Bali, Day 2: Sunshine, Scrubs and Tequila

Today's weather: unbelievably perfect

Today's exchange rate: 10,250 Rupiah per AUS $

 

I was awake at 6:00 today and headed straight outside to watch the hotel come to life. The sun was still just rising but I watched the staff going about their morning business of cleaning the pool and garden. I had a quick chat with Mum before going back inside to find Sam awake. The hunger pangs were beginning so we got dressed and when 7:30 came around, we headed straight to the restaurant for breakfast. Brekky is including in the price and is offered on an a la carte menu. You have a choice of the standard American breakfast, continental or Indonesian. All come with fruit, juice and tea or coffee. We enjoyed our breakfast before heading to the next door Circle K for a SIM card and returning to our room. I think housekeeping was in a much better mood today; not only did we have plenty of towels (including a promise of pool towels when they arrived from the laundry) but we had some friends waiting to greet us!! I had heard that the Rama Garden staff had a knack for turning towels into animals. It was a nice surprise for us:)

Having reserved some sun lounges earlier, we got settled quickly after breakfast. We were looking forward to have a morning by the pool. There weren't many people around and soon enough, the sun was beginning to peak over the building and trees. Once it was beaming down on us, it was into the pool. It was a lovely temperature and the hotel have heaps of pool noodles that guests are free to use. All morning, it was in and out of the pool, in the spa, enjoying the sun, reading our books and just chilling out. What a perfect way to spend a morning.

By 11:30, hunger had returned. We had already decided to head to Poppies Restaurant for lunch and then have a quick shop at the Discovery Centre. So once we were dry again, we walked up to Legian Road to get a taxi. He dropped us off at the Legian entrance to Poppies Lanre and from there, it was only a short walk to the restaurant. The restaurant was very quiet so we had our pick of tables. We ordered drinks (no Piña Colada's today!) and some Lumpia to share. I decided to try something different for my main and ordered a beef curry, while Sam got a cheeseburger. Our Lumpia were quick to arrive and were so delicious that I completely forgot to take a photo!! Whoops.

Our mains followed not long after and my curry looked delicious!! Although the flavours were definitely there, the beef was not; I found 2 small pieces of beef throughout the entire curry. The rest of the curry? It was potato and sauce. So I wasn't too impressed. Sam ate her burger all up, but said it was just ok. Poppies didn't do it for us this time.

We paid our bill of about $30 and made our way towards the beach. The Discovery Centre is within walking distance from Poppies but it was pretty hot, so we decided to walk along the beach. It was a gorgeous day to be out and about. The sun was beaming down, the beach was looking lovely and clean (for the most part) and wasn't too busy. We walked along with our feet in the water which was the temperature of a bath and were approached by lots of people along the way, offering surfing lessons, saying "hey, I know you" which I seem to get a lot of these days. I really enjoyed walking along, admiring the perfection of the day and people watching.

It wasn't a long walk to the Discovery Centre, so before long we were making our way up the stairs and into the shopping centre. It was straight to Bamboo Blonde for me. I had checked out their website last week and had my eye on a few outfits that I really liked, but I was so disappointed when I couldn't find them in store!! For the first time ever, I walked out with only 1 new addition to my wardrobe. Not like me at all. Sam bought a couple of things and we headed upstairs for a quick look through Centro but didn't find anything that caught our eye. It was our quickest shopping trip yet and I think it was mainly because Mum wasn't with us;)

We were both craving a bit more relaxation so we caught a taxi back to the hotel with plans to go to the spa next door; Ambiente Spa. After a quick lay down, we decided to go around to check it out. It looked quite nice inside, and we were very luckily able to get in right then for a treatment. We had already decided on getting the Ambiente Total Body Care treatment which for 220,000 Rupiah, you got a footbath, full body massage, body scrub with your choice of scrub, warm towel wrap and lotion. The treatment went for 90 minutes. We both chose to get a chocolate scrub because who doesn't love smelling like chocolate?! We were directed into our treatment room where we had our footbaths before stripping down to get into the oh so attractive paper panties and lay down on the massage tables. I had a male masseaus and he didn't an excellent job. He checked a few times throughout the treatment if the pressure was ok and I really enjoyed it. He was very respectful of my modesty too, carefully placing an extra sarong over my chest before pulling the main sarong down.

The scrub was excellent and left our skin feeling beautifully smooth and smelling like chocolate. It wasn't until after the treatment that we were told that the warm towel wrap was replaced with a shower and the lotion was in the shower for us to use when we were rinsing off. I wasn't entirely happy with that, because the shower was not a shower at all, but a hand held hose over a bathtub and we didn't even notice the lotions. It was a bit of a disappointing way to end an otherwise lovely spa treatment.

We had a quick look in the markets before heading back to the hotel where I had a proper shower. Tonight we were off to Motel Mexicola for dinner and I was really looking forward to it. Since it opened, it's built up quite the reputation for good Mexican food, strong drinks and an awesome atmosphere. It was one of those places I just had to try.

We headed off at about 6:30 to allow time for bad traffic but we arrived in no time at all. We were shown our seats but were soon moved to another table in a booth. I took some time to admire the restaurant while Sam decided on which drink to order. I think it's the decor that really makes this place; it is absolutely full of colour. It's got cool tunes playing in the back ground that have you tapping your feet and moving along to the beat. I was looking forward to trying the food, especially after having some great Mexican in January at Taco Beach. But first, we needed drinks! We both ordered a margarita and Sam, being the tequila lover she is, ordered what she thought was just a shot of tequila. You should have seen the look on her face when out came not one, not two but three shots of tequila, each with a different chaser!! And I wasn't about to share with her. Her chasers included the standard salt and lime, orange and cinnamon and Tabasco! She wasn't so sure about that one. She smartly decided to space them out throughout dinner. But first we needed to order!

The menu is designed as tapas, and suggests that you choose a couple of things from each section. None of the mains appealed to us so we decided to order guacamole, chorizo and cheese quesadillas, pork empanadas, tempura prawn soft tacos and a chicken ones too. All the food came out promptly. Maybe a little too promptly considering it's supposed to be freshly cooked. The food was nice, but not great. I did enjoy the Mexican at Taco Beach a lot more, but we were both loving the atmosphere of Motel Mexicola.

Sam was pacing herself with the tequila and was soon down to her last one, which had Tabasco as its chaser. She was feeling brave enough after having her other 2 shots but decided to shoot the Tabasco and use the tequila as a chaser. She somehow managed to get both of them down without a fuss and even finished with a smile on her face.

We ordered a serving of Churros for dessert and were left a bit disappointed. The Churros were not cooked properly, and although they were yummy, they lacked the crispiness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside. They were actually still a bit doughy on the inside. They caramel sauce they came with was also a bit of a let down.

Our bill came to just under $80 and since we didn't stay as long as we thought we would, we decided to walk back to Oberoi street for a bit of window shopping. After walking down the very dark street that a Mexicola is located on, the liveliness of Seminyak square was very welcome. We were also happy to see lots of places were still open, so we pottered along, looking here and there and naming places we'd be returning to tomorrow for proper shopping. We were both pretty tired by this point, so agreed to get a taxi back to the hotel. Another beautiful day in Bali and I've still got 8 more to go.

 

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Bali, Day 1: Feels Like Coming Home

Today's weather: about 30 degrees, sunny with a light breeze

Today's exchange rate: 10,250 Rupiah per AUS $

My sister Sam and I had a perfectly timed 10:05am flight that was due to have us in Bali at 1:45pm. It was unfortunately delayed by about an hour but we arrived just half an hour later than what we were supposed to. I've been to Bali that many times now (this is number 10) that I no longer feel that adrenalin, excitement and "it feels like it'll never happen" feeling. Not in a bad way though. At the airport, I'm simply going through the steps of what will eventually get me back to Bali, and when I'm in the plane and the beautiful island comes into sight, I'm not jumping up and down with excitement. I'm sitting back in my seat feel relaxed and content, smiling to myself and thinking "Ahhhhh, I'm back." In my opinion, that feeling is just as good. It's the feeling of familiarity, knowing exactly where I'm going, which restaurants to go to, how much to pay for things at the markets. I'm instantly stress free and in holiday mode.

Having met my wonderful and one of a kind driver/guide in November (this post here is from my first meeting with him), I had organised for Yuda to pick us up and take us to our first hotel in Legian. After getting through the airport- a process I'm maybe too familiar with- I walked out and searched for his friendly, smiling face. There he was, waving to us and beaming even more than I was. He came to greet us and gave me a massive hug. What a beautiful welcome back to Bali. He called his driver, Ari, and soon enough we were of our way. Our home for the next 3 nights is at the Rama Garden Hotel, located on Padma Street in Legian. I was looking forward to this. It's a gorgeous little hotel tucked behind its restaurant and sports bar with no more than 30 rooms that all surround the oh so inviting pool. Because they have no drop off area (well they do but it's used as staff parking), we had to jump out of the car as soon as we arrived to avoid holding up traffic. We were directed to the lobby where we did a quick check in and were shown our room. It is lovely. The rooms are all of the same standard and all very nicely renovated. We have a downstairs room with a cute verandah looking straight out to the pool; no complaints from us. Our twin beds face a little sitting area and a big flat screen TV. The bathroom is also renovated with a massive shower and partially closed off toilet. For what we're paying ($70 a night), we're very pleased with what we've got.

We took a moment to settle in and get changed before grabbing some money to exchange and head to lunch. There are plenty of options for dining right on the doorstep but by this time it was almost 4:00pm and we hadn't eaten for hours so I already had somewhere in mind; Indo-National. Located on the same street, the restaurant lives up to its name with lots of choices from different countries and at good prices. Sam and I stuck to the basics for lunch, being our first meal- Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng and satay to share as well as a couple of drinks each. The food was nothing special but satisfied us well enough. I've been told that the lobster and chilli mud crab here is amazing though!

Our meal came to $20. After lunch we set off to the nearby hotel, Kumala Pantai. I've already mentioned here that I would be looking after someone new this trip; a monkey mascot of a Bali Facebook group and I needed to pick him up. We had a beautiful walk along the beach to get to the hotel. We've noticed so far that Bali is quite quiet at the moment, with the Australian school holidays over as well as the European winter. The sun was shining down and the waves were crashing on the shore one after the other. I was also really happy to see how much cleaner the beach was looking thanks to the effort of volunteers doing a couple of clean up days. It is definitely paying off.

Walking down Padma Street to the beach

After picking up our new travel buddy, we circled back down Jalan Werkudara/Rum Jungle and Little Padma, back to Padma street. It was after 5:00 and we were desperate for a swim. With a quick stop at Circle K to stock up on basics, we got into our bathers and straight into the refreshing pool. We had it all to ourselves at this point and it was just what we needed. I had suggested to Sam that we have sunset drinks at La Plancha tonight before heading out for dinner. As we hadn't gotten pool towels, we asked one of the staff members to bring us some. Our verandah, where I was sitting at the time, is right next to the pool, but when the staff member brought our towels, (bath, not pool), he didn't bring them to the verandah where I was sitting, but literally dumped- not even placed nicely- right on the edge of the pool. Now something like us is not something that bothers us at all but it did strike us as being a little strange and rude. Nevertheless, after our cool off, it was time to change outfits yet again. We decided to get a taxi down Double 6 to the beach; our feet were already suffering from our walk earlier in the form of blisters and raw spots from our thongs.

La Plancha was packed with some great tunes playing and we struggled to find somewhere to sit, but boy was the sunset good. As sunsets tend to, it just got better and better as it went on. We grabbed a couple of beanbags on the sand and ordered a cocktail each. More than once I had to jump up and take more photos because the sunset was that amazing. As day turned to night, the beach came alive with a different crowd. Gone were the hawkers with their bracelets, sarongs and paintings. In their place came the hawkers with light-up headbands, helicopter things, lasers and lights. Music from bands playing at nearby beach bars was drifting over and fireworks were being sent into the sky a little ways down the beach. We sat and enjoyed the chilled out atmosphere before getting up and heading to dinner. We decided to walk along the beach to the Padma Resort, where we had a booking at their Japanese restaurant for teppanyaki.

 

We arrived a little bit early but were seated and waited (with fresh cocktails) for the couple we would be sharing the show with. They were a lovely young couple from Canada and we chatted with them throughout dinner. The service here was wonderful, and the teppanyaki show was great. They have a choice of 3 teppanyaki menus with prices ranging from about $30-$45 per person not including drinks. The basic menu includes a little tuna salad appetizer, grilled veggies, chicken, wagyu steak, tuna, white fish, miso soup, fried or steamed rice and icecream to finish. We both decided on the second menu, which added salmon to the meal for only a few dollars more. Sam also got some sashimi to start. Our teppanyaki chef was very friendly, chatting and joking with us throughout the meal and kept us laughing throughout. There was lots of impressive clacking of his sharp knives and lighting the grill on fire. Our cocktails, of mango, kiwi and berry mojito's were delicious and brought our meal to about $120 between us. I love teppanyaki for a delicious, but not too filling meal and the Padma is a great place to go for it, just be sure to book to avoid missing out. They have 2 teppanyaki sessions each night: 6:00 or 8:15.

When dinner was finished, it was about 9:30 and we were more than ready to hit the sack after our early morning. The first day just flies by, but I'm back in Bali so I'm happy.

 

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Wheels Up Baby!

Just one more sleep to go until I'll be on my way to Bali once again!! My 10:00am flight will have us landing at about 1:45pm (I love living in Perth!) and I've already organised with my beloved driver, Yuda, to pick us up. I think you know you've found a keeper (keeper of a driver that is) when you're as excited as I am to see them!! We'll be heading straight to our first hotel, the Rama Garden in Legian for our first 3 nights.

This time round, I'll have someone else joining me on my holiday. No, not my sister, but this little guy!!

He is the mascot of a Bali Facebook group I'm a part of who is making his way around Bali with its members. He is know as Pak (Mr.) Teman, which means friend or companion in Indonesian and it's my turn to babysit!! I won't be including his adventures on my blog but you can follow him on Instagram here. Or if you're interested in being part of the Facebook group, please send me a private message (via my blog Contact Me page or Facebook). We always welcome new members with open arms:)

 

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4 Sleeps To Go!

That's right everyone, this coming Friday I will be jetting off yet again to my beloved Bali! This is not just another holiday, this one is a bit more special than that. Why? Well to start with, I'm going with my sister. That may sound like just any other trip but a week after my return, my sister will be making the move to the UK to work for possibly 2 years. We don't know when she'll be coming back and I don't know when I'll be going to visit her. Secondly, I'm once again staying at a couple of new hotels, trying to restaurants and for the first time, I'll be staying at Lembongan Island which I'm so excited about!! And lastly, after this trip to Bali, I have no idea when I'll be back. With my sister moving away, it's time for me to work a bit more, save a lot harder so I can afford to travel a bit further away from home and go visit my sister. One things for sure though: this is going to be an amazing trip and I will be back in Bali one day.

 

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The March Plan, Part 3: Tamukami Hotel

For the last leg of my trip, I'll be returning to the lovely Tamukami Hotel in Sanur. I stayed here last July with my mum and we absolutely loved it. It's a gorgeous boutique hotel with all the rooms overlooking the beautiful lagoon style pool. Nestled down a laneway off the main street, it is quiet but still in a fantastic location and fantastically run by an old Belgium couple. Maybe it's the fact that they live on the hotel grounds that has the staff on their toes and the hotel running so smoothly. I cannot wait to return to this gem.

 

Click here to visit the website.

 

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Jadi Home Cafe: The Second Installment

A little while ago, I wrote this post about Jadi Home Cafe. My mum and I had eaten dinner there back in July during our mother-daughter trip and absolutely loved it. Last month, I had my sneaky 3 night getaway and I insisted in eating here again. The only night we had free for dinner was a Sunday night and that just happened to be the only day the the restaurant was closed. My dad and I popped over before we realised this and I was so disappointed when I realised I wouldn't be able to eat there this time. That was until Srie, the owner and cook, said she would cook just for us. How nice is that?! Now let me explain how generous this was of her: The restaurant is located within Srie's own home. She is the only cook (she has a few helpers) and makes everything from scratch and fresh daily with ingredients she has gone and bought herself from the markets that same day. I can imagine that at the end of the week, she is very tired and looks forward to having her day off, but she opened up just for us. We were so grateful and I was so looking forward to dinner here.

We ordered a few dishes for 7:00 and when we arrived, our dinner was bubbling away on the stove. The smell was divine. We were the only ones there that night and a couple of people asked me if it felt weird or awkward. Well no, not at all. You are like a guest. The kitchen it open to the dining area so we chatted to Srie while she cooked, we went up to her stove to snap pictures of the dishes and smell the beautiful aromas from the spices, we wandered around and enjoyed the rustic and homely feel she has created for her guests. It was lovely.

Before too long, our dishes were ready. I always recommend ordering a day in advance. This means that Srie will be able to start cooking before your arrival so you won't have to wait too long and it makes things easier for her too, so she knows exactly what to buy at the markets. When Mum and I ate here in July, we both ordered beef rendang not realising that the serves were big enough to share. We loved the dish but we were disappointed we didn't order something else to try too. So this time we ordered chilli lime chicken, chicken in coconut and the salt and pepper prawns. Rice for each of us and veggies were included. All the dishes were divine. Srie somehow manages to get so much flavour into her dishes. The chilli lime chicken was our favourite. It had a bit of bite to it and the chicken was just falling off the bone. The coconut chicken was also delicious. Though it could have done with more chicken, I found myself literally drinking spoonfuls of the sauce when we had eaten all the chicken. And the prawns; yum!! They had a delicious and crunchy batter on them with the perfect balance of salt and pepper. I easily could have eaten many many more of them. We shared all the dishes and though we were full, we were once again disappointed we didn't order something else to try too.

The bill was a very reasonable $25 for 3 dishes and 3 drinks. It doesn't get much better than that!!

In you're in the area, definitely pay Srie a visit and tell her I sent you!!

Jadi Home Cafe us located down a laneway off Double 6 in Legian (down the same laneway as the Pearl Hotel and restaurant)

Telephone: 081 7972 0903

Email: srichrisnawaty@yahoo.com

 

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29 Sleeps To Go!!

That's right, in just under a month I'll be one my way back to Bali!! I have 11 nights all together; 7 with my sister, 1 alone and 3 with my parents. As usual, I just can't wait to get back, stay in new hotels, eat at new restaurants, explore new areas. Here and here are the first 2 places I'll be staying. I haven't yet revealed my last hotel choice so stay tuned!!

 

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Photo of the Week: Being a Mermaid

This photo was taken in November at Blue Lagoon, Padang Bai in East Bali. We, my girlfriends and I, had stopped here for a swim and bit of relaxation during our transfer from Sanur to Ubud. It was a bit of an overcasty day but still humid enough for swimming. The water at Blue Lagoon was just perfect; a small swell and beautiful temperature. The ocean floor at this little hidden beach is mostly coral, except for a path of sand on the left side of the beach. This is where you're instructed to enter the water for snorkelling. As we swam further out, we saw so many beautiful fish. The would obliviously swim under you and all around as you dove into the water. It was just beautiful.

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Taco Beach Grill

Before my weekend trip to Bali last month, I had a serious hankering for some Mexican food. A number of people recommended I try Taco Beach Grill, located in Seminyak. After checking the reviews on Trip Advisor, I decided it was a must and luckily for us, it was located within walking distance from our hotel. We headed there for lunch one day and found it easily, with its big blue sign on the street. We were the only ones in the tiny restaurant, which we were thankful for because despite the numerous fans around, it has hot!

I was really looking forward to having lunch here; the restaurant has a reputation for fresh, authentic Mexican food with a bit of a Balinese twist and even better, they have gluten-free options, which Mum was so happy about. Everything on their menu is made in house, including their taco's (gluten free) and tortilla's. It had been recommended to me that we try their chilli poppers so Dad and I decided to split one. Now I love spicey food so I was a bit worried about this but turns out, they're not spicey at all. I wouldn't get this again simply because of the fact I do not like capsicum, and that's the flavour it had.

We also ordered a serve of guacamole, which comes with a selection of salsas and freshly cooked tortilla chips. Now I am not what you'd call a fan of avocado. In fact, I hate the stuff. But this, this guacamole I could not get enough of. It was delicious and not too avocado-ey if I can describe guacamole in such a way. The salsas were spicey, sweet, salty and the chips were perfect with a shimmer of oil still on them, so it was obvious they were fresh. The staff happily brought us more too when we ran out but still had more salsa and guacamole to get through.

I had also heard great things about their Babi Guling Tacos so I decided on that for my main, Mum ordered Vegi Taco's and Dad got a Shredded Beef Burrito. I absolutely loved my taco's. The flavours were beautiful and they were so so filling. Mum loved her veggie taco's and being the very small size that she is, was full after eating one of them. Each taco dish comes with 2 serves so it would have been great to order a few different types and have a bit of taste testing. Dad's burrito was also a massive size with a couple of sides like Spanish rice.

We left with impossibly full bellies, but man was I happy. I would definitely return. Although it was quiet at lunch, I've heard the restaurant gets very busy at night so it's best to book ahead. They also deliver for free within Seminyak!

Taco Beach Grill is located on Jalan Kunti, between Legian and Sunset Roads.

Website: www.tacobeachgrill.com

Email: info@tacobeachgrill.com

Telephone: 0361 854 6262

 

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Adding To My Ciao Bella Collection

Ciao Bella, my favourite store for travel accessories, recently launched their own range of products: Ciao Bella Travel Exclusive (see here). Now you all know that I love my Ciao Bella things; their practicality and style. They're perfect for keeping all your bits and pieces organised. I was contacted by Ciao Bella not long after they launched their range asking if I'd like to review one of their products. Well of course I said yes!! I picked out the piece and quickly as always, I received it a few days later.

I decided on getting the CBT Exclusive Bare Essential Bag. Now I don't know about you, but ever since I've been travelling my mum always taught me to pack my underwear in a separate bag. Her reasoning for this was that if security or customs happened to go through my bag, I wouldn't want my undies being thrown around, would I?! Makes sense. I've always used just a plain old boring plastic bag so I was excited to get something a little more sophisticated.

I used my new lingerie bag recently during my weekend Bali getaway. While I was folding my delicates and putting them into the mesh pockets and packing it into my suitcase, I had a sly little smile on my face. It looked so cute sitting in there with the pretty underwear prints on the bag!! And it was nice to know that if customs did need to look in my suitcase, my underwear would be safe in its own little bag.

The bag is well designed, as are all of Ciao Bella's products. It is a great size for a weekend getaway like mine or even a week or two, it could easily hold all your underwear nice and neat inside. The bag zips around the middle and on the inside are mesh pockets on each side. You can see in the picture that even after stuffing your underwear into the pockets, there is still plenty of room to put your bras in the middle. Over the weekend, I had about 4 or 5 pairs of underwear and 2 bras in the middle; it all fit perfectly.

At the moment, the CBT Exclusive range is a bit limited, but I look forward to seeing what they add to the new range! The Bare Essentials Bag is a very welcome addition to my ever growing Ciao Bella Collection. Is it silly that I'm excited to use it all again for my trip back to Bali in March?!:)

Just to let you all know, you can still get 10% off your purchases by entering the special discount code ANNA10 in your suitcase on the website. Click here to head over to their site. Happy shopping!!

 

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