Sea-ing is Bali-eving

From the moment we learned that the Philippines was in the cards, I wanted to go to Bali. As Meadows can attest, I pleaded and researched for weeks. Thankfully, a few lucky breaks came through: a 3-day weekend after the first week on the project (so before things get too busy for Meadows) and direct flights from Manila! Meadows capitulated.

After our first week in Manila, we hopped on a direct flight for Bali on Friday evening. We chose to stay in Seminyak, which is on the northern side of the island and is known for its lively, fun vibe. We landed and made our way to the W Retreat and Spa, a modern and hip resort.

When we booked, the resort inquired about the purpose of our trip. As you can tell from the décor, we replied that we were a couple on holiday.

The room was great, but the shower with a skylight stole the show!

We awoke the next morning to find a stunning view of the ocean and the resort.

The daily breakfast totally surprised us; it was insanely delicious! We spent the first half of the day exploring the resort and the beach.

Then we moved to the pool, which was absolute paradise.

To kick off our first evening, we enjoyed the sunset from our balcony before freshening up for the night.

To wrap up a perfect Saturday, we drank cocktails next to the beach, followed by a fabulous steak dinner. We even had Argentinian wine with our Australian filets!

On Sunday, we hardly altered the plan from the previous day. We lounged by the pool and ordered lunch there (the tuna ceviche was out of this world!). We opted for a casual dinner for Sunday.

 

Monday was full of adventure, as we left at 8am for a full-day excursion. Our driver took us to the docks were we boarded our catamaran.

The tranquil, blue water stretched to the horizon. We sailed into it on our way to Lembongan Island.

Upon reaching the island, we hopped on a small motorboat to go snorkeling. The visibility wasn’t great, but the cool water felt fabulous. And, as always, Meadows dove down to get as close to the fish as possible.

Next item on the agenda: banana boating. I honestly cannot believe I am dignifying this activity enough to mention it in the blog. It was so slow and lame… nothing like banana boating at Leadership Odyssey/Squirrel Camp!

We returned to the island for a fabulous island lunch. Can you believe this view?

Our guide then offered to take us on an island tour. Meadows hated this part of the day, but I thought it was really fun.

We first visited the underground house, which one man built in 15 years and then proceeded to live there. Frankly, the entire experience was a bit bizarre.

The final stop on our island tour was a seaweed farm. We got to see how seaweed is grown and harvested in plots of the ocean. The view was surprisingly beautiful!

Once the seaweed is collected, it’s laid in the sun to dry.

 

Before leaving the island, Meadows and I took a dip in the saltwater pool. I know it’s totally cliché, but this was a ‘pinch me’ moment. AHH-MAZING!

We sailed back to Seminyak, ate dinner and passed out after our big day.

We spent Tuesday soaking up Bali, the W and our last day of vacation. I spent hours in the water!

In the afternoon, we partook in the “Mad T-Party,” which is a funky teatime (kind of like Sketch in London!). Since it doubles as a happy hour of sorts, we began with fruity cocktails.

Then the cage arrived! Full of treats (both savory and sweet), the cage tasted as impressive as it looked.

 

Meadows and I watched our final Bali sunset and ate a scrumptious dinner at the seafood restaurant in the resort. We took our last photo in Bali – what a wonderful trip!