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Bali - Honeymoon

April - May 2023
A once in a lifetime, honeymoon trip spending 6 nights in Ubud then 6 nights in Seminyak Read more
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  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 1

    Day 1 - Manchester to Singapore

    April 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    And so we're off, 6am start to get to the airport nice and early. At check in they gave us fast lane access as a honeymoon perk so we were straight through baggage check.
    After a look round the shops and a purchase of a bottle of lemon gin and coffee run we went for some breakfast. I got a mushroom omelette bun from pret a manger and Roy got a chicken sausage sandwich from Archies. We then went for the obligatory airport beer before boarding our flight to Singapore.

    As we boarded we got given earphones, a blanket and a pillow. As people got on we were hoping and praying that no one sat in the seat next to me and in no time they were announcing that all passengers were on board. RESULT! A full row to ourselves.

    The air hostess then came round with a packet of peas and crackers and I got a Wine spritzer and Roy got a tiger beer. Roy was well impressed by the fact there was WiFi on board and he spent no time in signing up.
    Next lunch was served I went for the fish whereas Roy got the Muslim meal which was a lamb curry so he was made up. His came with fruit and mine came with crackers & cheese so we swapped them. We washed them down with a gin & tonic for me and a whisky and coke for Roy.
    Film time - I watched the live action Mulan, followed by Ralph breaks the Internet and Roy watched Babylon.
    I had another gin and Roy went for a Singapore sling!
    There was snacks on board so we went for a packet of mixed nuts each and a packet of crisps. I wasn't hungry so I kept mine to takeaway but Roy had the munchies.
    We werent even halfway through the flight yet! The airhostess came round and asked us to put our window blinds down as we were entering "nighttime"
    We ordered another drink and I watched Mindcage while Roy watched some live football.
    After this I was all filmed out so I put on some Taylor swift, lay down along the two seats and had a nap.    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 2

    Singapore Changi Airport

    April 17, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    At 6am Singapore time I was woken up by the air hostess with the breakfast service. Roy got a Muslim meal of shashuka & I got a mushroom omelete with sausage and spinach which was lovely. I washed it down with a coffee but Roy got his last beer. They handed out dental kits so we could have a freshen up which was a nice touch.

    In no time we landed in Singapore airport. It was AMAZING. There were three different types of beautiful gardens that you could walk round. Much nicer to get your steps in than Manchester Airport! The airport was filled with designer shops and was immaculate. There was even a 7 eleven which brought back fond memories of my time in America with Dad.

    While Roy looked around the shops I had a cheeky little pokemon, unluckily there was a new region specific pokemon but it was in another terminal so I couldn't reach it. We went for a full explore and found that you could pay to use a swimming pool on the roof of the airport which I imagine would be so cool.

    3 hours passed in no time and we were boarding our flight to Bali. The difference between scoot airlines and Singapore airlones was astronomical. The chairs were tiny and uncomfortable and there was no TV screens or freebies. I accidentally stole a women's window seat (I thought it was ours) luckily she said she preferred an aisle seat anyway so I got some really good views of Singapore and into Bali.

    An hour and a half in we were surprised when the air hostess said we get a free meal because we'd booked through Singapore Airlines. It was a chicken soy with veg & rice and you got a coke or water with it. For afters you got choc ice-cream but they had run out so me and Roy shared it and they gave us a free packet of cookies instead so it worked out in our favour!

    In no time we were landing down in Bali. We went through the airport, where Roy got a sim card because he can't be without Internet for more than five minutes and we headed outside to meet our driver and go to our villa    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 2

    Day 2 - Arrival at Ubud Village hotel

    April 17, 2023 in Indonesia

    Our first impression of Bali was green beauty everywhere. They celebrate their gods and spirituality everywhere. There's temples, shrines and offerings everywhere you look and many statues and momuments.

    After a long flight, I fell asleep for the last half hour of the drive waking up when we arrived in Ubud. As we turned down the street to the entrance we were initially worried because how could the beautiful pictures we saw be on the edge of this broken road. But once we got up into reception we were in awe.

    The staff were so friendly and welcoming, bowing to us and offering us a refreshing drink that tasted like a mocktail mojito. The views blew us away. As far as you could see was plush greenery, rice fields and a beautiful pool. It was better than any of the photos. The manager then explained to us that they'd upgraded us to a bigger villa and drove us down to it. WOW. Opening our door to a welcome home Gallal & Katie was special and then there was the villa. The pool was gorgeous and blue surrounded by greenery so we're completely secluded. The bed had rose petals as an honeymoon treat along with petals in the outdoor bath. It was next level luxury with his and hers sinks, ponds all round and king size bed.

    After checking in with home we then decided to walk into town to get some waters and mixers for a drink. We were so surprised that ubud town was right on our doorstep. The roads were so busy filled with mopeds, bikes and cars, it felt like a world removed from our tranquil villa. We had a walk up the street taking it all in but we were tired. So we grabbed some drinks and headed back.

    We decided to order room service which was a completely new experience for me as I'm usually too tight to pay! But here we ordered a steak & potato dish for Roy and I had a chicken quesidalla with chips and it worked out around £20 bargain.

    For the novel experience we both then had a bath outside. But I had to add a lot more hot water for my bath! It was a great memory to have. Then finally bed time. Though it was only early at home my body was ready for a sleep so after reading the bedtime story they provided I fell into a lovely deep sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 3

    Day 3 - Ubud Village

    April 18, 2023 in Indonesia

    Roy got up early and went to the gym but I slept right in until 9am! We got up and dressed and headed to breakfast. This was served upstairs in the restaurant and we were amazed that it was made fresh to order and three courses! For starters I went for fresh fruit and Roy decided to try the Balinese rice pudding which was pretty nice. Then we shared a beautiful bread basket full of fresh pastries that were still warm. I ordered a Balinese coffee which was very strong and Roy a cappuccino. I tried an ubud fresh juice but didn't like it (tasted like vegetables) and Roy had a tangerine juice. For mains I had a vegan acai bowl with mango sorbet which was so refreshing and Roy had poached eggs & chicken sausages.

    With a full tummy we went back to our Villa to have a chill for a few hours. Mum had bought us beds for the pool which were a godsend in the 30 degree heat. I did some quizzes but Roy soon got restless so we decided to walk into ubud village.
    We headed up the road and then took a turn towards the monkey forests. The roads were as busy as ever but the locals are lovely and stop for you when crossing the road. The shops were full of trinkets, souvenirs, clothes and bags. It was great.

    We then walked past the entrance to the monkey Forest when I shouted Roy watch out. Right next to him was a monkey! They come right out into the street and were hanging off the telephone wires too. We even videoed one stealing a drink and drinking out of the cup! That was enough monkey business for us and saved us monkey from entering the park.
    We carried on the main road til we got to ubud Palace. We took a few pics then decided to head back. Luckily the sister hotel is close to here and it has a free shuttle bus to our hotel. So we headed to a supermarket got a gallon of water, 3 cans of coke zero, 3 cans of tonic, some seaweed, some crisps and six beers (for £10!) and headed back.

    After another relax by the pool we then went to afternoon tea which was amazing. The dried banana with peanut butter satay was my favourite part. We couldn't believe it was complementary!

    We then came back to the villa had a quick shower and change and headed back out to the village. This time we walked a different route taking in all the sites. It was Roy's choice for tea and he picked a highly recommended Indian called Pasona lounge. It was upstairs in a cute little restaurant.

    Roy really wanted a bottle of wine but we soon found out all wine on the island is very expensive it cost us 500k which is about £27. In comparison our starter of chicken pakora, mains of lamb madras and rice and chicken tikka naan tacos only came to £20! The food was absolutely gorgeous my tacos were to die for. Service was a little strange as they brought out my main while we were still eating the starter and then Roy's didn't come until 15 mins later. Over here service charge is automatically added so at least we didn't have to worry about tipping. With all the notes being large amounts e.g. 100,000, 50,000 and 10,000 etc. Its very confusing with all the 0s especially after a drink!

    We then started the 20 min walk home but Roy's shoe was rubbing so I used the old trick of putting a tissue in his sock so he didn't insist on a taxi instead.

    Once we got back and starting getting ready for bed I kept hearing a funny noise so after some investigating I found a little frog on our windowledge. Luckily though I didn't have to do any kissing because id already found my frog... I mean my prince - my husband Roy    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 4

    Day 4 - Ubud Market

    April 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    We started the day off with another beautiful breakfast with a view. We both had bagels (me with bacon and Roy with chicken). It was good but I had to take the guacamole & salsa off as it was very garlicky. The bread basket was as good as ever, I'm in love with their cinammon swirls with homemade papaya jam.

    We settled into our routine of a few hours chill and sunbathe in our villa. We both started our jack reacher books which was cute. I have a feeling I might complete mine before Roy though!

    At lunch time Roy had his cold lamb curry leftovers from last night's tea (ew) and I had some crisps and some snake fruit which wasn't very pleasant.

    Then we got dressed and headed to the Ubud markets. It was bustling but the great thing is no one is hastling you to buy anything or trying to force you into the shops. Roy did some haggling and got me a pair of elephant trousers for £2.67 and a gorgeous dress for about £5. We also got 5 magnets and 10 flower hair clips for the clips for about £3. Things are so cheap here.

    When walking round we noticed that the traffic had been stopped. Further up we saw why. There was a massive parade to give thanks to the temple. It was so great to see more of their culture. Balinese people are so spiritual and respectful. Even when you buy something from the market traders they say thank you, you give me good luck. Everyone is so polite it's lovely. The little girls were waving at all us westerners taking photos.

    After lots of walking around we were ready for a drink so stopped at a bar next to ubud Palace for a happy hour BOGOF cocktail. We went for frozen coconut mojito. It looked so cool but tasted like vegetables. We were thirsty though so we drank it all and for £5 we couldn't complain.

    Roy's WhatsApp had stopped working so he was fixated on that for a while and kept trying to find a shop to fix him. But unfortunately no luck.

    It was my choice for tea so we headed back towards our hotel down to bebek bengal aka dirty duck. It's world famous for their crispy duck and we can confirm it lived up to it's reputation. First the setting was stunning, we're still constantly amazed by how unassuming a place can look from outside then you get in and there's koi fish ponds, mini waterfalls and huge statues, this time of breastfeeding monkey (bit weird but looked kinda cool). They had tables were you can get traditionally sat on cushions so we went for that table as it reminded Roy of Yemen.
    We both ordered a bintang which is their local beer and they brought over some nuts. For starters we shared chicken wings and for mains Roy went for deep fried crispy duck with sweet chilli sauce and I went for duck fried rice which came with a fried egg & shrimp crackers. It was amazing. Some of the best duck I've ever had. Just a shame they didn't do pancakes and hoi sin sauce! We still can't get over the pricing here, to say this is one of the top rated restaurants in all of Ubud it only cost just over £20 for everything!

    We ambled back to the villa where Roy finally found a shop that fixed his WhatsApp (while his not very happy wife stood outside for 15 mins like a spare part) so he was happy and they didn't charge him either. While I waited I got a Google alert saying 21.00 reminder put bins out, I was very confused until I then saw the bin truck ten mins later. It must be an alert for all those in ubud which is very cool and something that would be useful for many back in the UK! When we got back to the villa we had received a complimentary happy honeymoon cake which was a nice touch. Roy didn't fancy any of it so I demolished the whole thing in bed!
    I then recorded Roy reading today's bedtime story given by the hotel so the girls could have it as their bedroom story too ❤️    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 5

    Day 5 - Mason Elephant Sanctuary

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    We woke up this morning to heavy rain bouncing off the ground and raining through the roof. By the time we were half way through breakfast the rain stopped and the sun came out causing steam to come off the rooves as the rain evaporated.

    Today Roy organised for us to go to the Mason Elephant Sanctuary. We decided to just get a lift from the hotel which was pricy at 200K but at least we knew we'd get there.

    Arriving at the park there was all sorts of options but I didn't feel comfortable going for the elephant rides or climbing on elephant in the water for pictures as I have read things how it's not ethical or good for the elephants. Overall it was a bittersweet experience. It was lovely to feed the 3 year old elephant and get hugged by the mummy elephant. You can feel the power in their trucks and the hair on them is really coarse but they were really gentle with everyone.

    It was sad though to see the trainers in the water pinching the elephants skins so it would do tricks for those riding them in the water. There was also signs explaining that the law in Asia is that no elephant is allowed to roam free unattended so when their trainers weren't there they were all chained up. The park wasn't very big and I've seen zoos with better enclosures for night time.

    But I had to keep reminding myself they had a better life here than they did in the elephant farms they were rescued from in Sumatra. Also if people like me didn't go to the sanctuary and the money stopped coming in then there would be no way they could upkeep the elephants and they would be killed. I hope the laws in Asia come more lax so they get more freedom. I also hope more people do research and go just to feed and see the elephants rather than ride them.

    We were done with the park in a couple of hours so we then hired a grab car and went to Creyta.    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 5

    Day 5 - Cretya Ubud

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    I was sceptical about Cretya at first when Roy was telling me about it in the Grab Car. He sold it as a three tier swimming pool where all the Instagrammers go which isn't really my scene.

    However once we paid out 50k each (about £2.60) to get in I was more than pleasantly surprised.

    On the entrance you can decide to head to the pool or explore first. We chose the explore option. First you're shown the coffee making process in which animals that look like raccoons eat whole coffee beans, ferment them in their stomachs and then poo them out. The poo is the cleaned and the coffee bean peeled dried and then roasted... And voila coffee. We declined trying any!

    Next we hit the rice fields view, it was beautiful. Lush green grass, gorilla faced caves, bird statues and high rise swings. The queue and price for the swings was unreasonable for us so we just spent out time exploring and taking in the spectacular views.

    Once we made it up and checked out the pool (which was full of instragram people) we decided to pass on the swimming and get some food instead.

    For a popular place like that the food was really reasonably priced! It took us a while to find a table but we did eventually get one with a lovely view. We ordered beef pepperoni pizza and a cheeseburger with two beers and shared it. It came to around £20 Inc tip. Bargain.

    We then ordered another grab car and got it to drop us at Ubud Palace as Roy wanted to visit a shoe shop. However he didn't buy anything (shocking I know) so we wandered back towards our hotel looking for a spa.

    After two places being fully booked we found one right across from our hotel. We both went for an 1 hr Balinese massage. It was heaven. However my peace was disturbed by Roy's snores as he slept for over half of it! Next Roy wanted a pedicure I'd never fancied one before as I'm embarrassed of my feet but I decided to go for it too as I'd never meet these people again. It was really great, she smoothed over my nails and feet and I even got them nail polished. It was ridiculously cheap to say we'd been there in two hours so I gave them a big tip to make it up to £20 for the both of us.

    It was now nearly 9pm and we were hungry for a little something. I just wanted to try a spicy chicken noodle pot that all the shops sell so I bought that for a cost of 38p. Roy looked at a few places but couldn't find anything he wanted so we ended up back at the hotel room and he ordered steak and chips. I added some steamed veg too. It made us laugh how each end of the expense spectrum our food choices was.

    Laura had sent us a cute video of the girls eating the wedding cake which was a nice thing to watch in bed before a good night's sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 6

    Day 6 - Main pool & Ubud explore

    April 21, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    This morning after breakfast we decided to go down to the main pool and pretend to be models.

    Roy got his go pro out and we took lots of videos and pics. The problem is next to him I looked so white! For some reason I'm not tanning here like I usually do in Egypt or morocco Ive got red patches and the rest is still white. All I can think is it's the humidity difference.

    The big joy this morning was that my watch which had been in constant reboot mode for the past two days had started working normally again. Which is such a relief, I've missed having it.

    After a morning round the pool we headed out to Ubud center again. Roy went for a beard trim and we found more market stalls that we hadn't seen before. We got some more trinkets and I got another dress. Roy made friends with the cutest little baby girl and she had him wrapped around her finger as he ended paying way over the odds for some pencils.

    We then went for a happy hour at Anumana only 110k (£5.60) there was another mini parade going on which was good to see. The cocktails were nice if a little strong! The bar was joined onto a hotel and in the bad was a lovely pool area but it was full of drunken westerners so I'm glad we're at the tranquil ubud village spa instead.

    We saw more shrines, it's so picturesque everywhere you go. It's beautiful. Earlier in the day Roy had spotted this cafe called Nomad that did a club sandwich so we went back there and he got that (with no bacon). We shared chicken spring rolls which were amazing and not greasy at all with a gorgeous sweet chilli sauce. I had chicken satay skewers & rice which was so good. Again the food was really cheap. The most expensive thing was Roy's whiskey and coke which cost £7 which was more than 1 meal.

    After this we wandered back down towards our hotel when we saw live music was about to begin in a shisha bar. Perfect for Friday night so we went in, I ordered a San Miguel light and Roy went for a couple of bintangs. The band were really good playing some rocky songs that we all new and loved. We got a blueberry shisha pipe too. It was a good night    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 7

    Day 7 - Villa chill

    April 22, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    It was an early start this morning because we had to be at reception for 7am for a two hour complimentary tour of rice fields in which we were to meet farmers. I had ten mosquito bites so I wore my new elephant pants Roy got for £2.68 in a market in Ubud.

    We were joined on the walk by a couple of Northamptonshire and a couple from Wales who now lived in Australia. They were really nice and it was good to talk to some English people's and share each others experiences of Bali. The australian guy was well impressed when we said we lived in Morecambe as he's a huge Tyson Fury fan and couldn't believe we get to see him jogging down the prom regularly.

    After a fifteen minute drive we started off on our walk. It was beautiful scenery and we saw many rice fields. It was a bit disappointing that we didn't get to speak to any farmers or walk through the fields themselves, but our guide was knowledgeable and told us how they harvest the rice three times a year and that a full field of rice only feeds a small community for 3 weeks. We got picked up at the other end of the track which Roy was happy about but I would've loved to loop round.

    Once we got back to the hotel we headed straight for breakfast as our stomachs were growling. The menu was a repeat of the first day but it we enjoyed it so much we got the same again. This time with iced lattes which were so refreshing.

    After we headed back to the villa and make the most of our private pool. Roy had me take lots of videos of him just being a general prat to make his friends and Ariana laugh.
    At 4pm we headed down to afternoon tea. It was different from last time but just as good. The cinammon apple pie was to die for.

    Next was the moment I'd been looking forward to all day - a video call with Mum and Dad. It was so good to chat to them and I took them round a little tour of the place. I loved sharing it all with them and getting them to see live action footage. There's so many times on the holiday when both me and Roy have said I wish they were here to see this they'd love it.

    It was then time to shower, change and head out for the evening. It was my choice for tea and I chose Pundi Pundi because it had a mix of balinese, Asian and grill. The cocktails were 2 for 1 so I tried the balinese cocktails made with arak. They were nice and refreshing. We got a starter of spring rolls which were nice but not as good as last night. I then got a chicken pad Thai which was lovely and Roy had a beef traditional curry & rice. The restaurant was stunning too.

    Liverpool were playing so we headed down past the monkey Forest (which was spooky in the dark as we kept thinking a monkey could fall on our heads) and went to a place called CP Lounge.

    They had live music but the band was so bad. However they had a huge screen with Liverpool on and they sold shisha so Roy was happy. We got a shisha mix but after a few puffs I got lightheaded. Ten minutes later Roy felt the same, it must've been a stronger blend but I was paranoid it had something else in it. While Roy watched the football I happily people watched and played pokemon.

    Roy tried to convince me to get a taxi back as it was 12am but I needed the walk to clear my head. In no time we were back at the hotel alarms set early as we'd ordered a floating breakfast for 8.30am    Read more

  • TravelerBali - Honeymoon
    Day 8

    Day 8 - Ubud to Seminyak

    April 23, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    What a way to say goodbye to Ubud with a floating breakfast. For a cost of £10 it was well worth it for the treat and the pics/videos. We only got the floating tray for 45 mins because we booked last minute but we were happy enough. Even if Roy made me pose for 1000 photos and then take 1001 of him!

    We ate the rest of the breakfast at the table and then packed up. Roy went to collect pants he'd put into a tailors as I did the final checks then we headed down to reception for 11.45am. We paid the final bill which worked out at just over £50. Not bad for 2x steaks, 1x quesidalla, 1x steamed veg, 30 min taxi and today's floating breakfast.

    On the ride to Seminyak Roy shared stories of Yemen culture with our transfer guide before falling asleep for the last half an hour. As we came into Seminyak you could immediately notice the difference between here and Ubud. It's a definite tourist trap with Aussie & English bars everywhere. The streets are dirtier and there's tacky shops everywhere.

    First impression of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel though was lovely and we checked in while sampling their iced peach tea. Our room wasn't ready yet so we sat at the pool bar, played bingo (not as good as Yo-Yos in Morocco) and had some free popcorn. Soon 3pm came and we got into our room, but we couldn't unpack because it was for one night only as they were giving us a free upgrade tomorrow.

    The room had a lovely card and cake in and the floor had a heart in flower petals. All very romantic. We scoffed the cake and then headed out to explore. After 30 min walk along the beach we ventured inland to get a beer. These came with some free warm crisps which were great especially the purple ones. It was Sunday morning back at home so we gave mum & dad a quick video call to check in and have a laugh and joke with them

    We headed back to the beach which had filled up with Balinese and tourists alike. We walked hand in hand down the beach watching the sun set. Unfortunately there was a bit of cloud so we didn't get see the end of the sunset but it was still a magical moment watching all the locals kids flying their kites while the day ended.

    After a quick change at the hotel we headed back out for tea. At this point is was 8pm and I was starving, we headed 30 min walk away to Seminyak market square where the main hustle and bustle was. We found a bar with live music and more importantly for Roy buffalo chicken wings. I had a beef hotdog and chips, dad bet me I couldn't finish me but I ate every mouthful and washed it down with two beers. All this walking around has got my metabolism on overdrive.

    On the walk back I noticed a cool, intruiging bar so we headed in for a nosy. The style was a bit like a speakeasy mixed with jungle mixed with steampunk. It was so unique. Roy had a mess about on the piano in one of the little side rooms and then we headed back (drinks were a little pricey for us)

    Overall while we miss the beauty of Ubud, it's good to see more of the island    Read more

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