Honeymooning with my Mum in Bali
Our first stop was a gorgeous resort in Nusa Dua made up of 29 modern pavilion style villas all with their own private pool and lush garden space. After a long flight we were collected via private transfer complete with car snacks, cold water and a refreshing towel - it was exactly what we needed. Commence 3 days of pure bliss - we had our own personal butler right at the end of the phone, so we didn’t want for anything. We need not have left the villa if we didn’t want to as our breakfast was ordered over the phone and delivered directly to the villa each morning as was lunch and dinner if we’d wanted. We did choose to leave the comfort of our villa on one of our evenings to eat at a local restaurant, we were dropped off by the resort and then returned by the restaurant owner – everything felt very exclusive. The resort had a lovely bar and restaurant to while away the evenings and there was always some kind of entertainment, think classy live music here rather than an animation team. The resort also had a communal pool with lush day beds, but our own private pools were so lovely we didn’t actually ever see anyone use it. We treated ourselves on the final day to an incredible treatment at the resort spa and I’d go as far as to say it was the best massage I’d ever had.
We decided to hire a driver for the rest of our trip as we needed to get between two other resorts, and we also wanted to see some of the island, so this seemed like the best option. He picked us up from Nusa Dua after our blissful 3 nights and took us to our next stop – Ubud. En route he took us to a quaint little tea plantation where we were given a tour and then invited to sample lots of different flavours of tea. The tea was delicious and needless to say, we both left with a few different variations of tea to take home.
In Ubud we also opted for villa style accommodation which offered us peace and quiet and another private pool. Our second villa was much more traditional with a large indoor and outdoor space and again with our own personal butler. The resort also had a communal pool, a spa and complimentary yoga classes each morning. There’s lots to do in Ubud so we didn’t spend as much time in the villa as we did in Nusa Dua. Our resort was just off the main street in Ubud so we had a wide range of bars and restaurants to choose from as well as a whole host of gorgeous little gift shops. Ubud is the centre of spirituality in Bali so expect incredibly relaxed vibes here. Ubud is also home to the world-famous sacred monkey forest, a sanctuary for long tailed macaque monkeys complete with temples and forestry. It was only a short walk from our resort but it’s not for the faint-hearted, so I had to use my powers of persuasion to convince my Mum to go with me. The forest is home to hundreds of monkeys and they’re not afraid to get up close and personal with you. I learnt this the hard way whilst taking a selfie with a monkey I believed to be at a relatively safe distance. Within seconds the monkey was sat on my head which granted, made for a great photo but I soon realised I had no idea how to get it off and I certainly didn’t want to shove it off for fear of it biting me. This wasn’t the last we’d see of the monkeys either, we were told on arrival in the resort not to leave any food outside our room due to its proximity to monkey forest and whilst we didn’t exactly break this rule we did leave our dessert plates out one evening. The next morning we were treated to a 6am wakeup call by a family of monkeys wreaking absolute havoc outside. They smashed plates, emptied sugar sachets, opened cupboards and tipped over plant pots – very entertaining to watch but they left the place in a mess. When our butler brought us our breakfast the next morning, he barely batted an eyelid and just said ‘monkeys’ so we figured it must be fairly common practice here.
Our next stop after Ubud was Seminyak, a beach resort on the west coast of Bali. Our driver collected us early in the morning so we could spend the day sightseeing before being dropped off at our next resort. We had a fantastic day visiting stunning rice terraces, and soaking up the culture at Tirta Empul, a Hindu water temple famous for its holy spring water and Tanah Lot, a temple positioned on a rock formation and only accessible when the tide is out.
We arrived at our final resort just in time for dinner and being centrally located in Seminyak we had plenty of choice. We opted for a regular resort hotel for our final stop as we knew we would spend most of our time out and about. The resort was right on the beach and surrounded by beautiful beachfront restaurants and bars. We spent our last few days lazing around the pool or on the beach in the mornings before heading out for lunch and a spot of shopping. In the evenings we were spoilt for choice with bars and restaurants so we sampled as many as we could in our 4 days here. We enjoyed stunning sunsets from the bars of Double Six Beach complete with local beer and cocktails. My favourite spot in Seminyak had to be Potato Head Beach Club which we saved for our final evening. Its very exclusive with its own private beach setting and pool area, an extensive list of cocktails and delicious food.
If you are looking for affordable luxury, and never-ending adventure mixed with blissful relaxation then Bali is perfect. Great for honeymooners (like me and my Mum), families, couples and friends it has something to suit every adventure and every budget. If you would like to plan your own bespoke itinerary in Bali, please get in touch. I would love to share my own personal experiences and knowledge with you and help create your perfect holiday.