This year (July 2024), we were graced with the invitation of a good friend to celebrate his wedding in a truly enchanting destination – BALI. After much contemplation over the expenses, we ultimately felt compelled to attend and bear witness to this significant chapter in his life, especially when he generously offered us accommodation for the first two nights. Next, we turned our focus to booking flights! We spent RM2,100 for the three of us, opting for separate flights to save every precious penny. This will be how we plan for our family holidays #fromnowwong HAHA!

I must confess, I have long regarded Bali as an overrated place. I believed I would find little joy in its bustling crowds. As we prepared for our journey, numerous YouTube videos confirmed my suspicions about the notorious traffic. Yet, to my surprise, my experience would unfold quite differently.

This was also the first time where we travelled with our another good friend, Rachel. 

Uluwatu

We spent the first 2 nights here and stayed in Swiss-Belresort Pecatu. On our first night, we went out with other friends who were also attending the wedding. We had our dinner at Wahaha Pork Ribs at the Jimbaran branch, then went for Gaya Gelato - seriously the best! We also got to try Dough Darlings Donuts! I would say, it wasn't the best.. But we had the best night! 

CRISPY PORK RIBS - WE ORDERED TWICE!

PORK FRIED RICE SO ASHER COULD EAT

PORK KNUCKLE

BBQ RIBS

PORK SATAY

JACK FRUIT SALAD

Best pistachio gelato ever!

We bought every flavour there was left

This wedding setup was like a fairy tale come to life—absolutely stunning! It's a shame that I don't have many photos coz I was mom-ing. It all kicked off with a cliff-garden ceremony where Sean did his opening to the wedding, followed by a cocktail hour while they whipped up the reception magic. Then came the grand feast featuring Balinese delights, a ribs station, sio mai galore, gelato heaven, and even an Indomie stall for the late-night munchies. What a wondrous experience it was to be a wedding guest! Haha! Our friends truly have outdone themselves. The speeches and games were nothing short of magical—someone was undoubtedly slicing onions that night! Oh, and can we talk about how Bali is basically the garden wedding paradise? No sweat-drenched guests here—it was cool and cozy, unlike Malaysia! It was a blissful and comfortable evening.

 

A new found friend/roomie for my hubby - meet De Rui :)

Lemme end the wedding bit with a big bang couple's kiss!

Dreamland Beach

After that, we went for lunch at a super random cafe by the road. It's called OKU Cafe. So happen that when we were there, there was live music - oh the vibes! The food was really good too! 

After lunch, we sent Rachel off to the airport and so it began our family holidays! 

Geger Beach

Point Coffee - BEST!

Babi Guling - must try!

The rice that comes with the pork above

Local lunch spot where we had a very nice ayam panggang (roasted chicken), fried fish and fried noodles.

After visiting the waterfall, we were famished. It was also getting really dark. The drive to civilization took us almost 40 minutes, so we caved in when we saw Naughty Nuri's. We know it was gonna cost a lot more than a normal meal, but we were really tired and hungry. We ordered half slab of ribs and a bowl of mac and cheese for the smol one. 

When we got back to the hotel, we started planning for the next day, which would be our last full day in Bali. Sean wanted to try the beach clubs here so he went on researching. Both of us took a long time trying to find a suitable club to visit.. And we finally found one. It's ATLAS Beach Club - one that is good for both children and adults. I quickly got their number and contacted them, and we booked for the next day. We spent about RM420 for 3 of us. The day beds access was from 10am - 4pm at IDR1,500,000 but we can still chill in the club until it closes, just no day beds. They have plenty of places for us to hangout, but we left after 5pm coz the little one needs to sleep.

This was such a special experience for us. The fee includes everything you can order from their menu, a day bed with shade and just about any services in the club. There is a kids club and kids pool too. It was really perfect! All we did was eat and dip!

Let me show you what we ordered, again, it's all included in the fee: 
(not pictured, 1 big bottle of mineral water & 1 iced latte)

Calamari Rings - literally the best we've had!

Seafood Pizza

Mango, Banana & Strawberry Smoothie

Tuna Sushi Roll

Honey Gelato

Cheesecake

Up till this point we were already so full. But we had some more credits and the staff said we could order takeaway to use up our credits! This really doesn't happen in Malaysia. They were really sweet! So we ordered another 2 dishes to takeaway, and still have a little balance! 

Tuna Pokebowl

Wagyu Beef Burger - in my husband's words "THE BEST BURGER EVER"

Got his face painted at the kids club

We both ultimately just having a great time

This was our day bed, overlooking the beach

We really ended the trip with a big bang. I hope to be able to visit Bali again and explore other parts too. Till then, see ya!