Holidays – Travels with Ali

The Abundance of Ubud, Bali

First Night

Setting off from Perth to Ubud, we caught an afternoon flight to Denpasar on Batik Air at 2.15 pm. We arrived at 6 pm but didn’t reach our destination until 9.30 pm. I had booked a driver with Booking.Com who had waited for over an hour for our appearance. There was an extremely long wait to disembark before boarding a bus to the terminal, then the wait for visas and our luggage to arrive, so we didn’t meet June, a very lovely man, until 7.30 pm. The traffic in Bali is notorious and doesn’t seem to get better over the years. I’m sure the drive to Ubud would have been even longer if it wasn’t for June’s incredible prowess in driving, formula one style. I closed my eyes many times as he overtook cars and trucks, I’m not sure how this would have helped in any way!

Finally arriving at 9.30 pm, we told the reception staff that we would have dinner immediately. They were extremely helpful and we did our check in while eating a most delicious dinner overlooking one of the beautiful pools and under the magnificent “Strawberry Moon”. We were staying in the middle of rice fields in Ubud, something I have wanted to do for a while, for four nights at The Plataran Ubud Hotel and Spa.

Slipped behind a cloud, the second I pulled out the camera

After dinner we were shown to our villa, which we had been told was a free upgrade!

On first appearance our room seemed incredible, but after an almost sleepless night due to noisy people staying in a house overlooking our villa but not connected to the hotel, we decided otherwise. First thing the next morning we asked the reception staff if we could move to our original room. Just after breakfast we packed up and moved on.

Day Two – Exploring the hotel grounds

The Plataran Hotel is surrounded by beautiful lush gardens, situated minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Ubud streets. The rooms look out onto bright green paddy fields of rice, where you can watch the women harvesting and whacking the rice.

You can walk through the paddy fields by following a path of stepping stones. We continued our walk around the rest of the grounds and found fish ponds and waterfalls and sheep, rabbits, chickens and ducks.

It was such a peaceful setting with only the noise of the birds and and the water gurgling along the little gullies.

We followed the route through to a small village just outside the hotel.

Breakfast is served at the same place we had dinner overlooking the pool.

Ubud’s Main Streets

Today we were just going to be tramping the busy streets of Ubud. Soaking up the atmosphere and trying to keep dry.

Ubud is a town in the uplands of Bali, surrounded by rice paddies and steep ravines. It’s also a popular destination for arts and crafts and made famous after the film and book “Eat, Love, Pray”. Home to shrines, temples, yoga barns and warungs (small cafes and restaurants). Also nearby is the famous Monkey Forest, which we would not be visiting!

It’s hard to work up any pace walking along these pavements, the paving stones are generally sticking up at odd angles and then there are the ubiquitous motor bikes and scooters parked haphazardly. Anthony was constantly telling me to “be careful” as he knows my predicament of footcidents over the years.

I had time to have a pedicure and foot massage in one of the many spas along the roads and have to say it was most relaxing, although she could have gone easier with the pressure!

We eventually headed back to the hotel to have a shower before dinner, but disaster was awaiting us. After having a rain shower I noticed that the bath was black! I ran the water again and sure enough there was black silt coming through. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice, maybe because I had my eyes shut. Anyway a long story short, we had to move rooms once more until the problem was fixed.

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More to follow soon…

🏝 Perfect Paradise at Pelangi Beach Resort, Langkawi, Malaysia 🏝

After checking out of the Tanjung Rhu at lunchtime we took a 30 minute ride to our next destination, Pelangi Beach Resort. We first stayed here 30 years ago so it would be interesting to see how it had changed. When we arrived we found the main lobby was under renovation and everyone was checking in at The Grand Ballroom. As we were early for our check in someone came to take our booking details and soon disappeared. It was like Grand Central Station there and it was hard to identify our check in lady, they were all wearing long grey robes with head coverings and masks. We were told to come back in 2 hours, so we set off to explore and have lunch. It did seem like there was some organisation to the chaos though.

We were given a map and saw how enormous the resort was. We followed the track down to the sea front to have lunch there. There were buggies driving past us every five minutes or so if you didn’t fancy walking.

I did have a few plans of things to see and do but after walking around and seeing the pools and the beach, they were put on the back burner.

There were two pools, one was more set up for children and the other had a swim up pool bar. Surprisingly neither were ever that busy. There were always plenty of sun loungers to be had by the pool and the beach.

Breakfast was served both in the air conditioned Grand Ballroom or outside on a small patio. Both had full buffet service with two egg stations. We tended to linger a fair while over breakfast as it was so relaxing.

Then it was off to find a sun lounger on the beach. It was such a treat to be able to pick and choose where we would like to sit, as there were so many empty spots. We did swim in the sea a few times until we saw a jelly fish sign and did not want to end up at a doctors or in hospital again! So after that we just enjoyed the view and swam in the pool.

The accommodation is comprised of two storey “Kampung” style architecture complete with a deck or balcony. They either have a garden, pool or sea view. We had a garden view with a two minute walk to the pool. There was a small sitting area and enormous bathroom and kingsize bed.

Just opposite our block was a children’s farm and when we walked to breakfast in the morning we could hear turkeys gobbling, geese honking and ducks quacking. There was even a goat. All the grounds were beautifully manicured with blossoming flowers, trimmed hedges and large palm trees giving off plenty of shade. Lizards and squirrels were running around everywhere you looked.

Such a friendly chap, the goat was quite friendly too

The two ornamental lakes in the middle of the resort.

In the evenings we walked into the main drag of Pentai Cenang. Here there were many restaurants, bars and shops. Duty free is very good here also. Our first night we found an Italian/Mexican/Indian combined, a great idea after Covid to save on expenses. Life seemed to be well on the way back to normal and the places on either side of the road were buzzing with life.

One night we ventured further down into Pentai Cenang to a place called The Cliff. An overhanging bar where you could look down on the beach and enjoy a fabulous sunset.

As Malaysia have daylight saving there was still so much activity on the beach at 7.30 pm.

We could enjoy sunset cocktails at the beachside bar at Pelangi Beach Resort also.

We had such a fabulous four days at Pelangi Beach Resort, relaxing and unwinding. Hopefully we won’t be waiting 30 years to return again.

**A bird’s eye view of Pelangi Beach Resort**

Selamet Tinggal, Langkawi

🏝 Palm Sunday 🏝

A few palm trees for this rainy cold grey day in Perth. Something to cheer me up and bringing back memories of times gone by.

Getting to grips with Canva and experimenting with old photos.

Tree Squares for July and Water Water everywhere

Sydney, still glorious

After our visit to Melbourne was over, we flew into Sydney for three nights. This was to catch up with relatives and friends that we hadn’t seen for a few years.

We stayed in the Oaks, Goldsbrough Apartments in Darling Harbour. Very well located and within walking distance to the CBD, Darling Harbour and the new Barangaroo wharves.

One of the things we noticed about Sydney after Melbourne was the contact tracing. Everywhere was so much more vigilant than Melbourne, with people outside making sure you checked in or restaurant and bar staff asking before they served you.

Goldsbrough Apartment Complex

It was originally designed as a wool store by William Pritchard in 1883. This building caught fire in 1935 and burned for two weeks, but was rebuilt by Stuart Brothers the original builders. In 1995 the building was converted to apartments. The outside was kept to the original Victorian outlook but the inside is to my mind, something like a prison! Fairly well appointed as a one bed apartment with spectacular views over the city. We were on the 11th floor.

Looking down to the ground floor apartments

My dear husband commented “I wonder when lights out are”

Over the next three days we met up with friends and relatives and also did – for me anyway – large amounts of walking. Compensating for the large amounts of eating and drinking we were also doing.

Our walk from the apartment to Waterfront Park, Pyrmont took around 20 minutes.

Looking over at the new Crown Tower in Barangaroo

Enormous rusted steel spheres, saved from the former CSL Sugar Mill, located on the former site.

The Glittering Lights of Sydney

Walking around Sydney

Crossing over on Sydney Harbour Bridge on the train

Barangaroo harbour and wharves was only in the early stages when we were in Sydney last, now it’s completed and another feather in Sydney’s cap. Sadly the rooftop bar in the Crown Casino is only open from Thursday to Sunday. We found this was the case with many of the restaurants. Also we saw many bars, cafes and restaurants that had closed for good. The places that were open had the minimum of staff, so the wait was long for the food.

Empty boats on the wharves awaiting tourists

I really enjoyed staying in the Pyrmont/Darling Harbour area with the waterfront restaurants and cafes so close by. The harbour front was buzzing and lively during the day and night. I hope business picks up soon for the businesses here.

And then it was back to Perth where we thought we had escaped quarantine, but unfortunately not. I think this will be the last of our interstate trips until they have stopped closing the borders.

After four days of no long walks, the boys had had enough and I came down to this in the morning.

Touring Tasmania – 9 Day Itinerary

Our last day today and finally breakfast for four! After a full English breakfast at the hotel, we packed up the car and drove off to Launceston Airport to drop Laurence and Maddy off. We then drove back to Hobart for our flight much later that evening.

We had enough time to stop at Swansea which is on the East coast of Tasmania for lunch and a quick wander around.

Plans are already being made to visit this wonderful state again and visit the parts we missed.

Tasmania definitely exceeded our expectations, especially hubby’s! The seafood and the wine were the favourites of course. But there is no denying the beauty of this State. It is absolutely true what they say that around every corner or bend there is something to see and take photos or just stand in wonder and stare.

A complete itinerary of our nine days.

Days 1 to 3 in Hobart, including MONA

Day 4 – Richmond

Days 5 and 6 – Stanley

Days 6 to 9 – Launceston – including Cataract Gorge and Tamar River Wineries

Some of the fantastic places we visited along the way:

A Few Highlights

Thank you everybody who has followed me on this journey and made some lovely comments. It makes it all the more fun when you know someone is reading!

Gastronomic Getaway in Melbourne

Visiting Melbourne this time was more about seeing our son Laurence than actual sightseeing. Although I did managed to persuade everyone to have a day out in The Dandenongs on Sunday! This time we were staying in South Yarra just a stone’s throw away from the train station and only two stops to Flinders Street Station.

Overlooking the city from the balcony of Punthill Apartments

Anthony and Maddy waiting to go to breakfast, a tad chilly!

Eating out is always a must when we visit though! Our first night was spent in Zurouna. A fabulous Lebanese restaurant in South Yarra. Although there are many places to eat it is always better to book as everywhere is always so busy.
We had a dip platter to share with some other starters and a few mains. Plus lots of red wine and cocktails.

From the gallery of Zurouna

Friday

After a pretty hefty breakfast at the little cafe next door to the Punthill Apartments, we caught the train into town. Very handy with South Yarra station right below us and just two stops to Flinders Street.

Looking very relaxed and comfortable heading into town

We met Laurence for lunch at the Crafty Squire where all main courses were $20, bargain!

After lunch we had a wander around and of course some shopping and Anthony bought a new hat!

Captain Von Trapp also wearing Barbour waistcoat and Merino wool zip up cardigan, so fashion!

Back to the apartment for a short rest and then cocktails at The Imperial Hotel. Very lively and noisy bar, great atmosphere.

A pint and passionfruit mojito and a bowl of nachos to share

Then it was off for another delicious dinner just down the road to the Thirty Eight Chairs a small Italian restaurant in Bond Street, South Yarra. Fantastic service!

Saturday

Today was a designated shopping day and we walked the length of Chapel Street in search of new clothes. Not exactly a difficult chore and there are boutiques galore! Also a wonderful sunny day. After I felt I couldn’t walk another step we stopped for a late lunch in Hawkers Hall, an Asian fusion restaurant.

A wonderfully old and fairly decrepit building, would have been grand in its hey day

Chapel Street – Street Art!

After a fairly exhausting day of walking we were in need of a quick rest before heading out again into town for a very lively night.

We went to Vamos which we’ve been to before but it’s always such a good night there! It’s a Spanish tapas bar in Bourke Street and they have a band playing Thursday through Sunday, lots of Latin music. There is a small dance floor that can accommodate two dancers! while people are eating. The space did not deter the large table behind us and four couples all got up and did salsa. After people have eaten the tables are cleared or moved back and so many people get up and dance. There is a great atmosphere here and would definitely go back when I’m in Melbourne next.

A few from inside the bar

And a little clip of dancing!

Part two to follow

A day in The Dandenongs

Fabulous Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

One of my very dear friends lives on the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. Whilst I was in the UK visiting my parents I decided to take a trip out to see her and also celebrate my birthday! I was there for four days, plenty of time to see the island and eat in the great fish restaurants that it’s known for.

Fuerteventura the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, sits in the Atlantic Ocean 100km off the north coast of Africa. It’s known mostly as a holiday destination due to its white-sand beaches and year-round warmth cooled by constant winds. It is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years due to a volcanic eruption. It was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in May 2009.

As the first night was my birthday, Lorraine had booked a fabulous restaurant called La Playita overlooking the bay of Corralejo. What a fantastic night with the table decorated with balloons and banners and then the whole restaurant singing happy birthday to me.

Walking through the beautiful town of Corralejo

One of the many statues of fishermen’s wives looking out to sea, waiting for their husbands to come home

Waking up the next morning I wandered into the garden to take some photos. Lorraine lives at the end of a residential street overlooking the sand dunes. You can see Tenerife in the distance from the garden. I was hoping the sun would break through as it wasn’t as warm as I had thought!

Sun rise with the sand dunes in the far distance

The next day Lorraine took me into Corralejo again and have lunch. Fuerteventura is a very barren island due to the lack of rain and volcanic landscape. Nothing really grows here and most of the food is imported. There are many aloe vera plants scattered around and this is one plant that does grow well.

Enjoying the beautiful view with a glass of Spanish wine

Typical Canarian fish dish cooked in wine, tomatoes and olives

The car ferry to and from Lanzarote in the background

The next day I booked an excursion to go around the island – I will be writing another post separately about this.

Before we set out for my last day on the island we had to walk Rocky and Poppy her two little dogs. We walked just up the path from where she lives so I could feed the chipmunks, which run wild throughout the island.

Rocky surveying his domain

Rocky and Poppy in their favourite position on the couch

El Cotillo

After our walk Lorraine and I drove to El Cotillo, a small coastal town on the Northern side of the island. It has a lovely harbour and beautiful scenery with plenty of restaurants and bars. El Cotillo is home to El Toston Tower built in the 1700’s to defend the village from pirates. We had lunch in El Mirador overlooking the bay. I loved all the murals and paintings that you see dotted around and also the way they use old rowing boats as decorations.

Lunch at El Mirador

Speciality salad with the local delicacy of fish pate

Exploring the town after lunch

Some of the murals and mosaics found around the town

Resting in the shade

For our last night we ended up eating in the beautiful El Marquesina and of course because it’s a speciality seafood restaurant I had the fish of the day.

Turbot with garlic and wine and baby Canarian potatoes

Lastly a very short clip from inside El Marquesina

A fabulous time in fantastic Fuerteventura

“Wander often, wonder always.”

Montenegro

Perast and Rafailovici

Why Perast and not Kotor? Well after much research I decided on Perast as I had read it was so much more peaceful than Kotor. It’s just a few kilometres north west of Kotor and consists of just a small promenade situated around a beautiful bay. It was described by a taxi driver as the Vatican of Montenegro, which I thought was very apt. Not many cars are allowed here it’s very strictly controlled.

I had booked a small waterfront apartment called The White Terrace. It was a fabulous place and the owner Bob picked us up from Tivat airport. With only two days here we had to make the most of this time.

The promenade is lined with apartments and restaurants and on our first night we ate at the oldest restaurant Armonia. We had a lovely table right on the waterfront, food and wine we’re delicious.

The next day after breakfast we had a walk along the promenade and took in the beautiful views .

20180906161207_img_8706 — Our apartment on the first floor

After this we took the local bus into Kotor to have a look around the old town. The contrast between the two places is staggering. Kotor is where the cruise ships dock almost docking right onto the street. Spilling out passengers by the dozen the pavements were packed with tourists.

We decided to just have a walk around the old town ourselves and soak up the atmosphere. Kotor did not disappoint. It has a vast history being founded in the fifth century and is now a UNESCO world heritage sight.

Our daily lunch.. Ripe juicy tomatoes with creamy mozzarella

20180906_144026 — Could it get any closer

After an afternoon spent here as nice as it was, we were glad to get back to peaceful Perast. We thought we’d have a swim from the little platform in front of the apartment, well Anthony plunged straight in whereas I did it the hard way down the ladder. What a shock, very cold and as we found out later there are icy springs spouting every so often, at least we went in.

With just one night to go we ate at the fabulous Konoba Skolji restaurant where I had read some great reviews. We chose to share the famous ” lamb under the bell”, slow roasted lamb, absolutely delicious.

And that was the end of two fabulous days in Perast.

The next day we were going to Rafailovici for two more days before heading into Croatia.

Rafailovici

I decided the easiest and fastest way to Rafailovici was by taxi also more comfortable. It was less than an hours drive and we were there by 1pm. It’s just past Budva and supposed to be quieter, I never like to stay in the most popular place and prefer to stay just outside the main area.

Our taxi driver was quite chatty and wondered why we were going to Budva as he said it was horrible! This wasn’t the first time we’d heard this opinion. So I really wasn’t looking forward to the next two days. On the positive side it was only two days and it was somewhere new.

After checking into Hotel Aleksander which was right on the seafront we headed out for lunch and a look around. Some photos of my first impressions.

Couldn’t find a bed of nails so next best thing is a bed of boulders

20180907_165807 — A much needed mojito 🍸[[[[[[

We did have a swim and the water is crystal clear but as the water is a bit cold made it very quick. After a wonderful dinner at the hotel overlooking the sea we headed back for an early night.

So the next day after breakfast we took a hotel van and driver to Lake Skadar,

The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Two Thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro and the rest is in Albania. Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula.

We chose the two hour boat trip, but one hour would have been enough for me. If you ever visit Budva it’s worth having a trip out here as the lake and scenery are beautiful.

Ruins of Besac Castle

Any chance to drink the delicious Montenegren wine

For our last night here we headed into Budva itself. The atmosphere here is completely different to Rafailovici, for a start there were so many more English tourists whereas I had heard no English at all in Rafailovici. It seemed to be more for local Montengrens holidaying. Budva like Kotor has an old town which we wandered around, it’s an amazing place and I loved it here.

It took absolutely ages to find the restaurant we wanted to eat in, we had actually found it straight away really but were told it was just a museum. It was only when going back and asking if there was a restaurant there the girl said oh yes at the back! We ate at the Citadella restaurant which has amazing views overlooking the sea.

And that was that. I’m so glad we got to visit Montenegro and see the wonderful sights, eat delicious food and drink divine wine, but most of all to meet the lovely friendly people of this country.

Next up was Croatia.

Hyper Hanoi – October 2016

Adding onto our Laos/Vietnam trip we flew to Hanoi from Luang Prabang and planned to stay here for three days. We decided instead of organised trips we would just explore Hanoi on our own. I had booked three days at Hotel Nikko a very large Japanese hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake. The hotel was fantastic with magnificent views over the city. Both photos were taken from our room. I loved all the gadgets on the toilet!

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the second largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh being the largest. Its chaotic and noisy 24 hours a day with horns blaring and hundreds of motor bikes whizzing by. If they can’t get by on the roads then they just use the pavement.

As we arrived quite late we had dinner at the hotel, unfortunately we were not very impressed. The restaurant is also where they serve breakfast and they have a smoking area inside but its just an alcove, so you can smell smoke constantly – Japanese business men are big smokers.

The next two days and nights were just spent walking around and eating amazing food. Hanoi has some of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten in. It’s an incredibly busy city and you take your chances when crossing any road. Red lights don’t seem to mean much here! The sights we took in were the Old Quarter, the Citadel and St Josephs Church. Some photos below:

20161020_120629 — A very kind lady let Anthony pose with her goods

One of the restaurants we ate in was Pots and Pans which I see now from their website is permanently closed. At the time of visiting this was a teaching restaurant to help young people get a good start in life. Another was Verticale a French restaurant, which served gourmet French food with a Vietnamese twist and the staff and service were impeccable, probably one of the best meals I’ve eaten was here!

After Hanoi we drove to Ha Long Bay for a one night/two day cruise, that will be on the next post!

Diverse Da Nang – May 2018

Da Nang is the third largest city in Vietnam and most people visit here for the amazing beaches. Its close to Hoi An and Hue. It has a great laid back atmosphere and also offers a range of accommodation from luxury to budget.

We drove from Hue with Hue Private Tours again and this time went through the tunnel. Arriving at our hotel – Belle Maison – too early to check in, we looked for a place for lunch. Strangely the manager would not recommend any seafood restaurants around the hotel as he said the fish might not be too fresh! So we headed away from the beach across the river to the Waterfront restaurant. A great find and we had a gourmet lunch.

Burrato cheese and tomato salad with mango

fresh rice paper rolls

Crab cakes with chilli and mango salsa

Back to the hotel for check in and found we had been upgraded to a family size room with ocean front views!

Da Nang beach front — Great view but so many people!

Heading down to the beach to check out the water we found there was not much room to move! There were a crazy amount of people in the sea, most could not swim as they were all in rubber rings, there was a small mountain of them on the beach for hire. This part of the shoreline is extremely popular with local families. Also hardly any wear swim suits! Just swim in their clothes.
Later we went up to the 21st floor to have cocktails at the Sky Lounge. Stunning views!

Passionfruit Mojito

Sky 21 Lounge

For the next couple of days it was just going to be relaxation – no more trips. So the next day we tried further down the beach where it seemed less crowded and found some nicer sunbeds in front of the Holiday Beach resort. Great service from the staff on the beach there.
Da Nang has the most amazing coast line and it goes on for miles. The sea is lovely and warm and not rough at all – just the way I like it!

More cocktails that night and then dinner at Madam Lan’s with a couple of fellow Australians who we had met at the hotel. After reading good reviews about this restaurant must say we were all a bit disappointed with the blandness of the food.

The next day we headed off to the Novotel for breakfast, as breakfast at the Belle Maison was so busy, a table was an hour long wait! Took some snaps on the top of the hotel there.

So after breakfast we thought we would have a look at another beach much further along the coast. The Centara Sandy Beach Resort offered day tickets for a reasonable price where we got to spend the day around the pool and their beach front. Had an incredible afternoon here and I think it will be our next holiday destination.
Finally finished off our three days here with dinner at the Waterfront restaurant.

To sum up Da Nang will definitely be on my list again and I can honestly say that Vietnam is now my favourite country in Asia.

Tag: Holidays

The Abundance of Ubud, Bali

First Night

Day Two – Exploring the hotel grounds

Ubud’s Main Streets

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🏝 Perfect Paradise at Pelangi Beach Resort, Langkawi, Malaysia 🏝

Selamet Tinggal, Langkawi

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🏝 Palm Sunday 🏝

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Sydney, still glorious

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Touring Tasmania – 9 Day Itinerary

A complete itinerary of our nine days.

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Gastronomic Getaway in Melbourne

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Fabulous Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

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Montenegro

Perast and Rafailovici

Rafailovici

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Hyper Hanoi – October 2016

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Diverse Da Nang – May 2018

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First Night

Day Two – Exploring the hotel grounds

Ubud’s Main Streets

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Selamet Tinggal, Langkawi

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A complete itinerary of our nine days.

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Perast and Rafailovici

Rafailovici

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