“What’s my next move?”
Legian Beach, Bali
Joining in with Debbie’s One Word Sunday – Concentration
Category: Indonesia
Living it up in Lively Legian, Bali
After checking out of the Novotel, we took Grab Cabs to our next destination, The Pullman in Legian. Upon checking in I found that my request for adjoining rooms had not been accepted! We were all on the same floor though, us around the corner with Elena and Damian in two rooms with a room in between. I was a bit miffed as I had asked twice for this and in plenty of time. Never mind, time to move on and get settled for the next four days of more fun in the sun.
In the evenings there was always a PG film or cartoon showing.
Pull up a Seat and enjoy the show.
Our room was more than okay and the balcony overlooked some beautiful frangipani trees. I saw cute squirrels hopping from branch to branch, peering up at me.
After swimming in all the pools and eating lunch at the hotel, we headed elsewhere for dinner. Elena and I had our wires crossed as to the restaurant I had chosen. Ending up walking further than I had planned only to find that it was “Drag Queen” night. The place was packed and not entirely suitable for young eyes. Always restaurants aplenty in Legian, so we just ate next door.
The Pullman featured three pools, one was adults only. This one overlooked the ocean and a cocktail or two are easily available to watch the sun go down. With Legian being on the west side of the island meant we got to see some glorious sunsets.
One afternoon Rosie and I were having a siesta in the room and ventured outside to watch the squirrels. They were extremely tame, but I chickened out at the last minute to actually hand feed them.
As it was school holidays the breakfast buffet was crowded and noisy, also expensive. There was a long wait for coffee from a state-of-the-art coffee machine, operated by one man, and no other options available. So the next day we opted to eat at nearby cafes.
Anthony continued his daily regime of walking two hours everyday, even in the heat and humidity. I managed a 15 minute walk to the shopping centre nearby. Holidays in Bali are all about relaxation, reading and swimming for me, with a cocktail to hand.
We had a drink one evening on the beach and watched the sun go down.
We didn’t venture to the beach much in the daytime. The sea on this side of the island is good for surfing but not swimming.
One night Anthony and I walked back along the shore. The waves gently lapping around our ankles and enjoying the cool breeze. As we bent down to put out shoes back on a not so gentle wave jumped up and soaked us. Luckily we didn’t have much further to go and squished back to the hotel.
All in all there is something for everyone in Legian. A place to go if you want to party all day and night. Restaurants, bars and cafes line the roads and the beach. Upmarket hotels and budget places jostle for space, most with an oasis of calm and tranquility at the back. A wonderful time creating memories with family.
💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢 💢
In this post I’ve Set the Mood, and Pulled up a Seat to watch the trees and leaves.
Family Adventures in Benoa and Legian, Bali
I decided to change things up this time for our family holiday in Bali. Four days in peaceful Benoa and four days in lively Legian.
It was extremely late by the time we arrived due to a delayed departure. The lobby was large and spacious with enormous high ceilings. Checking in took a while but we were finally given our keys and taken to our rooms. We were assigned interconnecting rooms for Elena, Damian and the kids, and an upgrade for myself and Anthony. There are two parts to the Novotel and the block we were staying in was across the road and away from the beach. I was disappointed to start but after the first night was feeling quite happy with this arrangement. It seemed less busy and the adult and kids pools were just below us.
I had a great night’s sleep, but Anthony said it was too noisy for him. When I stepped onto the balcony I realised that we were very near the road.
The road doesn’t look too busy in this shot, but the bikes are a big problem!
Breakfast was served in the beach block across the road. This is manned by two attendants who try their hardest to stop the traffic. The bikes especially just drove around them and the cars mostly ignored them!
The above photos show some of the artwork on display around the Novotel.
A buffet was on offer serving up all kinds of traditional food plus fresh fruit. There was an egg station plus waffles, pancakes and donuts for the kids. Something for everyone.
Over the next four days, we swam in the ocean, played in the pools and relaxed. We found some fabulous restaurants for dinner but stayed at the hotel for lunch.
One day we took a tour on a glass bottomed boat to Turtle Island. The kids loved the boat. Out at sea was exceptionally busy with all kinds of activities. I thought I had seen most water sports, but all of a sudden we saw a flying lilo with someone holding on for dear life.
The sea here is tidal so the optimum time for swimming was around 1 pm. Anthony and I swam every day, but the kids preferred the pools. There is a forest of seaweed, undulating beneath the sea and I wasn’t keen on swimming over this. The feeling of feathery tendrils sweeping your legs was most disconcerting.
Waiting patiently for the tide to come in
Some more of the sculptures around the hotel
One of the things we enjoy about Bali is the food, always tasty and full of flavour. Unlike the others I prefer something not too spicy, whereas they all have a dish of sambal on the side.
Some of the dishes we ate. The top dish is called Rijsttafel, a Dutch word that translates to Rice Table. It consists of many (forty is not an unusual number) side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways. Popular side dishes include egg rolls, sambals, satay, fish, fruit, vegetables, pickles, and nuts. Source: Wikipedia. One of Anthony and Elena’s favourites.
Family dinners were not complete without Ipads and earphones. This meant we could all have a leisurely dinner. Although you couldn’t ask for better behaved munchkins.
Spot Rosie!
Last day in Benoa, ready to hit the road for Legian
See you in Legian!
Silhouette of Trombone Player at Sunset
I had the pleasure of watching this fantastic trombone player at the pool. Drinking cocktails, watching the sunset and listening to music, great way to spend a few hours.
A Blissful Break in Benoa, Bali
It’s our annual trip to Bali week with half the family. This time we’re trying out Benoa, staying at the Novotel on the beach.
We were allocated rooms in the block across the road. A very small road and always manned by two smiling staff to usher you across. Similar to lollipop ladies at school complete with whistles and high viz sticks. The traffic were not as well behaved as ours though and these men frequently had to whistle frantically to make any bike or car stop.
All neatly squared for Becky’s Seven for September. Also as it’s the neighbourhood I’m in at the moment, I’ve linked it to Lens Artist.
As it’s school holidays beds on the beach are pretty limited. There is another lovely pool in our block that’s nice and quiet and ideal for the kids.
On the first day I joined in aqua aerobics and didn’t realise how burnt I was getting. It’s quite bad and this hasn’t happened to me in such a long time. Anyway I’ve learnt my lesson and now wear a solar top every day.
🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵
~ Moving Forward with Day 2 of May Squares ~
It’s day two of Becky’s Squares and I’m really having to think outside the box for these themes. I’m enjoying seeing other bloggers also take to this challenge. It’s different for sure as there is no one object to focus on, brain power is needed to participate. You could use any photo but the challenge is for the words to fit and remembering to square them!
This photo was taken in December last year from the rooftop bar at the Novotel Bali Airport. We sat there watching the planes take off into the sunset over our cocktails and beer.
✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️
~ Highlights of Hotel Indigo, Seminyak, Bali ~
We are once again in Bali for a short break and this time staying at Hotel Indigo. This hotel is perched almost on the beach with a very small road to cross. Mostly used by motorbikes so not too difficult to cross. It’s a surfers’ beach and not one where you can have a leisurely swim. Seminyak for us is more about relaxation and drinking and eating!
Our room is called a “comfort room” and is indeed extremely comfortable. There is a balcony with small forest outside. We don’t have a great view, but it’s still pleasant to sit outside when there is a breeze blowing.
The staff are super pleasant and eager to please, nothing is too much trouble. There are plenty of sunbeds at this time of year, it’s just out of season. Two fabulous restaurants and a small cafe. We’ve had breakfast, lunch and dinner here and no complaints from us.
We have eaten in a variety of places, upmarket and downmarket! On the beach and overlooking the beach.
La Plancha, a Spanish tapas cafe. This place looks about ready to fall down, adds to the atmosphere!
The Plantation, Double Six Hotel. A 1920’s style restaurant with enormous windows overlooking the ocean. This was luxury at it’s finest. A special treat was in store as there was a beautiful soprano singer to entertain us.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant – Makase
Seminyak is famous for the glorious sunsets, the beach bars make the most of this time and offer beanbags to relax on to watch.
We sat here for ages enjoying the beach life and our drinks, but time was passing and we needed to get ready for dinner!
And that’s a wrap!
~ Pick A Word – January 2024 ~
This month’s words are
Far Reaching
Panoramic
Scenic
All Encompassing
Wide-ranging
Simple, but tricky! I’ve searched through my archives and here’s my pick.
Far Reaching
Panoramic
Scenic
All Encompassing
Wide Ranging
Thanks to Paula @ Lost in Translation for this fun and interesting challenge. It’s great to see other bloggers selections too, which I had a peak at first to get inspiration before I did mine!
~ A Review of My 2023 ~
Jumping on the bandwagon with everyone else and thinking about my year that has flown by.
There have been highlights and lowlights (not just for my hair) but we have all ended up healthy and well and that’s all we can ask for. The fact I don’t live anywhere near a war zone makes me all the more thankful for this good life I lead.
I have travelled far and wide and to places I’ve never been before and enjoyed every moment.
January
January saw me travelling to the UK to celebrate my mum’s 90th. I took this trip alone and was able to stay with my parents. I could see my Dad was becoming more frail and my mum was slipping into dementia. However we had a fabulous party for her and I’m so glad I was there to be with her. I also took a sneaky side trip to Dublin.
I enjoyed Dublin very much and it was thanks to my neighbour here in Perth who was also there at that time.
February
Back in Perth we continued to enjoy the summer, relaxing on the patio, catching up with friends and trips to the beach.
March
Once again I was travelling back to the UK but this time with Elena and the kids. My Dad had taken a turn for the worse. We arrived just in time for him to see Elena and Lachie again and also to meet Rosie for the first time. A few days after he slipped away. I am thankful that we made it back to see him. He was 91 and had lived a very fulfilling life.
There was still entertainment to be planned for the children though, so we went up to London and visited parks and playgrounds. They managed to keep themselves very amused in my mum and dad’s house with just everyday household objects. They took the net curtains off one of the windows and used this as a flagpole, found a rolling pin for a microphone and were fascinated by the letter box.
I was hoping any passers-by would not think they were being held hostage!
April
Elena and the kids returned to Perth in April and Anthony arrived. We would be taking care of my mum until the end of the month when the funeral would be held. I caught up with a great many relatives and friends during this month and Anthony and I did manage some days trips to nearby villages and up to London. I was lucky with the support from my relatives and friends in caring for my mum.
Anthony was missing Australia so decided to have a makeshift BBQ in the back garden.
May
After a sad goodbye to my mum we headed back to Perth. We had a fairly quiet May and began our preparations for another trip to Bali, Lake Toba and Penang.
June
This month we travelled to Ubud, Samosir Island on Lake Toba and Penang. We enjoyed all three destinations. The highlight though was definitely Samosir Island, the stunning scenery and the pace of life was just so relaxing. The people are some of the friendliest we have ever encountered.
July
It was time to visit Melbourne again to celebrate Laurence and Maddie’s engagement. We all went and I’ve already posted about the awful accommodation we stayed in!
August
It’s hard to believe that I again took a long haul flight back to the UK for the third time this year! This time for my cousin’s wedding. It was a spur of the moment decision to go back, but I’m so happy I did. The wedding was such a joyous occasion and enabled me to see my many cousins again. I also had another little side trip to Paris, with the same neighbour and friend who was staying there at the time. It was a fantastic three days, and to travel through the Euro Tunnel was an added bonus.
September
It was Laurence and Maddy’s turn to visit us and we had them for a week, which we loved. We managed a couple of lunches and dinners with them, although their feet don’t touch the ground while they are here.
October
Enjoying some down time this month and catching up with long forgotten jobs!
Elena bought costumes for the boys and I have to say it was a hard job putting them on.
November
Time for my girls’ trip down south to Dunsborough. We had the best three days, chatting, laughing, drinking and eating.
December
So here we are at the end of the year already. I’ve only just posted about recent trips to Bali and Hong Kong so won’t go over that again! Just to say another trip is planned in March to Bali, basically to collect my engagement ring which I left in the bathroom at the hotel! I have to ask myself why I didn’t listen to my dear hubby as he said “do a last sweep”. So I lifted my head and scanned the room. Fortunately I got in touch in time and they had found my ring. Ironically the day before at immigration I had found a “diamond ring” on the floor and asked around if anyone had dropped it. I put it in my pocket and forgot about it. That’s karma I suppose.
And so that’s a wrap as they say and if you have read to the end, my thanks to you.
I wish everyone a fabulous 2024 but most of all a healthy one.
😎A Family Holiday in Seminyak, Bali😎
At the end of every year around December, we usually go to Bali for a family holiday. This year was no exception and we chose Seminyak this time. I booked a beautiful resort around 10 minutes to the beach. The beach in Seminyak is more for looking at than swimming, unless you are a pretty good surfer. The resort was called Montigo Resort Hotel, although there was renovation work going on at the time, our rooms and the pool were unaffected by this.
Seminyak is approximately 20 minutes from the airport, or should be! With the traffic problem that Bali has it’s easily double this time. It is full of resorts, cafes, restaurants and bars. It was hard to know where to start when going out to eat.
The Resort
We spent most of the day around the pool, going out for lunch and dinner and resting in the afternoon in our rooms away from the heat. All except Anthony that is, he just loves a walk in the heat and still managed to walk two hours everyday.
I enjoyed time with the children splashing about in the pool and having manicures, pedicures and foot massages at the beautiful spa at the hotel
Out and About
and shutters
This installation is made up of 5000+ flip-flops installed at the famous Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak, Bali. Washed ashore on beaches along Bali’s West coast, the discarded soles have been collected by employees of Potato Head. The flip-flops are not coloured or changed in any way; they are merely sorted by colour and re-arranged into a new visual reality.
“I want to show people a different perspective of what we consider rubbish. Everything we throw away comes back to us: via the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil we grow crops and raise animals on.” – Liina Klauss
There is a famous beach bar/restaurant in Seminyak called Potato Club and it was fairly close to our hotel. It overlooks the beach and has a massive bar area and upmarket restaurant. To access these areas and the beach you first have to walk through a tunnel of bamboo and on one side there are small glassed in studios depicting recycling techniques.
We didn’t stay here, just walked on down to the beach to watch the sunset and found a restaurant overlooking the sea.
The food in Bali is delicious and there are many fusion type restaurants. Unfortunately we all succumbed at one point to “Bali Belly”. Luckily it didn’t put too much of a dent into the holiday.
Dining
This place was extremely upmarket! It was so nice though but not entirely suitable for the children, but have to say we enjoyed every morsel.
A very laid back warung with outdoor dining. Plenty to look at and explore for Lachie and Rosie. Plus more mouth watering dishes for us to share.
The Beach
earned rest
🎂Celebrations🎂
On the morning of our departure it was Anthony’s birthday. The staff very kindly sang Happy Birthday to him much to his consternation!
Going to Bali with the family is always such a treat and despite upset stomachs we all had a wonderful time. It was then onto Hong Kong for us and back to Perth for them.
Can’t go wrong with a cocktail