Tuesday, September 14, 2010

At home at HARRIS

We're back at HARRIS Tuban. It's just on 10 o'clock in the morning and check-in time is not until 2 pm.





We drove past the LORIN at Saba Bai which has been closed down since 2006 and now looks completely neglected. Nick is quite impressed by it and can see its potential if it were re-opened. We have got the telephone number of the local contact person in Denpasar who in turn knows the owner(s) in Jakarta. Maybe we talk to him before we go. It all depends on how keen Nick really is!

This very exclusive luxury hotel, where Padma and I stayed in 2000, closed its doors in 2006, and has since then greatly deteriorated. It is on a beachfront block of land of 4.2 hecatres (10.5 acres or 420 are) and consists of two presidential villas, sixteen two-bedroom villas, sixteen executive suites, and sixteen junior suites. Somebody should rescue this wonderful property and restore it to its former glory! Why not us, Nick? Are you reading this, Stylianos Koureas?

(On second thoughts, since the property is rumoured to have belonged to Tommy Suharto, the ex-president's son, who may not have had all the legal documents for the land, it may be a political "hot potato".)

I also met the old lady at the warung who seemed to remember me. Anyway, she hasn't aged at all and her warung has prospered and is much bigger now, built with brick and a proper roof and tables and chairs inside.




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