Back for a Trip to Bali

I had not been to Bali, Indonesia, in over 20 years and was not sure what to expect.

I was also traveling with a colleague who had never been to Bali and was seeing and experiencing it for the first time. We flew on Eva Air from LAX through Taipei, which was a good connection and arrived in Denpasar approximately 25 hours later.

The first thing I noticed was the amount of people and flights arriving at the same time, which could be quite overwhelming; luckily, our hotel driver was there to greet us and steer us away from the crowds!

We arrived at the first hotel; it was a slice of heaven. All rooms were one-bedroom villas, and each came with their own plunge pool on the beach with rice terraces behind the resort and nearby traditional Balinese villages.

We took a Segway tour through the villages, which looked like Bali 20 years ago, and a guided walk through the rice fields.

Our next destination was Ubud, which is known as the art capital of Bali. Then, we went to visit a resort that had been only open since June 2018 and was designed by Bill Bensley, a famous interior designer. All individual villas, each with different whimsical interiors and decor, were built on a hillside within the rice terraces.

The food experience and attention to detail was amazing.

Then, we journeyed to the island of Sumba, which is a one-hour flight from Bali, for our next resort visit.

We arrived at Tambolaka airport and drove two hours through a few towns and villages but mostly just landscape. I saw a very different scenery from Bali: a much drier landscape and no temples as the locals are a mixture of the Christian and Muslim faiths.

The activities were plentiful and different than anything I have ever experienced.

Spa safari, sunset horseback riding, horse racing, and polo on the beach. Evening fireworks and drinks on the beach. The resort had it all!

We flew back to Bali and spent two more nights in Seminyak at a resort that is only a 30-minute drive from the airport.

This was the perfect way to end a stay in Bali! The resort is on a fantastic beach and within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants. A must is drinks at Metis and dinner at Sardine. It was delightful.