SEMINYAK
Emerging as the new trendy place to be seen in Bali, Seminyak had everything you could want out of a holiday in the tropics: great restaurants, relaxed resort-style bars, typical Bali beaches and windy laneways lined with street vendors, quirky shops and designer boutiques. This was shaping up to be the start of an excellent week away with friends.
Arriving at our accommodation late at night and weary from the travel we were all nauseatingly hysterical to open the front gate of our private suites at The Bali Dream Villa. It revealed a luxurious, tranquil courtyard that spilled from the open air living area and enclosed (air-conditioned) bedroom. We all trembled with excitement, matched with disbelief that any hotel room could be so gorgeous. For such a compact space, the oversized bathroom with outdoor shower, L-shaped relaxation pool and lounge, kitchen, dining area, it seemed like a fancy home away from home. The staff were also super friendly and serve buffet breakfast each morning with eggs just the way you like them.
We were spoiled by the amazing meal and relaxed afternoon atmosphere of Australian-owned Ku De Ta restaurant. Sipping sangrias on the deck whilst watching the sunset over the beach, our tummies were treated in the evening to a gorgeous dinner in the main restaurant building. Made from fresh local ingredients in the fine dining style to which we are accustomed, both delicious courses were bursting with earthen flavour from the succulence of my entree of pork belly with soft shell crab salad to the decadence of Blake's main of slow roasted 'brick' lamb shoulder. Do yourself a favour and check it out!
Why not sip cocktails and nibble on canapes whilst overlooking the ocean? Cocoon Bar was the best place to spend a lazy afternoon following a few hours on Seminyak Beach drinking Bintang. The scattered lounges and deck chairs on the poolside patio all afford great views of the beach. At night there's a DJ playing outside and formal dining in the restaurant indoors. They even hose the sand off your feet at the front door before you enter!
If you're not into bargain hunting or walk up sellers peddling their wares then the crowded public beaches might not be your thing. We had some great advice from Arun at our hotel who said, "Just say no thank you in a polite way and they'll leave you alone." We actually didn't mind the friendly locals.
UBUD
A visit to Ubud is well worth the half-hour drive north for a rewarding experience in a quiet village, relatively untouched by hordes of tourists. With quaint shops and cafes, lush rainforest surrounds and far less scooters on the roads, it's the ideal place to head to in Bali for a few days' escape and recharge.
To describe Ubud as being the place in Bali to hang out if you're a hippie, would not be at all inaccurate - there are yoga-lovers everywhere. But for the everyday tourist, Ubud's character, creativity and vast selection of massage studios and relaxation houses is what sets it apart from its coastal counterparts. It's a place to rejuvenate the mind and body. Whilst the others in my group had massages daily I enjoyed a visit to the art galleries. The one massage I did have was particularly super and everyone in our group raved about their experiences. Staying in Ubud created such a positive vibe that made us crave wellness and allowed us to completely forget our day-to-day woes. Seriously.
Sharing a three-bedroom house with your friends can go either way on holiday but Villa di Abing provided us with the perfect nest to retreat to after a day of ambling or pampering. All bedrooms are air-conditioned, two with their own private bath and outdoor shower. The beautiful staff cook a light breakfast each morning
There are many fantastic places to eat in Ubud and all of them are well-priced and generous in their serving size. This delicious prawn was one of many I was amazed to see on my plate (for the price I paid for dinner) at Nomad, although the winner was Jon who had Balinese tapas: two giant platters of tasty traditional fare. Travel five minutes by taxi from the main streets of Ubud to Indus which overlooks the Tjampuhan River and has spectacular sunset views of the surrounding hills and rice terraces. Again, we ordered entree and mains as the menu was too good to choose from and were once again thrilled at the quality and service of our meal. To sample some local flavour, head to the home of babi guling (baby suckling pig) in Ubud. Warung Ibu Oka is open during lunch hours and is a popular eating hall in the heart of town. Blake, Kathleen and I drank coconut water from the coconut after a day at the markets whilst Jon and Kristy tasted the mouth-watering porky delights.
Love - Kintamani and Mount Batur
After leaving the Ubud leg of our holiday we journeyed to the village of Kintamani to see the active volcano Mt Batur. From the picture you can see the mark of its last eruption in 1996 and remarkably, the village of Toya Bungkah (home to the Toya Devasya natural hot spring) lies at the foothills of its reach on the edge of Lake Batur. This area is so picturesque and a refreshing example of Bali's diverse terrain other than beaches and forests. On the way from Ubud you can stop in at Tirta Empul Tampaksiring (water temple), sample luwak coffee from the plantation and on the way south to Sanur, we drove through all the wholesaler villages dedicated to producing Bali's exports such as wood carvings and furniture (Mas), artworks and painting (Batuan) and gold and sliver (Celuk). To hire a driver from Ubud for the day and drop off in Sanur was about AUD$50 split between the five of us.
If you're going to venture into the Monkey Forest in Ubud, make sure you leave all food items in your bag at the front gate and hold on to your hat! As I'd never seen monkeys in the wild before it was a good first-hand experience in a relatively controlled environment. Kristy may not entirely agree as some of the playful primates found pleasure in eating her elephant straw hat and climbing all over her. One little monkey even bit her - so be careful! I like these three in the photo, lazing around just literally, nitpicking (and that wasn't the worst thing we saw them do!)
NUSA LEMBONGAN
Jump on board a jet boat from Sanur across to the 'quiet island' of Nusa Lembongan. The trip took about 25 minutes on the Marlin Lembongan Cruiser and cost around AUD$35 return per person. There are other boat options that can take you across the Bali Sea and each vary in cost and travel time.
As we approached the island and saw the moorings in the distance we had high hopes that this was going to be extraordinary but also expectations that straying from the mainland to stay in huts on a remote island no-one ever goes to would end up in tragedy. Luckily, it turned out to be more than we had hoped. After disembarking the Marlin, we climbed in to the back of a ute with bench seating and a hooded roof and bumped along the track to Dream Beach - the final destination in our Bali sojourn.
What more could you want for a slice of paradise? Our own private beach, unobstructed views of the ocean and our very own Dream Beach Huts to relax in after a day of, well, relaxing. These individual, traditional Balinese huts are fairly basic with no air-conditioning (but there is a ceiling fan) and an outdoor bathroom that does not have fresh running water BUT they feel like you're living on a deserted island. Wake up each morning to the sound of the crashing waves and step out onto your secluded verandah and welcome the morning sunshine. It was magic. And the perfect end to a perfect week.
Whilst there is a village on Nusa Lembongan and a few other small seaside communities, we were having such a great time at the resort that we hardly left it and ate all our meals at its Cafe Pandan which overlooked the ocean and infinity pool. Charge everything to your room and pay it all on check-out so you don't need to carry around a wallet. Our stay included complimentary breakfast each morning, an affordable BBQ Happy Hour every afternoon and a dinner menu that equalled anywhere else we'd been in Bali.
Take a trip around to the far end of Nusa Lembongan to Mangrove Beach. Here is where you'll find all the local boats that can take you out for a few hours of snorkelling in the sparkling shallow waters, home to colourful reef coral and thousands of tropical fish. We toured out with Jiva Warung - a family-owned business based in Jungutbatu Village and again, the couple were extremely friendly and helpful. Having never snorkelled before I was a little nervous about my ability to use flippers but very little effort was required as we let the gentle current drift us along the rocky shoreline as we peered down through our masks at the breathtaking wonderland that laid below. I highly recommend this activity whilst on the island, and Jiva Warung cost us the equivalent of AUD$10 each for almost three hours on the water.
Leave
Unless you're very confident or very stupid, leave riding a scooter to the experts. They are quite dangerous and not as easy as they look. Also, most travel insurers will not cover you for accidents unless you hold a motorcycle license. To say the least, Kristy and I both learned that this mode of transport just does not fit within our personal brand (or capability).
Verdict: Love (not necessarily after 'Eat, Pray') in the purest sense of the word. Would definitely make Bali an annual, affordable holiday destination.
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