We had a pretty low-key holiday in Bali in February and it was quite different to our previous trips. It was different because:

• It was our first overseas trip following COVID restrictions.
• It was our first flight anywhere with Samuel.
• We (I) didn’t try to get lots of activities done.

Due to Samuel’s nap times and the fact that it was a little too warm for him to sleep in his pram, we remained largely tethered to our hotel. We ventured out short distances for meals and exploration, but never got too far away.

This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an enjoyable holiday. It was a fantastic opportunity to relax, to spend some time together, and to enjoy a wide variety of local cuisine. Most of this post is a list of all the places at which we ate!

Hotel

We stayed at the Mercure Hotel Legian. We’ve stayed here before, and for a trip with many firsts, we didn’t want to mix things up too much! The hotel was much the same as I remember it, and we made great use of the pools.

The breakfast buffet was also good, although we didn’t get as much time to enjoy it as an active 11-month old keeps things moving along!

Food

We enjoyed visiting a variety of restaurants and warungs during our stay. I made a bit of a list before we went, based on proximity to our hotel, type of food, and reviews, and we managed to check off most of the places close to the hotel.

Warung Kampung

This was a delightful little warung just behind some of the larger restaurants on Jl. Melasti. My usual estimate of the cost of dining at each place is to compare the price of their nasi goreng (fried rice). Here it was 20k.

Warung Tujuh

For dinner we visited an old favourite, Warung Tujuh! This warung is tucked down the many back streets and laneways that exist between Jl. Legian and Jl. Pantai Kuta.

Coffee Corner

On Wednesday morning we visited the coffee place just over the road from our hotel, with the dual aim of having a good coffee and finding a geocache. I figured that a direct approach was best, and after spotting the geocache, walked straight up and grabbed it and took it back to our table to sign the log.

The coffee was also good, albeit at prices essentially identical to those in Australia.

Warung Tut Taya

Also very close to our hotel was a little warung called Warung Tut Taya. This was a lovely little warung with an outdoor kitchen and small area in which to sit and eat. It was also the cheapest place we went to, nasi goreng ayam, mi goreng spesial, and a cold Bintang cost us a total of 50,000 rupiah (about $5 Australian). The only downside was that there wasn’t a great breeze between the buildings so it was pretty hot.

The Lokal 80361

We’ve been to this place a few times before, but always for lunch. To mix things up, we decided to go there for dinner. The Lokal is situated in the middle of Garlic Lane (Jl. Sahadewa), a well known street (with plenty of shops and restaurants) in the middle of Legian. I again had two delicious jus alpukat here.

Warung Happy

Right across the road from the Lokal is Warung Happy. We visited it for lunch. It is a small coffee place and eatery belonging to Hotel Suriwatha. Food and service were top notch.

Angkringan Dex Adnya

We had dinner in a food court area located at the bottom of Garlic Lane. We chose to eat at this place, one of about five little eateries in the area. This one specialised in Indonesian food, so we gave it a shot. It started raining while we were waiting for our food so we had to hurry under cover.

Mercure Bali Legian

We had a 2-course lunch or dinner at our hotel included in our booking, so we took advantage of that and enjoyed a very tasty lunch. We had BBQ wings to start, and then Annelise had a large burger while I enjoyed some ribs with ginger and sambal matah. Delicious!

Makan Place

For our final dinner in Bali, we chose to eat at Makan Place. It’s an impressive looking restaurant that I had eyed off while previously in Bali but never actually eaten at. I enjoyed my first es kelapa muda of the holiday here – I had tried to order it previously but other places had not had it available. We enjoyed our dinner and then wandered back to our hotel via the beach.

Shopping

We did very little shopping in Bali. However, I did make an excursion to our favourite fabric shop to purchase some quilting fabric for Annelise. I did this while Samuel was sleeping and Annelise stayed with him, so I took a taxi bike. I think I need to travel this way more often, it’s definitely faster than using a car in Bali and also incredibly cheap. The trip each way (nearly 30 minutes) cost me around 20k ($2).

Impressions

It was interesting to head back to Bali, and to do so at a different time of the year than our previous visits. Overall, the Legian area appeared to be reasonably busy, although probably still quieter than I remember from 2017 and 2019. However, this was also not peak season, so it’s difficult to tell if that made a difference. I believe that most flights are full, so plenty of people from Australia are visiting.

Next time?

I think a holiday in Bali always leaves me thinking about what we might do the next time we visit. Of course, 2020 showed that plans are always deo volente. So, next time, perhaps, Samuel will be a bit older, and maybe he’ll be up to taking a single nap a day in his pram. This would give us more opportunities to explore further afield.

I think next time I would also like to revisit Ubud, as I missed the opportunity to enjoy coffee or meals in the rice fields. Depending on who holidays with us, we may also consider some activities. Something to look forward to!