One thing we craved
while in Bali was souvlaki’s so with a little researched we found a place in
Seminyak called Nostimo’s. We came to learn later on after dining in their Ubud
restaurant that there was more then one in Bali as well.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
ACCOMMODATION REVIEW • BALI• Premier Best Western UBUD
Not going to lie, we
booked this place because we found an extremely cheap deal on Scoopon.com.au. We paid $299 for 3 nights + an extra $35AUD per
night for the extra bed, but this included-
Daily breakfast, Daily Lunch or Dinner, 1x 60min massage for us bigger
kids, 1x cocktail or beer per day for us big kids and 1 way airport transfers.
As we weren’t coming from the airport the hotel was happy to pick us up from
another hotel in Seminyak, rather then the airport- handy.
EXPERIENCE • BALI • tegalalang rice terraces GIANYAR
We’ve always seen photos
of rice terraces or ate at restaurants overlooking them but never did we really
think to explore them properly until we were staying in Ubud and had a quiet
day.
From our hotel in Ubud
it took around 25mins in very good traffic to get to the terraces, well the
road they were on. It took about 200 steps to get down to them after you enter
the entrance.
The moment you start
heading down those steps you can just see rice growing for as far as the eye
can see in every direction. When you’re down the bottom of the steps it really
gets those legs like jelly but the view makes you forget about any worries you
had.
All the way along the
rice terrace walk track there are different locals with their “famous Bali
swing”, like those you see on all the insta and social posts. Where a person or
couple swing over the rice terraces in Bali.
The first place (as pictured above) wanted to charge us 50,000rp ($5) for 5 swings or 100,000
($10aud) for 10 swings. We thought this was very pricey so kept walking.
There are a couple of
locals asking for donations to enter, but they can be as small or as large as
you like- so come with small change. Generally where these locals are though,
they have things you can take photos with.
Our favourite was Bali
Corner, where there was a rice carrier you could pick up and pretend with.
There was also a little bamboo deck with Bamboo Corner and a Love heart was and
there was shaded seats, where we rested our legs and Erin’s racing heartbeat.
After we walked for
around and hour and a half up this cliff face beside the rice terraces we came
to a guy who had a swing and two macramé hammocks on coconut trees to lay in.
We asked him how much and he say 50,000 each ($5) and the girls no joke got at
least 5 mins each on the swing, while we had a rest in the hammock- so
relaxing.
You can also purchase ice-cold drinks and drinking coconuts all along the terraces so you don’t need to bring any with you.
Us big kids wore thongs, but next
time we will be taking our chucks with us as it is hard work doing so many
steps in thongs. The whole track took us around 4 hours and by 2:30pm we were
out of there to watch the Kanga’s in a pub on TV.
It is very easy to get
lost or take the wrong track here, so be willing to ask the locals the way
back. Luckily our swing man told us where to go or else we would have been
going in the opposite direction to the finish line.
LOCATION
Jalan Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561,
Indonesia
EXPERIENCE • BALI • Greenbowl Beach (Pantai Greenbowl) UNGASAN
One thing we love about
Bali is that you can jump on a scooter and find many of free adventures and the
picturesque beaches that can sometime be quite private. You’ll need google maps for this one though
as it is quite hidden, but maps gets you there safely. LOCATION
EATS • BALI • La Laguna CANNGU
Bringing to life La
Laguna in 2014, Spanish Gypsy heritage couple Gonzalo and Sandra Assiego
created this gypsy inspired boho-chic beach club. They’re love for animals found them creating
their little patch of boho paradise on the sands that border Batu Belig and
Berawa. Creating a little lagoon around the entire little gypsy restaurant.
We came to La Laguna
quite hung-over with the girls in hopes of a yummy brunch to help cure the
banging headaches and urges to want to sleep.
Luckily our waiter who
greeted us near the little gypsy caravans that line the driveway as you walk in
down (suitable for cute little private party spaces) knew exactly what was up
and put us at a table that was actually a day lounge on one side and two little
stools for the girls on the other.
The atmosphere and décor
at La Laguna are to die for, literally what a designers dreams are made of. I
couldn’t stop looking around in every direction, snapping pics as I went along.
We laid down on the
lounge and the girls explored the beach and little tee-pee on the sand. They
found a little temple and plenty of little squirrels scurrying in the tree
branches, waiting for guests left overs patiently.
When the girls couldn't take the heat anymore out on the beach they wandered back and played some Jenga (La Laguna also provides games for the big and little kids). And coloured in their menus designed with kids activities incorporated into the menu.
We ordered some healthy
light brunches- avocado on sourdough toast with peas and spinach and then a
spicy fish taco.
The girls ordered chicken and chips, they went the safe option
as they were a little weary of the Spanish inspired menu.
The food was beautifully presented and filled
us up perfectly. I just cant get over the backdrop, watching the waves crash in
a boho hippy little paradise town of it’s own. You literally feel like you’ve
transported to Spain somewhere!
After lounging about
like scallops we decided it was time to shut the shells and get a move on
again. We walked around the gypsy village before walking down the bridge to the
beach- this is the beach you see on every insta pic of La Laguna.
If you get a chance,
this place is the perfect place to come whether it be for breakfast, lunch or
dinner- their menu looks like it has a yummy array of food on there.
ACCOMMODATION REVIEW • Bali Dynasty Resort KUTA
Mum won the battle
when it came to picking this hotel, as Dad had his heart set out on a hotel we
had previously stayed at while in Bali. But as luck would have it the other
hotel was being renovated and after Dad saw a YouTube Video of Bali Dynasty Resort KUTA he decided this would ultimately be the one we would stay at.
EXPERIENCE • BALI • Bali Zoo • breakfast with the orang-utans GIANYAR
This is one experience
we we’re all very excited for especially the girls. But there was a big part of
us worried about the welfare of these animals and worried that when we got
there they would all be drugged.
We have visited the
Safari Park in Bali already in our previous trip to Bali, so thought we would
give the other zoo a shot.
We arrived at Bali Zoo
around 8:30am but the park didn’t open for some hours. But that was ok, because
we we’re headed to Breakfast with the Orangutans. We paid $149aud for 2 adults
and 2 kids and this included buffet breakfast, photo opportunity with what we
thought would only be orang-utans and entry to the zoo of course.
There are all sorts of
activities but we refused to ride any animals, not even the pony. General admission
into the zoo is only 350,000rp ($35aud).
Once we arrived we had
to work through a very quiet zoo and onto the shuttle to Kampung Sumatra, which
was a fun experience on its own. It is the zoos free double decker shuttle bus
that will take you from one side of the zoo to the other.
The first time we jumped
on we rode up the top- the fresh breeze was beautiful. But later on when we
went on the shuttle we decided to put ourselves down the bottom in the shade as
the sun had a real bite to it.
Once we got to Kampung
Sumatra it was a short walk past the manmade waterfall, across the bridge and
we arrived at the restaurant situated right above the elephant bathing pools.
As we sat down for a
delicious fresh buffet breakfast with more food choices then you could imagine.
As we sat there eating the zookeepers kept bringing out animals to touch and
get up close and personal with.
We played with birds..
A very cheeky
armadillo..
Watched a porcupine eat
some fruit..
And then of course had
our photo with the orang-utans. It goes by a number system, so when you arrive
they give you a number- we we’re 45. And over the course of the morning they
call out the numbers in lots of two, as there were two cheeky orang-utans this
morning to take photos with.
Our highlight of the whole
breakfast was having the opportunity to feed two giant over 20-year-old
elephants, who were standing ever so patiently by the restaurant.
For 60,000rp ($6) we
bought a basket of fruit and hand fed these beautiful big creatures that
deserved so much more then what they had- incredibly smart.
As we were walking off
to explore the zoo the elephant dropped a giant Lei on Hayley’s shoulders, she
was on cloud 9.
As for the actual zoo
review, we will leave that one for the next post. Don’t won’t to make this post
a chapter book.