Bali to welcome visitors for festive season

By I Wayan Juniarta

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): December is a month of celebration and Bali will likely become the most popular holiday destination for domestic as well as foreign visitors.

To anticipate the tourist boom, Bali's tourism industry is currently making final preparations.

Director of Communications for Sheraton properties Lisa Halim explained that traditionally, the last two weeks of December are the peak season for Bali's tourism industry because of the arrival of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"This year, it will be busier than usual because the Idul Fitri Muslim holidays also fall in December," added Lisa.

The three-star Legian, for instance, has been very serious in preparing for its year-end holiday packages. As many as 20 out of its 70 rooms are being renovated and expected to be completed by the middle of December.

"The renovation project is part of our preparations to ensure that our guests will have the best facilities during year-end holidays," The Legian's sales executive Ratna Amatsarie said.

To celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, The Legian has prepared a number of attractive programs.

For only US$100, guests can experience a memorable classical Christmas eve celebration with sumptuous meals. To create a Christmas atmosphere, Untal-untal Orphanage choir will entertain guests with a number of classical repertoire.

"The guests can also enjoy a wide selection of high-quality cigars, including Havana's, at our lobby lounge, or sip our newly launched The Legian sparkling wine," Amatsarie said.

Furthermore, for the New Year's Eve celebration, The Legian will present a musical performance. One of Bali's most talented guitarists Belawan is slated to perform during the event. Some 500 meters of fabric will wrap everything to mark the special occasion.

The five-star diamond Imperial Bali has arranged a unique Christmas party. The hotel plans to present a number of traditional Balinese dances to entertain its guests during the Christmas celebration.

"We want to introduce our guests to the Balinese-style Christmas celebration, with the famous Ramayana ballet and other dances," The Imperial's Public Relations Manager Sukma Awantari said.

To celebrate New Years's Eve, the Imperial will hold the Gebyar Party in its Puri Tanjung Sari Ballroom. The performance also includes live music, dances, an Indonesian traditional costumes parade, and Balinese traditional music ensemble. Guests will only have to pay $150 to attend the party, including welcome drink and buffet dinner.

"About 100 out of the 125 available seats have already been booked," Awantari said.

The Hard Rock Beach Hotel (HRBC) will have a special Christmas celebration by hosting a charity event for 64 children from the Bala Keselamatan (Salvation Army) orphanage. The children will be invited to join the Christmas party on Dec. 23, where Santa Claus will present Christmas gifts to each kid.

The Christmas carols sung by the in-house Hard Rock Choir will surely make the celebration an unforgettable event for those unfortunate children.

"I hope it will be a nice touch for them, and also for us to be able to take time to express kindness in real action," HRBC Marketing Communications Mercya Evers noted.

The next day, there will be plenty of delicious food, like roast turkey, beef Wellington, not forgetting the Christmas pudding, for the guests who join the HRBC Christmas Eve celebration.

Almost every hotel in Bali will provide their guests with their best food and beverages in the coming festivities.

"For Christmas celebrations we have prepared various dining experiences to cater to our guests' variety tastes and inclinations, from a five-course menu, or buffet dinner, to an intimate candle-lit dinner," Lisa Halim said.

At the Sheraton Nusa Indah, Christmas celebrations will be centered at the Bistro restaurant and Capsicum cafe with packages ranging between $30 and $40 per person.

While at the Sheraton Lagoon the celebration will be held at Cafe Lagoon, Mayangsari restaurant, and Queen's bar with prices ranging between $45 to $60 per person.

To celebrate the New Year's Eve the Sheraton Nusa Indah has prepared a special party, which is expected to attract some 1,000 guests. The party will be held at the biggest convention hall in Bali -- the Nusa Indah Hall with the special theme "The Space Odyssey".

"We will redecorate and refurbish the hall into some kind of space ship with surrounding planets and galaxies. Guests are expected to wear something futuristic," Lisa Halim told.

The Sheratons will also mark the end of the year by launching a rupiah package for domestic guests. For only Rp 825,000 guests can stay in a deluxe garden-view room, or he or she can bring the whole family and pay just Rp 1,888,000 for a two-room (five beds) family suite. This offer is valid from Dec. 23 through to Dec. 28.

"We are fully-booked from Dec. 28 until the first week of January 2000," Lisa Halim said. All hotels in Bali may be full. Therefore, if you want to spend the end of the year 2000 in Bali, it would be better to book the flights and hotels now otherwise you may miss all the unforgettable glittery celebrations.