Mint Mocha Musings

The hotelier's wife: an expat affair around the globe

  • Home
  • About Mint Mocha Musings
    • Contact Nicole
  • Blog Posts
    • Asian Adventures
    • Pacific Playgrounds
    • Expat Encounters
    • Repatriation Realities
    • Hotel Confessions
    • Motherhood Moments
    • Media Matters
    • China Culture
  • Work With Me
  • My Books!
    • My BOOKS
  • You’ll Find Me At….
    • Reviews/Interviews
    • Sunday Life
    • Sydney Morning Herald
    • Australian Hotelier Magazine
    • Mamamia
    • Kidspot
    • Essential Baby/Essential Kids
    • Huffington Post
    • FairPlanet.Org
    • Hong Kong Moms
    • JumpStart Magazine Hong Kong
    • AsiaSpa Magazine
    • W Hotel Hong Kong
    • Women With Words Hong Kong
    • The HK Hub
    • Expat Focus
    • SASSYmama/SASSYHongKong
    • Playtimes Magazine
    • Expats blog: an experience shared
    • expat blog
  • Snap of the Day in China
  • Word of the Week
  • Sponsored Posts/Reviews & Partnerships
  • Free Updates, Tips & Giveaways!
  • Travel Asia
    • China
      • Xi’an
      • Shanghai
      • Beijing
      • Guilin
      • Shenzhen
      • Hangzhou
      • Chengdu
      • Luoyang
      • Sanya
      • Guangzhou
    • Tibet
    • Hong Kong
    • Macau
    • Thailand
    • Singapore
  • Travel Pacific
    • New Caledonia
    • Fiji
  • Expats Transferring $$ Home
You are here: Home / Mint Mocha Musings / And the Winner is….Bali! Trip Advisor’s Destination of the Year – Here’s Why!

And the Winner is….Bali! Trip Advisor’s Destination of the Year – Here’s Why!

by Nicole Webb

Laguna Beach

I’ll be honest, a holiday in Bali, Indonesia was not on my bucket list.

The first time I went, Small Person was seven months old. Enough said, really. I was so sleep deprived I could’ve been on Mars.

Since then, living in Asia, we’ve ventured to places like Thailand and Malaysia, whenever we were lucky enough to escape on a resort holiday.

Down Under though, Bali is the place to go for many an Aussie. Around a six hour flight from the East Coast, it’s not super close, but close enough.

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of sad and distressing stories out of this tropical paradise, from the Schapelle Corby Saga to the Bali Bombings, eery earthquakes and lately the threat of the island’s volcano erupting — so perhaps subconsciously, I was steering clear of this particular holiday hot spot.

However, since we’ve been away, it’s become my family’s destination of choice for a quick pick me up holiday. So, with that in mind, living back in Australia, I was determined to get on board and see what all the fuss was about.

Truth be told, I didn’t have high expectations. I’d pictured a place bustling with every Aussie and his Bintang spilling out of bars onto the pavements in search of a cheap sarong. (And yes, there are places like that in Bali, hello Kuta! But it’s definitely not the status quo!)

Legian Bali

We stayed at Legian Beach just north of the nightlife capital at The Stone’s Hotel… (one of the Hotelier’s of course). We were conveniently just a stone’s throw from the family at Legian Beach Resort.

(Mind you the first day, when my sister told me to cross over to the beach and walk along until I spotted the red umbrellas, I took her literally and we walked for kilometres along the scorching hot sand in blazing heat searching for the right red umbrellas. So many?)

But once I found my bearings, I had the time of my life. What’s not to love about shopping and pedicures on the beach!

Bali trip

Not unlike Phuket in Thailand, it’s got everything you could need on a holiday. In fact I would go so far as to say it has something for everyone.

It’s a big call, I know. But with it’s beautiful beaches, accomodation to suit everyone’s budget (just quietly I’ve got my eye on a villa for next time!), markets – loads of markets in fact (with things you actually want to buy ladies, and won’t regret when you get back to normality), lots of culture and a gazillion restaurants and bars with great food — Bali is pumping with possibilities! Oh and let’s not forget the friendly locals.

Legian Beach

Pedicures on the Beach!

I was well and truly into the swing of things, I even got my hair braided. *Face palm*

Bali Trip

And do you want to know the best bit? Unlike a lot of island holiday spots, it’s cheap as chips!

From Nusa Dusa in the South, where five star resorts reign supreme in a picturesque setting, to Kuta and Legian — Seminyak in the north with it’s villas for the whole family – a place filled with upmarket boutiques and delicious day spas — inland to Ubud with its quaint villages and inspiring galleries to Jimbaran Bay, the place they call the Beverley Hills of Bali and idyllic Lombok in the East — you can’t go wrong.

While I just had a snapshot of what Bali had to offer, would I go back again?

You betcha! (Just between you and me, I was hoping the island’s active volcano might erupt!) 

And I didn’t even get a hint of Bali Belly! (Word of advice, choose wisely.)

There’s a reason Bali was voted as the world’s favourite destination for the first time ever in the TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards 2017.

Bali, this time, you had me at hello.

travelling to Bali

 

 

Related Posts

  • Singapore: Slick, Sophisticated and Sassy – but does it lack Soul?Singapore: Slick, Sophisticated and Sassy – but does it lack Soul?
  • Typhoon Utor turns Hong Kong into a Ghost TownTyphoon Utor turns Hong Kong into a Ghost Town
  • Homeland…Homeland…
  • Bula! Is Fiji Worth Putting on Your Travel List?Bula! Is Fiji Worth Putting on Your Travel List?
  • 20 Top Tips for Booking a Hotel! (From the hotelier’s wife…)20 Top Tips for Booking a Hotel! (From the hotelier’s wife…)
  • A high price to pay…A high price to pay…

Enjoyed that post? If so, why not sign up to Mint Mocha Musings so you don't miss a thing! Updates, Tips and Freebies

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profile

Nicole Webb

Nicole is a journalist and writer (former News Reader with Sky News Australia) who, back in 2010, took a leap of faith and embarked on a journey to the city that never sleeps, Hong Kong! Fast forward four years, and Nicole, her hotelier husband and toddler stepped things up a notch and moved to Central China, where they lived in Xi'an for 2.5 years. Back in Sydney after a whirlwind adventure, Nicole continues her musings! Check out Mint Mocha Musings for plenty of intriguing, humorous and uplifting tales from her expat life in Asia so far. You can also find her on Twitter: @nicoledwebb. and Instagram at Mint Mocha Musings.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profile

Latest posts by Nicole Webb (see all)

  • Back to School: Helping Children to Adjust During the Coronavirus Pandemic -
  • China Blonde Musings -
  • CHINA BLONDE: How a newsreader’s search for adventure led to friendship, acceptance….and peroxide pandemonium in China. -

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Asian Adventures, Hotel Confessions, Mint Mocha Musings Tagged With: Bali, Bali holidays, Indonesia, Kuta, Legian, Nusa Dua

Search here …

Order China Blonde here!

http://www.nicolewebbonline.com

Expats – Need to Transfer Money Home?

sending money home

NordVPN

Need a VPN

ClearFx Currency Converter Add this to your site
Australians living in Hong Kong
Support for repatriation!
Paperblog
Australian Women Bloggers Directory by Blog Chicks
Tripoto
Expat Interview
iCompareFX.com Expat Blog Awards 2017
Follow
Top 20 Expats Blogs 2017

VOTE NOW

Banners for Asian Expat Blogs Award 2018

Follow Me on Twitter!

  • RT @JKCorden: This is the content I’m here for. Wait for it... x https://t.co/BMBjI6wrlC about 3 hours ago from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
  • Revisiting Wuhan a year after the coronavirus hit the city  | The World from PRX https://t.co/SNYBMrwEkh about 10 hours ago from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
  • RT @mazymixer: Today is the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century. 04:36:19 PM January 22, 2021 from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
@nicoledwebb

Instagram

Follow Me!

Like Our Adventures on Facebook!

Top Posts & Pages

  • Having a Baby in China...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly!
    Having a Baby in China...the Good, the Bad, the Ugly!
  • About Mint Mocha Musings
    About Mint Mocha Musings
  • From Castle to Cage: Hong Kong - A City of Contradictions
    From Castle to Cage: Hong Kong - A City of Contradictions
  • Moving to Hong Kong - 10 things you shouldn't leave home without!
    Moving to Hong Kong - 10 things you shouldn't leave home without!
  • ....all the tea in China
    ....all the tea in China
  • A high price to pay...
    A high price to pay...
  • The Expat View: Why Traveling will Never be the Same.
    The Expat View: Why Traveling will Never be the Same.
  • Eight Cultural Taboos in China You Really Ought to Know....
    Eight Cultural Taboos in China You Really Ought to Know....
  • Why Sleeping in Ikea is Perfectly Acceptable, in China. 
    Why Sleeping in Ikea is Perfectly Acceptable, in China. 
  • China's Culture Club: Flower Power, Fruit Platters and Laughing Gas!
    China's Culture Club: Flower Power, Fruit Platters and Laughing Gas!

© Copyright 2014 Mint Mocha Musings · All Rights Reserved · Graphics by Miss Pickles · Design by Project Prettify ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: