Today I am writing my first blog in Bali
Not a bad back drop hey....
As we stepped off the plane we were instantly hit by the scorching sunshine and the hectic life style
I have never been to an Asian country before, so this was instantly a whole new experience to me, So what better that starting it by checking into a beautifully presented hotel, and greeted by the most amazing staff
Throughout our 11 day stay in Bali, we have decided to try out an array of different hotels, our first stop was 'The Grand Mirage Hotel, Nusa Dua'
Even though the hotel is modern, it also has a twist of the indonesian culture throughout
We instantly took a walk up the beach, to have a ganda as to what was around us
Once you left the private beach you were instantly confronted by the locals wanting to sell you massages, tattoos, clothing and water sports
After walking for miles down the beach, we decided to head back to the hotel and dig into their buffet that was on offer
There is something splendid about hotel buffets, I think it could be the fact that you are able to eat as much as you want, until you have to waddle your way out of the restaurant, and the best part is you are not frowned upon
There was an extensive buffet choice, which allowed me to have round after round
For drinks I opted for a Bali Punch, that was filled with a rainbow effect of flavourings
After 4 courses, I finally decided to attack the desserts
I couldn't choose so I took a little taste of everything
Yes that was 9 puddings, not a bad effort eh
My overall verdict was the food was very good!
The next morning we grabbed some breakfast at the buffet, before placing ourself by the pool for the morning
The hotel's pool bar is available from 10am onwards, where it offers a large array of drinks from cocktails, to smoothies to non alcoholic cocktails
Outside the hotel was a street full of local food, clothes and vehicle hire shops
We decided to stray out of the hotel and take a walk down the busy road
If you are into risking your life, being a dare devil and being out right mental then hiring a moped is for you
However for me walking or taking a taxi would fine
The shops had an array of items on offer from food, drinks, clothing and massages
We dipped in and out of a few shops then made our way back to the hotel to catch the bus to the local shopping attraction
The bus was totally crazy, as it weaved through the streets, dodging mopeds and beeping its horn, it kind of reminded me of the knight bus in Harry Potter
Once we arrived at the Bali Collection shopping resort, we were faced with an array of shops there were traditional Balinese shops that sold hundreds of clothes, there was large a shopping complex, selling Ralph Lauren, New Look, Adidas and much much more, and there was a large selection of restaurants, that specialised in an array of cuisines
We then stumbled across a spa, it had so many options available, but the one thing that court our eye was the tank full of tiny fish swimming around like lunatics
We decided to go for a 10 minute treatment, which came to a grand total of £2.50 each
We were greeted by the loveliest ladies who took us through into the spa, cleaned our feet for us then gently steered us towards the tank
I will openly admit I was kind of scared, the whole concept of putting my feet into a tank of tiny fish that eat you didn't sound to appealing, but we eventually took the plunge, and our feet were met by thousands of little fish nibbling away
Can you imagine what it would feel like having the borrowers tickling your feet, well that was exactly how this treatment felt
After 10 minutes, we removed our feet they were smooth, clean and perfect
We dried up, Thanked the lovely ladies and left to go and find some food
Okay so we might have made a slight mistake, when leaving the hotel I grabbed 200,000 rupiah it sounds a lot right??
In fact is was only equivalent to £10, this has to be the only country where you are able to go to a spa and get lunch with such a small amount of money
We entered the first restaurants that we passed, and opted to share the Chicken wrap with chips
The total came to £5, and the foot quality was superb and the staff were so friendly
We finished up and went for a walk around the shops, where we were faced with this beauty
We both decided to get a cold milkshake as our dessert, do you want to know the best bit it cost £3 all together
The guy nearly even got my name right, for a short moment I was no longer Emily but Amlie
After spending a few hours at the complex, we decided to head home, the hotels have a complimentary bus on offer that leaves every hour, and it only takes about 10 minutes from door to door
Once we returned to the hotel, we decided to have a quick change and then venture down the main road to try and find a local restaurants for supper
Which is where we came across 'Chopstick Restaurant'
We were given a menu which had a large array of choice, we opted for the vegetable rice, the sweet and sour pork and deep fried squid which came to a total of £15 all together including drinks
The service was amazing with the friendliest staff that even gave us a tutorial on how to use chop sticks properly
We slowly finished up and headed back to the hotel were we dug into the happy hour on offer, everyday between 6-8 by one get one free!
So far Bali has not failed to impress, the hotel has been excellent, the staff are amazing and culture is truly inspirational
We still have a lot more to explore, lets see what else bali has to offer
Until Next Time......
