Bali pronounced ˈbɑːli is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
While we were on our cruise, some of the Balinese staff were telling us about Nyepi (we had no idea what that was) that fell on March 19th. Nyepi is the Balinese Day of Silence and Saka New Year. It is a 24-hour period of total stillness (6:00 AM to 6:00 AM the next day) where flights are grounded, shops close, and no one is allowed on the streets or beaches, offering a unique, silent, and spiritual experience. Yes, the airport is closed down with no flights in or out.
On the night before, vibrant parades with giant demonic statues, known as Ogoh-Ogoh, are held to scare away evil spirits. Sadly our flight left early on the morning of March 18th and we missed both celebrations. The sculptures are created by local communities.
We did get to see a few Ogoh-Ogoh's.
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| This one was on the coffee bar in the airport lounge |
There are processions towards the sea where sacred temple objects are carried for cleansing. This procession marched right past our hotel while we were waiting for a Grab (similar to Uber). We had to walk a few blocks to meet him. Luckily, he waited for us.
As US citizens what did we need to visit?
- Passport valid for at least six months
- Proof of return flight or onward travel
- E-VOA (electronic Visa-on-Arrival)
- Customs declaration
What did we do?
Cooking Class at Samaya, except it really was more like our own private chef with us assisting. Our morning started with a tour by Chef Roy of the daily market.
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| Everyone was so nice and friendly |
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| Our Chef 👨🍳 getting us breakfast. At 8 am her pot of rice was almost empty |
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| A Temple within the market |
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| Fruits smelled delicious 😋 |
When they close their stalls, they throw a tarp over their wares and no one steals from them. We were amazed. We told Chef Roy that would never work in the States. He said people do not steal because they cannot offer any portion of what they steal at a temple because they didn't earn it. And if someone did steal, the owner would consider it a gift! Wow! Back to the resort for breakfast. Off goes the chef with his purchases. Thank God we both ordered a lite breakfast because shortly after we ordered our market breakfast was brought out to us.
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| Mangosteen |
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| Porridge from the market that costs .30 cents! I was afraid I wasn't going to like it but it was really good. |
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| Egg White Omelet Mushroom, spinach, onion, & asparagus |
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| Avocado Fetta Toast Mashed avocado, poached eggs, shallot pickled, herbs, & lemon |
At 11 am we were ready to start our class.
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| The beginning of our sambal |
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| Chef Roy laughing at my banana leaf wrapping skills |
Video
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| Toasted coconut |
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| Rob shredding the coconut |
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| Chicken, Fish, & Pork Rice with sweet potato, |
The chef did a great job of explaining the ingredients and what we were making. I wish the kitchen would have been a little (okay... a lot) cleaner, but we really enjoyed the food. 😋 There was so much just for the two of us.
Massages
Samaya Ubud
Terakota SPA - Ubud Central Massage
The Open House
Mount Batur View Point
Balinese woodcarving is famous because of the natural forms of the wood, including the lines and holes of the wood, will be retained in its final form.
Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati (Water Palace)
Pura Tirta Empul is one of the island's most revered Hindu temples and a significant spiritual destination. Dating back to 962 AD during the Warmadewa dynasty, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu, the god of water, and is celebrated for its sacred spring.
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| We had to be properly dressed |
This water is believed to hold potent healing properties.
Queen / Jimbaran Beach I had planned on a beach day just to work on my tan in a lounge chair That didn't happen. We were so disappointed with the beaches close to where we were staying. So disappointing as it is a great beach but it was covered in litter that had washed up.
We did find some beach a pretty long walk from us where it was a little cleaner but not by much.
Ubud Art Market
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| The buildings were full of STUFF |
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| Rob wanted to buy a door knocker |
Ubud Palace
Where did we eat?
Babi Guling Warung Vengkung - we asked our tour guide to take us to a non-touristy restaurant for lunch. It was so much fun, very inexpensive and the owner was hysterical. Just his laugh alone made us laugh along with him. They make pork dishes and prepare it just about everyway imaginable.
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| What could this be? |
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| Packet Luget Sepesial Nasi lauk Pisa, coming, & ares |
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| Palate Luget Biasa Nasi lauk camphor, komoh & ares |
Make me strong shot from the "What is it pitcher".
Cuca
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| Nice evening for a pre dinner drink |
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| Amuse Bouche Savory Cotton Candy |
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| Baked Scallops baby Lombok scatiop, mashed cauliflower toastedd butter crust |
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| Roasted Pork Buns glazed bbq pork, pancake buns, pickled cabbage |
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| Cold Smoked Butterfish beetroot yoghurt, zucchini pickles parsley crumbs |
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| Honey Baked Pumpkin Salad: country granola, homemade natural yoghurt, tarragon |
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| BBQ Octopus Asian gazpacho, caramelized cauliflower, coriander |
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| Crispy Fried Chicken country coleslaw, wild honey mustard, sesame dust |
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| The Beef Bone hand chopped fire grilled beef bone marrow & garlic sticky rice |
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| Tea-ramisu black tea cake, grass jelly, mascarpone cream |
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| Bali Breakfast sweet runny mango, frozen passion fruit, whipped coconut |
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| Pineapple Digestive |
Qantas Airline
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| Tortellini |
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| Roasted Tomato Soup |
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| Barramundi with garlic rice |
The flight attendant was surprised when we waved off the desserts. Me too because they had ice cream sandwiches.
Saren Kauh Ubud Restaurant
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| Restaurant hidden behind these doors |
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| Balinese Fried Noodle Chicken Balinese fried egg noodle yellow style serving with fried egg and melinjo crackers |
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| Grill Chicken Indonesian Style Grill chicken serving with rice, jukut urap, raw sambal and melinjo crackers |
Scene Restaurant at Samaya was our breakfast restaurant. Their breakfast menu had options from around the globe, favorite and light & healthy.
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| They had the best fruit juices. |
Our first morning I asked which choice is a traditional Balinese breakfast. This was from the around the globe choices.
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| Nasi Goreng classic fried rice, tender chicken, prawn cracker, fried egg, pickle vegetable |
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| Mie Goreng wok fried noodles, vegetable, fried egg, prawn crackers |
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| Yakitori Teishoku Soy chicken, egg omelette, sesame wakame salad, miso soup, pickle cucumber and fresh fruit |
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| Bibimbap Poached egg, rice, sautee mushroom, carrot, cucumber nori, soy pork belly, pickle raddish |
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| Naan Egg Burji Spice scramble egg, garlic naan bread & spice pineapple |
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| Bubuh Pejeng Aromatic rice porridge, shredded chicken, long bean "urab" salad, chicken broth, poached egg, fried shallot |
Swept Away at The Samaya Ubud was the lunch, tea & dinner restaurant.
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| Sweet Potato & Beet chips |
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| Prawn Vegetable Rolls avocado, cucumber, herbs, cabbage, coriander, mint, cashews, soy-ginger dressing |
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| Ayam Bakar Grilled spring chicken, sayur kalasan, grilled aromatic rice & assorted sambal |
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| Yellow Fin Tuna-Crab Tower cauliflower puree, cucumber, lettuce greens, beet root carpaccio wasabi avocado, coriander, black caviar, mango glaze |
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| Ikan Bakar Nelavan grilled marinated baby snapper, deep fried eels, galangal-shallots rice & bokchoy |
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| Iga Babi Bakar Grilled marinated pork ribs, cumin-shallots rice, sauté green beans-eggplant cabbage, chili sambals, salak-orange pickle |
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| Soto Betutu Ayam Ubud Turmeric ginger broth, shredded chicken, cabbage, vermicelli fried garlic-shallots, beans sprouts coconut milk |
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| Indonesian curry Tiger Prawns served with steamed rice & crackers |
TE KAAHU at The Pullman Hotel
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| Fresh Shucked Oysters Served with soy sauce citrus dressing |
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| Mt Cook Salmon with celeriac purée, charred asparagus, pickled chioggia & burnt yuzu sauce |
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| Lumina lamb loin with crispy confit potatoes, mint pea purée, kataifi sweetbreads, kawakawa powder, caramelized onion & mint jus |
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| Paired with a New Zealand Cabernet Sauvignon |
Tembaga Restaurant is the world’s first place to eat that puts longevity above all else, with its focus on anti-inflammatory ingredients.
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| Our hotel gave us a golf cart ride to Tembaga it was the next resort |
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| John Hardy's Detox - By Dr. Gundry This soup recipe promises to reset your gut and give your whole body a fresh start and a long life. Featuring red cabbage, packed with veggies and served with lime and sambal. Black pepper activates the benefits of the red cabbage |
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| Sambal Station |
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| Rob was excited. He got to choose 5 different sambals |
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| Wrapped jalapeño Snapper Steamed Snapper fish wrapped in white cabbage, citrus jalapeño marinade, shiitake mushrooms in papillote and tahini sauce |
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| Timbungan Rendang Beef Balinese Heritage slow cooking method using bamboo tube on fire. Grilled rice wrapped in banana leaf with sambals on the side |
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| Long communal table made from 70,000 upcycled chopsticks |
The Cave by Chef Ryan Clift at The edge - getting to the restaurant was an adventure. We had about a 1/2 hour Grab \ride. We leave the hotel and there is a full on parade coming down the street. There was no way our Grab driver was making it. We walked a few blocks to where the driver was waiting. At least I wasn't wearing heels.
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| Flat 'broken' tire |
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| Scooters arrived to take us the rest of the way |
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| The Cave |
Before dinner starts, we got to go Spelunking!
The first 4 snacks were paired with Henri Giraud Esprit Nature Vallee de la Marne, Champagne, France.
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| Bread & Broth Milk Bread, Curry Butter & Dashi |
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| Short crative excerpts featuring abstract imagery of different elements of nature |
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| Bebek Betutu Confit Duck, Sambal Matah & Rice |
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| Pulpo A La Gallega Octopus, Potato, Pimentón & Olive oil |
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| Tomato Jelly Heirloom Tomato, Basil & Wasabi |
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| Hokkaido Scallop Champagne Velouté & Perseus No.2 Caviar |
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| Foie Gras Éclair Apple, Walnut & spice |
The next dishes were paired with Baba Ghanouj Pazo Senorans Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain and Dominique Portet Fontaine Cabernet Sauvignon, Yarra Valley, Australia.
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| Kingfish Charred Eggplant, Leek, Tomato & Quinoa |
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| Beef Au Poivre Beef Fillet, Baby Spinach & Béarnaise |
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| Pina Colada Palate Cleanser |
Dessert was paired with a Cave Club Gin, Junmai Sake, Raspberry, Egg White
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| Betty Hardeman's English Trifle Genoise Sponge, Crème Anglaise Sherry & Raspberry |
This was a great experience and phenonimal! The cave was spectacular and we highly recommend.
The Open House Restaurant
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| Our welcome drink & snack |
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| Tuna Avocado 🥑 Salad Yellow Fin tuna, avocado, baby Romaine, yogurt pesto sauce |
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| Our romantic dinner by the Pool |
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| Balinese Risttatel |
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| Barbeque Chicken |
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| Scrambled eggs & toast |
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| Avocado Eggs Benedict |
Where did we stay?
We flew from Aukland, NZ to Bali and stayed close to the airport. Reservations were made at the Novotel due to the convenience of airport access. I had an early mornng video doctor's appointment so it was perfect for breakfast and then head to the airport. I received an offer to uprade to the Pullman Auckland Airport hotel directly across from Novotel. Why not?! From the moment we walked in the door, service was outstanding.
The Samaya Ubud Bali - An incredible resort with unmatched service. We stayed in an incredible villa with private pool right next to a stream.
The Open House Bali Hotel - The hotel was 'ok' but a total letdown after Samaya Ubud.
How did we get there?
We flew Air New Zealand from Wellington to Auckland and spent a night at the airport hotel. We then flew Qantas from Auckland to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport Bali.
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| Wellington Airport |
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| Auckland Lounge |
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| It's only water in the glass |
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| 1st Flight to Sydney |
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| Second Flight |
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| Nap |
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| A sunset |
We really enjoyed Bali and it was definitely a foodie experience. The people are just so kind and friendly. We can't wait to explore other areas and more of Indonesia.
When did we visit? March 10 - 18, 2026
"Bali is more than a place. It's a mood, it's magical. It's a tropical state-of-mind."
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