Nusa Dua Part 1

Today I am writing my first blog in Bali  

Not a bad back drop hey....






As we stepped off the plane we were instantly hit by the scorching sunshine and the hectic life style

I have never been to an Asian country before, so this was instantly a whole new experience to me, So what better that starting it by checking into a beautifully presented hotel, and greeted by the most amazing staff 


Throughout our 11 day stay in Bali, we have decided to try out an array of different hotels, our first stop was 'The Grand Mirage Hotel, Nusa Dua' 




Even though the hotel is modern, it also has a twist of the indonesian culture throughout 






We instantly took a walk up the beach, to have a ganda as to what was around us 






Once you left the private beach you were instantly confronted by the locals wanting to sell you massages, tattoos, clothing and water sports 









After walking for miles down the beach, we decided to head back to the hotel and dig into their buffet that was on offer 

There is something splendid about hotel buffets, I think it could be the fact that you are able to eat as much as you want, until you have to waddle your way out of the restaurant, and the best part is you are not frowned upon 





There was an extensive buffet choice, which allowed me to have round after round 







For drinks I opted for a Bali Punch, that was filled with a rainbow effect of flavourings 






After 4 courses, I finally decided to attack the desserts 












I couldn't choose so I took a little taste of everything


Yes that was 9 puddings, not a bad effort eh 


My overall verdict was the food was very good! 


The next morning we grabbed some breakfast at the buffet, before placing ourself by the pool for the morning










The hotel's pool bar is available from 10am onwards, where it offers a large array of drinks from cocktails, to smoothies to non alcoholic cocktails 









Outside the hotel was a street full of local food, clothes and vehicle hire shops

We decided to stray out of the hotel and take a walk down the busy road 


If you are into risking your life, being a dare devil and being out right mental then hiring a moped is for you 


However for me walking or taking a taxi would fine


The shops had an array of items on offer from food, drinks, clothing and massages 










We dipped in and out of a few shops then made our way back to the hotel to catch the bus to the local shopping attraction 


The bus was totally crazy, as it weaved through the streets, dodging mopeds and beeping its horn, it kind of reminded me of the knight bus in Harry Potter 







Once we arrived at the Bali Collection shopping resort, we were faced with an array of shops there were traditional Balinese shops that sold hundreds of clothes, there was large a shopping complex, selling Ralph Lauren, New Look, Adidas and much much more, and there was a large selection of restaurants, that specialised in an array of cuisines 








We then stumbled across a spa, it had so many options available, but the one thing that court our eye was the tank full of tiny fish swimming around like lunatics 

We decided to go for a 10 minute treatment, which came to a grand total of £2.50 each 





We were greeted  by the loveliest ladies who took us through into the spa, cleaned our feet for us then gently steered us towards the tank 

I will openly admit I was kind of scared, the whole concept of putting my feet into a tank of tiny fish that eat you didn't sound to appealing, but we eventually took the plunge, and our feet were met by thousands of little fish nibbling away 


Can you imagine what it would feel like having the borrowers tickling your feet, well that was exactly how this treatment felt 







After 10 minutes, we removed our feet they were smooth, clean and perfect


We dried up, Thanked the lovely ladies and left to go and find some food 


Okay so we might have made a slight mistake, when leaving the hotel I grabbed 200,000 rupiah it sounds a lot right?? 


In fact is was only equivalent to £10, this has to be the only country where you are able to go to a spa and get lunch with such a small amount of money  


We entered the first restaurants that we passed, and opted to share the Chicken wrap with chips 






The total came to £5, and the foot quality was superb and the staff were so friendly


We finished up and went for a walk around the shops, where we were faced with this beauty




We both decided to get a cold milkshake as our dessert, do you want to know the best bit it cost £3 all together 







The guy nearly even got my name right, for a short moment I was no longer Emily but Amlie  



After spending a few hours at the complex, we decided to head home, the hotels have a complimentary bus on offer that leaves every hour, and it only takes about 10 minutes from door to door 


Once we returned to the hotel, we decided to have a quick change and then venture down the main road to try and find a local restaurants for supper 


Which is where we came across 'Chopstick Restaurant'








We were given a menu which had a large array  of choice, we opted for the vegetable rice, the sweet and sour pork and deep fried squid which came to a total of £15 all together including drinks 





The service was amazing with the friendliest staff that even gave us a tutorial on how to use chop sticks properly 

We slowly finished up and headed back to the hotel were we dug into the happy hour on offer, everyday between 6-8 by one get one free! 




So far Bali has not failed to impress, the hotel has been excellent, the staff are amazing and culture is truly inspirational


We still have a lot more to explore, lets see what else bali has to offer 


Until Next Time......