Bali is back in business
We had a full day of activities when we arrived a little after 8 a.m. in Bali, Indonesia. It was a very comfortable flight from Manila onboard Cebu Pacific Air. Travel Warehouse created our itinerary and everyone was filled with excitement. Bali was the last international destination that I was at before the worldwide lockdown and it was great to be back!
With time to kill before breakfast, we visited Pura Puseh Desa Batuan, a popular Hindu temple, before heading to Ibu Oka, a Balinese institution that serves the famous Babi Guling. They opened at 11 a.m. and we were the first ones there to have our “breakfast” of the famed roast pig. Needless to say, it was excellent.
We then headed to our hotel, Plataran Ubud Hotel and Spa (https://www.plataran.com/plataran-ubud/), which seemed tiny from the entrance but the property was sprawling, complete with their own rice fields! We had enough time to refresh before lunch at Nusantara (https://www.facebook.com/NusantaraByLocavore/), a restaurant that serves excellent regional Indonesian food also run by chef/owners Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah of the famed restaurant Locavore.
We were picked up from here for our VW safari. These colorful vehicles are repurposed, Mexican-made Volkswagen cars that we used to go around the rice fields of Bali. It was a wonderful and unique way to see parts of the island.
We headed back to Plataran to get ready for our “Royal Dinner,” wherein the hotel painstakingly recreated a ceremony of serving and presenting food. We watched Indonesian cultural dances as we all enjoyed the dinner wearing our batik clothing.
The second day had us all in the market early in the morning to buy some ingredients for our cooking class at Plataran. We had to work for our lunch, as we prepped and cooked our Indonesian meal!
It was fun in Ubud but we traveled to Kuta to stay at the newly opened beachfront Mamaka by Ovolo hotel (https://ovolohotels.com/mamaka/). We all attended the opening of their rooftop bar Kuta Social Club and enjoyed dinner there that night before heading to Seminyak to go to some bars that were so full of people and reminded me of pre-pandemic nights.
Some opted to wake up early on our third and last day to take surfing lessons or boxing lessons, but I opted to have a leisurely breakfast overlooking the beach before Mamaka chefs also gave us lessons on how to make traditional Indonesian desserts, which was followed by a cocktail-making session. A farewell barbecue dinner on the beach had us all wear a sarong hosted at the massive Apurva Kempinski Bali (https://www.kempinski.com/en/bali/the-apurva-kempinski-bali/), one of the biggest and most beautiful resorts I have seen in Bali. They also have an “under the sea”-themed restaurant called Koral, where one can dine around creatures of the sea.
We did so much in three days and there is still so much to do and see on this magical island. With the easing of restrictions worldwide, it’s back to Bali soon!
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Check out https://www.twi.com.ph/ for hassle-free package trips to Bali and other destinations.
Cebu Pacific currently flies five times weekly (daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays) from Manila to Bali, Indonesia. By October, the airline will start flying to Bali daily. Visit www.cebupacificair.com to learn more about their latest offerings, safety protocols, and travel reminders.
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