Sweet Escape in Bali

 I am embarrassed to say that up until last year I never really had the desire to visit Bali.  I blame it on shows and footage like "What really happens in Bali", depicting Bali as a place tourists (and a lot of Australians) go to just to get drunk at bars, a little similar to my experience in Phuket when I went with a large group of co-workers on a work trip many years ago...It wasn't really my scene, and is even further now that I have two little ones.

Then came last year's visit to Nihiwatu, which was my first time ever in Indonesia, and consequently first time in Bali, which was such an amazing experience!  Except I don't really count that as a visit to Bali as it was merely a stopover to go to Sumba Island.  However, the little that I saw, and the time spent at The Legian gave me a little taste of Bali, and I wanted more.

When it starts getting very cold in Australia, my hubby and I like to travel somewhere warm, and when I suggested going to Byron Bay, Mr Brigs countered with: why not Bali?  Me: Sure, why not?  We were told Nusa Dua was the more 'family friendly' part of Bali (as opposed to Seminyak, which is where we stayed last time, a busier part with cute boutiques, bars, clubs, restaurants and lounges), so I started planning our family holiday from there...

Ok, so trying to take pictures on one's phone + camera + snapchat with two little ones in tow (and most importantly, enjoying the moment) is not as easy as it sounds, so I don't have pictures for all we did, so here's my quick rundown of what we did (or wanted to do but didn't get to as well) in Bali:

WHERE WE STAYED

Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua - After my lovely experience during my trip with Accor Hotels to Queensland, I thought I'd see which hotel I could find in Nusa Dua under the Accor Hotels umbrella, and came across Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua in my search.  The hotel is Nusa Dua’s only French heritage instilled luxury 5-star beachfront resort with 8 hectares of tropical gardens and modern architecture with a sophisticated touch, boasting 2 restaurants, 2 bars, a beach club, gym, luxurious spa , an aesthetic centre, a kids club, 12 function rooms and two ballrooms!  The reviews I read on the hotel were great, and it is only 3 years old.  Reading about their kids pool (with slide) and kids club cinched the deal.  We opted to stay at their Presidential Suite, because that allowed us to pull the screen door that partitioned the room so that the kids could go to sleep, and I didn't have to tiptoe in the dark (as well as giving each other space which was great!)...The Suite itself is absolutely beautiful, and we had our own outdoor courtyard and private plunge pool! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese-style toilet, haha, and I, for one, loved the Hérmes amenities!

The staff was absolutely amazing, and because we stayed at a Suite, we had our own butler(s), who were so friendly and helpful!  The butlers gave us tips on where to go and what to do (offering to organize and book anything we liked), including offering us the very welcome tip that from 1 to 4 pm, massages are half price in the hotels beautiful SoSpa! Hubby and I treated ourselves to a couples massage while the kids had a blast at the hotel's kids club (can you believe they kept asking to go there instead of the beach?!?).  Staying at the suite also afforded us access to the hotel's Club Millésime, where we spent a lot of time in, such a beautiful space with fabulous food and staff (and a little room for the kids to spend time in as well, which was great for when they had finished eating but I still wanted to pig out some more, haha).

WHERE WE ATE:

At the hotel and hotel area:

Kweezeen - at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua, lovely Indonesian fare.

Cut Catch Cucina - also at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua - for their famous Sunday brunch - A M A Z I N G ! ! ! (think chocolate fountains, incredible desserts, seafood bbq'd on order, roasted meats, loads and loads of food, as well as beautifully plated up a la carte dishes.  This restaurant is rated second best in Nusa Dua, so even if not staying at Sofitel Nusa Dua, it is definitely a place worth considering for not only Sunday brunch, but lunch or dinner.

Nikki Beach Club - located in the Sofitel Nusa Dua hotel, it is actually a separate restaurant/club, with delicious food and own pool! Coconuts were a bit cheaper than in our actual hotel, too (important when you love coconuts as much as I do).

Beach bar and grill (Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua) - all you can eat bbq seafood by the beach - the bbq'd calamari, cockles and fish were our favourites, with lashings of sambal matah (which I absolutely love, since first discovering it in my last Indonesian trip).

Tamarind at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel - we walked next door for a dinner on the beach, and the setting was just beautiful, colouring for the kids kept them occupied while we waited, which was great. The hugest coconuts I've ever had and cheapest in Bali too! I will seriously forever dream about their coconuts...

Outside the hotel and hotel area:

Bumbu Bali: this restaurant was suggested to us by our butler Suarcana (such a gentle and sweet guy!), for authentic Indonesian fare in a more relaxed family-friendly vibe.  The restaurant even offered a pick-up service to/from hotel, as it is only a short drive away.  The chicken satay sticks were a hit with the kids, and service was great.

Seminyak:

Merah Putih Bali:  offering authentic Indonesian food as well as fusion, this restaurant accepts booking online.  Mr Brigs and I dined her sans kid (in fact, kids are not allowed past 6:30!), and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, from entree to dessert.

Bambu: I absolutely loved this place! Wish they had an online booking system, as the hotel staff had trouble contacting them to make a booking over the phone, but we just turned up, waited a little by the bar, then were shown to a table after a short wait.  Loved the interior and ambiance of the place, wanted the waiter's uniforms (male and female), and above all, the food! SO good! Modern but delicious Indonesian food...

Restaurants I didn't get to but are on the list for next time: Sarong, Mamasan and La Lucciola.  I have heard and read great things about these places and hope to check them out next time.

WHERE WE WENT:

So the point of this trip wasn't really to go sightseeing, but more to relax, so we didn't actually explore Bali much (save that for next time). We did however go to:

Finns Beach Club

Unfortunately we came here 1-2 days after a full moon, so the tide was incredibly high, and the waves way too crazy for us to swim or do any of the cool water sports that are on offer at this beach club, which is accessible by cable car and costs roughly $30pp to get in.  There is a lovely restaurant and bar you can eat at (amazing food I absolutely loved), and weather conditions permitting you can stand-up paddle board, kayak and such.  They also have lounge beds or bean bags with umbrellas they can set up on the beach.  Because it is by the cliff (with slightly restricted access), the sand is pristine, and water beautifully blue.  Thoroughly enjoyed my lunch here!

Where I wanted to go (but didn't get to): Tagalalang Terrace in Ubud for the amazing rice fields, Tanah Lot - an amazing temple sitting atop a rock formation.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Ok, for someone who spends a lot of time behind a camera lens, I am not actually in front of one a lot, especially in family shots.  In fact, I have never had a family photographic shoot, until Bali.  After booking my flights I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to finally have some candid shots of my family.  Cue Sweet Escape, whom I fortuitously discovered whilst browsing Melanie Liu's Instagram feed (the lovely @thetiafox).  They specialize in holiday photography and are located in 220 cities worldwide! I will certainly be looking them up wherever I go next! Because the kids were sleeping (catching up on much needed sleep as they were a little unwell this trip), for half of my session Dodo (Reynaldo Tjandra) happily obliged my request to take some photos of myself around the hotel, so all photos of myself below were taken by him.  So also great for bloggers out there who need a photographer, group of friends, special occasion (milestone birthday?), family photography or perhaps pre-wedding or engagement shoots? Or maybe even wedding shoots!  I ended up with some beautiful shots of the family that I will treasure forever...

So enough talking, here are some pictures I took of my time in Bali (with some photos by Sweet Escape thrown in for good measure - those of myself and of my family):

Bali sunset

Our private courtyard and swimming pool at our suite at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua...it was absolutely blissful having this little corner to ourselves, despite the beautiful pools available to everyone staying at the hotel.  Giving us a chance to relax completely, and even enjoy some meals outdoors (some room service and some takeaway)

The buffet breakfast at the hotel is amazing! There is a sushi station, juice station, amazing patisserie (their almond croissants especially, I would at times have two in one go), egg station, dim sum station, you name it...SO GOOD! We also alternated having breakfast at Club Milessime (pictured above), which was a quieter affair but still had plenty to offer including some a la carte options, and the most divine smoked salmon I've ever had, which I found out is smoked on jackfruit wood in-house!

 The main pool which had many 'sections to it', including an in-pool bar with stools, a 'kids pool' (there is also a separate kids pool with slide and fountain that my little ones absolutely loved), and one area with cozy sections with jets!

When your outfit matches the hotel walls...
Top and trousers: Chloe (from a few seasons ago)
Hat: San Francisco Hat Company
Sunglasses: Le Specs x Self Portrait (available at Shopbop, Intermix, and mirrored version at My Theresa)

If staying at Nusa Dua I highly recommend taking away Babi Guling (suckling pig) from Pak Dobiel, ask any taxi driver and they will know what you are talking about, they open in the morning and close by around 2-3pm, and there are line-ups at lunch time (you can eat there apparently, but it is hard to find a table at times).  We enjoyed this dish with some Indonesian sweets hubby also took away in our private courtyard, yum!

Hello world!

Snake fruit!

You can hire bicycles from Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua for 2 hours, and discover your surroundings on two wheels, which is what hubby and I did, cycling up to a nearby water blow (which was an amazing experience), thoroughly enjoyed those two hours!

 I will literally dream of this salmon for a long time to come...

Behold our humongous bathtub that comfortably fit this family of four (ok, it was just for a photo op, but I'm sure we could have if we wanted to).

Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua's suites and villas are all stocked with Hermés amenities, a very lovely touch indeed, love the orange blossom scent!

 Beautifully cut up star fruit by the staff at Sofitel Nusa Dua

I could spend all day here...

Lunch after soaking some sun on the beach, at Nikki Beach Club adjacent to the hotel.  Tuna tataki was delish!

 Love high tea, and everyday between 3:30 and 5 there is High Tea at Sofitel's Club Milessime (which is followed by tapas from 5:30 to 7).

Or here!

 And I could live on these! We spent a lot of time lounging by the beach on the hotel's reclining beds...such bliss!

L O V E

Look what I found!!! At first I thought it was sock, then was amazed when I inspected it more closely!

Exploring...

One more photo of this bathtub, as I would literally sigh and stare at it every time I was in our suite...

All photos taken by me some iPhone some camera (photo of me on the bike taken by Mr Brigs on his iPhone) , except for those of myself in them, and this last shot of my family - which were taken by Sweet Escape - thank you for capturing our amazing holiday Sweet Escape and Dodo, we will treasure these photos and memories always!

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My Indonesian Travel Diary Pt 2: Nihiwatu on Sumba Island

Cue Tony Bennett: "I left my heart, in Sumba Island"...

There is so much to love about Sumba, its untouched natural beauty, the culture, the people, the smiling children who wave excitedly as you drive past them in their thatched roof houses, and Nihiwatu, the only resort on the island.

 We left Bali to travel 400km west on an hour-long flight to reach this island (see Part 1 of my Indonesian Travel Diary here), after which we had the choice to ride an open-air jeep or an air-conditioned vehicle sent by Nihiwatu Resort.  We chose the jeep, which was a lovely way to enjoy the 'Sumba vibe' on our hour-long drive from the airport to the coast.

  Spread over 567 acres of land on the edge of Sumba, Nihiwatu Resort is surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, from tropical forests, to rice fields and grasslands, as well as a stunning two and half kilometres of beachfront protected by headlands.  Out of the 567 acres of land only 65 acres are committed to development, in an effort to preserve the islands untouched beauty, and prevent it becoming the next Bali.  The resort itself is luxurious yet not pretentious, retaining the local charm with its steeply thatched roofs, and large kasambi tree trunks for support columns, sumbanese Ikat tapestries (which you can purchase at the resort's boutique) and black and white prints of local villagers hang on ochre stone walls.

The original founder of the resort, Claude Graves ran the resort almost as a non-profit establishment, giving back to the Sumbanese community by establishing The Sumba Foundation, aimed at alleviating poverty and eradicating malaria on the island by operating free health clinics and sinking wells in the nearby villages.  Guests often volunteer to help during at the clinics during their stay.  Burch explains that the indigenous population is in dire need. Geographical isolation and a short rainy season mean that Sumba’s inhabitants have always faced hardship. But over the last eight years financial crisis and political uncertainty in Indonesia have interrupted regular aid, and famine and disease have threatened the future of the islanders.  Over the past 13 years, the foundation has set up more than 15 primary schools, built 48 water wells, five clinics, supplied 172 villages with clean water and reduced malaria by 85 percent in neighbouring villages. The resort employs more than 90 percent local Sumbanese people and guests are encouraged to visit the villages and donate generously.

The resort was recently sold to hotelier James McBride and investor Chris Burch, who share Claude's vision. Thankfully there was no attempt to change the terms, and McBride and Burch aim to grow the foundation whilst preserving the island's beauty and its culture.

You can do anything or nothing at Nihiwatu, or both.  Cozing up and relaxing pool-side at the villa, or spending time on the sand or sea is a very inviting way to spend the day.  But there is also an extensive list of activities offered by the resort, from water sports (spearfishing, stand-up paddle boarding down Wanukaka river through the villages, snorkelling, scuba diving, and let's not forget surfing - the island is well known for its left break, attracting surfers from around the world), to their on-site and off-site spa (Nihi Oka) for those who want a pampering session, to short 'excursions' to the Rice Fields, or the Blue Waterfall (incredible!) or a Nihi Oka Spa Safari experience (scroll down for more on all three).  There is something for everyone.  There is also horse riding, and a kids' club.  I am now plotting on returning with my little ones along next time, they would absolutely love it here (as have I).

This is a place where one forges unforgettable memories...

 Seriously the bed of my dreams...

 One of the two amazing outdoor showers at my Villa

 Enjoying the view from my very own private plunge pool on the verandah...

  The view from Omback restaurant (where breakfast and dinner are served)

Beautiful food a la carte (great to minimize wastage) - mangosteen for breakfast? Yes please!

 If you feel like staying in, you can have breakfast on your verandah instead, or anywhere on the Resort.

  Dinner right by the beach...which is where lunch is also served.

 The resort is also rolling out a raw vegan menu, curated by Melbourne-based Simone Baldwin, which was oh so delicious! These falafels and zucchini pasta were just amazing!

When you don't feel like walking the Resort's extensive grounds, you can simply call for a Tuk Tuk

On Tuesdays, the Resort hosts an incredibly fun and beautiful Jungle party.

Nihiwatu's Turtle Sanctuary - this little guy hatched only a couple of hours prior, and was going to be released back into the water shortly after.

The view from the Yoga Platform at Nihiwatu is just breathtaking, wish I could start every morning like this - group sessions are held twice daily, and you can also arrange for private sessions.
(photo by Chloe Paul)


 View from the Yoga Platform

The traditional, beautiful and well-known Sumbanese 'Ikat' (hand-woven textile) - work in progress on the Resort's grounds.

You see that rightmost black Ikat on the bottom-shelf? It came home with me, along with a Sumbanese hat, also from the Resort's Boutique.

Each villa has their own 'butler', we had Robert, who was an absolute delight!  We really fell in love with the Sumbanese people and their kind, generous and warm nature...

On the private beach of the Nihiwatu Resort...untouched beauty

 The resort has numerous water activities on offer, including snorkelling, stand-up paddling, scuba diving, and fishing.  This was the fishing boat we took out one afternoon with the hilarious South-African 'waterboy' Paul...

Just a 15 minute drive away from the Resort, is their off-site Nihi Oka Spa.

Nihi Oka Spa sitting pretty

 Guests can choose from a great 'menu' of treatments, which are given in beautiful private treehouses overlooking the resort's two private beaches.
 Pristine waters...guests are encouraged to stay the day here, have lunch in one of the treehouses, wander

Couples who massage together stay together 

(photo by Chloe Paul)

 Where rice fields meet the sea...Nihi Oka Safari

 Blissed out after a deep tissue massage...

The 'love' tree on one of Nihi Oka's private beaches



One of the highlights of my stay was the trecking excursion to the island's Blue Waterfall (only discovered in recent years).  The treck through the forest and the beautiful and majestic waterfall itself are something I will never foreget.  The resort organized a picnic which we enjoyed atop a mossy rock right at the edge of the waterfall....unforgettable!

Our local guides foraging the area.

 Another lovely excursion on offer is to visit the Rice Fields, where you can also receive Spa Treatments with a beautiful view like this

The view of water buffalos in the field from my open air jeep (you can treck to 'Rice Island' or elect to go by car, I chickened out and went by jeep while hubby did the treck)


Hubby's tour guide Tiger, who is an incredibly warm hearted, resourceful and talented man...He asked whether those who trecking were thirsty, and nimbly climbed up a coconut tree to cut down some coconuts...you cant get coconut water fresher than that!
(photo by Mr Brigs)

Beautiful rice terraces.

Living (and lunching) on the edge...BBQ lunch organized by the resort which followed an incredibly session of reflexology with this view, amazing.

  Swing with a view...

 The incredible spread prepared by the Resort...Indonesian food at its best.  I fell in love with both the Sumbanese and Balinese sambal. I later told a lovely lady by the name of Jenny of my love for these sambals, and she kindly asked the chef to print me the recipes for both! Priceless.

Of course I couldn't resist jumping on the swing...
(photo by Jasmine Howell of Friend in Fashion)

All images taken by me unless otherwise stated .
(clicking on images will allow you to view them in a larger format)

Thank you Nihiwatu and Leading Hotels of the World for the unforgettable memories! 


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