Bali by the Sea [19/09 - 24/09]

Day 1 - 19th Sep 2013 (Thu)

We arrived at Bali new international airport on the day of opening (19th Sep). As can be seen, many of the staffs are getting used to the new operations.


There were 100% check on the baggage, which delayed the departure by a while. Finally we were out and was greeted by many construction sights around the airport. The taxi counter is located a short walk to the left of our exit gates. And off we go to our hotel.


Our first hotel for the night is Puri Kelapa Garden Cottages located in Sanur. We were given a cottage and it looks like the below picture. 


The room is quite spacious and has good views of the greenery around.

There is a pool in the hotel premises but we did not have time to use it.


And off we go to the spa. We had made reservation at 2pm with Aroma Spa Retreat Sanur Bali. The driver came to pick us up from our hotel reception promptly. We went for the post-airport relaxing package which is 4 hours long. There are also meals included.


Here is how the interiors of the spa looks like.


And us posing with the mirror.


For dinner, we decided to try some simple roadside stalls. After consulting with the spa reception, they recommended this place to us - Warung "Pecenongan Jakarta" - Special Chinese Foods. It is located just directly opposite the Aroma Spa retreat.


For the 3 packets below, it only cost 113,000 IDR (S$12).


And thereafter it is good night.

Day 2 - 20th Sep (Fri)

We heard from the hotel reception that there is a market a short walk from the hotel. We have to make a left turn after coming out from the hotel, a left turn again to the road, continue walking straight for around 5mins and follow by a right turn and we can see the market. It is called Pasar Sindu.

It is a very large market as can be seen from the picture below and it sells a variety of stuffs. As the market only has short opening hours in the morning, we went there before breakfast.



We bought a few goodies from the market. And it is back to hotel for breakfast.


Next is it a walk along the beach of Sanur. From the entrance of the hotel, it is a 5mins walk to the right and we will arrive at this round-about below. There is a statue of a guy staring into the sea.

It is a good and sunny day.


There are many places for good breakfast / lunch / dinner dining here.


There are also plenty of shops catering to tourists.


We got back to our hotel and had a short rest. We will be staying at another hotel - Oasis Lagoon Sanur for our second night. This is one of the tallest hotel in Bali - 4 floors up. There is a supermarket just next to the hotel.


Our rooms were upgraded to a penthouse.


Here is the view from the top.


Here we are off for lunch. It is at Cafe Smorgas. It is just a short 5 mins walk from the hotel.


It serves very good meal.


We proceeded to walk down towards the beach.


And found Oasis Lagoon beach benches. We took a rest here and enjoy the sea breeze.


We went back to hotel for a short rest. There are cable TV in the hotel. For dinner, we made a turn towards the other direction down Sanur. And stumbled upon a few restaurants and cafe. For dinner, we decided to go for seafood.


And here is our dinner.


Day 3 - 21st Sep 2013 (Sat)

The next morning is breakfast at the hotel. The photo below shows the chef preparing eggs on fire.


The activity plan we have in the morning is Seawalker. The sea is quite bumpy that morning.

North Bali [19/09 - 24/09]

Day 3 - 21st Sep 2013 (Sat) - Continued

We rendezvous with our driver at 1pm. And to the north of Bali we go. He dropped us at a local restaurant which has a good view of the surroundings.


The dishes served by the restaurant are really good. The portions are just right.

Our first tourist stop is Ulundanu Temple - the temple by the lake. It is very cooling up here.


We took a walk around the perimeters to enjoy the nature.


It feels like one of the town by the lake in Europe with its cooling temperature and vast hilly ranges.


We continued for another 2 hours before arriving at our hotel - Aneka Lovina Villas and Spa. There is a cart which can fetch us from the reception to our cottage.


The room is spacious and is very beautifully designed.


There is a beach at the other end of the villa. We can book dolphin tour from here. And it is also quite cheap.


For dinner, the driver recommended us Tanjung Alam beach restaurant. It is actually by the beach, but we are not able to see much things as the sun has already set.


It cost only 70,000 IDR (S$8) for the portions below.


Day 4 - 22nd Sep 2013 (Sun)

The 4th day morning adventure is dolphin watching. We hop onto one of the boats below.


The calm morning breeze and picturesque scenery.


The sun rise.


There are many boats around chasing dolphins.


The dolphins move very fast. And out of the many photos I have taken, the below is the best.


After the dolphin ride out, we decided to walk back to our hotel. There is a market between the dolphin beach and the hotel.


We had a short rest back in hotel, took breakfast and depart for our next stop at 11am. It is actually a Buddhist Temple in the north area.


Here are we.


There is an ancient structure here which they said is similar to Borobudur.


Here is a closer view.


It is actually a functioning temple where meditation retreats are held. Below is a stupa.


Next before lunch, we decided to take a dip at the famous hot spring in this area. There are 3 categories of hot spring which varies between normal - warm - warmer.


For lunch, we decided to return to Tanjung Alam. At this time, we can see how the beach looks like.


We ordered a lot.


Our next stop for the day is to explore Gitgit Waterfall. We need to walk around 15mins before we can reach our destination.


After a long walk, we finally arrived at the majestic Gitgit waterfall.


Let's take a closer look at the waterfall.


Now we are into our final leg of the journey, to Zen Resort Bali at Seririt.


The zen resort bali is located in a very remote place. Getting there must be by car. At the entrance of the resort, there is a small convenience shop. The rooms are spacious.


We can also sit outdoors and observe the sunset.


The room is quite well decorated.


Day 5 - 23rd Sep 2013 (Mon)

Here is our breakfast view.


And our breakfast area below.


There is quite a nice pool in the villa. We also took a dip as we spent 2 nights here.


During the second night, there is a performance and we were invited to join in.


Here is the performance.


And the final group photo.


Final Day - 24th Sep 2013 (Tuesday)

We woke up early during the final day for meditation. Here is how sun rise looks like.


And the teacher guiding us for meditation.