Beautiful Bali - Perfect way to celebrate 10yrs of marriage :-)
As I stare into the rain drops, I am reminded of our stay in UBUD (Bali, Indonesia). Hence, I decided to start my blog writing with our Bali 2019 holiday.
It was our 10th wedding anniversary holiday (Mar 2019) and I was eagerly waiting to board our flight from Singapore to Bali. Bali was our top choice due to budget and the number of days available (it is sad how we corporate workers are tied down to our desks). Most common consideration, it is close to Singapore and we knew this holiday will not burn a hole in our pocket. Besides, we wanted to take our daughter (Iyana) with us to celebrate.
We had been to Bali few times before but never did we stay at UBUD before. Plan was to experience UBUD during this visit. As we booked our tickets (they were really cheap, thanks to Jetstar Family and Friends deal), we realised how we can accommodate a day here and there and cover more of Bali.
Day 1 - We landed in Bali at 7:30am and headed straight to Nusa Dua Conrad Bali (Approx 20mins from the airport). It is a beautiful resort and looks enchanting right as you enter. The hotel faces the Nusa Dua beach and houses many rooms. We were starving after a long night out and decided to head for breakfast. A sumptuous buffet - had many varieties - Asian cuisine, International cuisine, Continental cuisine, a variety of breads and pastries, yogurt, fruits and many more. My daughter enjoyed the buffet (especially the doughnuts) and we went to nap to recoup from the early morning journey. Reason for choosing Nusa Dua was - It is close to the airport and we can get to our accommodation rather quickly.
The suite room was huge with a balcony / pool view and sea view. The bathroom was huge and had a bathtub. Soaking up was the ultimate target. To surprise us, the hotel even brought us an anniversary cake.
We rested for a while before heading out to GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kenchana). The statue is the 4th largest is the world with a height of 120m. The museum itself was open but going up to the Garuda was still under construction. It was a hot summer afternoon and we decided to wrap up our adventure quickly before heading to Jimbaran Bay for dinner.We personally recommend Lia's cafe which has been tried and tested during many of our visits.
I must say this - Jimbaran has the best ever seafood in the world! Yes - in the WORLD! It is value for money and the tastes so good! There is no way we would skip Jimbaran on a trip to Bali. Tops my list as I am a foodie and I would travel to long distances for a good meal! I would recommend a wholesome seafood platter (it comes with crab, prawns, fish, mussels, rice, soup, beer and chicken in some platters too). Located at Jimbaran Bay (South of Bali), this is the very 1st must-do in Bali.
Day 2 - We woke up to enjoy another round of sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. While in Indonesia, the local porridge (bubur ayam) is a must try along with the local cuisines they offer such as Nasi Goreng, Gado Gado...
We headed down south to the Pandawa's beach. This beach is famous for housing the statues of Kunti and the five Pandavas. The statues are huge and are depicted artistically. After visiting the Pandawa beach (I am not a big fan of beaches in a hot weather), we moved north to Gianyar and checked into Mara River Safari Lodge - Experience Africa in Bali. Remember, we brought our daughter along? This is a perfect place for families to stay in a safari resort and view the animals from the room itself. The resort provides you with carrots to feed the animals from your balcony. Animals - include Zebra, Giraffe, Wilder beast, Rhino...But mostly the zebras are attracted to the rooms / humans. We enjoyed the safari stay and visited the safari before heading to the swimming pool for a round of drinks (there is a pool bar) and a swim. Speciality - you can see the animals from the pool too! And there is more - an outdoor spa! I couldn't resist myself - went ahead for a massage while the rhino was trumpeting out there....What an experience! This is the 2nd must-do in Bali!
As if the above wasn't enough, we went to the Tsavo Lion Restaurant (located in the safari) to witness the traditional African fire dance. As the restaurant name suggests, there are lions! Thankfully behind a glass panel. It was a little weird to eat the dinner while the lion stares at you as its dinner. But well - something we genuinely enjoyed. The resort also offers a night safari whereby they cage you in a container with railings and leave the lions outside. Definitely interesting but we decided to give it a miss not knowing how Iyana would assimilate the experience. There are also dinner BBQ packages one can choose from. We were again bestowed with an anniversary cake (too much sugar in 2 days).
Day 3 - We woke up to the sound of zebras outside our villa. We were all so excited and started feeding them with carrots kept in our room by the resort staff. This was an exhilarating experience. After a decent breakfast (spread was okay) at the Lion restaurant again, we went to feed the giraffe. Iyana was all excited to feed vegetables to the giraffe and click some pictures. Bidding adieu to all the animals, we headed up north again and this time to the Ubud Monkey Forest. It is a nice park with many monkeys scattered all over. One has to be careful from the monkeys else they will snatch your belongings away. We were careful and also managed to click the famous selfie with monkey (wifie).
After completing our monkey adventure, we headed up north to Tegallalang (rice fields north of UBUD). Nau Villas is located in a tranquil section of the rice fields. We had our own private infinity pool and a huge bathtub decorated with flowers to welcome us. The decoration was lovely and something we would remember as our 10th wedding anniversary token. The villa had taken extra care to make it special for us.
We decided to spend the remaining 3 days cherishing the villa with the pool. Those who know us, would know - we can't stay put in a place at all. immediately, that very same evening, we headed to the Terrace River Pool Swing to experience the new activities introduced in recent times. Swing wasn't that scary (well, we have done sky diving) and taking pictures at the nest was basically a tick in the box.
Day 4 - Amazing start to the morning with a floating breakfast in our private pool! The spread was huge (we chose it the previous night) and we ate our breakfast heartily inside the pool overlooking the rice fields. Once we were out of our breakfast high, we headed to Pura Ulun Danu Batur for our wedding anniversary prayers (yes, we did this in Bali) and experienced very different rituals. Coming from a Hindu family ourselves, we noticed how different Balinese Hindu culture was. The temples are kept clean and in most temples, animal sacrifices (prominently hen) is still regular. We can even wear footwear inside the temple and smoke (I spotted some people smoking)! This is rather different from what we have seen in Indian Hindu temples globally. Balinese Hindus are liberal and yet very traditional in maintaining their culture. Thanks to the temple visit, I got to wear a traditional Balinese Kebaya.
Post the temple visit, we headed for a buffet lunch (Batur Sari 2) with our travel guides. the restaurant had decent food and but it was popular due to the view of Mt.Batur. Upon return to the villa, we had an in-room spa treatment (fulfilling indeed) and swim time at our very own pool. Dinner at the villa was good (lot of vegetarian varieties).
Day 5 - Another amazing morning with a floating breakfast. This spoilt us! We wanted to take it slow this day. What is Bali without shopping? So we hopped onto our vehicle and went around the Tampaksiring, Tegallalang and Ubud area for shopping. Lots of handicrafts, paintings, bags, souvenirs, etc. I even purchased a Kebaya for Iyana and myself. We visited a wooden carving shop and watched the artists work on wooden carvings - that was exquisite! For lunch, we visited a small cafe in Tampaksiring, Warung Gula, which overlooked the rice fields. Speciality - food was great and we actually had to climb stairs/ladders to go up to the roof for dining. We enjoyed the food in rain (hence, my earlier remark about how rain reminded me of UBUD).
Day 6 -We decided to head to the garden area overlooking the rice fields for a private breakfast.It was the last day of the holiday and we just didn't want the luxury to end. But alas, we had to checkout and proceed to the airport. On the way, we stopped at a small cafeteria (Bakso selling cafe) and ate a local Indonesian meal (just for SGD 1.50). Locals mostly eat in small cafes which are inexpensive and easy to find. Large restaurants and cafeteria are visited mostly by tourists as they are relatively more expensive than local restaurants.
That was the end of our 6 days' expedition to Bali and we loved every bit of it. This was especially enjoyable because Iyana travelled with us and enjoyed thoroughly. Bali is a huge place with many activities for people - be it for singles / married couples / families / large group... There is a lot to do for everyone. Can't wait for my next trip to Bali and explore new places.
As per request; I am adding some key notes/contacts. This would help you plan and coordinate your trip to Bali.
Tour Guide / Travel Vehicles: Sanura Tours & Travels. Contact Name: Sudana / Yuliani
Whatsapp number: +62-817437136
Bali is a huge place with not-so-developed public transport. Hence, it is advisable to have a vehicle always to visit places. Most resorts offer bikes to travel to nearby places.
Do quote my name to Yuliani to receive extra great service (Sudana and Yuliani have been helping us in Bali for almost 10 years now).
Traditional Ratan Handicrafts: Funny Art (Special Lombok Craft/ Rattan and Atta)
Address: Jl. Raya Gentling, Br. Gentling, Tegallalang, Gianyar - Bali
Traveling to Bali: Bali has a very beautiful airport that is home to many international airlines but connectivity is mostly from Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur for travellers coming from other parts of the world. Popular Airlines are; Silkair / Air Asia / Jet Star / Scoot / Garuda...
Nightlife Areas:
Legian / Kuta area has many bars and clubs.
Rock Bar is a famous spot to view the sunset while having a few drinks
La Brissa Bali at Canggu
FinnBar
Food Options / Restaurants:
Made's Warung (Seminyak and Kuta). Seminyak is bigger. Both offer vegetarian options.
Jimbaran Bay: Home to many cafes but Lia's cafe remains my favourite
Warung Gula: Few outlets with some vegetarian options
For pure vegetarian people: There are many Indian restaurants in the Kuta area
Shopping / Souvenirs:
Krishna Bali
Hawaii Khas Oleh Oleh
Ubud traditional market
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Tampaksiring Temple Market
Visit my Instagram Page to view more pictures and find out more about each place :-)
Tummy_Full_Travel
It was our 10th wedding anniversary holiday (Mar 2019) and I was eagerly waiting to board our flight from Singapore to Bali. Bali was our top choice due to budget and the number of days available (it is sad how we corporate workers are tied down to our desks). Most common consideration, it is close to Singapore and we knew this holiday will not burn a hole in our pocket. Besides, we wanted to take our daughter (Iyana) with us to celebrate.
We had been to Bali few times before but never did we stay at UBUD before. Plan was to experience UBUD during this visit. As we booked our tickets (they were really cheap, thanks to Jetstar Family and Friends deal), we realised how we can accommodate a day here and there and cover more of Bali.
Day 1 - We landed in Bali at 7:30am and headed straight to Nusa Dua Conrad Bali (Approx 20mins from the airport). It is a beautiful resort and looks enchanting right as you enter. The hotel faces the Nusa Dua beach and houses many rooms. We were starving after a long night out and decided to head for breakfast. A sumptuous buffet - had many varieties - Asian cuisine, International cuisine, Continental cuisine, a variety of breads and pastries, yogurt, fruits and many more. My daughter enjoyed the buffet (especially the doughnuts) and we went to nap to recoup from the early morning journey. Reason for choosing Nusa Dua was - It is close to the airport and we can get to our accommodation rather quickly.
The suite room was huge with a balcony / pool view and sea view. The bathroom was huge and had a bathtub. Soaking up was the ultimate target. To surprise us, the hotel even brought us an anniversary cake.
We rested for a while before heading out to GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kenchana). The statue is the 4th largest is the world with a height of 120m. The museum itself was open but going up to the Garuda was still under construction. It was a hot summer afternoon and we decided to wrap up our adventure quickly before heading to Jimbaran Bay for dinner.We personally recommend Lia's cafe which has been tried and tested during many of our visits.
I must say this - Jimbaran has the best ever seafood in the world! Yes - in the WORLD! It is value for money and the tastes so good! There is no way we would skip Jimbaran on a trip to Bali. Tops my list as I am a foodie and I would travel to long distances for a good meal! I would recommend a wholesome seafood platter (it comes with crab, prawns, fish, mussels, rice, soup, beer and chicken in some platters too). Located at Jimbaran Bay (South of Bali), this is the very 1st must-do in Bali.
We headed down south to the Pandawa's beach. This beach is famous for housing the statues of Kunti and the five Pandavas. The statues are huge and are depicted artistically. After visiting the Pandawa beach (I am not a big fan of beaches in a hot weather), we moved north to Gianyar and checked into Mara River Safari Lodge - Experience Africa in Bali. Remember, we brought our daughter along? This is a perfect place for families to stay in a safari resort and view the animals from the room itself. The resort provides you with carrots to feed the animals from your balcony. Animals - include Zebra, Giraffe, Wilder beast, Rhino...But mostly the zebras are attracted to the rooms / humans. We enjoyed the safari stay and visited the safari before heading to the swimming pool for a round of drinks (there is a pool bar) and a swim. Speciality - you can see the animals from the pool too! And there is more - an outdoor spa! I couldn't resist myself - went ahead for a massage while the rhino was trumpeting out there....What an experience! This is the 2nd must-do in Bali!
As if the above wasn't enough, we went to the Tsavo Lion Restaurant (located in the safari) to witness the traditional African fire dance. As the restaurant name suggests, there are lions! Thankfully behind a glass panel. It was a little weird to eat the dinner while the lion stares at you as its dinner. But well - something we genuinely enjoyed. The resort also offers a night safari whereby they cage you in a container with railings and leave the lions outside. Definitely interesting but we decided to give it a miss not knowing how Iyana would assimilate the experience. There are also dinner BBQ packages one can choose from. We were again bestowed with an anniversary cake (too much sugar in 2 days).
Day 3 - We woke up to the sound of zebras outside our villa. We were all so excited and started feeding them with carrots kept in our room by the resort staff. This was an exhilarating experience. After a decent breakfast (spread was okay) at the Lion restaurant again, we went to feed the giraffe. Iyana was all excited to feed vegetables to the giraffe and click some pictures. Bidding adieu to all the animals, we headed up north again and this time to the Ubud Monkey Forest. It is a nice park with many monkeys scattered all over. One has to be careful from the monkeys else they will snatch your belongings away. We were careful and also managed to click the famous selfie with monkey (wifie).
After completing our monkey adventure, we headed up north to Tegallalang (rice fields north of UBUD). Nau Villas is located in a tranquil section of the rice fields. We had our own private infinity pool and a huge bathtub decorated with flowers to welcome us. The decoration was lovely and something we would remember as our 10th wedding anniversary token. The villa had taken extra care to make it special for us.
We decided to spend the remaining 3 days cherishing the villa with the pool. Those who know us, would know - we can't stay put in a place at all. immediately, that very same evening, we headed to the Terrace River Pool Swing to experience the new activities introduced in recent times. Swing wasn't that scary (well, we have done sky diving) and taking pictures at the nest was basically a tick in the box.
Day 4 - Amazing start to the morning with a floating breakfast in our private pool! The spread was huge (we chose it the previous night) and we ate our breakfast heartily inside the pool overlooking the rice fields. Once we were out of our breakfast high, we headed to Pura Ulun Danu Batur for our wedding anniversary prayers (yes, we did this in Bali) and experienced very different rituals. Coming from a Hindu family ourselves, we noticed how different Balinese Hindu culture was. The temples are kept clean and in most temples, animal sacrifices (prominently hen) is still regular. We can even wear footwear inside the temple and smoke (I spotted some people smoking)! This is rather different from what we have seen in Indian Hindu temples globally. Balinese Hindus are liberal and yet very traditional in maintaining their culture. Thanks to the temple visit, I got to wear a traditional Balinese Kebaya.
Post the temple visit, we headed for a buffet lunch (Batur Sari 2) with our travel guides. the restaurant had decent food and but it was popular due to the view of Mt.Batur. Upon return to the villa, we had an in-room spa treatment (fulfilling indeed) and swim time at our very own pool. Dinner at the villa was good (lot of vegetarian varieties).
Day 5 - Another amazing morning with a floating breakfast. This spoilt us! We wanted to take it slow this day. What is Bali without shopping? So we hopped onto our vehicle and went around the Tampaksiring, Tegallalang and Ubud area for shopping. Lots of handicrafts, paintings, bags, souvenirs, etc. I even purchased a Kebaya for Iyana and myself. We visited a wooden carving shop and watched the artists work on wooden carvings - that was exquisite! For lunch, we visited a small cafe in Tampaksiring, Warung Gula, which overlooked the rice fields. Speciality - food was great and we actually had to climb stairs/ladders to go up to the roof for dining. We enjoyed the food in rain (hence, my earlier remark about how rain reminded me of UBUD).
Day 6 -We decided to head to the garden area overlooking the rice fields for a private breakfast.It was the last day of the holiday and we just didn't want the luxury to end. But alas, we had to checkout and proceed to the airport. On the way, we stopped at a small cafeteria (Bakso selling cafe) and ate a local Indonesian meal (just for SGD 1.50). Locals mostly eat in small cafes which are inexpensive and easy to find. Large restaurants and cafeteria are visited mostly by tourists as they are relatively more expensive than local restaurants.
That was the end of our 6 days' expedition to Bali and we loved every bit of it. This was especially enjoyable because Iyana travelled with us and enjoyed thoroughly. Bali is a huge place with many activities for people - be it for singles / married couples / families / large group... There is a lot to do for everyone. Can't wait for my next trip to Bali and explore new places.
As per request; I am adding some key notes/contacts. This would help you plan and coordinate your trip to Bali.
Tour Guide / Travel Vehicles: Sanura Tours & Travels. Contact Name: Sudana / Yuliani
Whatsapp number: +62-817437136
Bali is a huge place with not-so-developed public transport. Hence, it is advisable to have a vehicle always to visit places. Most resorts offer bikes to travel to nearby places.
Do quote my name to Yuliani to receive extra great service (Sudana and Yuliani have been helping us in Bali for almost 10 years now).
Traditional Ratan Handicrafts: Funny Art (Special Lombok Craft/ Rattan and Atta)
Address: Jl. Raya Gentling, Br. Gentling, Tegallalang, Gianyar - Bali
Traveling to Bali: Bali has a very beautiful airport that is home to many international airlines but connectivity is mostly from Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur for travellers coming from other parts of the world. Popular Airlines are; Silkair / Air Asia / Jet Star / Scoot / Garuda...
Nightlife Areas:
Legian / Kuta area has many bars and clubs.
Rock Bar is a famous spot to view the sunset while having a few drinks
La Brissa Bali at Canggu
FinnBar
Food Options / Restaurants:
Made's Warung (Seminyak and Kuta). Seminyak is bigger. Both offer vegetarian options.
Jimbaran Bay: Home to many cafes but Lia's cafe remains my favourite
Warung Gula: Few outlets with some vegetarian options
For pure vegetarian people: There are many Indian restaurants in the Kuta area
Shopping / Souvenirs:
Krishna Bali
Hawaii Khas Oleh Oleh
Ubud traditional market
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Tampaksiring Temple Market
Visit my Instagram Page to view more pictures and find out more about each place :-)
Tummy_Full_Travel
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