Sickness aside, we had such an amazing time in beautiful Bali. We explored lush green lands, walked through ancient temples, luxuriated in private villas, devoured lots of satay, and had a wonderful time being with Matt’s mother Jenny. That’s why our last day together and on the gorgeous island was bittersweet.

Emer: I was super excited to finally be feeling better and also sad that our time with Jenny and in Bali was drawing to a close. But boy did we end on a high note. After (reluctantly) leaving Anyar Estates in Bumbak, we were sadly off on our last full day and last night in Bali and together with Matt’s mother, Jenny, with whom we’d had a magical 10 days.

Our accommodation was in Jimbaran so as we could be close to the airport for afternoon departures. We stayed at Alindra Villa. Our Jr Pool Suite itself was pretty nice: two detached rooms with big bathrooms and large bathtubs connected by a shared kitchen/dining/living area and bordered by a lovely long pool with a shaded sitting area on the one end.

Pretty by day but even more special when we all went for a midnight dip under the sparkling stars. Unfortunately the beauty was slightly disturbed by the howling of dogs in the neighbouring alley. Another “unfortunately” was that the aesthetics and service were not on par. But it was our last stop so we tried not to let anything spoil it.

As for activities we went into Seminyak for some last minute shopping (Matt’s favourite activity) and capped that off with very tasty bevies at Ku De Ta. We chatted, cheersed, watched the sun set and the atmosphere come alive.

Next it was off to dinner at a very cool looking restaurant Matt had spotted called La Favela. Very funky, hipster, miss-matchy, cool decor and fantastical ambiance! If you find yourself hungry in Seminyak, this is a place worth checking out!

Matt:  Our last stop in Bali was an interesting one.  Realizing that sometimes hotels are hard to find, I had looked up and saved the location on Google Maps.  But the key to maps is that they only work when someone is willing to use them.  We had another case of a local driver trusting his knowledge over a map, and another case of driving around longer than we should have due to the incorrectness of his knowledge…

Once we all agreed to look at the map, we managed to find the place.  Upon arriving at the Alindra Villas, we were all pretty impressed by its beauty.  It is a gorgeous sprawling property with different motifs and areas.  The unfortunate part was that the service in no way matched the beauty.  While they had what looked like a high end restaurant, the food was terrible and clearly just precooked and re-heated run of the mill meals.  They got our breakfast order wrong, and though they promised to correct it,  after 45 minutes of waiting, we realized it was not to be.  Also, after changing the towels in our rooms, the front gate to our villa was left wide open for hours until we returned (which was a little disconcerting to find when arriving back after dark through rundown  surroundings of small alleyways).  It seems like the place that likely would go all out for large groups or conferences, but would rather not go the first mile, let alone the extra mile, for individual travelers.

Not to be deterred by their lack of service, or me being forced to go shopping once again against my will, we had a wonderful last night in Bali.  We managed to find a great spot for drinks to watch the sun set on our Bali adventure.

The next morning, we clung to our room (and pool) as long as we could, not because of how nice it was, but because we knew once we left, we would have to say goodbye. And then just a few short hours later, my mom was on a plane back to the western world, and we were off for the next leg of our trip: Thailand!