BALI, INDONESIA
Bali, Indonesia
Where we stayed: Fairmont Sanur Beach
We chose to be in Bali for this leg of the trip because it was our fourth wedding anniversary. We wanted a spot we can relax by the pool and beach, tan and be forced to unwind after the last few weeks of exploring. We were told Bali was a fantastic destination with beautiful beaches and also incredibly well priced.
From the moment we arrived at the Fairmont, we were treated with excellent service. We were given a personal assistant that we could ask to book excursions, restaurants and ask for advice. We were blown away at the beautiful villa we were placed in; it was a two-story, two-bedroom villa with its’ own small kitchen and private pool. We had an absolute blast hanging out at the Fairmont just within our room and the hotel grounds. The pool was massive, the food was phenomenal, and the staff were always around to help. The Fairmont had easy access to the beach, and along with it a boardwalk that had many cafes, restaurants, and little shops. Between the hotel and the boardwalk, there was a ton to see and do. We ate well and drank way too much.
One unfortunate thing about our trip was we didn’t get our international driver’s license, which would have allowed us to rent scooters and explore more of Bali so we couldn’t explore as much as we had planned. In our area, there was an amazing Italian restaurant called the Massimo Italian Restaurant. It had great food and amazing drinks, and even though it was a “higher-end” restaurant, our meal, which consisted of several cocktails and a full dinner for both of us cost $22.
We took a sunset cruise, such was a fun experience, but it was a little overcast, so we did not get to enjoy the sunset in full. Once the sun went down, it was quite cold, and we were just ready to get back to the hotel, but the drinks and food were good, and the adventure was worth it.
Bali is known for many things: beautiful temples, jungle forests, and cool swings over cliffs. Since we couldn’t travel far from our hotel, we just had fun relaxing by the pool and having some much-deserved downtime together doing nothing. We wouldn’t mind returning if we are in the area; we would explore more and get an international driver's licence before going. We would have been able to hire a taxi, but many of the places we’d want to go are quite rural, and hours of driving away, so we’d be concerned with both keeping a driver for a whole day or finding another driver once we arrive. We loved hanging out at our villa and the hotel, though, no complaints.
