The tropical vibe, magnificent views and never-ending hustle bustle make Bali a fine example of a holiday island paradise. The fact that you can feed your family three courses for less than a tenner is nice too. I consider myself a Bali veteran and I’ve seen just about all there is. But if I were to choose just one thing (besides the wild monkeys – I love those little fellas!) that keeps me coming back, I’d have to say it’s the service. Take this recent experience for example.
My hotel offered compli
mentary hire bikes for every guest, so I took advantage one day and rode out to grab a ‘Romex’ watch and have a few tuxedos tailored. It didn’t take long for me to realise that my bike didn’t have a bell. If you’ve been to Bali, you’ll know that the traffic makes an Australian peak hour freeway look like a picturesque suburban backstreet. So lacking a bell, I had to resort to yelling at people, which takes a toll on your throat.
When I returned to the hotel, I let reception know that bells would be a good idea, expecting a sympathetic nod or complimentary fruit bowl in return. Although I got both, it was what I noticed the next morning that I really wowed me. My bike had a bell attached to it – as did every other bike in their fleet!
I’ve never even seen a bike shop in Bali in two decades’ worth of visits, but somehow in the space of 12 hours, the team managed to attach new bells to their entire fleet – that’s hundreds of bikes. That’s the level of service that sees thousands of visitors returning year after year, and if you set the same standards, you’ll get repeat business too!