Bali: Love at First Sight

There is an abundant supply of beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia, leaving one truly spoilt for choice. I have been to a few, but never to Bali, perhaps because I hear from people that most of the beaches there are not fantastic. Still, I’ve always been intrigued why they keep going back anyway.

Bali is one of over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and stands out as one of the most popular small island getaways, attracting over 5 million visitors last year.

Last summer, our friends in Singapore organised a tennis trip to Bali. Our family joined them and I finally understood why Bali is so popular. It is highly accessible, with an airport that can land even an A380. Bali boasts of first class facilities with five-star resorts like St Regis, Ritz and dozens more, but it also has budget-friendly accommodations. The hospitality is superb and the food is divine. It offers everything from nature adventures, beach and surfing, to yoga and meditation retreats. One could easily spend a month here and not run out of things to see and do.

When it comes to beaches, the more popular destinations are Nusa Dua and Seminyak. Nusa Dua has the highest concentration of luxurious resorts on the island and is popular among families. Seminyak, on the other hand, is known as a party place, and has glorious sunsets.

We stayed in Sanur where our tennis camp was located.  The area was the quiet, laid-back, and had stunning sunrises. In terms of beachfront luxury hotels and resorts, it only has InterContinental Bali-Sanur, Hyatt Regency Bali, and Andaz Bali-a Concept by Hyatt. That summer, InterCon and Hyatt were fully booked, and the other good hotels were too far from the sea. We ended up staying at Andaz, which turned out a blessing and a true gem.

During those 4 days in Bali, we enjoyed Sanur’s peaceful sunrises and soothing sunsets. In between we were at the tennis courts, sometimes in the swimming pool, too. (Separate blog of Sanur to follow!)

We carved out an afternoon from our tennis schedule to venture to Seminyak to experience that golden sunset that it’s known for. A friend of mine suggested the W Hotel. The traffic was heavy and it took us was over an hour to get there by car. But it was worth it. I’ve never seen a sunset quite like that of Seminyak’s and I will always be thankful to my friend. Now allow me to share with you some photos I took, presented in chronological order.

We capped our chase for the golden sunset at the Starfish Bloo restaurant in W Hotel. The food was fantastic and atmosphere was sublime. xoxo