This was a great tour and experience. We did go with the chef to the local market and this I thought should be a must by all, but was provided as an option. It was nice for the chef to point out what was good and what was bad. He taught us how to pick the freshest Red Snapper the redder the eyes the better and one other secret. It was nice to see the real parts of the country and where your meal comes from. I will mention we were staying where most are in Nusa Dua south of South Kuta and it cost us 250,000 more Rupiah to get here. So that is one reason I cannot give this the full 5 stars. I say this because this wasn't brought up when we initially booked but only a day before the tour was to happen. Not good communication on this ... just be up front with the charges ... most will still pay, but don't be shady about it. I thought the chef was really good about explaining all the ingredients we were using and very detailed in how to prepare it. I was nice he had the recipe to follow along with. Something else that was nice ... I actually don't like Curry and he used ingredients that didn't include this and made the food authentic and delicious. We were given many opportunities to participate and be involved in the creation of the dishes. The staff were exceptional in helping us as well as the chef deliver a great experience and delicious food. They were also instrumental in preparing an elegant dining area to eat our finally prepared dishes. We were all very full and happy by the end.
In the end it was great to receive our cooking aprons as roots, spices and ingredients we cooked with as well as a certificate we completed the class.
Thanks again.