Destination: Bali, Indonesia
Time of travel: May 2014
Duration: 10 days
Travel plan: 7 days on Bali, 2 in Jakarta
Bali, for us, meant total relaxation. We left the hiking boots behind and grabbed along a couple of books to enjoy by the pool. We didn't run up a volcano, instead hired a driver to take us there. Bali was the perfect destination for an easy going trip like this; it's affordable, touristic enough for all the services you'll ever need and the climate is lovely.
Location & Hotel
We stayed in the brand new 4* hotel Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in small town of Sanur on the southeast coast of the island of Bali. Sanur is quite peaceful, smaller town with good connections to nearby attractions. Sanur is tranquil and, as we read, a more luxurious destination. Well, not sure if luxurious is really the best adjective to describe it but it definitely was free of all of parties which was exactly what we were looking for.
Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar was an excellent hotel. We loved the airiness of it, the modern brand-new look, huge pool with sun loungers in the water. Sounds good? It was even better, actually! Can you imagine a jacuzzi on your balcony, a'la Carte Breakfast with beautiful little portions made just for you and an amazing coconut creme brûlée? Oh yes, it was heaven!
The heavenliness of it all was shattered slightly when it got a little more crowded because of a holiday in South-Korea and Japan. Suddenly the hotel was packed and even though it was still lovely, they decided to drop the a'la carte breakfast and turned it into a buffet. Still very delicious, though, just a little less luxurious.
Activities
Snorkelling:
Sanur is an excellent location for snorkelling - with some incredibly amazing Manta Rae's! You do need to book yourself a snorkelling trip as the locations to spot Manta Rae's aren't accessible unless you have a boat and know where to look. While Toni was in the water totally amazed by these deadly beautiful creatures swimming right under him, Kris was, well, unintentionally feeding the fish from the boat. Even though the weather on the island was amazing the whole time, the sea was a little unpredictable and we were caught in a huge storm lasting for about 15 minutes.
Aside the beautiful Manta Rae's we snorkelled in three different locations and saw some amazing sea life. This is definitely something we'd recommend for everybody going to Bali.
Massages:
The typical Asian treat - massage! Find the best Massage salon in town and go there every day. Or at least as often as you can. On Sanur, we warmly recommend Koa. The staff was amazing and none of them stood by the road yelling "Massage, massage!". Sort of classier than the rest.
Sunrise:
Not sure if getting up at 5:30 is really your thing? With the sun rising straight from the ocean on the Sanur beach, this is an ideal location to catch the sunrise. Grab a flash light for the road.
Rent a scooter? It was fun and totally worth it but Bali is a relatively large island with a lot of traffic. Driving around on a scooter was rather uncomfortable due to long distances and crazy traffic.
Shopping? Jakarta is an amazing shopping location with huge malls of western and local brands. We tremendously enjoyed shopping in Jakarta. The selection of things to buy is amazing. Prices are about the same as in Europe. Not much to buy on Bali, though even though there are some shopping centres (didn't visit!).
Bali is a great destination for a relaxing vacation. Selection of hotels is great, sea water is warm and it's a great choice all in all.
Would we travel there again? Well, maybe not but we're definitely happy we've been there!
Time of travel: May 2014
Duration: 10 days
Travel plan: 7 days on Bali, 2 in Jakarta
Bali, for us, meant total relaxation. We left the hiking boots behind and grabbed along a couple of books to enjoy by the pool. We didn't run up a volcano, instead hired a driver to take us there. Bali was the perfect destination for an easy going trip like this; it's affordable, touristic enough for all the services you'll ever need and the climate is lovely.
Location & Hotel
We stayed in the brand new 4* hotel Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in small town of Sanur on the southeast coast of the island of Bali. Sanur is quite peaceful, smaller town with good connections to nearby attractions. Sanur is tranquil and, as we read, a more luxurious destination. Well, not sure if luxurious is really the best adjective to describe it but it definitely was free of all of parties which was exactly what we were looking for.
Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar was an excellent hotel. We loved the airiness of it, the modern brand-new look, huge pool with sun loungers in the water. Sounds good? It was even better, actually! Can you imagine a jacuzzi on your balcony, a'la Carte Breakfast with beautiful little portions made just for you and an amazing coconut creme brûlée? Oh yes, it was heaven!
The heavenliness of it all was shattered slightly when it got a little more crowded because of a holiday in South-Korea and Japan. Suddenly the hotel was packed and even though it was still lovely, they decided to drop the a'la carte breakfast and turned it into a buffet. Still very delicious, though, just a little less luxurious.
Activities
Snorkelling:
Sanur is an excellent location for snorkelling - with some incredibly amazing Manta Rae's! You do need to book yourself a snorkelling trip as the locations to spot Manta Rae's aren't accessible unless you have a boat and know where to look. While Toni was in the water totally amazed by these deadly beautiful creatures swimming right under him, Kris was, well, unintentionally feeding the fish from the boat. Even though the weather on the island was amazing the whole time, the sea was a little unpredictable and we were caught in a huge storm lasting for about 15 minutes.
Aside the beautiful Manta Rae's we snorkelled in three different locations and saw some amazing sea life. This is definitely something we'd recommend for everybody going to Bali.
Massages:
The typical Asian treat - massage! Find the best Massage salon in town and go there every day. Or at least as often as you can. On Sanur, we warmly recommend Koa. The staff was amazing and none of them stood by the road yelling "Massage, massage!". Sort of classier than the rest.
Sunrise:
Not sure if getting up at 5:30 is really your thing? With the sun rising straight from the ocean on the Sanur beach, this is an ideal location to catch the sunrise. Grab a flash light for the road.
Rent a scooter? It was fun and totally worth it but Bali is a relatively large island with a lot of traffic. Driving around on a scooter was rather uncomfortable due to long distances and crazy traffic.
Shopping? Jakarta is an amazing shopping location with huge malls of western and local brands. We tremendously enjoyed shopping in Jakarta. The selection of things to buy is amazing. Prices are about the same as in Europe. Not much to buy on Bali, though even though there are some shopping centres (didn't visit!).
Bali is a great destination for a relaxing vacation. Selection of hotels is great, sea water is warm and it's a great choice all in all.
Would we travel there again? Well, maybe not but we're definitely happy we've been there!
