The first day of the month brought about the start of school holidays. It's also when home renovation started while my family flew off to escape the noise and dust. Our hideaway was two hours away, at the sunny paradise of Bali.
We went with no plan, only a broad idea of splitting the entire trip into three blocks. It began at Canggu where our temporary home was a three bedroom villa. The housekeeper waited for us even though it was almost 9pm when we arrived. Yet, our main concern was to tame growling stomachs. The cafes nearby typically close at 11pm and as we were to discover, most are like that throughout the island, probably to cater to tourist nightlife. It was the high season and crowds were visible everywhere. We took in a day trip to Ubud, hung around in Monkey Forest, visited rice plantation and a waterfall. Other activities included La Brisa, massages, haircut and lots of coffee. A highly recommended one is Baked. It's quite the life waking up at 10am, decide on a cafe and then do whatever you feel like.
That changed slightly when we moved to Nusa Dua. Here, the accommodation was an apartment within a hotel premise. Location wise, the roads are better paved and ideal for a quiet retreat, meaning not much within walking distance. The beach was average with lots of seagrass washed ashore, making it look rather dirty. The street outside had a number of restaurants but they were similarly priced like the hotel. Good thing that food delivery was easily available and certainly cheaper. An interesting bit is the delivery riders will message us to inform that they have received the order, thank us for being patient and then, some directly asked for a tip. If the distance was further, we gave 10 - 20k IDR. Most times were spent at the pool and gym. We also had a day at Tanjong Benoa to do watersports. Very importantly, the rooms were so comfortable that at the end of each day, I could lie in bed with a cocktail and just watch Netflix.
Our final stay was at Jimbaran where we had two hotel rooms on the same floor. The famed beach restaurants were right outside our doorstep and the main thing was to catch the sunset. By 4pm, tables were set as the tide receded. Horses appeared to give a ride for fee paying customers. The BBQ smoke was omnipresent no matter where one sat. Amid a man made fog and fading light, the evening view was worth the wait. Another enjoyable place was Waterbom Bali. The resort featured more than ten waterslides, each having a degree of thrill for different ages. The kids played for five hours straight. Other times, we lounged at the beach from late morning with a beer in hand and dipped into the sea which had the best sand and medium waves. Before you know, time just flew by.
This trip was blessed by excellent weather, wonderful cuisines, top notch service, convenient laundry shops, friendly street roaming dogs... the list goes on. Except for a short episode of Bali Belly, even the volcano eruption at Mount Lewotobi didn't matter, we just relaxed and went with the flow.
Tip: Torres Reserva Real 2018, punchy oak, graphite and dark mocha, ready to roll
