. The sun (?) must have got to mrsandye's head as she made requests and was then hauled up to karaoke with him. She has never shown signs of this before and we boys had a feeling of existential dread about what might eventuate. Still she gave a pretty good go at "Islands in the Stream", well the first verse at least.

We were on a roll and ended up in another bar with a mechanical bucking bronco and playing pool with some other Aussies. Mstrandye4 hustled everyone by potting 4 in a row despite barely picking up a cue previously.

 

[RooFlyer]

The backbone of the trip came when I found Y QF award availability x5 for AMS-JNB on KLM (CDG-JNB on AF was also available) over Easter.

Classic frequent flyer. Find award seats on the other side of the world, and go from there.

 

[andye]

Next day was another private 2-site snorkelling tour. The driver was even more manic than the last one and mrsandye spent most of the journey with her eyes closed.

When we arrived, I went to pay and for some reason none of my cards would work. I have few cards with multiple issuers so odd that all should be blocked

Anyway, the only way out was a trip to the ATM for cash. Was not entirely comfortable with the potential insurance implications of riding pillion without a helmet but one does what one must. Got to the ATM and still no joy. In the end, mstrandye3 saved the day, covering the bill with his debit card.

The snorkelling at Padang Bai was pretty good though we did get told off for straying too far from the boat. On board the 2-site became a single site as apparently the Blue Lagoon had too much rubbish there.

 

[andye]

On the way back we did some souvenir shopping then stopped off at another waterfall. Mrsandye and I decided our knees didnt need another trip down to a valley so had Bintangs while the boys went down.

While waiting, there was a constant stream of young things coming back in swimsuits after their Insta pictures. They then changed into slouchy t-shirts and trackies. Oh for the days of youth when we looked better with our clothes off than dressed.

 

[andye]

Another LE inclusion was a free massage in the same building as the Indian restaurant. For some reason, mrsandye was quite sure that I wasn't going to be having my massage alone so we had our treatment side by side.
I've managed to go 55 years without having a professional massage and it was really pretty good. Think I'm still too stingy to pay for one though.

We sent the boys off to do some souvenir shopping while we were being pummelled. Mstrandye4 came back with some frightful knock-off pink basketball shorts

It was only after we reached home that we found out that they had both persuaded some locals to take them up and down the strip on the back of mopeds.

 

[kookaburra75]

It was only after we reached home that we found out that they had both persuaded some locals to take them up and down the strip on the back of mopeds.

When my kids have done that sort of thing and I ask why, I get "....well you didn't tell us not to". Which is exactly what I said to my parents at that age.

Liking your report for the experiences and ideas for our future travel too.