Mark, Tom and I headed to Bali for a short trip in February 2019. We swapped a hot and humid Sydney for a hot and humid Bali for 5 nights but were please to head back and enjoy the comfort of The Royal Beach Hotel, Seminyak. Prior to our departure the forecast for Bali had been for constant storms but we had sunshine and blue skies every day except for one; and that the was the biking day for the boys which suited them anyway.

Sunday 10th February
We opted to fly with Virgin this time, a first for us and Mark says it will be our last. The supposed ‘full service’ flight was nowhere near as pleasant as that offered by Garuda so we will back to Garuda next time. Our flight left Sydney at 11.30 am and we made it through customs and immigration very quickly which meant we were settled in our 2 bedroom Villa by about 4.30 pm (Villa 110). This was just enough time for Tom to have a quick dip before heading to Happy Hour by the main pool. I had suspected we would be a bit jaded after our travels and so booked Moonlite the roof-top restaurant in the Antara Hotel next door, for our dinner. This proved to be a great choice as we lucked in by getting a table towards the front of the balcony and enjoyed a spectacular sunset along with our meal. After that it was back for a dip in our pool and off to bed.

Monday 11th February
It was a rather lazy day today with a visit to the gym in the morning followed by pool time until about 4pm. We then set out by taxi to check out the shops at Seminyak before heading to Barbacoa for dinner. Dinner was lovely, and so was the setting, as we opted for the outdoor dining section this time with views out over rice paddies. This, too, was followed by another dip in the pool once home and before bed.

Tuesday 12th February
Tuesday was an even lazier day than Monday. The day was spent by the pool until I went for a 90 min pedicure and the boys to play table tennis. We headed out at around 5 pm for Happy Hour by the hotel main pool before deciding to walk down the road a bit and check out the roof top bar at the Double Six hotel. I keep receiving discounted offer for this place on FB so was keen to check it out. What a waste of time that was though. On arrival to the roof top bar area we were shown to this rather small cubicle, set furthest from any view, whilst there were empty areas closer to the front of the balcony area. Mind you, it’s LOW season here right now and the place was not very busy at all but at least now I know why! We were advised that if we wished to sit in the area offering better sunset views we needed to guarantee a minimum spend of over $100 AUD. That rubbed Mark and I the wrong way, but, probably Mark a bit more. The waitress did end up letting us sit in a better viewing section without the spending restriction but the whole experience had soured to the point where we decided to leave anyway. We made our way back down to street level and opted for the restaurant and bar right in front of the Double Six where we had a pleasant meal whilst listening to some great live music and watching another spectacular sunset. We drifted home and spent a bit of time sitting at our hotel poolside bar before heading home to bed. The boys had a big day planned for Wednesday and so we opted for an early night.

Wednesday 13th February: Downhill Bike Day
Mark and I fitted in a beach walk before the boys set off at around 8 am for their down hill bike ride day. I had the day to myself and spent it reading and taking the occasional walk. The boys were joined by two others for their bike ride day and this was a young couple in their early 20s from Melbourne; Richmond supporters apparently. They had a fun day and Mark might add a bit more detail about this later.
The boys returned at around 5 pm and we then headed to member drinks with the Manager before heading to Gado Gado for dinner. This restaurant still boast cloth napkins with dinner but that is about the only similarity it bears to the Gado Gado we remembered from previous years. The menu is less ‘fine dining’ now and more casual but had enough offerings to keep the three of us happy. This isn’t hard when Tom has burgers everywhere we go though. He is on a health challenge once he returns home so getting in as much fast-food as he can before we get back!
The boys were tired and had another big day ahead of them and I think I picked up a bug when I had a toasted sandwich earlier in the day so it was an early night.

Thursday 14th February: Rafting and Elephant Ride day.
Mark woke early and headed out for a morning walk but I was feeling rather depleted after my does of mild Bali Belly. The boys headed of at 8 am for their day of white water rafting and Elephant riding through the jungle. I was so glad I had opted to not go as there was no way I could have made this outing. I recovered well enough to spend the morning having a light breakfast and reading by the pool and even managed to fit in an afternoon facial and massage. Our Spa venue of Choice is Spa Bali on Drupadi. You really must factor this location in to any visit to the Seminyak area. I was lucky enough to have a lovely girl, Yati (see photo), pamper me again today and do try to ask for her if you do visit. She is a very skilled and talented masseuse! I headed back to the hotel after my indulgence and  even spent some time by the main pool in the afternoon before returning to our lovely Villa.
It was Valentines Day today with an event being held in the Hotel restaurant but I don’t know if they’d run to simple plain steamed vegetables. That is about all I will be able to stomach tonight. We ended up having a final sunset drink at the hotel beach bar and then went back to Gado Gado given they offered some simple western style food more suited to my current appetite.

Friday 15th February: Our last day:
We woke to sunny skies again making for a nice final day in Bali. The boys were tired after their action-packed last two days and so there was little on the agenda for today other than a sleep-in for Tom, late brekky and more pool time. We were lucky to manage a late 5 pm check out making for a pretty full day to enjoy our lovely Villa. A car was booked for 6 pm to take us to the airport for our 8.55 pm flight home. Our day was to be spent by the pool except for a short trip to the markets for myself and Tom.