As many of you who follow me on Instagram know, last month, the hubby and I went to Bali! I won a competition with The Entertainer app earlier this year. And the prize was a trip for two to the magical island of Bali. It was a much needed trip, as we hadn’t gone on a proper holiday since our honeymoon three years ago. We were both feeling extremely burnt out before we left so it really couldn’t have been better timing. Like a lot of people, I entered thinking what are the odds I’d win? But my thinking when it comes to competitions is, if you don’t enter then you definitely won’t win. I had nothing to lose, so I entered…and I WON.
On the 28th of April, we flew out to Denpasar, the capital of Bali. If your geography’s a bit foggy, Bali is an island that belongs to Indonesia. It took us a total of 21 hours to travel there from Joburg. We flew via Emirates on the Saturday evening (took 2 planes and transited in Dubai). If you haven’t flown Emirate yet, definitely do so for your next trip abroad, it’ll change the way you travel. We arrived on Sunday at around 10pm Indonesian time, so we were pretty haggard that day. But we were only there for a week, so we went straight to our first stop. To have a more immersive peek into our trip, check out my first ever vlog below, capturing our adventure in Bali.
The architecture in Bali is on another level. It’s the perfect mix between traditional and modern. Even the airport had a gorgeous elaborate design. And everything about Bali is geared towards tourism. They have tourism down. Balinese hospitality is so on point. There’s a very slick network between the hotels, the taxi and transport services, restaurants and tour companies. They all work beautifully together. Another thing we loved about Bali is you really get bang for your buck. An average meal costs us about R120 for both of us. And they were always good portions and tasty too. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country. They do serve alcohol in Bali, but it’ll cost you!
Ubud was about an 1.5 hour drive from the airport and spent our first night there. We were treated to a well-needed couple’s massage at their spa the next morning. We had the next day to check out the palace of Ubud and the market because we had to hotel hop to the next spot later that day. Plataran and the town of Ubud were definitely, hands down our favourite place. Like many Ubud hotels, it has an entrance on the busy street so you’re a bit confused at first but once you walk inside, it gets quieter and quieter. Our villa was a private little sanctuary and was such a nice getaway. We didn’t really plan what we were going to do in Bali until we got there and saw all that the island had to offer. We were under the impression that Bali was all about beach and sand but Ubud showed us there was so much more to the island so we were keen to explore. We came back here for two more nights after our next stop – we loved it that much! Check out my vlog below to see what we got up to!
Our next stop was to Alantara for two nights. This is where we did all of our water activities. We spent our first day at Sanur beach and the next day we went snorkelling. It was the main activity we knew we wanted to do in Bali. The last time we had done it was on our honeymoon three years ago to Maldives so I was super excited to get to do it again. It was one of the most amazing experiences. If you haven’t yet snorkelled, definitely give it a go. It’s not as scary as some people think it is. If you’re in a heavy touristy area, chances are you’ll have access to a life vest to help you float if you’re not a great swimmer. We did a snorkelling tour off the island of Nusra Lembongan. The whole thing was very well organised. We took a ferry to the island, then a speed boat to the sites. The first one was the best; we snorkelled with manta rays which were so friendly. I won’t lie, I freaked out when one of them swam right under me. They’re such beautiful beings. To see them so close was such a privilege and definite highlight of our trip. Check out my vlog below for all the beauty we saw there.
Anantara Seminyak Resort, Seminyak
Seminyak is also about an hour away from Denpasar and we stayed at the Anantara Resort. This was by far the fanciest hotel we stayed at. But we didn’t stay for long, just one night. We just wanted to chill when we got there because the rest of the week was so busy and we were traveling back home the next day. We arrived at around 4pm from Ubud, enjoyed the beach and had an amazing all you can eat fresh seafood buffet. The beach here was so expansive and gorgeous! We’d definitely want to go back so we can spend a few more days at this hotel which is right on the beach. We left the following afternoon to catch our ride home.
All in all, it was hands down one of the most amazing holidays we’ve even been on. Definitely the most amazing competition prize I’ve ever won! We are planning to go back to see the other side of the island as there’s so much we didn’t get to see. And this time go for about 2 weeks. It’s that magical.
Thanks again to The Entertainer, this was such an amazing treat. Don’t forget to download the app; you pay a once off fee for the year which gives you access to hundreds of buy on get one free deals (including hotel stays), discounts and other deals. All of the above hotels are partners of The Entertainer, so definitely check that out.
Watch my vlog below, comment, share and subscribe!
Have you been to Bali? Are you considering it now? Let me know if you found this helpful and also if you’d like to see more vlogs!
Wow, Bali sounds wonderful. It was very useful, thank you. I’ve always wanted to go to Bali, but alone with no hubby or children….just spending time with me, myself and I🙊
I would really love to go o Bali!! I have seen what i like & love!