What a way to start my day. Mum and I had a stupid o'clock 3:40am flight with Jetstar that had us in Bali at 7:30, just in time for breakfast. It wasn't just any old breakfast we were having, Oka was taking us to his family home in Sanur to see Yuda and his wife Made. We have forged such a beautiful friendship with this family, seeing them has become one of the things I look forward to most. They are such warm and gracious people, you'd have to have a heart of stone to not have a soft spot for them. We were greeted with more hugs from Yuda and Made as they welcomed us into their home. I was lucky enough to come here for dinner one night during my March trip and was so happy to be back. Yuda was so proud to show us around their home that they are currently renovating. We were invited to sit and Oka brought us breakfast cooked fresh by Made. It was a delicious Balinese style omelette that I had to keep myself from wolfing down as quickly as I could. It was still to early to head off so to kill sometime, Yuda took mum for a scoot around the back streets of Sanur where they live. Mum has recently decided that although she's not comfortable with hiring a scooter (or my dad hiring one and riding on the back) that she'd be perfectly comfortable riding on the back of Yuda or Oka's so she was all for it. What a daredevil. She returned about 10 minutes later with a big smile before Oka took over and took me for a ride.
It was great to explore the back roads and spot villas that I've heard of but never seen. There is so much more to Sanur tucked away from the roads that I know.
It was time to head off in the general direction of our first hotel so after a quick stop at Hardy's to grab a few essentials, we piled into the car; Oka, Yuda, Made, mum and myself. Yuda had a couple of stops planned for us- he does like to keep us on our toes. As we headed north towards Candi Dasa, we made our first stop at Komune Resort and Beach Club. This is an eco resort located about 15 minutes North of Sanur. It's a popular spot for surfers with its beachfront location with a decent surf break on the doorstep and its night surfing. I've seen many photos and have been following their Instagram for a while but didn't have any plans to visit. That has definitely changed now. It's a beautiful hotel with simple but very comfortable rooms, its Eco-friendly feel with vegie patches in the hotel grounds and it's absolutely stunning beach club. I've had a few beach club experiences but Komune is in a world of its own. It's got the same chilled out vibe that you'll find at the likes of Potato Head but with the glitz and glamour. It's really just a place to hang out, surf and enjoy the incredible view of their black sand beach.
Although we were only there for all of 15 minutes, I've fallen in love with and we've made plans to come back. I can definitely see myself staying here at some point even though I can't surf to save my life. Hey, maybe I'll meet a nice surfer boy to keep.
Back in the car, our next stop was to Yuda's village where he was born and grew up. He'd been wanting to take us for a while and we thought it was such a nice gesture so agreed to go during this trip. The village was a beautiful one tucked between Komune and Candi Dasa. He welcomed us into his complex and introduced us to his family with his usual big smile. None of them spoke English but it was so special to watch them go about their daily lives. I met such a gorgeous little boy while I was there who played a game of peek-a-boo before turning into a show pony and marching around the place, doing Spider-Man jumps and keeping us laughing. It was so beautiful to see and connect with him despite our language and cultural barrier. He gave me a big hi-five as we left and waved goodbye.
We were then off to visit Made's village. There was quite a contrast between the two; as Made's village was considered a city village and therefore a richer village, with the higher status came pets. I found it quite confronting to see so many dogs on chains and in cages that were much too small for them. I had to force myself to look away because even though I am an animal lover, I know that having status is part of the Balinese culture. There is currently a push to educate the Balinese on many things including how to care for their pets properly which, after seeing these dogs, I am so thankful for.
After a quick meet and greet with nieces and sisters, it was time to move on again and get to our hotel. With a quick hello to some friends staying at another hotel and confirmation of our dinner plans, we headed to Candi Beach Cottages. We were welcomed warmly and even scored a room upgrade; the perfect way to begin our stay. This was my first time to Candi Dasa so I was really looking forward to it.
We were lead to our room; a bungalow that although is a bit outdated is very comfortable, to settle in before we headed to the restaurant for lunch. We were starving by this point and really wanted to enjoy the beautiful hotel grounds. And the grounds are stunning. Although the hotel is quite large, it doesn't at all feel like it's full of guests. It's so spacious and caters so well for the number of guests it can have that it felt quite empty. With an abundance of palmtrees shading the grounds and a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the ocean, we were in heaven.
We enjoyed lunch looking out over the ocean, taking it all in. How can a place so amazing even exist? With lunch of satay and nasi Goreng in our stomachs (not overly impressed with the food or the prices) it was time to get poolside. It had hit me by now just how exhausted I was after our early start so I can ready to freshen up in the pool and relax. The pool was just the perfect temperature and came with the perfect view. After a swim I took my place on my lounge and it wasn't long before I drifted off for a while.
It's a beautiful feeling waking up from a nap in the sun. Feeling slightly more refreshed, it was time to get myself ready for pre-dinner drinks and snacks with some friends that were staying nearby. We headed off to their beautiful hotel at the other end of town, The Aquarius. What a contrast it was to our hotel. Both are stunning, both have that Bali feel, both beachfront with a killer view over the ocean. The Aquarius is just a small boutique hotel compared to our larger one but it was just as breathtaking. I would definitely stay here.
We enjoyed some laughs over a cocktails, I caught a glimpse of a beautiful sunset and we soon headed off to Vincent's for dinner. It was a great little restaurant with live jazz playing but I was just too tired to appreciate it. It had attentive service and nice food so hopefully I'll be able to head back after a good nights sleep. One day down, I sure do like to hit the ground running!! Until tomorrow friends...
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