Bali #1 : layover in Singapore and south of Bali

Hi guys, it’s been a long time, how are you my friends? I’m sorry I’ve not been around often these days, I was a bit off but don’t worry, it will go away.

I have the impression you don’t like to read several posts in a row about the same trip. This is why, I’ve decided to open the Bali chapter before closing the Thailand one. 

Goodness knows what an idyllic place Bali is so we couldn’t wait to go. However it’s a popular destination for honeymoon so everytime we were meeting someone he or she was telling us “Honeymoon?”. Maybe we should have said yes to get a free bottle of champagne. :) So we went to Bali in May and I think it was one of the best time to go because it was sunny, we didn’t get a lot of rain and there was not so many tourists.

If you followed us on social medias during our trip you’ve probably seen that the Boyfriend made vlogs on the spot. So overtime I will publish a blog post about Bali, I will also publish the vlog linked to it. Let’s start then with the 1st video during our layover in Singapore.

Layover in Singapore :

Before arriving to Bali we had a 24h layover in Singapore. I won’t talk to you about the city since I’ve already told you enough I think when I stayed there for a week last year. However you can of course read again the articles here. In any case, I was thrilled to go back with the Boyfriend who was discovering it for the 1st time. We stayed less than 24h so it was short but I’ve tried to show him as much as possible.

I need though to tell you more about the hotel where we stayed for 2 nights: The Warehouse Hotel. It used to be a warehouse that stood in the midst of a hotbed of secret societies, underground activities, and liquor distilleries during this time. Then it was transformed into a club for a few years. When we gave the address of the hotel to taxi drivers it made them remember the nights they spent dancing there while they were younger. It became a hotel only recently and the result is just mind blowing! I don’t know about you but I’m completely in love with this industrial decoration! And the rooms in addition to being design and confortable, have a view on the river. In a few words we loved it and we wish the Warehouse Hotel every success for the future!

The hotel is located on Robertson Quay. It’s very nice to walk along the river if you don’t pay attention to the skyscrapers around.

The Warehouse Hotel - 320 Havelock Road, 169628, Robertson Quay, Singapore

Seminyak :

We spent our first night in Bali at the Anema Villa Seminyak in a nice villa with a private pool. How great is that?! We had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a big living room and open-plan kitchen just for us and at the really cheap price.  It’s good idea if you’re staying with family or with friends. Moreover, the staff is very friendly and helped us to settle in Bali’s culture. The only thing we didn’t like was the breakfast.

Anema Villa Seminyak – Jl. Sri Kresna, 80361 Legian, Legian Beach, Badung Regency, Bali

At 20min drive in the north of Seminyak (depending on the traffic) there is Canggu Beach where we went as soon as we got in Bali. It’s THE place to surf or to admire good looking surfer and I hope you don’t mind dogs because they are everywhere. It’s also a hipster place where you can drink a coktail inside a coconut or do some shopping. We went there during the sunset and the light was magical!

Temples :

There are a lot of temples in Bali but you have to know that most of them are closed to the public. You will see so many temples no matter where you are but you probably will never be able to enter because they are only open to locals and that is very frustrating! However, there are some emblematic temples in Bali where you can more or less get closer and Tanah Lot and Uluwatu are 2 of them.

First, here is the vlog about the temples.

Tanah Lot is a rock formation home to an Hindou temple, a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography. It is easily accessible by foot at low tide but once you’re at the bottom of it, there isn’t much you can do because the temple is closed to the public. The only thing you can do is donate to the priests so you can get a rice blessing. After the holy shower, rice is then placed on the forehead for good fortune. The 2^nd bad thing is that this place is overrun by tourists even during off-season so the surrounding park which is very nice is invaded by souvenir shops. In my opinion, you only have to go there to have a enjoy the view and expect nothing more or to enjoy the sunset which is amazing here, so I’ve been heard.

Uluwatu, is a temple built at the edge of a 70 meter high cliff but Unfortunately only a few remains are left  The temple is inhabited by monkeys, who are notorious for snatching visitors’ belongings. At the begining it can be funny but they are pretty aggressive so be careful with your hat, sunglasses or even mobile phones, they won’t hesitate to jump on you and  to wrench it!

Finally, I recommend you to go to Uluwatu during sunset because it’s gorgeous but also because you can witness an unusual show called “kecak” or “the monkey dance”. It’s a transe ritual  by a male choir that narrats Bali legends.  It’s a puzzling show maybe a bit too long but fascinating and with the sunset it’s even more impressive.

This is the end of this 1st blog post about Bali. Have a nice summer and see you in September guys !