One of my best friends (and fellow yogi) Ronny and I travelled to Bali in July 2018. Safe to say it was the best trip of my life and I came back wanting to return immediately!
We flew from Heathrow to Dubai then had a really quick (so quick we nearly missed it) transfer from Dubai to Denpasar International Airport which is the main airport in Bali. We had a pre-booked transfer and they gave us a necklace made of real flowers to welcome us – which definitely helped pick us up after having spent 17 hours on an aeroplane.
We stayed a few nights in Seminyak where we had long walks on the beach, explored the shops and amazing cafes there such as the Earth Cafe where I had a good old vegan burger and chips! One evening we went to a beautiful restaurant called La Laguna which had gypsy huts advertising tarot reading and fortune telling. The eating area was entirely outside, we sat on the floor on big cushions and beanbags with low tables and fairy lights strung up above our heads. It was a very relaxed dinner and was one of our favourite places on the mainland.
We visited Finn’s Beach Club and Potato Head, more for those who are into their nightlife and drinking but the pools were lovely and we managed to meet up with an old school friend of mine whilst we were there!
Our hotel in Seminyak had a long pool running through the middle of it and the staff were so lovely. One thing I can confirm about Bali is the people you meet are the kindest and most genuine people I’ve ever come across in any country I’ve visited. No one can do enough to help you.
Whilst on the mainland we visited Tegenungan waterfall and a temple where we waded through the sea to have a Spiritual blessing with rice put on our head for good fortune and success.
We then travelled to Gili Trawangan, an island paradise we had planned to stay on for 2/3 days. It was so incredible that we decided to stay for the rest of our trip, leaving one day to travel back to the mainland (one of the scariest/worst boat trips of my life) to catch our flight home. My boyfriend ended up going to Bali a year after me and did exactly the same thing, turns out that once you go to Gili T you don’t want to leave!
We swam, we snorkelled, we scuba dived… I even rode a horse around the island and through the sea at sunset which was completely magical.
One of the days we even had our breakfast on a floating tray in a pool!
Luxury is so cheap out there that we treated ourselves to one or two nights in some very extravagant places that worked out at about £10 each for me and Ronny. A highlight was definitely a treehouse room with an outdoor bathroom and hammock on the wooden balcony. This was called ‘My Gili Paradise.’
We changed accommodation every few nights as we wanted to try different places and find some good deals. It was really fun being able to pack up our stuff and move around the island and meet new owners and try the different breakfasts that were on offer.
I can’t talk about my trip to Bali without mentioning the yoga. We practiced yoga in a beautiful wooden Shala. We walked there in the morning for a 8am start – which can feel pretty early when you’re jet lagged! We practiced with others from around the island whilst hearing the local animals – goats mainly – starting to rise too. It started our days beautifully and set us up ready to take on the adventures that would follow.
I made a video of our trip on a GoPro! Check it out on YouTube.
Rosie x