New Spin on an Old Favorite - Bali
I’d never go to Bali – hate it! How often have you heard that from someone who has never been?
I love Bali – we go with the family all the time– its awesome! I bet you have heard that too.
So lets look at what I discovered on my 5th trip to Bali and see if you are team Bali or not. This trip we did some new things, and I have to say although I have always been “Team Bali” after this trip I am even more so and I’d love to tell you why.
A cheap holiday, shopping for knockoff shoes, T-shirts, bags and clothes, getting a tattoo or simply soaking up the vibe of the beach or a sports bar (with or without a lady-boy show), Kuta will always be a mecca. Some really big resorts line the beach, from the Bali Dynasty to Kartika Plaza, from Hard Rock to the Pullman and Sheraton. There are bikes and scooters everywhere, the Bluebird taxis are a cool (as in air conditioned) and cheap, safe way to get around (a 20min ride is about AUD4-5). Imitation Birkenstocks are AUD20/pair and the Adidas Sambas (if you don’t know them, your kids will!) are about $40/pair.
We stayed a night at the Bali Dynasty. Personally, for me and my family, it would have been perfect for us about 10-15 years ago due to the kids ages now. The pools are huge and noisy, full of young kids playing and coming down the waterslides. The wait staff are constantly out to serve you food and drink poolside. There are lots of dining options, a big buffet, nice pastry shop and so many activities at the resort through the day. The departure lounge is perfect – if you have a late flight and don’t want to book an extra room night, its cool, quiet, and has loads of seating. Complimentary basic refreshments, free showers and a snack menu to purchase from. Go to the beach, shop, even a day trip to Bali Zoo to get muddy with the elephants after your breakfast with the Orangutangs, and when you et back, your luggage is stored for you and you have a space to freshen up before heading to the airport.
My kids are now in their late teens, and my husband and I moving through the years, and we have found that we prefer the smaller, boutique accommodation options. At the Dynasrt we loved the spaciousness of the rooms, the variety of the breakfast buffet, but felt the vast size of the resort was overwhelming. Having said that, I would happily recommend it to families with younger children as there is hour after hour of safe fun to be had in the resort each day which makes life, and your holiday, easy.
We also spent a few nights in Seminyak. We chose the Kayumas Villas and were happy there – we had a villa so that we all had our own bedrooms which was great for the teens (everyone had their own bathroom!) and the villa had a private plunge pool. The resort was smaller and more sedate in its vibe, but the staff at the swim up pool bar (always a highlight of our accommodation searches) were fun. Complimentary morning yoga was a great workout, and the location being a short walk up to the main street meant that the resort was always a quiet and peaceful retreat. I have always said that everyone has their own definition of luxury – for me, its space. The villa having 4 rooms each with ensuite meant that everyone had their own room and own bathroom. For us this meant everyone had a sleep in when they wanted without being disturbed. No one had to wait for anyone to finish in the bathroom and we call could spread out the contents of our suitcase without inconveniencing anyone. Some would rightly say that this could be seen as “spoiled” behaviour or even selfish, but this is my chosen luxury. Not having to consider anyone else, everyone having the freedom to exist without consideration of others. That is a luxury we do not have at home, so why I enjoy it on holidays. Being spoiled.
The shopping at Seminyak was a little more upmarket with less of the knock off shops all selling the same things, and more designer boutiques. We found a lovely little jewellery shop with really reasonable prices, and that gave us another luxury. At home we prioritise our spending and budget on our purchases. On this holiday the jewellery was just different enough to be so much fun to look at, and so well priced that we could easily say “choose any two pieces you like and that is today’s shopping”. Affordability to spoil ourselves is a luxury to me.
And the food – OMG we found two amazing Italian restaurants in Seminyak – Osteria and Zia Tina. The food and drinks at both were beautifully presented and tasted amazing.
This trip was my first time staying in Seminyak, and the few days we spent there I much preferred over the Kuta/Legian experience. We took part in another “first” for our family and headed into the centre of the island not far from Ubud to go ATV/Quad Bike riding. This was FUN and a perfect experience for us as adults and our teenagers as they could each drive their own buggy. We splashed through mud, rode along roads past temples, and went up and down all sorts of jungle tracks on our 1.5hr ride, stopping for a cool drink and ice cream half way. Although it was a long drive from Seminyak it was worth it. This trip we did not feel overcrowded with other tourists in most places, but gee whiz the roads in and out of the towns were congested and the traffic moves slowly. Patience is key.
Our final stay was 5 nights on Nusa Lembongan staying at Ohana’s Beach Club. All the years I have sold Bali to clients and been there myself, I am kicking myself that I have not made the effort to go here sooner. It. Was. The. Best. This is where we are coming back to next time. Absolutely advise sticking with Arthamus or Setia as your choice of fast ferry transportation. Departing Sanur is from a dock, but it’s a wet landing on the beach on Lembongan so water shoes are advisable and be prepared to drag your suitcases over the sand to your waiting transport, or hope your resort sends a strong driver to meet you and be your porter????
The vibe was so chill, the visitors to the island so laid back. Ohanas had the most amazing staff who all knew our names at the end of Day 1. There are only about 20 or so rooms, one pool with swim up bar and a splash pool on the beachfront. There is a big bar area undercover with a pool table and big screen (where we watched the NRL Grand Final) plus some alfresco undercover dining space upstairs, and all of the main dining and seating is then on the sand – under fringed white umbrellas, sand between the toes, and somehow they have made the best menu. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner there for the whole time and never needed to repeat a dish. Fresh fruit and smoothie bowls, all the different juices you can imagine, traditional hot breakfast favourites, and for lunch and dinner the light snack and main menu featured common Australian dishes, Italian, and Indonesian options – sushi, sandwiches, curries, nachos, there was so much variety you were never bored for choice. And of course, in addition to dessert was the amazing gelato bar with 10 different flavours to choose from. Ohanas is a very organised and professionally run small property. Every staff member has great English. The email and WhatsApp communications with clients are fast, efficient and effective and written so beautifully. Before we arrived, we were warned the water can be brackish, the internet intermittent, and sometimes there are short power cuts – always being reminded of the island status of this Balinese gem and as such its slightly more basic infrastructure. But we did not feel disadvantaged or even impacted by these warnings at all. We honestly could not find fault with anything we experienced on the island.
The waters were so clear and so many shades of aquamarine and blue – surf breaks for the board riders, snorkel trips for the not-so-sporty, the pot holed roads demanded careful buggy driving on the day we hired ours to ride around the whole island, checking out mangroves, beaches and bays, villages and seeing all sorts of sights in between – from peoples homes and businesses, to new constructions, lots of lovely little shops and so many amazing places to eat. The island of Nusa Lembongan was an eye opener and when we come back to Bali next time we are absolutely coming back here and exploring more. Nusa Pendina and Ceningan Island (the latter only accessible by bike or foot across the famous Yellow Bridge) both hold the promise of even more pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. The relaxation you feel as soon as you land here is almost tangible.
Let’s be open and honest here though – this is a small island, and when you book the snorkelling trips you are on small basic boats on the open sea – we were attempting to snorkel in 1.5m swells for our first two stops to see the Manta Rays- it was tough work and not exactly a pleasant experience although we DID see a couple of Manta Rays…. It was rough in the water and rough bobbing around in the boat and not everyone on board kept their breakfast down. Further around the island the winds were different and the swell non-existent as we snorkelled in lake like waters to see turtles and beautiful corals. The day after our excursion, the weather conditions had changed and the guests going out had a totally different experience – Manta Point always seems to have large swells, so always check the weather before booking.
Likewise check the tides before you book your Mangrove Swamp Kayaking – low tide changes the route you can take and makes paddling quite hard as there are a few places where you bottom out, but on the whole, this again was an experience that took you away from any traffic and people into the serenity of the Mangroves, paddling around in the cool calm waters (lathered in mosquito repellent of course)
Nusa Lembongan opened our eyes to a new Bali. A laid back destination where people come for relaxed living – surfing, yoga, clean eating. No timetables to stick to (unless you need to get a departing ferry). Potholed roads are normal, everyone drives slowly and weaves around them, every second shop on the island is a restaurant, day spa or surfwear/clothing business. There are still small money change and atm facilities, still taxis to get around, but we only saw 1 actual transport van in the time we were there. The taxis are open trucks with bench seats in the back and a canopy for sun protection, the handful of buggies to get around in are driven by the tourists only (like us – too scared to use the bikes as the roads looked slippery and dangerous in some places) – no licence checks required LOL.
So if you are looking for a close to home escape that won’t break the bank, you can still put Bali on your wishlist without feeling like you will have a frantic trip full of sports bars and sunglasses shopping. But if that is the Bali you love, it is still there for you too.
If you are contemplating a holiday there soon or want to know more, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
PS – I can let you into a little secret on the benefits of using a Mastercard Cash Passport for your travel money over other similar currency cards…… but the unique advantage this product has won’t last forever…….