Posts Tagged With: holiday

Bali: Sanur day 4/5 Andaz by Hyatt garden villa

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Mel

So….just to be clear this place isn’t usually within our travel budget. It’s a one off to celebrate my 40th and my thesis submission for a PhD! We are staying at the Andaz by Hyatt in Sanur for the next few nights in a garden pool villa and it’s just lovely. We are now back on the main beach so everything is within walking distance again. On checkin the room wasn’t quite ready so we lazed by the “adult only quiet pool” and had some snacks.

At 3pm we checked in, and our villa is beautiful and quiet…as you’d hope. We have a private pool and are surrounded by mature trees and nature which is so calm and relaxing.

We went for a wander for dinner in the evening and headed 400m up the street to Warung Mama Sanur which had excellent rendang and Ayam Soto, as well as cheap soft drinks. This place came up a few times in my research for local eateries and I definitely recommend it if you’re down the south end of the Main Street.

I do want to mention somewhere….they are spending a huge amount of money fixing up all of the sanur footpaths on the main road which is fantastic. They are doing a really good and thorough job however it has made things a little bit tricky for me with my mobility issues. I just have to go slow. Once they are done it will be an excellent tourist selling point.

We also went on a bit of an adventure last night to test out Bali’s tourist medical systems lol. In under an hour and with a total cost of $45 AUD with no passport on me I got a prescription med I needed and only 1-2 awkward conversations to report back on for it…that was at 9pm at night as well! So probably a better experience than trying to get the same medication in Perth really.?

I woke up on day 5 to my 40th birthday! Yayyyyy old Mel!

We walked up to Cafe Batujimbar for some breakfast where B had fried rice and I had eggs and some very tasty juice. Not the cheapest option on the Main Street but very tasty fresh food, especially the squeezed juices.

Then it was pool time, reading in the sun and relaxation for the afternoon.

Dinner was a step away from local places tonight and instead we went to the Hyatt’s beach BBQ grill all you can eat. Cost is about $70 AUD but its buffet and includes all kinds of meat, sides, seafood and dessert. It was DELICIOUS! Really good quality food.

They also had fire dance performers with two live shows at 7:15am and 8am for diners. We added the drink package to our dinner too which came with unlimited cocktails, beer and wine.

Categories: Bali | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bali: Sanur Day 2/3 – further away from the beach this time

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Mel

So to show you where we stayed this time here’s the map. You can see here at Alantara Sanur we are much further inland and on the other side of the bigass highway which is not a fun process to cross. Price wise it was comparable to smaller places closer to the beach which surprised me….but no resort features so I see the trade off.

We are about a 10 min grab ($3) or shuttle (free from hotel) ride from the centre. The biggest issue here has been that while the villa is beautiful there is very little that’s walkable nearby. Most warungs are either closed now or just food carts and I prefer refrigeration. It’s also a good 20 min walk to the beach.

We did grab ($2.5) to Naughty Nuri’s to give it a go for the first time. Food was great! Prices are what you expect for a tourist focused place.

On day 2 we walked up to one of the only open nearby places called men’s shed. Pretty much what you expect from the name lol…old Aussie white dude runs it, lots of western food and white dudes inside. Beer was well priced and good music though!

Day 3 we did some pool lazing (still love the private pool) then caught the hotel shuttle into the beach area and had dinner and drinks on the beach at the Tree Bar. Definitely more my vibe.

We move to a much more central (and expensive!) location for the rest of this trip now but I don’t think I would stay here again. The distance from the centre and the highway didn’t work for us even with the private pool and villa. It was a good test of preferences and priorities!

Categories: Bali | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Giving Bali another go…

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Mel

We have both been to Bali a few times now and just don’t seem to enjoy it. We have stayed in Kuta, Ubud, Seminyak and Jimbaran in a very expensive resort. I can’t quite pin point why as we both like Thailand and Vietnam which has a lot of the same cultural aspects – including hawkers and street sellers who drive B mad. AyaNa Resort (photo below) was amazing but almost Australian pricing so the “cheap” aspect got a bit lost.

One of the infinity pools at AyaNa Resort

We are giving Bali another try in a few weeks though because a 3.5hr direct flight for $100 each way was hard to say no to. After a lot of reading and talking to friends who visit Bali frequently, we have opted to stay in Sanur. Apparently it’s a little less intense.

When we visit Thailand and Vietnam, we tend to pay a bit more for accomodation (yay, spinal issues) but we love to eat out at markets and local restaurants or food stands (not carts)). Drinking alcohol is hit and miss for us currently as we aren’t big casual drinkers so it’s definitely not a main focus. Cocktails are always a winner though. Based on all that, Sanur seems a good fit for a “relaxation” trip.

Ajanta Villa advertising image

We are booked in a private villa (Ajanta Villa) which is near the beach and food markets, two of the things we both love about Thailand trips. This will be my first time with a private pool so I’m pretty stoked for that! I’ve also done heaps of research on food places in the area as well as beach clubs….and I’m keen to hire a bike and enjoy the 5km bike/walking path.

We haven’t booked any big day trips as this is definitely a “read books and lounge in pools” type getaway. With that said, we will be in Bali for my birthday so we are going to catch a Grab to Nusa Dua and check out Koral Aquarium Restaurant + reef beach club on that day.

Koral Restaurant

So…I’m excited! I have a slew of new books on my kindle ready to read because PhD life is melting my brain and I haven’t been escaping with my favourite authors as much.

Categories: Bali | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

DAY 19/20 Vietnam: Da Nang back to An Bang with a Hoi An visit!

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Mel

Day 19

We left Da Nang at 11am and it was a 30 min drive back to An Bang and our hotel I’m feeling very conflicted about -Aira Boutique. The beds are so hard I can’t sleep, there is loud music nearby (other venues) every night that NOBODY has mentioned in reviews…but it’s a nice little locally run hotel. It’s also one of the most expensive on this part of the beach (still bloody cheap compared to other places!) and they pursue you if you write negative reviews. Hmmm. We got back with our get your guide transfer during rain and napped/watched eps in the aircon until the usual 4pm happy hour at the pool started. Only mocktails for drinks today as we are a little dusty from last nights fireworks and wine effort!

Dinner was at a newer place in A Bang called Hoi A Noodle Bar. It was okay. Not amazing but not bad either.

Day 20

Well, at around 11am today I finally called it and decided I wouldn’t stay the final 3 nights at Aira Boutique. Running on about 2hrs sleep again I stomped my way down the laneway to a smaller “Aparthotel” called CHiEM Hotel and asked if they had a room. They confirmed they did have a ground floor garden room and the price was $80 USD a night. They also let me visit the room to see the noise levels and sit on the softer bed. Sold. An hour later I was happily ensconced in my new home for 3 nights. So far so good. Apparently there was a rooster issue for 3 months (he lives behind the outside wall) but someone “fixed the problem” in February. Ha.

Last week, one of the activities we had to cancel due to my insanely swollen feet and legs was a cooking class at red bridge cooking school. We were inside the no refund period but they offered us a banquet dinner instead at their well known (and apparently very good) restaurant in Hoi An Ancient Town. So off we went! The restaurant is Hai Cafe Courtyard BBQ .

This was actually our first visit to the area at night and we had been warned it’s very loud and full of party people. We arrived at Hai Cafe at 6:30pm (just on sunset). The BBQ was DELICIOUS and we highly recommend it.

After dinner we wandered for a little while at our own pace (no guide this time so I could do my own thing) and I enjoyed seeing all the lanterns. I can also see how the party reputation is gained! It was very crowded and touristy but I did enjoy the lanterns. I did some haggling at the markets but my heart wasn’t in it as I really just wanted to pat all the dogs….some sellers went home happy with what I paid.

Two more days of beach relaxation before we head home on Thursday.

Categories: Vietnam | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tipping in Vietnam

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Mel

We did parts of our trip with a private tour guide arranged in each region. The organiser who connects us with local guides gave us this guidance on tipping:

Tipping is not customary in Vietnam, though it is highly appreciated. Workers from the upscale hotels (4 to 5 stars) are more likely to expect tips, although it’s perfectly fine if you don’t. In some restaurants, a 5-10% service charge is added to the bill, hence you may not need to pay a tip. Tour guides and your chauffeur will expect a tip for their service. Our recommendation is USD $5 per guest per day for your guide and USD $2 per day per guest for your driver (more or less based on your satisfaction, of course).

So based on that we tipped the following for our drivers and guides in each region:

– Saigon and Can Tho 4 days with the guide and driver: guide = $40 USD, driver = $20USD

– Ho Chi Minh Walking Food Tour with private guide (4-5hrs) $10 USD for guide

– Hanoi 2 days with guide, 3 with driver: guide = $20 USD, driver = $15 USD

– Halong Bay 2-3 days with English speaking “boat wrangler” who got us a private table when I was going to lose my mind on the crowded boat. We tipped him 200k VND and the crew the same

– Hue and Hoi An: this one was a bit messy as the guide was not great and I cancelled halfway through…he got a few free meals out of us first though. We tipped the driver $12 USD for 3 days.

Other tips were mostly in VND especially after we got out into the Hoi An and An Bang area which are more regional. They were small extra amounts at local restaurants we visited numerous times and little extras for taxis or local drivers.

Categories: Vietnam | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 18 Vietnam: Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (the finale!)

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Mel

So we had no idea this was a thing before arriving in country and a local guide mentioning it. There is some info here and there is also a Facebook page with a lot of detail. We discovered the finale was China vs Finland and anything with fireworks and China in it is gonna be good! We also realised it would be on while we were in nearby An Bang Beach. Reading about the history of the event tells me that it was first organised in 2008 by the People’s Committee of Da Nang City. Since DIFF 2017, the festival has featured 8 teams from different participating countries and 10 or 11 pyrotechnic shows. Each performance night has two teams at 20 mins each so 40 mins of fireworks! The theme for 2024 is “made in unity”.

Hotels were expensive and booked out months ahead for this but I managed to get a stay at Wink Riverside with a package including accomodation, a rooftop seat and buffet dinner with drinks package. I was not up to watching fireworks with potentially thousands of locals…and tourists….crammed into stands haha. By the time we retreated to the hotel the number of road closures and security made me very happy with this decision. Apparently hotel occupancy tonight is 99% and they are expecting over 100 000 (yep, not a typo) people to come into the area. Last year in 2023 just under a million people attended over the 5 nights which is crazy. This was some of the traffic at the end tonight!

We checked into Wink Riverside Da Nang at 12:30pm. It’s a young person/business stay hotel so tiny rooms but excellent value. Similar to Tune Hotels if you have ever used those.

Tiny room
Lovely view though

We went up to the rooftop for a brief paddle around in the pool. They really don’t seem to embrace sun covers here…I just don’t get it. The UV index is bloody 10 today!

We then walked down the road for lunch at My Quáng Co Sau where we had another regional delicacy – Quang noodles! They were absolutely amazingly flavourful. Each bowl was 40k VND which is around 2.50 AUD.

At this stage it was starting to get very busy in the local area as people arrived for this evenings finale show. We retreated to the hotel room and enjoyed the river view and some reading with the soothing background noise of endless car/bike horns 😀

The rooftop fireworks was an excellent idea. It wasn’t too crowded, the food was decent and the free booze was Australian wine! It’s worth being aware we booked very late and the table was crap – which is understandable. I was grumpy though as the advertising did not represent that (Vietnam things) and made my feelings clear. We got moved further forward just before the fireworks which I was really glad about.

The fireworks started at 8:30pm and went for two 20 min slots. Although we missed a few bits on the roof it was still pretty amazing. My rooftop pics don’t do it justice so I borrowed some off their social media – well done team Finland for the win! Well deserved. Also well done team Mel for finding out about this, booking it in country and getting a rooftop view!

Team Finland
Team China
Team Finland finale
What 100 000 people could see down on the side of the river
Well done team Finland!

Categories: Vietnam | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 14, 15 and 16: An Bang Beach Relaxation

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Mel

Day 14

Today was a designated rest day which meant lunch at a local family owned restaurant called Lucky’s. Great food and prices about 3 mins walk from our hotel! The Bahn Mi was about $1.20 AUD and the pineapple smoothie was $2 AUD.

After lunch we read some books and then floated around in the hotel pool during happy hour. Happy hours in Vietnam are amazing – they range anywhere from 1 – 7 hours haha.

Dinner was at another local place call Passion Restaurant, this time we had mains of Bahn Xeo and Chicken Rice. Plus two cocktails and two beers which came to a grand total of…$18 AUD.

Day 15

We were supposed to attend a local cooking school on Day 15 but my little swollen feeties weren’t up for the challenge. Instead, we had a leg massage which really helped with the fluid in my ankles. Then we visited Phuong’s Beach Cafe for lunch where we enjoyed lemongrass chicken and a local dish Cau Lau. Phuongs is to the far left of An Bang Beach and comes highly recommended by expats in the area. You can also use the beach chairs as long as you buy something but the humidity and UV index is way too hot for us, even in the shade.

After lunch it was nap time before happy hour and pool swimming at the hotel. We then watched a beautiful sunset on the beach along with half of Vietnam 😂

Dinner was at purple lantern which was a little bit too touristy for us…yummy seafood though.

Day 16

Breakfast today was at Lucky’s where B finally got to try his pancakes. He’s been hanging out for these for a few days!

I had a few hours work to do in relation to grant applications so I knocked that off while B watched tv eps. We also changed rooms at Aira Boutique today as the noise levels have been….a lot…at night. I’ve been making a fuss (who…me?) about it each day. It’s not getting any better though which is interesting. They really wanted me to remove my 1 star review….

Then it was happy hour and pool time again! We drank lots of mojitos with belgiums, NZs and aussies before dinner at Nya Hung nearby.

Tomorrow we are off to Da Nang for two nights to avoid a giant beach rave taking place on An Bang Beach which will be a nice change of pace.

Categories: Vietnam | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 12 Vietnam: Hue

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Mel

The little kids here are obsessed with B and it’s hilarious. They all wave and say hello and then every now and then we get a brave one who comes over and wants to talk to him. They are way less interested in me.

Our new guide (Mr Hung) agreed to a sleep in today before we were off to explore the ancient architecture Hue is known for. We visited the Imperial Citadel in Hue. Our wandering (in absolutely insane heat and humidity) included the Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh). It’s a large area to explore and really interesting – the history of the kings and the French occupation is particularly fascinating. It is also quite different to what we have seen elsewhere in Vietnam! You will notice I look a bit damp in some of the pictures…I literally dumped a bottle of water over my head to try and regulate my temperature 😂 it didn’t work haha.

We also took a dragon boat upstream on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda (means the “Heavenly Lady”) which was built lt in 1601. Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the oldest religious buildings in the country.

We came back to the hotel a bit earlier than planned as I have very swollen and puffy feet currently. Poor me. I did manage to make it across the road to have some roast pork rice noodles for $2.50 AUD though!

From here, we had a free afternoon/evening. After resting my feet a bit more we went off to explore Hue at night! Our hotel is very central so we walked 10 mins away to the Trang Tien bridge which was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel in 1899.

From here we walked another few minutes to the start of walking street. We followed a restaurant suggestion from both the guide and hotel staff to try out Madame Thu which was really tasty. B got to knock another Hue specialty off the list with Bun Bo Hue. He also got stalked by a school group of 5-6 year olds who desperately wanted to be his best friend 😂

Categories: Vietnam | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Hamelin Bay Jan 2024 visit: Days 1-2 Ranger Redz Zoo and Cosy Corner Beach

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Mel

This is our second year visiting Hamelin Bay over the new year period! Once we got the first booking in a 6 sleeper ocean cabin we have been able to adjust it for the year following and are hoping to adjust again for next year…. now that we are one of the in crowd with a repeated booking! The first year we got 2 nights mid January through the public ballot, this year we got 6 nights early January and next year I’m hoping to stay over new years.

We drove down on Day 1 via Ranger Redz Zoo in Pinjarra. I had bought the kiddos animal experiences for Christmas as they were moving house so didn’t need yet more crap to stockpile and we had booked the “treetastic tour” with sugar gliders, squirrel gliders and possums! The zoo were also very nice and let us sneak a 5th person in so B didn’t have to miss out like he usually does for stuff with the kids haha. The experiences was AWESOME and although the zoo is small it’s worth a visit. Note there is no food on site but the Pinjarra Bakery is only a 2 min drive away.

We arrived in Hamelin bay around 4pm and then proceeded to go on a scavenger hunt left by friends who had stayed in the same cabin 2 weeks before! The kids enjoyed finding the clues although did brute force the cypher…finding things is more exciting than solving them apparently.

We then visited the famous sting rays, watched a movie and had an early night after a long day.

Day 2 started with a sleep in and then a trip to Cosy Corner beach. The wind and climb down are a bit nuts here…poor me trying to climb back up an insanely steep sand dune! The beach scenery is spectacular though.

It was very windy with rough conditions not suitable for the kids to swim so we did some exploring and then headed back to the car. Last year we had lunch at Hamelin Bay Winery and it was very quiet so we thought to do the same this year…to discover they were completely booked out! We stopped for a drink instead and made a note to book next year before having lunch at the Karridale Tavern instead. Wifi was enjoyed by all.

The afternoon saw us head back to no wifi/phone reception at the cabin and attempt the first use of our cool cabana on the windy beach. Overall opinion: It lives up to the hype. Hamelin Bay is a very windy area and the cabana coped well and did not fly away….although it is definitely not a one person set up in wind. It also packed away easily.

Dinner was sausages and kebabs on the BBQ (with wine for adults) and some Cards Against Humanity family edition as well as taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza. Both were winners but the youngest in our group was definitely a fan of all the butt references in CAH haha.

Categories: Australian Getaways, western australia | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My first attempt at “one bag”

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Mel

This Thailand trip was 9 days all up and I only took a 7kg nag plus personal item. My bag is a rolling suitcase (carry on size) as I struggle with backpacks due to spinal issues. I have just ordered a similar sized bag with wheels and backpack straps…the goal is to wheel it 95% of the time but have a back up plan as well for next time. Below are some comments on what I took and how it went…feel free to learn from my mistakes!

Original 1.8kg case for this trip:

New one with laptop sleeve, wheels and handle and backpack straps for the few occasions wheels may not be my friend. This one weights a tiny bit more than the suitcase (2kg) but is actually slightly larger if you consider litre capacity a useful metric.

Things I will definitely change next time:

  • Must sort out the pants / skirt situation. Need something quick dry but still nice! People keep saying cotton and linen as it is cooler but…monsoonal rain is an issue as nothing will dry
  • About to do a test run on a 125gsm merino / tencil blend top from icebreaker and also looking further into what combos of Airism singlets and an over shirt I can do. Cotton tops were good because I could wash them locally however the sweat and water retention was real
  • A bra is an issue. I need one…but they get so sweaty!
  • Teva sandals are the bomb. They are a definite win! My tropicfeel sunset sneakers were a great idea – quick dry, water flows through, excellent grip, super light but the lack of ankle support means they are unstable. Apparently croc literiders have all of the above plus proper foot support.

CARRY ON SUITCASE
1 x loose cotton pants (black) – way too hot, turned out I’m an idiot and these were not cotton but 100% cheap polyester…I won’t make that mistake again!
2 x linen blend skorts (floral) – excellent to wear, comfortable and looked nice but heavy and hard to dry after caught in rain
1 x midi skirt (colourful) – for fancy dinner. I wouldn’t bring this again, the place we were going to had a strict dress code though

**I need comfy pants to wear that are also easy to dry but don’t swish! Argh. Trialling two things in the coming weeks – travel skorts and title nine capris

3 x cotton tank top with built in bra – would not dry, no good in rain or when sweating like mad
1 x crop top (polyester) – too hot, insane sweat
1 x long flowy singlet (white) – matched pretty skirt, would not bring unless fancy dinner

** the shirt situation is an issue. Currently leaning towards merino / tencil crops with a white over shirt (Eddie Bauer departure shirt L) to control modesty and sun exposure. Also doubles as a sun cover up

3 x Airism travel undies- quick dry was amazing. Yes they get sweaty but then you wash them in the sink and 3hrs later they are dry
2 x pj merino undies – would not dry, this was a fail in a humid climate. I can’t sleep in normal undies and need something with a longer leg cut. Hubby pointed out they make men’s boxer briefs in airism fabric at Uniqlo – duh! These are great and I have been comfortably wearing them at home for a few weeks now
1 x pj merino singlet – excellent purchase, wore to bed 10 days with minimal smell
1 x cotton pj 3/4 pants with pockets – if I can get proper pj shorts/long enough undies I won’t need these next time.
2 x sneaker sockettes – once wet these were useless. Need to reconsider sneaker options

1 x bikini set – 2 sets of bathers was good as ladies stuff tends not to be quick dry
1 x one piece bathers
1 x swim shirt /dress cover up – used at beach a few times and around resort but being cotton, this also took ages to dry. Will think carefully about this next time but I do love that it can convert to a dress and has huge pockets

1 x teva hurricane 2 travel sandals – excellent

Paclite cross body bag – excellent purchase, light but as it is cross body I felt secure with it
Cheap Sunnies
Packed toiletries (non liquid): hairbrush, hair ties/scrunchies, laundry bag, Medications travel container
International adaptor
Travel Hair straightener (weighs 200g)

MINI BACKPACK PERSONAL ITEM

  • charger pack including multi head cable, iPad connector for tv
  • iPad
  • Ereader
  • Headphones (AirPods)
  • loop ear plugs
  • Paperwork
  • Passport
  • Money/travel wallet
  • Liquid Toiletries bag: shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, cleanser, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, rosacea cream, mini sunscreen

Plane clothes: merino loose lounging pants , bra, merino tshirt, tropic feel sunset sneakers, 1x thicker socks, merino light jumper – i swear by all of this 100% merino stuff on planes! Doesn’t smell, is comfortable and adjusts from hot plane walk to freezing cold plane air easily.

We are going to try and do 7kgs carry on for 4 weeks mid next year in a similar hot, wet, humid climate. This was be interesting trial so was a good first run.

Categories: Phuket | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.