Bali: A week with mates

Hey posse, Yep, Jin and I set off with Kath & Alice for a sun soaked week in Nusa Dua Bali. We had a bunch of travel credit and the deals were unbelievable. Jin got on the case and he found us a 3 bed 3 bath apartment with a private pool and balinese day bed in the yard at the Novotel. Our flights were through Jetstar, the QANTAS budget airline. All this was booked well before we were even 100% sure we’d be allowed to travel so the prices were ridiculous. Flights & hotels for under AU$$800 per person.

The girls love Bali but Jin and I had never been. My expectations were incredibly low. For some reason Bali conjures up the very worst of drunken Australian tourists. Also we’d heard that due to C19 the economy had collapsed and what was once a thriving and bustling hub was now a ghost town.

Bali: A week with mates

The Novotel Nusa Dua is lovely, a little old but kept well. Established tropical gardens, meandering paths between the buildings and a central hub of pool, kids club, spa and eatery in a very casual and comfortable setting. The rooms are large and having our own private plunge pool was so good. We spent a goodly part of the week in and around this pool.

Novotel Nusa dua also has a private beach just 5 minutes drive is shuttle bus. The drinks are expensive in the bar there but sitting in the shade at a table and watching the world go by was well worth it. I particularly loved the late afternoons on the beach when the sting of the sun had lessened and the breeze was cool. One afternoon Jin and I wandered the beach and back, I’d forgotten how much work sand walking is.

Adventures

We spent three of our days there out and about. Kath has a favourite driver who we happily overpaid. At AU$80/car and driver for the day from 10am till whenever it was well worth it. Putu is his name and if you ever go to Bali let me know, I’ll give you his details. His english is perfect and he’s a character. We saw so much that you’d never get to if you aren’t a local. He took us to some amazing restaurants, Ubud and it’s tea and rice fields, Seminyak and Legian. He also took us to a batik factory, jewellery stores (high end and local).

The economy has definitely taken a terrible hit. Only 1 in 3 shops were open in the Nusa Dua area and maybe half in Seminyak. We were welcomed by the shop owners and bought way more than we needed and bargained far less hard than we would. We tipped all wait staff lavishly and our driver extra well too.

The shots of us dining are taken at the W Hotel Seminyak. They have a Sunday Brunch there that is a MUST DO if you’re in Bali. It’s expensive for Bali but well worth the price. We celebrated Jin’s birthday there. Lastly, we visited the girls favourite hotel/sports complex called Komune where you can do Health Retreats. It’s pretty lavish and I can see why they love it.

Our flight left at 10.30pm so after our late checkout at Novotel Nusa Dua we headed to Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport. Both Jin and Alice used their Hilton points and we had 2 rooms split boys/girls. It was very nice and we thought maybe next bali visit we might stay there for a week. It’s central, comfy, clean and cheap. I think Jin said he could get a week there in a regular room for under AU$300. It’s absurdly affordable and includes breakfast!

Perfume

I only took two travel size bottles on this holiday. For evenings Cuir d’Ange was a lovely soft creamy leather that had me feeling fancy with every spritz. As you can see I went through a fair amount of my 15ml.

Daytimes were spent in Bouquet de Hongrie by BDK Parfums. It was a perfectly serviceable fruity floral and sautéed the holiday mood. There will be a full post about it soon. The bottle is almost empty!

Sorry there aren’t more photos of the beauty of Bali. I was so immersed in it the phone stayed in my pocket most of the time. If you’re wondering, we are new Bali lovers and get why it has become such an Aussie holiday destination. It really is a South Pacific jewel and comes in at a fraction of the cost of any other island holiday I’ve ever had, with no loss in amenity of comfort. It can be done even cheaper apparently and it can also be done very luxuriously. We loved the Novotel Nusa Dua. No affiliation with any of the mentioned places but all are worth a visit.

Looks like it’s a travel fortnight for the Posse crew. March and Cinnamon both have travelogs up.

Where are you hoping to go?
Has Bali ever tickled your fancy?
Portia xx