Kuta, Bali

Selamat Siang from Kuta, Bali!

It was about an hour drive from Ubud to Kuta, Bali, and what a beautiful drive it was. We got to drive across the Bali Mandara Toll Road, which crosses the Benoa Gulf. It sits directly over this bright blue water and was exciting yet scary to drive over. I hope there are never any serious waves in the area! The Garuda Visnu Kencana statue stands tall and overlooks the city. What a sight to see.

The Anvaya Beach Resort

We arrived at our first hotel in Kuta, Bali, the Anvaya Beach Resort. This stunning, all inclusive resort, was one of the highlights of the trip. We were in desperate need of serious relaxation, and that is exactly what this place offered. We booked a deluxe room with direct access to the lagoon. Spacious room and bathroom, and good sized balcony with patio furniture. When you opened the balcony doors, you were greeted by a swimming pool right off your balcony! The property had plenty of other pools, but why walk down to the pool when you can roll off your balcony into one? Which yes, we did do that on multiple occasions. 

We were here to relax. We had been on the move all day everyday for the last almost 2 months, and I was excited to sleep in and do nothing. Maybe even get wild and take a nap during the day! I was here for it. We booked a couples massage and it was exactly what I needed. It brought life back into me.

Pandang Paradise

The pool in the middle of the resort was where it was at! There are servers everywhere running strong blended drinks back and forth, and an all day dining restaurant that serves the best little bites. This is where we fell in love with bao buns! We ate at this place probably like 3-5 times a day. They also had the best drink. Ever. It was called a Pandang Paradise and was this beautiful light green color. It almost tasted like a vanilla pina colada. I honestly couldn’t count how many of these we drank.

Some Light Water Sports

The beach in is located directly outside the hotel. There is an upscale dinner restaurant that sits along the sand and has delicious food and lively entertainment. We walked along the beach, the water a little too cold for our liking, and stumbled upon a gentleman offering parasailing, jet ski rides, and other water sports. We weren’t super interested at first, until he started bringing the prices down for us as we walked away. Once he hit a super low price, we took him up on it!

He picked us up from our hotel the next day, and off we went! We were wanting to snorkel or scuba dive, but the earthquake disrupted all of the sand so there was little to no visibility. So jet skis and parasailing it was! The waves were big and choppy, so I got pretty rocked on the jet ski. Me and Seth went up in the parasail together, and glad we did so I had someone’s hand to break while I was up there. It’s in the quiet moments, up in the sky, overlooking this beautiful island, that I am so grateful I found someone who pushes me out of my comfort zone. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I would be here. Thank you Seth for helping me grow and changing my life for the better.

But Did you Die?

During our 5 day stay here, we only incurred two incidents. The first one was a big earthquake! I am from California, so I’ve experienced my fair share of quakes, but here I was on an island in the middle of the ocean, and this thing just shook my soul. Believe me when I say that I was not ok. Especially after finding out that there was a volcano erupting not far off the coast. Sweet. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. We did get a call to our room checking on us and assuring us that everything was ok.

The second incident happened on our last day here, and the only time I thought we were going to have to use our travel insurance. We were just coming back into the resort from exploring outside the hotel walls, and entered the main lobby, which has a water feature down the center of it. The water had splashed out onto the marble like floor, so when Seth walked across it, he slipped and fell, and cracked his head. The sound of his head hitting the floor echoed through the lobby and will forever ring in my ears. It was scary. It knocked him out for a few seconds. The staff did come over to help, and offered to have a doctor come check him out. Caution! Slippery when wet. That sign would have come in handy.

We are very, very grateful that this was the extent of our “incidents” on our trip. I read almost every travel horror story before embarking on this adventure, and the whole time I felt the doom and gloom looming near us. But nothing ever happened.

You Can Find Us Shopping

Outside of this hotel, the streets in Kuta, Bali are filled with shopping and restaurants. There are rows and rows of stalls where locals sell their goods, and they sell them for cheap! This is where you can find all the knock off brands. We bought a “Louis Vuitton” suitcase (just for our souvenirs) that cost us about $5 (USD). We left with an entire suitcase filled with stuff (clothes, magnets, purses, makeup, and shoes) for around $20. This is the place to shop!

After a lovely, relaxing 5 day stay in one place!, we were off to our last hotel in Bali. We were heading 30 minutes south to Jimbaran to stay at another incredible resort that was recommended to us by a friend! This place is called Ayana Resort Bali and is home to the famous Rock Bar. It is out of our budget, but the trip is almost over and we did so well sticking to the budget that we decided to treat ourselves! I’m so excited for these next 2 days!

Ayana Resort Bali

Upon entry we were greeted with flowers and a welcome drink. I’ve decided this is how I shall be greeted every time I come home. Our room was massive, and had an incredible view of the property and the Indian ocean. 

The next day we spent the entire day in and out of the pools. There were multiple to choose from on the property, all with something spectacular about them. The upper pool was an infinite pool with a huge waterfall that dumped into the pool below, and of course an amazing view. While lounging, servers come by and take drink orders, they bring fresh fruit cut into cute little shapes and iced lemon water without even asking, and they even brought chilled towels. CHILLED. Now this is living. This is what you pay extra for! At the pool below, you can swim under the waterfall and there is an aquarium behind it! 

Take Me to the Beach

The next day was all about the beach. To get to the beach here, you have to take an all glass elevator down the side of a cliff, which drops you off at this private little beach. Surprisingly enough, I was the one that was ok and Seth was the one having a melt down. Elevators are my least favorite thing. I’m extremely claustrophobic, and even the slightest bump in an elevator ride will send me into a full panic attack. Maybe it was the glass walls and being able to see everything that made me feel calm. Or maybe I’m just getting over my fears. Probably not the latter.

We spent a few hours here, exploring and swimming. It’s a little cove so there were gentle waves and soft sand.

The Rock Bar Bali

The last night here called for a date night at the Rock Bar. Hotel guests get first priority and they do accept reservations for non guests. We’re lucky we are staying here. I was told they are booked for the next few months! 

To get to the Rock Bar in Kuta, Bali, you go down the side of a cliff in a funicular. This was my first time riding in one, and most likely the last. We had to wait in a long line to get into the funicular, so just standing there watching it go back and forth really warmed up my panic. It wasn’t too bad of a journey down, but it was definitely time for a drink. They sat us right in the corner along the edge, and it was perfect. The weather was still warm out, but starting to cool down. The drinks were amazing and the food is just alright. They had beautiful presentation, but nothing to write home about.

To Compare or Not Compare

If I was asked to compare the 2 resorts we stayed in, my vote goes to the first place we stayed, Anvaya. It was much more budget friendly, had better tasting food, and was in a great location. Ayana Resort is completely off the beaten path, so if you wanted to explore a town you would need to spend money on a ride. 

I would love to come back to Kuta, Bali. I’m crossing my fingers that some sort of teleportation device is invented by then so I don’t have to fly all the way there! The people, the prices, the views. Everything about this place makes me want to return.

Come along on the last leg of our trip! How will we spend our layover in Sydney, Australia?..