It wasn’t easy looking for a classy but affordable hotel in the Jimbaran area of Bali. Accommodations here are mostly international chains, five-star resorts, and luxurious villas. What do you expect from a place known as “the Beverly Hills of Bali”? And then I stumbled upon The Astari Villa & Residences, and it was LOVE. Staying true …
A few weeks before our honeymoon trip to Bali, I was on the phone with my friend Punky, who was sharing some travel tips to this Bali newbie. “DO NOT GO TO JIMBARAN BAY!!!” she yelled from the other end of the line. Or at least I think she yelled. It’s hard to tell, really, …
After hibernating in our hotel for 4 days, it was time to finally go out and explore the beauty of Bali. If there is one thing that Bali is famous for, it’s their temples. Bali has an affluence of interesting and marvelous temples that it’s impossible to see all of them in less than two weeks. …
When Mike and I were making a list of things to do in Bali, I suggested to go on a sunrise trek up Mount Batur, an active volcano in the Kintamani district, about an hour’s drive from the Ubud center. “Hmm…” he considered, “Maybe.” “Okay. By the way…” I started, “if we’re going to do …
“You went all the way to Bali to hibernate in your hotel for 4 days?!” That’s probably what you’re thinking if you stumbled upon my previous blog posts (here and here). I was surprised with myself too. I’m usually the type who quickly checks in at my hotel, leaves my luggage in the room, then …
Before coming to Bali for our honeymoon, I brushed up on the best restaurants in the island, particularly in Ubud, which was where we were going to spend the first leg of our trip. And as much as I would have wanted to visit all these intriguing restaurants, all those plans went out the window. That’s because we …
I call it “The Disneyland for Honeymooners.” For me and my husband, The Kayon Resort is the happiest place in Ubud. Correction: it is the happiest place IN BALI, at least for us. This was our home for 4 days and 3 nights during our honeymoon in Bali, and when I say “home,” I mean …
Our last activity for our first day in Bali was our favorite: a visit to a Kopi Luwak farm in Ubud. Kopi Luwak is coffee made from raw coffee berries that have been digested and defecated by the Asian Palm Civet. In simple terms: Kopi Luwak is cat poop coffee… although I just found out …
One of the items in my Balimoon bucket list was to have lunch with a view of the rice terraces. Honestly, rice terraces are nothing new to me. Coming from a country where rice is practically the core of every meal, rice paddies are quite a common sight (in the countryside, at least). But while …
There are two temples in Bali that go by the name of “Gunung Kawi.” The first one, and also the one more frequented by tourists, is the Pura Gunung Kawi located in the area of Tampaksiring. The second one is Gunung Kawi Sebatu which lies in the Sebatu Village in Tegallalang, Gianyar, approximately 30 minutes …
