Bali Diaries

10 years later, we return to this beautiful Hindu island of Bali – a tropical paradise with amazing beaches, temples, and natural landscape. 

It has been seven long years since we have been to Asia. The last trip was to Hong Kong and Malaysia for our babymoon/anniversary trip when I was then 5 months pregnant with Lady Yeya. In prior years, we would go to Asia annually to visit my Hong Kong-based sister. From H.K, the world is your oyster. We visited numerous cities and islands around southeast Asia from Penang, Borneo, Phuket, Singapore, and Hanoi. This year we were set on making a return trip to Asia and got a great deal flying direct to Singapore on One World Alliance partner Qantas for the Easter break. So where shall we go? 

It was a toss up between Koh Samui, Phuket or Bali. We visited all three islands before kids, so it was a difficult decision. But in the end, Bali was the winner! Why? Bali offers a perfect mix of beautiful beaches, culture experience, and gorgeous scenery to cover two weeks without needing to hop on a plane or a long boat ride. The truth is I am saving Thailand for when Lady Yeya is older so we can visit from north to south. For now, she isn’t ready for an action-packed adventure trip yet. 

A Return Trip to Bali 

My sisters and I took a family trip to Bali Christmas 2015 after our mom passed away earlier that year. Back in our carefree “flashpacker” days, we visited Ubud, Gili Trawagan, and Seminyak. On the itinerary was a bit of jungle trekking, river-rafting, temple-hopping, snorkelling and diving, and spa treatments. Yes, it was an adventurous trip!  We celebrated new years with buckets of Bintang beers on the beach of Gili Trawagan with live music. Life was very different then. Ten years on, I am immensely grateful to visit this beautiful island of Bali again with my own family. 

2 Weeks in Bali

We went for a different itinerary than a decade ago where we stayed in trendy areas such as Seminyak. Our main goal was rest and relaxation (R&R) with quality family time in a beautiful resort and only one excursion per location. We were looking for a chilled, relaxed vibe on the beach where we can visit local restaurants. So with that we landed on the following itinerary: 

• Andaz Sanur for five nights with a day trip to Nusa Lembongan
• Maya Ubud for five nights with a day trip to visit local Hindu temples and a stop in Tegenungan Waterfall
• Ritz Carlton Nusa Dua for three nights with a half-day excursion to Uluwatu Temple and a Kecak show. 

We also stayed a night in Singapore on both legs as a long layover. A huge bonus was meeting up with my dear friend from California as part of her whirlwind tour of Vietnam and Bali. There’s nothing more special than friends meeting halfway around the world. 

More to come about Bali!