Photo of the Week: Balinese Rijstafel

As you should all know, one of my favourite things about going to Bali is eating the delicious food. A lot of the time I stick to my favourite dishes like Mie Goreng and Beef Rendang but I love to try new things too. A great way to get a taste of a few different Balinese dishes is by ordering a Balinese Rijstafle. This is basically a tasting plate of things like satay's and curries. It's something that served and nearly every restaurant. This one was at La Playa in Sanur and even though the dishes were explained, I barely knew I what I was eating but it was all delicious!

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23 Sleeps To Go!!

It feels so close but still so far, but just over 3 weeks to go until I'm back in Bali. My friends and I are so excited!! I love reminding them how close our holiday is and they say it's really helping them get through the last few weeks of their uni semester. I remember starting the countdown from 112 sleeps and now it's almost within reach!:)

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Photo of the Week: Mie Goreng for Breakfast

One of my favourite things about being in Bali is the food. I try to eat Indonesian food as much as I can when I'm away; I feel like I'm wasting my taste buds if I don't. Mie Goreng for breakfast is the perfect way to start a day in Bali and even after going to Bali so many times, it still feels like a bit of a novelty. If I didn't feel like I was missing out on trying other delicious dishes, I would quite happily eat Mie Goreng for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Except for when I'm eating Mona Lisa's beef rendang:)

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Aroma Spa Retreat, Sanur

During my most recent trip to Bali, Mum insisted that we go to a spa that she had come across while visa friends staying at the Mercure Resort in Sanur. Mum's friend had taken her there, boasting its location and setting. Mum gave it a go and loved it so we just had to go during our trip in July.
The spa is Aroma Spa. Having gone into partnership with the Sanur Beach Hotel, they've got a beautiful beachfront location that's open to the sunshine and the breeze, yet quiet and private. It's the perfect setting for a relaxing massage, facial, body wrap or even just for a simple manicure or pedicure.

I would love to get a massage here in one of these gorgeous open bales. I can imagine how peaceful it would be to have the gorgeous breeze coming through while feeling absolutely relaxed. I can't think of a more perfect setting.

The spa has a little on site pool that is for spa guests only. It does cost 100,000 Rupiah to use but this is deducted from the cost of your treatment. Mum and I spent some time laying by the pool prior to our treatment. It's worth coming a little bit early to relax by the pool, order a drink or lunch from the spa-only poolside menu before entering the gorgeous spa for your treatment.

All the treatments, except for the massages in the bales, are done in this beautiful area, all perfectly set-up so you're facing out to the ocean. The spa also has private rooms, which I didn't get a look at but look just as good as the rest of the spa. I definitely wouldn't mind getting a package done to truly make the most of what the spa offers.
I loved getting my treatment done here, while sitting back and watching the world go by. It is such a peaceful spa, with the staff all professionally trained. Everything is kept quiet; the staff, the patrons and the music at just the right volume.

Images from www.aromasparetreat.com

They've got a range of treatments to suit everyone, from manicures and pedicures to massages, hair services, facials, body wraps and one day treatments, along with fabulous sounding packages. All of these have great prices to match. The spa is not the cheapest one you could find, but when you come to Aroma, you're not just paying for your treatment, you're pay for great, professional service in a beautiful, relaxing atmosphere. The way I see it is for the kind of service you get at Aroma Spa, you'd probably have to pay triple the price in Australia and even then you wouldn't be able to get close to the same setting or atmosphere. Whether you're in Sanur or not, I would definitely recommend giving Aroma Spa a go.
Check out their services and prices here.
Aroma Spa has two locations:

• Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai, number 195, Sanur
• Sanur Beach Hotel, Jalan Cemara, Sanur

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Bamboo Shoots Cooking Class

Back in February, my family and I participated in a Bamboo Shoots cooking class (read about it here). My mum had organised this prior to our trip. Having done a few cooking classes before, what attracted her to this one was that it is a locally owned and run class. An Australian expat and his Indonesian wife started the classes and run them from the comfort of their villa complex in South Sanur. For what is included, it's great value for money. For 450,000 Rupiah (roughly $45 Australian) you get hotel pick-up and drop-off from the Sanur area (another 150,000 Rupiah for pick-up from Kuta, Legian or Seminyak), a tour of the local markets where some of the ingredients are bought, breakfast and lunch.

What we all loved about this class is that it's quite informal. Whether you're travelling alone, as a couple or with family, it's a great class to do to meet some lovely people. The rest of our group was Australian too; a lady from Darwin, a mother and daughter from Melbourne and a young couple from Adelaide. It was great to spend the time cooking, but being able to chat freely to everyone and get to know them. You can participate as much or as little as you like which gives you the chance to chat, take photos, have a look at the villa complex your just watch. The recipes are also very easy to transfer to cooking back in your own kitchen.

The class has a great little set-up at the back of the villa complex. It is open air so it was a little hot, but when it gets too much you can just plonk yourself down on one of the comfy seats they have to one side of the kitchen. And of course the best part is eating the food you (or everyone else) has cooked. As you cook one dish at a time, there is time between each dish to sit down and eat. The food was all delicious, authentic and there was more than enough to go around. We all received a recipe book at the start of the class so we could follow along, add our own notes or ask what specific ingredients in the dishes are. These are also free for you to take home to recreate what you've made back home.

If you're looking for a hands on, but casual cooking class, I would definitely recommend Bamboo Shoots and I look forward to doing it again one day.

Go here to check out their website and find out more.

Happy cooking!!

 

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Photo of the Week: A Walk With a View

In July this year, Mum and I participated in a bike tour through East Bali that included a walk through rice fields. This was at Tenganan, known as a Bali Aga Village. It's a traditional village not far from Candi Dasa. The walk we went on was through the village's land. This land is owned by the people of the village meaning it has not and been been built on. Walking through the land was beautiful. The view was incredible, with only rice fields in view as far as you could see. I couldn't stop taking photo for the whole trek, the view was that breathtaking. Tenganan is not very advertised so it's is quiet and somewhat untouched. Definitely worth a trip to.

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What's in my Bali Beauty Bag

Bali is one of those placest that you really don't need to take much make up. During the day, you'll probably either sweat it off or swim it off and for nights, you only need a little bit extra for those nicer dinners you might be going out to. Over the years, I have become quite good at knowing what I do and do not need to take with me. Here are my essentials:

For day time I generally stick with concealer (for those night-before bags under your eyes), pressed powder, bronzer and waterproof mascara. I've recently started using the Benefit Hello Flawless powder that has SPF 15. You can give a light sweep of it over your face for light coverage or use a sponge for full coverage. Let's face it, when you first arrive in Bali, you don't have a tan. Sometimes I'll skip the powder and just use bronzer for a touch of something. Because I sometimes use it all over my face, I steer clear of bronzers that are full of shine and sparkle. The one I use is just from Sportsgirl. Sometimes I'll skip all of this and just use waterproof mascara, my one must have make up. The brand I use is Maybelline and I usually stock up on this when I'm in Bali because it's SO much cheaper than buying it in Australia. Now I'm a big eyebrow person and because my brows are a bit fine, I like to make sure do at least some kind of grooming. I recently bought Benefit's Gimme Brow which is waterproof. It has a mini-mascara like brush to make it quick and easy to just give your brows a bit of something extra.
For night time, I use these products as well as possibly adding Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl (yes, I love Benefit products) for a little shimmer on my cheeks, before adding bronzer. Lastly, I'll use either a bit of eyeliner or eye shadow. The eyeliner I use is a Maybelline gel liner that I bought in Bali from Matahari. Once again, so much cheaper than buying it in Australia. It comes with a great little brush that's perfect for applying it however you like it. As for eye shadow, I bought a great little kit from, yes you guessed it, Benefit. The kit, World Famous Neutrals, has a range of little eye shadows as well as a mini booklet with tips for applying them for both day and night looks.
At the end of the day, there's nothing better than wiping your skin clean, giving it a good cleanse and moisturise. For this I use cleansing wipes to get rid of all the make-up and grime, before washing my face with my beloved Sukin products. After swimming in chlorine and being in the sun all day, I love to have a good moisturising to wake up with fresh, soft skin:)

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The November Plan, Part 4

Last week I received an e-mail from Virgin Australia informing me that my and my friends flight time from Bali had been changed from 6:00pm to 1:30pm the same day; 4.5 hours earlier. Our flight going to Bali had already been changed to 11 hours later than the original time taking away a day, so I was far from happy about this change that took away another day from our holiday.

After quickly discussing things with my friends, myself and one of the girls, Mikhala, decided to change our flight home to the following day to make up for this, while Courtney and Sami had to stick with the original plan and deal with the time change. This meant that I needed to find a place for Mikhala and I to stay for that extra night. So I was on a search for a cheap, friendly and comfortable hotel in a good location. After a bit of research and advice from fellow Bali goers, I settled on Poppies Cottages.

Poppies is a well known little hotel located in Kuta in Poppies Lane 1. Kuta is known for being very touristy, busy, noisy, smelly which it is but Poppies is known as an oasis and all this gets left behind when you walk through the gate. It's a great price of $85 per night plus tax and is in a great location with some fantastic restaurants on the doorstep and the beach just a 5 minute walk away. Mum and I enjoyed Poppies Restaurant in July (see here) which was great and had the same feel as what I hear Poppies Cottages has. I'm really looking forward to staying there, even if it's only for a night.

Image from www.poppiesbali.com

 

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Photo of the Week: Grand Balisani Suites

I stayed at this hotel in June 2012 with my best friend. Grand Balisani Suites is a beautiful hotel located at the North end of Seminyak. It's a beachfront hotel with a great pool and very comfortable rooms. It had a gorgeous on-site spa and the whole place just had a very relaxed feel to it. It was fantastic laying on the pool lounges, overlooking the pool and listening to the waves crashing on the beach. Because the hotel is quite far North, it didn't have a lot of foot traffic going by so it was for the most part very quiet. It's just a 10 minute walk along the beach to get to places like Potato Head and 5 minutes along the street to Naughty Nuri's. It's a hotel I would love to return to one day.

 

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Sukin Organics Give-Away Winners!!

A big thank you to everyone that entered the competition. All your entries were fantastic!! I had a great time reading all of your spa experiences and they all made me wish I was back in Bali being pampered!! I've also made a list of new spas to try thanks to all of you:)
Anyway, let's get down to it. 5 winners had to be chosen so here they are and their entries:
Lisa Watson of Queensland
The best spa experience I had was at Waka Di Ume, where the massage benches overlooked the tropical rainforest, as did the spa and my masseuse Puri had magic fingers that had me floating on a cloud. Underneath my face on the floor, was a bowl of water with floating frangipanis that was almost hypnotic to watch as they gently swayed in the water. I've come to realise that Bali is my quiet place, where my soul can rest.

Jane Schofield of Western Australia
When my friend Kate and I booked for a special massage treatment as a couple , we had to get undressed and put on these tiny paper g strings . it was such a hilarious experience for us both being rather modest 50 year old girls and me wondering if I could even fit one thigh into the tiny thing in a cosy darkened room. However, once the massages began, we forgot all about our states of undress and got totally lost in bliss with the beautiful music, hands, aromas and hot stones.

Alain Millet of New South Wales
Best spa experience in Bali was at One World Retreats Kumara in Ubud. I was doing a weeks yoga retreat which was awesome. My package included 3 spa treatments. Each room was a separate villa - and prior to your spa appointment you were collected from your villa by the spa staff. The ultimate treatment was the Ayurvedic Shirodara where the warm oil is poured onto your third eye or 6th chakra point. This amazing treatment started with a face neck and shoulder massage - and the treatment concluded with a mandi lulur, full body scrub followed by a long soak in a huge marble bath where I competed for space with what seemed like the flowers of 10 frangipani trees.
This bath was set on a private balcony - overlooking the Rice terraces and Agung River - very peaceful and private. Could hardly rouse myself to shower, dress and sip a warm ginger tea
ah the serenity

Amanda Monsen of New South Wales
The best spa experience in Bali for me was the day my 7 year old daughter & I did a spa crawl in Seminyak. It started at Carla's Spa with a foot fish spa which she was brave enough to finally dip her toes in with one min to spare. Then it was to Bodyworks for her tiny fingers & toes to be painted with little flowers. She loved it. I had a wonderful manicure. Then finally next door to a limitless spa where she had her hair braided. It took ages but she loved having the braids. She still talks about that day & we both cant wait to return to Bali & do it again <3 thank you : )))
Christie Ainsworth of Western Australia
Shangrila Spa Ubud. My masseuse was a gentleman by the name of Rama. I don’t think his hands left my body the entire time he was massaging me. The treatment started with a quick session on a harmonic sound table, and then a foot soak in a flower bath followed by 30 minutes of reflexology and a 30 minute back neck and shoulder massage. Then to another massage room for a 1 hour full body massage including crystal bowl therapy followed by a salt scrub. Off to the very clean shower area to wash off, dressed, and back into the same room for a facial (using Biokos products). Last of all a pedicure and polish. The spa was one whole room, but partitioned off by beautiful, bright curtains. It was a serene, quiet atmosphere, but you could still hear little day to day noises every now (child, chicken, scooter) and to remind you that you were actually still part of this world. A 4 hour bliss experience, all for under AUS$50. Amazing!
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you again to all that entered. To the winners; your Sukin Organics gift packs will be sent out to you soon; I hope you enjoy them as much I do. To everyone else that entered, I would definitely recommend giving the Sukin products a try.

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Ciao Bella!

I recently came across an online store by the name of Ciao Bella. They specialise in stylish travel accessories, travel wear and necessities like power adapters and luggage locks. They have everything you could possibily need to make packing easier and to keep you and your suitcase organised. While I was browsing the website, I made a mental list of all the things I would love to buy. If you're a regular traveller like me - or even if you're not- , this may be your heaven. Some of my favourites were the Lapoche Charge Me Up Bag (here), jewellery cases (here) and their travel wallets (here). I also wouldn't mind getting their Go Travel Dry Phone Pouch (here). All of these products, and more, come in a range of bright and beautiful colours.

Images from www.ciaobellatravel.com.au

I contacted Ciao Bella and they kindly offered to send me a couple of things to try out during my next trip. My first choice was the Willow and Finch Jewellery Wallet. When I travel, I have a habit of throwing all my jewellery into a small cosmetics bag which always results in it getting tangled and a frustrated me when I'm trying to untangle it all. The Willow and Finch Jewellery Wallet has special places for each of your jewellery pieces. A buttoning strap to hang your rings on (you could put bracelets and necklaces on here too) another for your earrings where they'll be kept in pairs and not get lost, and zipped pockets for your bracelets and necklaces. If your going to be really clever, the whole wallet could double as just that- a wallet!!

I was really excited when it arrived in the mail the other week. I chose the wallet in tangerine; nice and bright! It's a great size (the same size as a normal wallet), very functional and practical; I can't believe I've done so much travelling without one!! The wallet holds 4 pairs of earrings, and as many rings, bracelets and necklaces as you could fit in there and still close it, which is just the right size to take your favourite or basic jewellery pieces when travelling.

Images from www.ciaobellatravel.com.au

Ciao Bella has been very kind to me, but they're also being kind to you:) They have offered 10% off for my wonderful readers at the checkout, so go get shopping! Just enter the special code "ANNA10" before paying for your items to enjoy the discount. They've got some fabulous pieces that would be great for you and also as Christmas presents so make the most of that discount!! I know I will be. Check out their website here. Happy shopping everyone!!

 

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