Yes Wanderlust: I. Bali Bucket List

This was Luke and my Three Year Anniversary holiday. We try and do one every year. I have never been to Bali, this was my first time and I was so excited. I had travelled to Phuket, Thailand last year and for some reason I had in my mind that Bali wouldn't be as good. How wrong I was.

Our direct flight that we booked through Student Travel Australia was pretty great. We even had a spare seat between us. This was a day flight so we basically spent the whole flight reading and getting tipsy. I picked up this book The Girl in 6E after someone online recommended it. And now I am here to do the same. This book is actually so insanely good. Think thriller x slightly kinky (understatement) x well written. 10/10 Would recommend. I am currently reading the second book Do Not Disturb and it is equally as great.

After a not too long hotel transfer we arrived at our villa and we were both pretty blown away. We were staying at the Bali Island Villa & Spa which is literally right next to Potato Head Beach Club. We found this deal on Scoopon and were pretty insanely happy with it. Private pool, rooftop tanning area, huge bath, 24 hour butler, breakfast provided every day and a choice of lunch or dinner which we didn't really end up using. And they would drop us off anywhere local for free. We were in paradise.

Words cannot describe how in love with this bathroom I was. This is the bathroom I hope to have in my home one day. Black and white everything.

This was our dinner on the first night. And we soon found out that these were our only two options for the entire trip for lunch or dinner which was a bit depressing. It was either option A. Thai beef salad and a Steak roll or B. Caesar Salad and some weird beef and cheese main. We quickly decided that there were too many amazing food options in Bali to stay in our hotel eating this once a day. This resulted in us going well over our budget but it was well worth it.

That night we had not prepared for the mosquito invasion. I managed to kill one during the night and Luke got one in the morning. We bought mosquito spray the next day.

I ate this plate of fruit every day and it was incredible. It changed a little bit on a day to day basis but there was always papaya and lime which I am so obsessed with now.

Our first breakfast was an omelette, fruit platter, migoreng, two mango juices and two double shot espressos. I couldn't not get migoreng. It's one of my favourite bad things to eat at home. And I was not disappointed. Fresh migoreng is actually so good.

That morning we spent the morning trying to tan our winter white skin before we hit the streets of Bali. Our villa was actually so lovely for tanning by the pool. We have never had a private pool before so it was a whole new experience for us. It very quickly turned to topless tanning. Privacy is key.

Religious happenings at our resort.

We got dropped off to Seminyak Square and spent our afternoon wandering around the stores and trying not to get run over when crossing the road.

Spoiler alert: This is the first tropical vacation I have gone on where I have not had my hair braided. I kind of regret it. I really love those little side plaits that make you feel like you are still overseas.

Very expensive cat poop coffee which I also regret not bringing home.

So many wooden sculptures. It's like they have no idea that we aren't allowed to buy them. Damn border patrol.

Most of the shops that we really liked were on Kayu Aya. The main street in Seminyak adjacent to Seminyak Square.

It was our first day in Bali and I was already obsessed with everything. Everywhere you looked there was something really beautiful to look at. The streets were drenched in juxtaposition. Beautiful trees with a ridiculous amount of power cords in front of them. Faded wall murals with broken power lines and garbage in front of them. Dilapidated buildings painted beautifully. Everything was so contrasting, I was obsessed.

I only walked past Motel Mexicola and I was already obsessed.

The Bali Boat Sheds were pretty adorable.

Sea Circus, another one on the Bucket List of places to eat.

I became obsessed with this scratched off boho paint look. It is so beachy and so simply stunning. And the doors in Bali. They deserve their own blog post. I would love to go on a trip to Bali and just take photos of the amazing door frames that are everywhere. Google "Bali wooden doors", you will not be disappointed if you are as obsessed with interior design as I am.

Token image of the most popular souvenir in Bali, the phallic bottle opener.

My kind of shop.

We wandered around the Kayu Aya market for a little while but I didn't really look at anything too much. I don't like to shop on the first few days of travelling. I prefer to shop closer to the end of the trip when you have seen everything on offer. I am very fussy when it comes to shopping.

This hotel was across from our resort and it was so weird. It looks like it would be an interesting place to stay. But in saying that I don't think I could go to Bali and not stay in a private villa. It makes you feel like royalty even if you got the accommodation on Scoopon.

The first place we went for dinner was La Favela. It was one of the best places we ate. The decor of the place alone had me head over heels. It's not the best lighting for iPhone photos but don't worry, we ended up coming back later on with my Canon. But photos still can't convey how chill the atmosphere of this place was. It's the kind of place I could sit on a lounge in, drink cocktails and read all day.

And then you go outside and it's like you have just stepped in to this magical tropical oasis.

The place is huge and everywhere you go is different. There is literally something for everyone. Romantic date tables by the water, this room above which looks perfect for some cigars and scotch, huge long tables perfect for big functions, and even private rooms that are designed to look like family apartments (not featured in this blog post).

Luke waiting for me to take a photo of the food when he is hungry is actually one of the cutest things ever. Shoutout to Luke for being such a ridiculously patient boyfriend and putting up with me taking photos all the time.

We started with grilled octopus which was cooked to perfection. My main was the Favela Favourite Risotto which was an extraordinary seafood risotto. I am a sucker for risotto. And Luke had the Carbivoraholic which was very well cooked steak.

On our way out we bumped in to our old friend Juzzi who we hadn't seen for a couple of years. After finding out that we were staying just down the road from eachother we organised to meet up the next day.