Spread the love
" />
My daughter and I spent a wonderful week in Bali a while ago. We had the loveliest time together doing the ‘girlie stuff’ such as indulging in a manicure/pedicure, treating ourselves to massages and body exfoliations, baking in the sun, drinking cocktails at sunset on the beach, stuffing ourselves with exquisite food and shopping in trendy Seminyak. It was great to have time out together and fall under the spell of this gentle, hassle-free place.
Bali, Island of the Gods, has a varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and barren volcanic hillsides. With world-class surfing and diving, a large number of cultural, historical and archaeological attractions, and an enormous range of accommodation, it is a very popular travel destination for Australians. Bali has something to offer a very broad market of visitors from young back-packers right through to the super-rich.
If you have travelled to Asia before you would know what I am talking about when I say that Bali is a complete cultural shock. The traffic is a nightmare, the footpaths almost unnegotiable and there is rubbish littering the streets, but there is no agro and almost everyone one is smiling. There is a feeling of tranquillity.
Bali is probably most famous for the place where Elizabeth Gilbert found love, as the character in the book and subsequent movie, titled Eat, Pray, Love.
But it’s also famous for another more sinister reason – the Bali Bombings in 2005, where 202 innocent tourists, (including 88 Australians), were killed. I have to admit that this was one of the darkest days for me, particularly because I had friends holidaying there when it occurred and they recounted the horrors of that night in Kuta Beach. For years afterwards I said I would never go there as it wasn’t safe.
But, even though stringent security measures remain in place, the sense of returning confidence is palpable. In the main tourist area, the three-mile strip of coast that stretches from Kuta to Seminyak, the streets are overflowing with life. Flash modern hotels adjoin traditional Hindu temples and up-market restaurants compete with makeshift stalls selling satays. Swish fashion boutiques sell the latest fashions and the markets are bursting with ‘knock-off’ Gucci handbags and Rip Curl T Shirts.
We stayed at a new resort called Amadea Resort & Villas, in the middle of Seminyak, smack bang in the ‘Eat Street’ area where there was a huge selection of fine dining to choose from. The beach was a short walk of about 500 metres away, however we were mainly happy to lounge around the beautiful pool area at our resort.
During our stay we did two day trips; the first was to the centre of the island to a place called Kintamani which is overshadowed by the active volcano Mount Batur. After a morning tea of banana fritters and a cup of coffee we set off on some rather dodgy bicycles on a 40 kilometre downhill bike ride through the countryside, stopping to rest and enjoy the sights of Hindu temples in the many small villages dotted along the way, verdant rice paddies and a typical rural household. Once we raced down the steep incline for four or so hours we stopped for a very welcome lunch of local Balinese food and a beverage or two. It was a very worthwhile tour, even though my backside was bruised and sore for days afterwards!
Our second day trip was out to Uluwatu on the Bukit Peninsula to the beautiful Padang-Padang Beach which is accessed down a hundred or so stairs through a cave. The aquamarine water and the limestone rock formations were spectacular. The surf was pumping out the back and we watched surfer after surfer take off on these massive waves. We enjoyed a lovely swim in the clear aqua water – very refreshing!
A few kilometres further we visited the Uluwatu Temple which is perched high on a cliff at the end of the peninsula. It dates back to the 11th century. The temple is inhabited by large numbers of monkeys, who are extremely adept at snatching visitors’ belongings, including bags, cameras and sunglasses. We left all but our cameras in the taxi and walked around the footpath on the edge of the 70 metre cliff in our purple sarongs (which were mandatory) with a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys. The scenes were breathtakingly beautiful.
A trip to Bali would not be complete without partaking in a cocktail and watching the sunset at the very famous Potato Head Beach Club which is located on Seminyak Beach. This is the place where all the beautiful people like to be seen donning their very brief g-string bikinis and Raybans! A great place to ‘people watch’ and take some photos of the magnificent sunset over the Indian Ocean.
As for the food, where do I start! There are so many great cheap places to eat. Luckily we met a fellow Aussie on one of our tours who gave us an extensive list of ‘where to eat’ around Seminyak. We enjoyed beautiful freshly made salads at Grocer & Grind and Zucchini, great coffee at Sea Circus, nice pastries at the Bali Bakery, extremely good Japanese food at Dehana, Indonesian fare at Biku, a taste of Moroccan and local cuisine at Khaima. We ventured into nearby Legian for a seafood feast at Tekor on the beach front – very reasonably priced. It never cost more than $50 for two for a main meal, a couple of drinks and dessert – amazing!
We were very decadent and treated ourselves to a two hour full body massage and exfoliation for around $40 at the nearby Bodyworks Spa. We also had another exquisite hour long massage at Wellbeing Spa for $15. We had manicures and pedicures with gel nail polish applied in a place in Legian for $22. A small price to pay for such indulgence!
Our week flew by very quickly, but we certainly returned home with happy memories of this Indonesian island paradise and a promise to return again soon. What I loved the most was the Balinese people and their happy dispositions and laid back attitudes. They live so simply and always have a big smile on their faces. Bali you have earned a place in my heart!
Linking up with Wanderlust Wednesday
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
Comments are closed.
Liz
September 25, 2013Sounds fabulous Kathy! I know what you mean about having reservations about going to Bali and yet I too have many friends who have been to Bali and love it. I think I need to put my fears aside and take my 3 girls for some well earned r and r. Is there any point taking my husband?
Kathy
September 25, 2013Hi Liz, yes definitely take your husband. I’m sure he would enjoy a massage and maybe a pedicure. Also he would enjoy the downhill bike ride and the tour out to Uluwatu. There are many things to do like diving, surfing and there are boat trips out to a turtle island. The food is amazing and so cheap! I felt very safe there despite my earlier reservations.
jennyandstephenmilan
April 29, 2015Kathy, it looks as though it was a wonderful tropical retreat. I went there years ago and I still remember that the highlights were the beautiful people and the fabulous fruit.
On a completely different topic, how is your experience as an airbnb host going? I’d love to read an update.
Kathy
May 2, 2015Jenny, I did enjoy Bali much more than I thought. We are overseas and only just heard tragic news of executions so my post was probably bad timing.
Our B&B is going great and seem to be booked out most weekends and holidays. We have also met some wonderful people from all over the world.
Johanna
April 29, 2015Looks like you had a lovely time :) I love Bali too and have previously written about it, but I’ve just read this minute that the executions took place early this morning and that the Australian ambassador is to be withdrawn. I feel a deep sense of confusion and anguish at what’s happened and wonder how this will affect the relationship we have with the island.
Kathy
May 2, 2015I hope it doesn’t have the impact of people boycotting this beautiful paradise. The Balinese people are very peaceful and gentle people. You would have to agree that it is a special place. :)
Michelle Weaver (@pinkypoinker)
April 29, 2015Yes. I know what Johanna above is saying. A lot of people are vowing never to visit Bali again. However, I do not think we should punish the poor Indonesian people of their tourist economy because of the primitive decisions their government has made. You paint a pretty picture Kathy. I’ve never been there but I’ve heard some good things.
Kathy
May 2, 2015We only just heard the tragic news from Bali as we just hit land in Boston. Very sad indeed and entirely not the Balinese people’s fault. It is a great holiday destination. I enjoyed it immensely.
impulsivejourney
May 1, 2015Awesome post! I really want to visit Bali soon.
https://chasingafterchloe.wordpress.com
Kathy
May 2, 2015It’s a great place for a cheap and relaxing break Chloe. Thanks for dropping by my blog :)
Sally@Toddlers on Tour
November 11, 2015We too our becoming more fonder of Bali.
we have found quieter places to stay that aren’t in the main party areas yet still with plenty of cheap eateries served by laid back Balanese
Kathy
November 11, 2015Yes that is what I like about Bali too. The less busier parts are wonderful and the food is divine. :)
Ruth
November 11, 2015This is a place I have always wanted to go. I have heard about the Bali bombings but, maybe, because I live on the other side of the world, I didn’t have the notion to considered how those affected families and visitors. A lot of people I know would not consider Bali a dangerous place. In here, Mexico is “dangerous” but I imagine people in Australia do not have a bad image of the country.
Kathy
November 11, 2015For a long time I said I wouldn’t go near Bali because of the bombings, but I succumbed and I’m glad I did. I had a lovely holiday with my daughter.
seizetheday20
November 11, 2015What a lovely trip to share with your daughter Kathy.
Kathy
November 11, 2015It was a wonderful holiday just me and my daughter. We had a very indulgent week. :)
Bumble Bee Mum
November 11, 2015You make me wish I had a daughter. That photo of the Balinese boys is classic! Was that boy in front deliberately posing like that for you?? #WednesdayWanderlust
Kathy
November 12, 2015Daughters are very special, but so are sons. The Balinese boy was certainly posing for us as we cycled past – it was hilarious! Thanks for reading :)
Kassie O'Driscoll
November 12, 2015What a fun trip! Staying on “Eat Street” sounds like the best idea, ever. That pool looks awesome, too. When my sister and I traveled through Cambodia and Vietnam our accommodation requirements were (a) air conditioning and (b) a pool.
This post made me think of a friend that’s currently stuck in Bali because of the volcanic ash that’s hovering over the island. She’s been trying to get outta there for over a week! They are saying it could cause flight issues for the next 18 months! Needless to say, I’m glad you didn’t have to deal with any of that while you were visiting.
Kathy
November 12, 2015Oh no, that would be difficult to deal with if you have run out of money or you need to get back to work. I hope your friends make it back soon. Although I could think of worse places to be stuck in! And yes you do need both air conditioning and a pool in any of the Asian countries. Thanks for dropping by :)