Tourism is really big in Bali, thousands flock to the island from all over the world to enjoy the tropical weather, good food and beaches. The Kuta, Legian and Seminyak area is busy busy busy, but if want to take it down a notch, Ubud offers a respite from the touristy hustle and bustle. BUT, I’m not saying that Ubud isn’t touristy, it is! But it’s a bit further away to get to, so not everyone will make the trip there. Furthermore, Ubud carries a different kind of atmosphere, it’s more chilled and slow paced.

Cool down with some fresh coconut juice

You will see a lot of tourists strolling down Jalan Raya Ubud, the main street which is lined with shops selling souvenirs, shawls, jewellery, craftwork and art.

If you’re in Ubud, don’t forget to check out Naughty Nurie’s, arguably the best BBQ pork ribs you will ever have.

Naughty Nurie's - all things pork is amazing here!

Simple restaurant, with delicious delicious food.

Naughty Nurie's - all things pork is amazing!

Address: Jl Raya Sangiggan (opposite the Neka Art Museum half way up the hill heading north out of Ubud).

Opening hours: 10AM-11PM daily.

Crowded roadside watering hole. Microbrews, great martinis and slabs of BBQ ribs. This is very much a standard stop for Korean or Japanese tour buses.

 Another big attraction in Ubud is the Monkey Forest. It’s a nice place to walk through, but don’t expect to find anything special here. Just enjoy the walk and fresh air. Websites warn tourists not to bring any food to avoid any human-animal conflict, the monkeys are not that friendly. Look out for the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, a temple of the dead.

Monkey Forest

Tree upshot

aerial roots

Look at how vibrant and green the rice paddies are!

Rice paddy field at Ubud

Travel get up. Princess monkey toe.

Helmed by Singaporean Mark Kuan who left the hustle bustle of life behind to “find himself”, lost in a world where he was simply not happy, Delicious Onion is the perfect example of living and loving your work till it doesn’t feel like it is a job.

 

In 2007 with a recipe for Hainan chicken rice, my mums prized onion chutney and a firm belief that the Universe will provide, I arrived on the shores of Bali to set up the Delicious Onion. It was the beginning of a beautiful journey of self-discovery and a dance between the Universe and me. Layer after layer as I started to peel away at the “whom” I thought I was, the Onion grew. Miraculously great teachers walked through our doors and everyday I learned bout being a restaurateur and most of all bout being a human being. Thanks to the Onion I got in touch with what was important to me and learnt that it was the same with many others too.

- Mark Kuan, Owner

Mark’s credo remains that food here nourishes your body and soul, conversations and people you meet there. I salute him for having the courage to just go for it, and wish him all the success.

The entrance of Delicious Onion. Indoor & Outdoor seating available.

From the road

Romantic atmostphere at night

Inside

Must try, their roast pork is heavenly. Juicy Crispy.

Take a closer look.

Mark Kuan

Beautiful artwork on one of the walls

Painting the space just outside his restaurant.

Max, Mark's Son.

Max staying up way past his bedtime on a school night chilling with us girls.

Thanks for hosting us Mark and Max for always entertaining us!

*Update

Delicious Onion has now expanded to Ubud with a Bed & Breakfast set up.

Find them here on their Website, Facebook, Twitter.

Address: Corner of Drupadi & Dyanapura | (Next to Haromony Hotel), Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Tel: +6281337894243

Danli & I got great Bali 2-to-go deal on Singapore Airlines, so we jumped at the opportunity to get out of the island for a long weekend of just doing nothing.

We were graciously hosted by Mark, good friend of sisters Jaclynn and Angie. Us four girls in a room equates to alot of gossiping, laughs and heart-to-hearts. Simple holiday with good company.

Our last full day at Villa Azaya was bitter sweet. We all knew we had about 24hrs left till we left paradise, so we tried our best to soak up every bit of sun we could. Day was spent walking around Seminyak and sunset massages back at the Villa.

Being our last night in Bali, we opted to eat in at the villa gazebo. Our amazing BBQ dinner was prepared by the villa chefs who painstakingly stood by the grill even when it started to drizzle. Lots of seafood on the menu; Lobsters, King prawns, lamb, beef steak, salads, vegetables, corn on the cob, all which cost next to nothing in comparison to Singapore prices.

The rest of the night was spent faffing by the pool. Definitely a more subdued evening than the previous few, no thanks to Duncan’s klutzy performance involving the glass door. We shan’t get into that so as to salvage what’s left of his ego. Time to head home and face reality. Till next time, Goodbye Bali!

From left: Amanda & Kimmy. Angela, Daisy, Kimmy

Besides ‘Above water’ shots, here’s some underwater shots we took at night 2.

Because the boys has too much energy to blow off, they decided to fling each other in the air. The girls succumbed soon after and decided to partake in a bit of Pool gymnastics.

Rounds consisted of the flying (Silver)Fox, Face plant, bromance flings, gf flinging and canon bombs.

Some of these pre-impact pictures really look like they were going to hurt!

After dinner at BREEZE, we headed over to Ku De Ta for some cocktails before heading back to the Villa to continue our party.

Ku De Ta is one of the more popular bars in Bali, attracting loads of tourists to this watering hole. Cocktail prices are a bit expensive for Bali standards, so it’s probably best to go there just for sunset drinks. They are well known for their yearly White Parties, but I’m not too sure what all the hype is about. Unless it’s some stellar line-up of DJs, it’s basically a beach party where everyone dresses in white?

The last picture is of us girls playing 5/10 thumbs.. READYYyyyyy!!

Ku De Ta
Address: Jalan Laksmana 9 Seminyak, Bali 80361 Indonesia
Tel: 62 361 736969
Fax: 62 361 73 6767

On our second night in Bali, we decided to eat out at a nice restaurant by the beach, and the first place that came to mind was BREEZE at The Samaya which overlooks Seminyak Beach. It’s not my first time there, but it was my first time there at night.

Here’s a little write-up from their website:

The menus that Chef Michael Shaheen showcases is an interpretation of Euro-American and blends the best of the environment with his own vision of contemporary American and global cuisine. Using the many indigenous ingredients Chef Michael’s menus are dictated by the local harvest and giving them as he defines a “Simple, Seasonal and Uncomplicated approach with a connotation of modern plated presentations, with very light full flavoured reduced sauces, and an air of freshness which appear in his dishes.

The food was good, prices reasonable, but what really did it for me was the venue and ambience. Eating with the sounds of waves continuously crashing on the beach was incredibly therapeutic for me. As someone said, the experience can be summed up as “comfortably casual in an elegant way”.

On my plate that evening was Local Wild Snapper with Truffle Scented Mushroom Risotto, Roasted Asparagus, Fennel, Oven Cured Tomato Reduction – 235 Rp

Breeze at The Samaya
Jl. Laksmana, Seminyak Beach,
Seminyak, Indonesia
Opening hours: 7am – 11pm
Telephone: (62 361) 731 149
Capacity 100 seats

What I love about the Villa is the amount of space we had. It’s unlike other holidays where you spend very little time in your hotel room. Here, there’s just no reason or need to leave the compound. If a ‘rest & relax’ holiday is what you’re after, there couldn’t be a better arrangement than this.

Afternoons were spent reading by the pool, swimming, sleeping, chatting and getting massages.

And you wonder why people stay here for months on end?

Waking up the next morning for surf school was a challenge. We dragged our sluggish selves out of bed and fed our bellies with some breakfast before packing ourselves into the van.

One of Amanda’s old friend Dedik has a surf school on Kuta beach called Double D surf school Bali. So Tony, Duncan, Chris, Marisa, Bella and I decided to give it a go!

It’s definitely not as easy as it looks, be prepared to fall off the board 100000 times before you finally ride a wave.

Look at us! We’re surfin I reckon we did pretty well for first-timers.

This is what they offer with their courses:
1. Free pick up & drop off
2. Quality surfboards & equipment
3. Sun protecting rashguards
4. Drinks
5. Showers, clean towels, & lockers
6. Insurance

For more info & bookings
website: www.surfschoolbali.com
e-mail: info@surfschoolbali.com
Phone: +62 81 7067 0046 or +62 361 780 6124

In Bali, we all stayed at a Villa in Seminyak called Villa Azaya. It was ridick!?! Beautiful place. Amazing interiors. Gorgeous landscaping. Great service. There was just too much for us to take in all at once when we arrived. Best to explain in pictures!

Also managed to find a website describing the Villa below.

# of Bedrooms : 5
Total Living Area : 1000m2
Total Grounds : 2200m2

Villa Azaya is a contemporary-styled, five-bedroom, Bali rental villa, located just 50 metres from the beach in the Petitenget/Seminyak neighbourhood on Bali’s southwest coast. Covering 2000 square metres, the property comprises a large two-storey building complemented by a fully independent two-bedroom guesthouse, stand-alone gym, poolside gazebo and 20-metre swimming pool, well integrated within an expansive, flat-lawned garden.

The five air-conditioned bedrooms each feature ensuite bathrooms, there is also a living room, dining room, feature kitchen, and guest office/library, while the guest house incorporates its own living & dining room complete with small kitchen.

Ipods have been installed in every living area, and a Bose 321 home entertainment system provides sound in the living room, dining room and pool bar. WiFi internet access is available throughout the property.

Master bedrooms
The two, sizeable, master bedrooms are located on the upper floor of the main building. Each is air-conditioned and each features a teakwood floor, a dressing area and an ensuite bathroom; each is complemented by a rooftop terrace with a lovely view of the garden, the neighbouring fields and a glimpse of the ocean. Each spacious master bathroom is fitted with a bathtub with handheld shower, a double vanity unit with a large wall mirror and twin washbasins, and a toilet.

Guest House
The self-contained guest house offers independence and privacy; it is quite separate from the main building and accessed by a wooden bridge over an ornamental pond. This single-storey building incorporates two bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom, and a centrally positioned, open-sided, living & dining area complete with a small kitchen. The living space is furnished with segmented sofas and a glass-topped coffee table, and equipped with a satellite TV/DVD player, Nintendo Wii game system and an iPod dock.

Each bedroom is complemented by an ensuite bathroom with an open-air shower, a bathtub, a vanity unit with washbasin and mirror, and a toilet.

There is large open-sided ‘bale’ pavilion in the garden, with a raised wooden floor and a high roof, rattan sofas and a dining table for eight. It is cooled by natural breezes and two ceiling fans.

Gym
The air-conditioned Gym is a single-storey stand-alone building, located close to the swimming pool. It has a mirrored wall, sliding glass doors and is fully equipped with a treadmill, upright exercise bike, Concept2 Indoor Rower, multigym, free weights, adjustable bench, stretching and yoga mats, and an exercise ball. There is also an iPod dock.

Staff at the villa
The villa is staffed with one full-time Villa manager, Two cooks, Four maids, Four security guards, Two gardeners and One pool attendant.

Courtesy of Villa Azaya

More posts of Bali coming up where you can see pictures of the villa in the day.

I’m starting to enjoy these spur of the moment trips I make with friends. And I’m so glad I’m in a job now that allows me to travel more this year.

2 months ago, I get Kimmy msn-ing me in a frenzy about cheap flights to Bali on Air Asia.

www.airasia.com >> Select date & destination>> Personal particular>> Submit>> DONE!

In no time at all, about 10 of us were booked on a flight to Bali at the beginning of November. It was just a couple a months back I was in Bali with 2 other friends for some ‘me time’, but this time round it was the complete opposite. This was a time to socialise, have fun, party and emerge back into society with a more confident, happy and steady head on my shoulders.

We all met up at the airport in the arvo to catch our 7pm flight to Bali, and while buying duty free, someone brought up the idea of having a free shot at the Absolut bar. Oh well why not!

so Zileena, Kim, Marisa and me had a shot to kick start one of the best holidays I’ve had all year.

If you were wondering why we were pouting in the bottom few pictures, Kim swore by this lip gloss she got from Boots UK called ‘Mother Pucker’ which makes your lips tingle and plump up!

First evening there and we decided to head out to some beach club. Wasn’t that great so we ended up coming back to the villa to continue the party. More blog posts to follow on our Bali holiday.

Had an amazing weekend in Bali and lots of photos to prove it. Will upload them soon, but for those of you on my Facebook, you can see them already in my photo album.