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Willow's adventures in Bali

On her trip of a lifetime with the family to Indonesia...

We'd been promising our great friend for years that one day we’d go en famille, to visit him in Bali where he lives and this summer, we finally made it happen. My husband Charlie wanted to make to make it the adventure of a lifetime; we wanted to introduce our three boys to a completely different part of the world; show them a lifestyle and a culture entirely removed from their reality back here in the UK.  So we went to Lightfoot, a travel company set up by one of my best friends from school, who helped us plan and coordinate our trip. 
 
For 32 days we snorkelled, we ate, we trekked, we waterfall-ed, we sat in a serious amount of traffic, we explored, we laughed, we surfed, we found dragons, we beachcombed, we fished, we played 21 for shells for hours on end, we hunted out deserted islands, we drank a serious amount of milkshakes, we discovered new fruits (snake fruit anyone?), we lay under swarms of flying foxes heading out to feed, we ate mango for breakfast and had every meal together, we hung out with monkeys, swam with dolphins and turtles and had the happiest, most bonding of experiences we ever could have hoped for. It truly was magical. 

Here are some of our favourite discoveries in and around Bali - where to eat, play & love...

We wanted to introduce our three boys to a completely different part of the world; show them a lifestyle and a culture entirely removed from their reality back here in the UK...

WHERE TO STAY

We moved around a lot, a mix of hotels, air b&bs and friend’s houses.  

These are ones we especially loved…

- Nirjahra in Tabanan. super swanky, pool sent from heaven, fabulous spa, doesn’t look child friendly but the team couldn’t have made them feel more welcome. Our 13 year old’s top choice. Possibly due to it being a five minute bike ride to Kedungu beach where we learnt to surf. @nirjharabali

- Hoshinoya for a Japanese jungle retreat. 30 mins outside Ubud, quite grown up in feel, very Japanese, very zen, perfect antidote to the mayhem of Ubud. @hoshinoyabali

- Sudamala Hotel on Seraya Island.  This was my favourite place we stayed at by a long, long way. 20 beach huts (with aircon), no wifi apart from in the main restaurant, snorkelling and diving to die for. @sudamalaseraya

- Le Pirate Island. A tiny barefoot island escape an hour from Labuan Bajo. No wifi, no menus, communal barefoot living.  We went for lunch as only discovered it when we were there but would be back to stay in a heartbeat. @lepiratebeachclub

 

WHERE TO EAT

A diet high in Nasi Goreng, a lot rice and a lot of satay skewers

Our favourites …

- Menega Cafe at Jimbarin Beach, Bali.  Early dinner on the beach while you watch the sunset.  menegacafe.com

- The fish market on Labuan Bajo, only open in the evenings, choose your freshly caught fish from whichever container you like the look of - there are lots, we loved number 17 and watch as they cook it for you on the spot.

- Nourish, a chain of 3 restaurants set up by a Balinese couple.  I had a tuna poke bowl on repeat.  Great pizza, delicious veggie wraps and sensational smoothies. @nourishbali

- Mason in Uluwattu. Very cool, quite grown up, flame grilled menu. @mason.bali

- Gooseberry in Bingin.  @gooseberry_restaurant

- Lovacore in Ubud - I forgot to book so we ended up in Lovacore To Go, Lovacore’s casual little sister, 50 metres down the road.  Seriously good burgers. @lovacoretogo

    WHERE TO SURF

    I last surfed when I was 18 and secretly thought I was quite good; so in my head, by the end of our trip, I would basically be Kate Boswoth in Blue Crush.  Reality was slightly different and after being spat out onto the beach in a battered heap, I decided to quit while I was ahead and become team cheerleader on day three. We found the key was to find the instructor rather than the beach first. Not all of them were as brilliant as the others.   Our two favourites were Nova at Kedungo beach, (five minutes from the Nirjhara) @casanova_surfbali and in the Uluwatu and Bingin areas, @yulianus_sudin was wonderful.  They provide everything; the boards, the rash vests, the lessons, the snacks, the insider knowledge, the zinc, the laughter when you get smashed to pieces.  

    On average, a two hour lesson, per person was 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah. (About £27) 

    Despite not surfing a lot myself I have a new obsession with surfware - long sleeve swimsuit wetsuits in particular - see my surf edit here - all the gear, and now some idea!

    Our favourite beaches, the top three are good for surfing…

    • Thomas Beach, Uluwatu
    • Padang Padang Beach, Uluwatu
    • Bingin Beach, Bingin
    • Melasti Beach, Ungasan
    • Karma Beach, Ungasan
    • Kedugno Beach in Tabanan

     

    we ate mango for breakfast and had every meal together...

    WHERE TO VISIT  

    - In the north of the island, the sacred Sangeh monkey forest is much less crowded than the more well known Ubud Monkey Forest and home to hundreds of grey macaques. The boys adored the monkeys, definitely a holiday highlight for them;  I found them terrifying!

    - Nungnung waterfall, one of Bali’s highest was totally awe inspiring.

    - From the deck of a boat, watch the Flying Foxes ( giant bats) come out, en masse to feed over Kalong Island at sunset. 

    - Fly to Labuan Bajo, an hour flight from Bali and hire a boat for a few days to sail around Komodo.  The Sudamala Seraya resort is magical and would be my top suggestion.  Visit the dragons, swim in caves, discover islands, hike up to the top of Padar island, hunt for shells, fish, hunt for Manta rays, swim with turtles, snorkel.  

     
    TRAVELLING AROUND

    How to get around? GoJek.  The Indonesian equivalent of Uber, an app where you can order passenger bikes, cars and food.

     

    Visit Lightfoot Travel to plan your Bali adventure of a lifetime

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