Wild life at your door

By Glenn Luders

THE orange flames of the oil lamps danced in the breeze as we slipped off our sandals and clinked our champagne glasses in a toast to our first beachside dinner party.
Just a few hundred metres from our resort, the Novotel Nusa Dua Bali, this protected strip of white sand and gentle waters was like applying a magical de-stress lotion at the start of our family getaway.

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The Novotel has its own private beach, complete with bar and kitchen, and on the menu this night under the stars was a seafood banquet of scallops, salmon, tiger prawns and smoked lobster, plus an array of Indonesian specialties.

When the staff weren't topping up our wine glasses or fetching a cold beer, they were building sand castles with the children, while others set up a band and happily played some reasonable renditions of popular party requests.

Away from the sweat and bustle of Kuta and Legian, Novotel Nusa Dua is unashamedly oriented towards a resort lifestyle and the relaxation that comes with it.

Set in manicured gardens, with wide streets, secured compounds and a community feel, Nusa Dua was established in the 1970s to provide world-class facilities within the island. Its enclave of four and five-star hotels provides just that, with the main cultural, recreational and retail attractions a bus or taxi ride away.

Its environment practices have resulted in several eco-tourism awards, including one for its "Eco Lagoon" in which recycled water irrigates public gardens as well as the grounds of individual hotels.

The algae-producing lagoon encourages fish to breed and tiny frogs to flourish, which in turn attracts birds to the lagoon, a miniature eco-system and a tourist attraction in its own right.

African-style bus trek

From the southeast tip of Bali on the Bukit Peninsula, the area now extends north along Tanjung Benoa. A leisurely 4km walk along the reef-protected beach ends at the fishing village and port of Benoa, while just outside Nusa Dua the village of Bualu has shops and restaurants with prices on a par with those in Kuta.

This holiday was about reading or lazing around, taking a dip in the pool or at the beach, sampling a cocktail in the Blue Bar at the end of the Lagoon Pool, eating, sleeping and mucking around with the children – when the children's club wasn't beckoning, that is.

The Dolfi Kids Club runs every day from 8.30am until 6pm, with activities including nature walks, indoor games, kite flying, arts and crafts, beach games, dance lessons, movies and a host of aquatic thrills.

The service is free and the safety and welfare of the children are paramount.

In the spirit of being adventurous, we stepped out of our comfort zone and headed to the Bali Safari and Marine Park at Gianyar, a 90-minute drive from Nusa Dua, north of Sanur and not far from Denpasar.

We went on an African-style bus trek and saw tigers, lions, white hippos, rhinos, bears, wildebeests and zebras.

There are daily elephant treks and elephant education shows, as well as reptile walks, birds in open aviaries and big aquariums.

On a humid day, the splash and slides of the water park were a welcome sidetrack, as were the outdoor misting fans strategically placed throughout the park.

Lunch at the park's restaurant was a highlight, with huge glass windows overlooking a "savanna" where the kings of the jungle roamed (or lazed underneath a rock on the day we visited).

Within the grounds of the safari and marine park, the Mara River Safari Lodge is definitely for the wild at heart. There are 39 thatched dwellings designed in a spirit of co-existence with the animals.

The services include WiFi broadband access, LCD television, 24-hour room service and a pool (not the one frequented by the hippos).

Another cool expedition in Bali, especially for the very young, very old or for those who don't dive, is sea walking, run by Club Aqua in Sanur.

It is a fully escorted stroll along the bottom of the ocean to a depth of 5m, visiting the sea life for 20 minutes or so without getting your head wet.

The price of about $A110 includes return offshore transfer, refreshments, use of a helmet, towel and booties, dive, lunch and insurance cover.

The underwater team will snap a picture of you in the depths with exotic fish in your face. Prints can be viewed and bought once you have resurfaced.

The writer was a guest of Novotel, which is part of the Accor group, and Jetstar.

From the The Sunday Mail