Royalty takes a break in Bali

BALi Five luxury hotels on the holiday island are occupied this week by Saudi Arabia’s King and his entourage, who are taking a break during a historic three-week Asian tour.

Security forces were deployed across Bali as the resort island at the weekend to ensure the safety of the Saudi King Salman on the latest leg of his extravagant Indonesian tour.

Hundreds of top-end cars and SUVs were imported to Bali to transport the king, who required 396 tons of equipment to be flown in to support his holiday treat.

Salman is leading a 1,000-strong delegation, including princes and ministers, on the first visit by a Saudi Arabian monarch to the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country in almost half a century.

He arrived in Jakarta last Wednesday, welcomed by cheering crowds and a 21-gun salute and marching band.

He is spending this week on Bali, a Hindu-majority island famed for its palm-fringed beaches. The trip involved booking five luxury hotels for the monarch and his party in and around the upmarket Nusa Dua resort area.

Local media reported that among the king’s baggage were his own luxury sofa and an 80-inch (2 metres) television to ensure he feels at home in his hotel suite.

About 2,500 police and military personnel, including snipers and bomb disposal experts, were deployed to the island to beef up security.

The king’s party is using 360 vehicles during the beach holiday, including Mercedes, SUVs and buses, according to local tourism official I Ketut Ardana.

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