TRAVEL POST | BALI

 

I'm backkkkkk! So sorry for the lack of posts lately, I'd been so busy with work and then took a two week holiday which I have just returned from! Most of you may have seen from my Instagram that I visited Bali,Indonesia, with my boyfriend Cian.

We've had a list of dream destinations we really want to visit for quite some time now, so when choosing a destination this year we just went for it! Instead of just booking any ol' holiday to get some much needed sunshine, we saved up some extra money to be able to check off a country from our list - and it was absolutely worth it! 

 

 We embarked on a 21 hour travel journey starting with a quick flight to London and then a not-so-quick 13 hour flight to Malaysia. Thankfully the airplane was a double-decker with T.V screens on every seat, fully equipped with a selection of movies and enough leg room to get comfortable for some much needed shut eye. Another 3 hour flight and we had reached our destination! Let me tell you, I was not prepared for the heat when I stepped off the airplane. The humidity was on another level over there!

 

Firstly we stayed in Seminyak which is quite a trendy area full of boutiques and cute cafes, then we made our way to Jimbaran where we treated ourselves to a Five star Resort for the last four nights. Both myself and Cian were extremely impressed with our first hotel which was Vila Lumbung. The staff were so friendly and courteous, the hotel grounds were beautifully decorated with lush greenery and every now and again I would spy a cute little squirrel in the tree outside our room. I would definitely recommend staying here as it was such a central location to everything Seminyak had to offer and was so affordable. 

A good tip for anyone traveling with food allergies,or just for general curiosity as to what is around your area, is to use TripAdvisor. I selected the location and then filter the options to restaurants that offer Gluten Free options. This gave me a list of places with GF on the menu which was extremely helpful as it can be sooo frustrating trying to find places in a foreign country that caters to your needs - and Cian knows first hand how ugly it can get when I'm 'hangry'!

 One of my favourite places we visited for lunch was Cafe Organic. If you love fresh juices, avocado on toast, Gluten free pancakes or Acai smoothie bowls then this place is for you! Another hotspot was Potato Head beach club which was a 10 minute walk from Vila Lumbung. Get there early if you want a bed as this place fills up fast! With an infinity pool over looking the ocean and the beach right at its doorstep it's no wonder Potato Head is so popular. 

 

   

 After a week spent in Seminyak it was time to upgrade! One of the first hotels I found while researching Bali was the Ayana Resort and Spa in Jimbaran. It is without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever been. It was very hectic in Seminyak with the hustle and bustle of traffic,every second person on the street trying to sell us motor bikes and the continuous beeping of taxi's trying to get us in their car became extremely annoying! So arriving at Ayana was a breath of fresh air as it was secluded from the city life but still only a twenty five minute drive from Seminyak and Kuta . I can't even attempt to explain the scale of this place, everyday was a little adventure discovering new parts of the hotel we hadn't seen yet. 

You definitely get what you pay for and this was our first time experiencing a 5 star resort. We lapped up a life of luxury while staying here and nothing was too much to ask of the staff - they were so genuinely happy to help. Everything about the hotel was just amazing. The Infamous Rock bar (which is in the Top 10 bars to visit in the world!) is part of the hotel and it had the most beautiful views. There are bars and restaurants on the grounds so you don't even have to leave the resort for dinner - they also had gluten free options for me.

 The hotel offers a free shuttle to the Spa, The Villas , the sister hotel Rimba and to the private Kubu beach - there was just so much to see! Even if you book one night at this hotel during your stay in Bali it will 100% be worth the visit! But definitely visit the Rock Bar as that is open to public and people travel from all over Bali to experience it!

Here's some photos from our stay at Ayana. 

 

 

 

 

 

Now onto the classic tourist stuff! We hired a car to drive us around which cost around thirty euro for three hours - so cheap! We visited Pura Tanah Lot temple and the Monkey forest. I had been dying to visit the monkeys when I saw them in some travel vlogs. It was such a surreal experience to be so up close with them and of course Cian made a little friend that decided to jump up on him looking for food! It was hilarious and I managed to capture it on video so we can relive that moment forever (he's scarred for life and going to kill me for telling you that). 

We did some other things I didn't get photos of like attempting to go snorkeling but we got stung by jellyfish! There was still so much more we wanted to do so I suggest that you plan out your week as soon as you get there and book some activities. Also try to get used to the Indonesian Currency in advance as it can get very confusing! For example ten euro is roughly 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah and some locals may try to rip you off when buying.

I mentioned on my Instagram that if any of you are traveling through Asia or Australia that you have to visit Bali along the way! It's such a beautiful place with amazing people and I definitely feel like being here opened my eyes a lot more to the world. It was so strange to walk down a street and see the most luxurious hotels right next to the extreme poverty of the locals but they were still so happy and had that Bali personality about them which makes the place so charming.

I had an amazing experience here and I will definitely be back again to visit this magical place. 

I hope you guys liked this post and found it helpful! A few of you have commented on my Instagram that you will be visiting Bali this year so if there's anything I haven't covered please let me know and I'll be happy to help!

Aisling x