Bali - Honeymoon

abril - maio 2023
A once in a lifetime, honeymoon trip spending 6 nights in Ubud then 6 nights in Seminyak Leia mais
  • 17pegadas
  • 3países
  • 16dias
  • 165fotos
  • 15vídeos
  • 12,7kquilômetros
  • 12,6kquilômetros
  • Dia 9

    Day 9 - Courtyard by Mariott

    24 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The breakfast in this place was an experience in itself. You could get your typical things fruit, yogurt, cereal, bread, full English, omelette, into your more posh French toast, pastries, pancakes and waffles. And then it got a bit more out there.. With an ice cream station. And then it got so weird with a section full of curries, fried rice's, stir fries, prawn crackers, naan breads and fish. It was breakfast, lunch & dinner all in one!

    Roy naturally had to try a bit of the curry but it was a bit too early in the morning for me so I had fruit with yogurt & granola. Followed by a mini bagel with boiled egg and of course a deidre donut. We then took an iced coffee & an iced tea to go.

    Probably not the best idea but we headed out to explore the shops and go to the flea market in the hottest part of the day (11-2pm) by the time we got to the flea market Roy had a bit of a funny turn so we had a sit down and got him a sugary drink. He was back to himself in no time.

    Around the market I bought some cute little traditional wrap dresses for the girls and Roy bought some Bali bintang 'stubbies' holders. By this time we were sweating like mad so we walked back to the hotel for a swim.

    I played bingo again while Roy laid by the pool. Unfortunately I didn't win. I then sat by the poolside, feet cooling off in the pool and read some of my book. I looked up at one point and then saw the guy laying right across the pool was ready the exact same book! The killing floor by Lee child. What are the chances!!

    3pm came round signally what Roy had been waiting for... Cocktail happy hour. He was gutted they weren't serving banana ones as advertised but instead he went for a mango frozen daiquiri and I went for a strawberry daiquiri. They were delish. They were more expensive than any other one we've bought this holiday but it was worth it to order it at the swim up bar and drink in it in the pool. We then helped ourselves to the free popcorn and Roy had a go at making candyfloss.

    We'd been recommend this beach club party place to go to - Mr potato head. It had a sunset bar which was supposed to have great views. We moved into our new hotel room and then started to head out. Until Roy realised his phone was nearly dead so we had to wait another 20 mins for it charge. As it was then a 35 min walk to the beach bar by the time we got there we missed sunset and only saw the last few purple sky moments, which nethertheless was very pretty
    Roy took lots of videos of the pool party surroundings to show his mates back home.

    It was my turn to pick tea so I'd chosen the highest rated Chinese restaurant in Seminyak. It was called Happy chappy Chinese and had a lovely outside swimming pool and garden - something you'd never expect in a Chinese back home!

    We ordered peking suck bao buns which were nice but didn't taste as good as itsu's. At least they made Roy laugh as they looked like boobies. We also had salt & pepper crispy chicken which was one of the best I've ever had. For main we shared the beef sizzling Cantonese sauce with vegetable rice. The beef was like steak but perfectly tender. The prices in Seminyak weren't as cheap as Ubud but at £32 with 4 beers it was still cheaper than at home.

    We decided to have an early night and was back for the hotel for 10.30 we put on the news for a catch up & had a decaf coffee (thanks mum) while we unpacked, ready for a new day tomorrow
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  • Dia 10

    Day 10 - Denpasar shopping

    25 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    After breakfast, where they had real heinz type baked beans!, we got a grab car to Denpasar. There was a Nike outlet shop there that Roy wanted to check out.

    The shop itself wasn't that great, with similar prices at our outlet stores back home. So we headed up the main street which was full of tech shop after tech shop. Roy wanted some new oppo earbuds to match his phone so we went in lots of tech shops but all of them were too expensive so he had a search on Facebook marketplace and arranged to buy some off a guy later on for only £12.50.

    The sun was bearing down on us so we went into a Dunkin donuts to sort a plan of action. I had an iced cappucino, Roy had a frozen cappucino with cream and we shared a lemon donut. It was amazing but I dread to think of the calories.

    We found there was a shopping mall about 20 min walk away so we headed there. First shop in was a watch repair shop so Roy managed to get a new waterproof battery for his Gucci watch. This shopping place was more up Roy's street. He was gutted because he found a pair of Nike trainers for £80 where they're £300 back home but they didn't have any in his size. He did managed to buy a couple of sports tops for £4 each so he was happy he finally bought something!
    My finger had started playing up, stinging like mad so I got it checked out by a chemist and got given some antibiotic cream.
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  • Dia 10

    Day 10 - Finns Beach bar

    25 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    At 5pm we got a Grab car to Finns Beach bar to watch the sunset. You can drink on the street & in cars etc here (well we think you can as you see loads of people doing it) so we grabbed a bintang for the ride. Roy had seen pictures and videos of the all day pool party and wanted videos to show all his mates.

    Once we arrived we took a full tour of the place, naturally Roy just had to get a pic by the VIP sign! Only the best for Mr Ismail. He then enquired about the price of the Beds by the sea but at a minimum spend of 1.5 million (£180) all the way up to 6 million, I managed to convince him it wasnt worth it just for a picture!

    As the sun set we got some lovely pics then headed to a table to grab some food. I got a chicken quinoa bowl, Roy got an Indian chicken skewer & nachos and we got a bowl of chips to share. The portion sizes were quite small but the food was lovely and for the type of place we were in prices weren't too bad.

    7pm to 9pm was happy hour - 2 for 1 on selected cocktails so first drink of a whisky sour. By now the dance floor had started filling up and the singer was in full swing. I was itching to dance. Roy not being much of a dancer stood by the edge of the dance floor taking videos & calling his mates while I danced. I felt much safer knowing he was just by the edge. I soon got some confidence and he went off to get us another drink a mojito this time & he found a table spare in the VIP bar (of course). I flitted back & forth to the dance floor. It was an entirely new experience to be on a dance floor surrounded by people in bikinis! The floor kept getting wet as the poor staff tried their best to keep squeeging it.

    At 8.45 Roy dipped to the bar to get us our final cocktail while I danced with some aussie girls. I always love the experience of girls looking out for each other. They had seen I was dancing on my own and welcomed me with no issues. Us girls have to stick together. Once we finished our final cocktail we got a grab car back to the main strip in Seminyak as I wasn't paying the prices in there anymore!

    We went into our fave bar from last night - The GOAT and ordered two beers. There was a fab band on singing all songs I knew so I had a good dance while two aussie guys chatted with Roy. One was an Everton fan so there was a bit of friendly rivalry banter back and forth.

    We then headed to our final bar of the night - the champagne red carpet bar. I had a glass of prosecco & Roy had a beer. They came round with shots of water which I was very grateful for and downed 3. Roy sent mum a video pretending that I was doing alcoholic shots but as Bob would say I'm too much of a lightweight for that!

    The staff came round with vegetable gyozas which were nice and creme bulee which we declined. The toilets were a novel experience they were upstairs in a lingerie shop which had a secret panel that opened onto a toilet. Very strange.

    Just before midnight we stumbled home after a thoroughly good night
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  • Dia 11

    Day 11 - Kuta

    26 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After a heavy night we decided to have a lazy morning by the pool. I joined in on aqua fit while Roy chilled on a pool bean bag. The sun can get very intense so there was plenty of time spent in and out of the pool.

    At 2pm we went to play bingo and I won a line! My prize was a bottle of bintang but I couldn't quite face it yet so in our fridge it went. We got up to the room, showered and then both had an hour and a half nap. It was my first nap of the hol (Roy's 27th) so I must've needed it.

    It was choice for tea tonight and there was no question about it. We were getting a McDonald's. So we got a grab car and headed down to Kuta. In the car ride we finally got chance to look through all our wedding photos. It made us quite emotional to be reminded of such a special day. There were some really lovely pics and what was most important to us is that all our family and friends looked happy, proud and like they were having the best time. I know there's memories of that day that will stay with me forever.

    At the moment in Bali there's a national holiday so traffic is super busy everywhere. We got sick of waiting in the jam and decided to get out and walk. We headed straight to Kuta beach to watch the sunset. While we've not seen a completely cloud-free sunset, theyve still been all beautiful and make me a bit home-sick for Morecambe bay. Though one things for sure, the temperature is a lot warmer here, even at night time it's still in the 20s!

    Once the sun had set we headed to McDonald's, as always in any McDonald's in any part of the world it was busy. We queued for the electronic ordering which is an absolute godsend when you change the language to English. I order a chicken sharebox (all to myself yes) which consisted of 5 chicken fingers, 6 spicy chicken balls and fries. I then added a pot of sweetcorn. I wish that uk McDonald's gave that option, I know two little girls who would be ordering it every time! Roy when for a boring big mac meal but then added 4 soy garlic chicken wings. He wasnt overly impressed with them. One thing we have noticed over here is that it is so hard to get zero sugar drinks, even the McDonald's didn't do them! Weve only been able to find cans of coke zero in shops, they don't do it in large bottles or any other kind of drinks.

    After McDonald's we headed to the boardwalk shopping centre - Roy was in his element again with all sorts of sport wear & designer shops. However he didn't buy anything which was a shock! The shopping centers round here are beautiful too with lovely light displays and ponds filled with fish.

    We took a long walk home to explore the place and check out all the market/trinket shops. Though you don't get hassled to go into shops one thing you constantly here is 'bike, bike, you want ride' or 'yes taxi boss man' or 'massage'. After 40 mins walking Roy was getting tired so we decided to stop and get a 30 min neck, shoulder & back massage. It was the best massage we've ever had. The woman cracked my back in 4 different places and really worked on my shoulders, telling me I had lots of knots. (I'm a tense, stressed gal) It was great and at only £3.50 each who can complain!

    The massage gave us the energy to walk the other 20 mins. I've been proud of Roy this holiday, seeing as I don't have my dad as my walking buddy, he's been filling in and walking everywhere with me. Doing an average of 18,000 a day. I doubt it will last when we get back to the UK though!
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  • Dia 12

    Day 12 - Beach

    27 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    After breakfast we got the shuttle bus down to our private area of beach. The roads to the beach are very narrow with scooters darting through in all directions. Roy was sat up front and had to pull the drivers mirrors in and guide him through. (he told me to make sure I put that bit in so everyone knows what a vital role he played haha)

    The beds at the beach were on decking which was much more up my street as I hate sand. So Roy left me happily reading my book while he went and played about in the sea with his Go-Pro. We've been so busy this holiday I haven't had chance to properly read so it was nice to get a few hours doing so.

    By 2pm Roy was ready to go so we headed back to up the hotel stopping along the way at a shop to get some crisps, some coke zero and change another £300. We spent the last couple of hours of sun by the pool. I finished my book sat by the poolside with my legs cooling off. Absolute bliss.

    It was Roy's pick for tea and he wanted to head back to Kuta to buy a pair of trainers and a Nike top he'd seen yesterday. Instead of sitting in traffic we opted for the 45mim walk along the beach instead. Along the way we found a little market and got two dresses for Jessica & Lucy for £4. Bargain.

    Parts of the beaches are dirty, with litter piled up. It's sad because you can tell its the tourists that have made it like that because the Balinese are so respectful and attune with nature. There's plenty of stray dogs about on the beach, all different breeds, but even they are looked after by the locals. With most of them in good condition. You hardly see any cats about, not like Greece or Morocco.

    After a little bit of shopping, Roy picked out a Punjabi Indian for tea on the main strip in Kuta. It was nice to eat outside and watch the world go by. The food itself was average and the service was a bit slow and poor. Not what we've been used to round here.

    We started the walk home, retracing our steps from yesterday because Roy wanted a full body massage. I didn't fancy one tonight, after only having one yesterday so while he did that I went to an Aussie bar down the street.

    I treated myself to a frozen strawberry Margharita, logged onto the WiFi and played Pokemon go. I'd just put a lure on when two Aussie guys came over to talk to me. I told them I was waiting for my husband (which gave me a little smile to say that to someone for the first time!). They were in their late 50s and were just looking out for me. They were a little drunk so just rambled on about their life and where they're from. The whole time I was thinking about my lure wishing they'd go away. Finally they left but by that time my 30 min lure had expired. Gutted.

    Roy then wandered back, disappointed because his massage wasn't as good as yesterday and we headed home.
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  • Dia 13

    Day 13 - Big night out

    28 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We had a quick hour down at the beach in the morning, but it soon clouded over so we spent the next couple of hours trailing round Seminyak taking in all the sites and checking out the shops. Roy found something that he took great pleasure in but unfortunately it wouldn't fit in his suitcase home.

    All this walking is thirsty walk so we stopped for a quick iced tea beer but was actually really nice & refreshing. It's still crazy to us that you can go into a mini mart, buy a beer, they'll open it right there for you if you ask and then you can sit on the chairs outside and drink it!

    We planned on making tonight our last big night. (Didn't want to risk it on Saturday night in case our stomachs went for the Sunday flight home). So naturally this meant that Roy wanted a beard trim. After watching him get his done, I thought why not get my hair cut as its half the price as at home and last time I got it cut was November!

    The girls in the hairdressers were a little broken with their English but they understood what I wanted - a trim, layers and shaping. It was strange here how the owner washed my hair then got one of the girls to cut it, usually it's the other way round in the UK. The girl was very through, taking her time, and she was asking if she could take pictures & videos too. I got it curled at the end and all together it cost £14 Inc tip. Bargain! While I was getting my hair done, Roy got jealous so decided to go next door and get a fade on his hair. We both looked tip-top.

    We barely got to the end of the road when we felt the splatter of rain. Oh no! We ran to the nearest place to shelter - a burger king. We shared a meal and watched the downpour. The heavens had well and truly opened. Luckily after 20 mins it calmed down and we managed to walk back home without getting soaked.

    When we got in I poured myself a Gin ready for the night but Roy was a little tired and so went for a nap. It was my choice for tea so my plan was to walk down to the beach for a drink and watch the sunset then head out for a steak. However Roy slept right through until 5.50 and sunset was 6.15 so no chance of that.

    We got dressed into our matching outfits (green leaf dress & shirt), poured a gin & tonic into a plastic bottle for the walk into Seminyak strip. The first place I'd chosen for steak was fully booked until 9pm but as Roy would say it would be dangerous to make me wait that long as I become angry when hungry.

    I'd checked out another place a further 5 min walk that looked good so we headed there. At 130k (£7.50) for a steak, sauce & two sides we couldn't go wrong. Especially with the setting of a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. I got a striploin steak which unfortunately was a fatty & tough but the parsley mash was to die for and bbq and corn on the cob is always a win for me. Roy had the ribeye which he said was soft & tender. We both had a glass of wine which was reasonable for over here (£3.50 a glass).

    We headed back up the strip to our favourite place - The GOAT Seminyak. We had a few beers while the band played, they got everybody up on chairs dancing and singing it was a fab atmosphere. After a couple of hours there we moved onto the oldy-worldy club we'd checked out the other day.

    As it was a Friday, you had to pay to go in. Or should I say Roy did. It was 100k (£5.50) for men but they get a free drink. While as women get in free. You see this offer quite a bit here which I don't think is a little seedy. Roy got a rum & coke to make the most out of his free drink and I got a beer. We wandered around and then hit the dance floor. They were playing all English songs that I knew but the best part is Roy stayed and danced with me the entire time. I was so happy and he actually enjoyed himself!

    By 12.15am we were ready to go so started the 30 min walk back to the hotel. Roy really fancied a pizza but they don't really have takeaways open so instead we went on the Grab app and ordered a spicy pizza to the hotel. It arrived 5 mins after we did and it was bloody gorgeous. One of the best pizzas we've ever had (though things always do taste better after a drink). We ate it on the bed with a bottle of water each while watching BBC news. We're not as hardcore as we'd like to think haha.
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  • Dia 14

    Day 14 - Canggu

    29 de abril de 2023, Indonésia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Despite a late night we were up early again and down to breakfast for 9.30am. All this walking is making us constantly hungry!

    After breakfast we packed up all our dirty washing and took it to the local laundry shop. While she wasn't the cheapest we'd seen she was the nearest and she said she'd deliver it back us, washed, ironed, pressed & bagged by 5pm for £17 so we went for it.

    I'd seen online about a market in Canggu and how the town is supposed to be a relaxed village surfing atmosphere. I suggested it to Roy and he was up for it but to my surprise he wanted to start walking it! We'd not walked the beach that far in that direction so it was a new experience. One cool think about the beach is that there are loads of tiny crabs not bigger than a finger nail that create perfectly sized holes in the sand. As you're walking they dodge your feet and scurry straight into their little holes. It's super cute.

    Once we passed Seminyak beach onto where the big party beach clubs are, you could see an immediate difference. The beach was much dirtier with rubbish everywhere, including an inexplicable amount of empty toothpastes. At some points of the beach, water from the town came down and we're 90% sure it was full of sewage. At one point we had to pass through this water that went knee deep. We tried not to think about it.

    We got to Finns Beach Club, stopped off for the loo and a wash. Then went to a local cafe, I had a lychee iced tea (id give it a 6/10) and Roy had a coke zero. We looked on the map and we were still 37 mins away from Canggu after already walking an hour and ten so we thought F that, let's order a grab car. However after 3 attempts and 15 mins of waiting, no one wanted to accept our ride so we had no choice but to walk.

    I started getting worried as it was my plan for the day out and I didn't want Roy to be disappointed. Luckily halfway to the walk to Canggu we passed a premium fake designer shop. Roy was in his element and bought a Gucci shirt, he even took the guys WhatsApp number as he said he can ship to England. As we neared Canggu we were back to the Bali we loved, greenery and rice fields. There were beautiful offerings to the gods on all the streets and incence lit for good karma.

    We got to the market, which was like a Boho chic, art and handcraft stall. Roy got a bracelet made with Roystons on for when he's at the chill & grill. It only cost £1. After all that walking we were ready for lunch so we stopped at the Pit-Stop. The burgers were unreal and for £3 each so worth it!

    As much as we have enjoyed the walking there was no chance in hell we were walking the 1 hr 42 minutes back. On the 4th attempt of trying we finally got a grab car back. At this point it had started to rain too so we were lucky! Roy did his usual and snored most of ride back. I still can't get over how cheap Grab cars are, it only cost £3.70, I dread what a trip like that in traffic like there was would be at home!

    When we got back to the hotel our laundry had arrived. We were well happy with it. Easy to pack and it's great knowing we don't have the hassle of that when we get home!

    I made myself a cuppa and Roy had another hour nap. When he woke it up it was absolutely hammering it down. Raining the heaviest we've seen it here with loud thunder too. We wanted to wait the rain out so it was a great excuse to give mum & dad a video call. (Hi Dad!!) as always it was so nice to speak to them even though we couldn't show them much.

    It was Roy's choice for tea and he wanted to walk into Kuta. The rain had made the pavements quite slippy so we were both walking like we'd shit ourselves in an effort not to fall. There was loads of bat's out tonight which was cool to see and luckily it didn't rain again the entire evening.

    Roy picked Hard Rock Cafe for his meal choice and ordered buffalo chicken tenders & chips. I wanted a last taste of Indonesian food so I ordered their main meal - Nasi Goreng which is prawn fried rice, egg and chicken satay skewers. It was lush. We also shared an onion ring tower. I had snuck in some gin because I wanted to use up the duty free I'd bought so I ordered a tonic water and mission impossible style poured it in.

    After food, we went and did our last bit of present shopping getting stuff for Isaac and Ariana. We passed a gnarly surfer and I couldn't resist getting a pic for dad 🤙

    Halfway on the walk home we gave up. We done over 12 miles and our feet were hurting so for £1.25 we ordered a grab car back to the hotel for our last night's sleep.
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