Perfect Easter Break in Bali

Bali, rediscovered

Much has changed in Bali since my very first visit, back in 1994. Heck, much has changed with me, so this is not much of a surprise. 

What hasn’t changed are the smiles. I saw that Finland was recently named the happiest country in the world. I would like to nominate Bali as the smiliest island in the world. Would anyone like to second my motion?

In the world’s largest country made entirely of islands, Bali may well be one of 17,508 islands (by official records) but it remains the one island we keep returning to. The smiles of the friendly locals is just one reason.

Travelling in Bali

Over the years we have been fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time on the island of Bali, exploring the best of what it has to offer. Regular readers of this travel blog will know that we ended our 10 month travel sabbatical last year with a multi stop, multi week exploration of the island. Spending time in Seminyak, Nusa Dua, and Ubud. All very different destinations.

For Easter, we returned to the land of the smiles and stayed somewhere new again. Our five nights were spent in Canggu, a place that would have looked a little different just a few years ago, and would have been on very few traveller’s radars back in 1994 when I was getting drunk in Sari’s Club, Kuta. Right now, like many of the tourist destinations in Bali there is heaps of construction happening. Canggu has very quickly become one of Bali’s hot spots. The place to be. It is not hard to see why.

Exploring Canggu, Bali

Taking advantage of our proximity to Bali, we flew out of Perth on a Wednesday evening and were in bed at the hotel before midnight. This gave us 5 nights and 4 full days of rest and relaxation. The Eastin Ashta resort was our base, right in the heart of Canggu and mere steps from the beach. We had all that to explore, but first, sleep.

Day one dawned brightly, sunny, and the unmistakable Bali humidity hit us as soon as we left our air conditioned hotel room. I was full of excitement. One of my favourite things about the hotels in Southeast Asia is the buffet breakfast. Where else can you start with yogurt, move on to eggs, and finish with a bowl of nasi goreng (fried rice)? Eyeing the nearby pool I just knew that I would have to be doing some lengths on this trip.

As always in this part of the world, days fell into a relaxing rhythm. Breakfast. Mornings around the pool reading. And afternoons exploring Canggu, checking out likely options for our lunch and dinners. Yes, food is one of the pleasures of a holiday in Bali. And the prices remain so low that a $3 beer is a necessity, not a luxury. Paired with a $4 nasi goreng we had a filling, tasty, and very economical lunch. 

Coffee culture in Bali

One daily necessity that does come with an Australian price tag is coffee. And with that price tag comes a coffee that would hold its own in Melbourne, Australia’s coffee capital. Coffee culture in Bali has exploded and looks a world away from my first visit in 1994 where Nescafe was the coffee du jour. I managed to get around a few of the coffee shops in Canggu, but like much of what we saw whilst travelling through Southeast Asia last year, they are no longer hidden gems. They are springing up everywhere, much to my delight.

And with the coffee shops, come the restaurants. Dinner brings many options and as darkness falls we found ourselves heading from beach to restaurant. With the local warungs serving Nasi Goreng for $4, there are now places to eat at the other end of the spectrum. We had an amazing Japanese dinner at Yuki, a restaurant that would not have looked out of place in Manhattan, New York. High end restaurant design, 5 star service, and food that looked too good to eat. We ate it. It was outstanding. 

The sun sets in Bali

Also outstanding are the sunsets? With Echo Beach in Canggu being on the west coast, the sunsets are stunning. A stroll to the beach was mandatory, based on the numbers of people joining us. And the friendly Balinese locals have thought of everything. Cool boxes offer an endless supply of cold Bintang beer for you to enjoy as you watch the remnants of the day fall over the horizon.

If you have ever considered a holiday to Bali I would say, what are you waiting for? There are so many places on the island to visit. The locals are some of the friendliest people you will meet. The beer is ice cold, and cheap. The food is delicious, whether you eat in warung or a fancy restaurant. And the sun shines. A lot. If you find yourself staying on the west of the island you will be rewarded with a sunset that you will find hard to beat, however much you travel.

We are not sure when we will back. So we finsihed this trip in the same way we finished our visit last year. I found my way to the tattoo studio and Victoria went for a massage.

Until the next time, friends…