Hi everyone,
At long last I am back behind my computer to tell you all about
our recent trip to Bali. I have to apologise for being out of touch but despite the fact that we landed at Sydney airport a
week ago, I was so busy sorting things out that I couldn’t spare a moment to
get back to my beloved blog let alone check what you are up to.
About to join my husband for a cocktail to enjoy beautiful Bali's sunset
Both my husband and I absolutely love Bali. We worked out that it was our seventh trip to the so called “Island of Gods”. We fell in love with it on our first trip in 2005. Back then the place looked totally different, peaceful and quiet with not much going on after dark, with the exception of the town of Kuta with its loud night clubs and drinking holes which we always avoided. Over the years the island has undergone a dramatic transformation: in came the big shopping malls, supermarkets, five-star hotels, private villas, boutique shops and art galleries, cafes and restaurants that not only lifted the profile of the island, but created thousands of jobs for the locals which consequently led to a rapid increase of cars and motor bikes that in turn added more traffic jams and road gridlocks.
Afternoon rush-hour
But don’t be put off by this because it is easy to find an
escape from the bedlam behind the walls of luxury hotels and private villas and
although the island boasts myriads of five star hotels, we prefer to stay at a
villa. Apart from the fact that you have
absolute privacy and sole use of the pool and all the other facilities, the
majority of them offer you more personalised services such as having your own
butler, a cook and a driver with further services of the masseur, yoga
instructor and so on, subject to the your budget. Luckily for us, due to the very favourable
exchange rate, we could afford to live surrounded by such luxuries which back
in Australia are totally beyond our reach.
Pool area of our villa
On the veranda
We were staying in Seminyak, the hip resort area at the end of
Bali’s main beach strip where chaos of Kuta gives way to a more sophisticated,
laid-back vibe, in one of the myriads of private villas called Villa Hermosa, situated in one of the tiny gangs (laneways) not
far from the main strip but hidden behind tall walls and dense fauna
providing us with complete privacy and noise isolation.
The
house itself was absolutely beautiful. Painted
in white inside and out, it was sparkling under the hot sun and its white walls
were reflected in the bright blue pool situated in the middle of the front lawn
surrounded by sunbeds on one corner and a cabana on the other. The interiors
were kept in the light neutral palette and reminded me of the Hampton’s style, casual
and relaxed but done in classic and sophisticated way. The villa also provided a private chef, a
driver and two lovely local young women who were there to cater to our every
whim and make sure that our stay was the most enjoyable. As we did a lot of sightseeing and driving up
and down the island in the past, we decided that it was high time for us to do
virtually nothing but relax and have some care-free moments.
Chill out corner
A bedroom
Stand alone bathtub is part of the on-suite
We started the days by swimming in the pool and sunbathing
followed by a lazy lunch at the local coffee shop and a dinner at the villa prepared by the chef-in-residence or at one of the
restaurants that we carefully selected and booked beforehand. This was another advantage that we didn’t
want to miss, having a magnificent dinner in an opulently furnished restaurant,
eating the most delicious meals and drinking numerous signature cocktails all
for the fraction of the price it would’ve cost us in Sydney.
Dinner prepared and served for us at the villa
Both of us love to wine and dine at good
places and so we invested some of our time to research where is good to eat
while in Bali and came up with the list of places that we liked. I then proceeded to make on-line reservations
so that when we arrived in Bali, we didn’t need to worry where or what we are
going to have for dinner or lunch. Of
course, some provision was made for spontaneity but believe it or not most
places that we went were fully booked and so our prudence paid off more than
once.
My Steak Tartare at Metis
On one rare occasion that we went shopping, I bought myself a pair of cute sandals which I will model later on a blog.
A collection of local dishes at Merah Putih
Desserts, same place
In front of Ke De Ta restaurant
After six blissful days of doing absolutely nothing, it was
time for us to pack our bags and go home but not before we made a detour to
Melbourne to attend a very traditional family wedding that lasted over three
days and included multiple lunches, dinner, religious ceremonies and the like.
Miraculously, there happened to be one evening free of any
parties and we took this opportunity to go to the one and only dessert restaurant
in the world, called Om Nam, where we sampled the most delicious cocktails and
ate desserts that looked like pieces of art and tasted delicious.
