Peace and Chaos in Ubud

September 9, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

Walking in Ubud is either a quiet treat or it borders on chaos.

A few of us set off in a Grab taxi with Henri who drove us to the start of the Campuhan Ridge Walk.

Patsy and Shelley ready to tackle the ridge walk.

It was so peaceful leaving the road and crossing a little bridge to start the climb up to the walk along the ridge.

We walked and chatted and greeted others along the way. The path ended with a gate and then a very modern cafe where we had a great coffee.

Continuing along past shops, spas, restaurants, and a Japanese vintage shop where Patsy bought a vintage t shirt with I yam what I yam. With a shape of Popeye on the sleeve. A conversation starter.

It was getting warmer so we turned back and headed back along the path.

Massages and facials awaited!

Jumping into a taxi we got a few hundred metres down the road and decided it would be faster to walk.

Out we jumped and set off.

It took about 15 – 20 mins. And the traffic crawled. Turns out the police changed the traffic directions and while people get used up to it chaos reigned!

Getting back at 10 breakfast was at 10.30 then had swims and rest. Followed by a visit to the supermarket. The roads are so blocked…….. to get across the road we got the man from the bank to blow his whistle wave his red flag and walk us across.

The big supermarket is big and has everything. We bought various tonics for our gin, cheese, wine and chips. Went to the atm and it kept Kirsty’s card. Not good for her.

The afternoon was a mixture of facials, swimming, afternoon naps reading / all holiday activities!

The big event was our visit up the modern hotel the Kaamala resort for a cocktail in the terrace before the 7 paintings dinner experience.

Yum, fun, a unique active dining adventure , fascinating, inventive. Amazing. Matching artists to food.

We got to paint – with edible ‘paint’ the table became a canvas with a hologram guiding us through t the adventure.

It’s hard to describe.

We started dinner at 8 and finished at 11pm. Such a big beautiful night.

Fine Dining Bali | Fine Dining Restaurant Bali

Eat, Love, Pray with friends in Bali

September 8, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

An early start today with Breakfast at 7 as we were leaving for our big trip around with Diva our driver.

He met us on the first day and now we’ve adopted him and he’s going to drive us wherever we want.

We headed north to a Temple.

Terta Empul temple was about 45 minutes north.

One of Bali’s most important temples because of its sacred waters ……said to be healing.

It’s quite a process.

We arrived at the entrance and paid our fee – about $15 Aus. We were given a sarong which had to be worn with the yellow band facing the top

Quite a sight in our multicoloured sarongs.

We made our way to the sacred water and were given a lesson by our guide on how to behave and what to do.

We made our way to the change rooms to get into our swim wear and to wrap ourselves in a different green sarong with a red sash. The change rooms were a mass of men and women waiting in turn to change in funny little cubicles most with a urinal inside. Not for storing clothes as you changed!

The guides helped wrap our sarongs carefully. Ours were done quickly. Some girls in their extremely brief g- string bikinis seemed to have extra help from the male guides! Not bvery respectful for visit to a temple.

We started with the offering at the alter.

We then made our way to the pools.

It was slippery getting in and the bottom of the pool was rocky which made it hard for me!

A view of people waiting to enter the sacred pool.

Me attempting to stay in my feet to pray.

We all had a turn in the first pool where at the first fountain you put your hands together to pray and splash our face three times to cleanse and then accept the blessings of health before leaving that one and entering the second pool.

Lynne decided she would not enter the second pool as she had to pee!

In our wet sarongs after the cleansing ceremony.

After changing back into our clothes and feeling fresh and cleansed we followed our guide around the temple ground. They are preparing for a special ceremony soon – hence the statues wrapped in sarongs.

Time for lunch so we walked the maze of stalls with everything from beads, fans, clothes, art, fruit and made it back into our van and headed off to lunch in a rice paddy field.

We stopped again in about 10 minutes for a coffee & cacao plantation walk. We saw some civat cats. Apparently the civet cats eat ripe coffee cherries, and the beans pass through its digestive system before being collected and processed. Quite a story. We sat on the terrace and had a tasting of about 15 different coffees and teas. Coconut coffee was delicious and the rosella tea beautiful. I bought some lemongrass tea and turmeric. Hopefully they’ll give me vitality and bones that don’t ache!

Back in with Diva we decided our old knees would not cope with 150 steep steps down to the river at the falls. So decided to look from the bridge. We got there and decided no! It was too expensive for a walk out on the bridge!

We opted for the monkey river sanctuary.

Usually I don’t like monkeys but these ones are lovely and funny and don’t try and raid your bag for food.

Heading back to our accommodation we felt like we’d had a great day. Prayer and cleansing, lunch and coffee and playful monkeys to finish the day.

Diva was a star ushering us around

Diva dressed in his Australian shirt and hat!

Fresh after lovely showers we enjoyed a few gins on the terrace before our lovely staff here at Gunung Merta brought dinner out.

Off to bed as we are up early to do a walk tomorrow.

Discovering Ubud

September 7, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

I started the day with a swim.

The pool is right outside my door and it was quiet and lovely in. Patsy was lolling with her cup of coffee and the other were yet to emerge from their rooms.

Breakfast on the terrace was delicious. A colourful mix of food chosen from such a big menu.

The meals arrived under a little woven coloured ‘hat’. Very festive.

We had planned our day around…..talking to the cushion lady , wandering into Ubud and massages.

The cushion lady is a friend of Lou’s from previous trips. Her fabrics look gorgeous and her prices are Bali low! I decided no cushions for me and set off with Lynne and Kirsty to discover ubud.

What we did discover pretty quickly is that the pavement-sidewalk is dangerous here. It is a rough arrangement of paving stones with cars parked over them, gaping holes, motor bikes getting out of traffic and it’s hard to take in the sights when you are looking down.

Watch out! You could disappear down that hole.

We made our way up the road past lines of traffic going who knows where and wondered if the shopping would be good.

First stop was Berkly. A little jewellery store. A few purchases later we were on our way along the cracked pavement. A book shop where the books are all wrapped and not much cheaper than in Australia. A blue batik clothes and cushion shop where I found a beautiful soft batik dress.

Coffee was at a roastery with great coffee. Kirsty headed back to meet her son for lunch and Lynne and I made our way slowly to Ubud Palace.

Drumming noises from the side street had us following the crowds. It was a ceremony for a new temple. I love finding something local during our travels. Watching the people dressed for the ceremony was special.

Back to the grounds of the temple then across the road to the Art Market which is more a ‘ we have everything’ market. How much you want to pay us the catch cry!

We resisted and continued to walk along the back streets. past ceramic shop, book shops and lots of jewellery shops.

We stopped for lunch at Mudra. Up stairs it was airy and welcoming and the fish taco was so good.

I finally found a hat!

We made it back to the hotel without dropping into a hole in the footpath!

A swim followed by a rest, a pink gin and then a massage. It was great though I know I should have a massage more often. Even if it hurts!

Then out to dinner at Tablespoon. A longer drive than we planned! But it was good and had a lovely guy singing songs we knew!

What a great day.

Therapy in Bali

September 5, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

There are many forms of Therapy. Mine is meeting regularly with a group of women – friendships made when my boys started school.

We’ve been together for close to 40 years helping, supporting and making each other laugh. It’s the best form of therapy !

We always have a weekend away together usually in early December at Patsy’s beautiful beach house.

Last year we decided on a ‘getaway’. Somehow it ended up with Bali as the place that offered the most affordable holiday.

Today we left. Only 6 of the regular therapy girls and two honorary girls.

Meeting at the airport at 6.30am we wandered into duty free and ended up tasting gins! It must be 5pm somewhere!

Then it was coffee time.

Welcome Shelley, Kirsty and of course Lou and her sister Mani

And before we knew it we were onboard for the 5 hr flight up to Bali.

We were scattered around the plane with Lynne & I on each aisle in row 6.

Three of the girls, who shall remain nameless, were in row 15 ordering little bottles of bubbles.

We arrived at 2pm local time and got through immigration in record time except for Mani who had to see an official before being allowed in. We waved and waited …..then she was in.

Our driver picked us up outside for the 90 min drive up to Ubud. We decided we were thirsty so made a stop at the supermarket and bought a few cans of Bintang and bags of chips! The supermarket was big with many brands we know. But some great decorations!

We continued on chatting and getting into holiday mode – the Bintang helped as the traffic crawled into Ubud.

From the outside our small hotel of 8 rooms didn’t look great. But the staff arrived to carry our bags and we walked into a very natural little oasis. really charming.

We unpacked into our spacious rooms. Four upstairs. Four down.

Then met for dinner Cracking open the gin purchased at the airport.

We chatted over a late dinner making plans for the days to come.

High on list of ‘must do’ is a massage.

Tomorrow!

Heading back to our rooms ready for a good sleep.

Eating: Restaurants in Seminyak Bali.

July 4, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

I’ve heard so much about the restaurants in Bali I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

There are great restaurants all over the world. Having just been to New York we experienced some really good food but it’s very expensive. Cuba wasn’t expensive but then again it wasn’t too exciting.

Italy is one country where I never get tired of the food. It’s regional, fresh and you can eat out well, without breaking the bank.

Bali has a range of food – from inexpensive street food to higher end cuisine from other parts of the world.

We tried a few different places and I’ll try and capture each one as they were different but memorable.

Try one if you want a good eating experience. Mind you everyone has different expectations- but to me – a bit of a traveller and one who likes food they were great.

Night 1: La Lucciola

La Lucciola

Area: Seminyak

Jl. Petitenget

We arrived via a little wooden bridge after passing through the car park of the Petitenget Temple. It has a beautiful setting by the beach. It’s like a tropical house with wide verandas overlooking the grass into the beach.

The menu is primarily Italian with a slight Asian twist.

We shared a few entrees always a good way to start a meal. The stuffed zucchini flowers, the smoothest burrata, some antipasto. Main course we chose our own. Being gluten intolerant I had the yellow fin tuna which was delicious others had heavenly soft house made pasta with king prawns a touch of chilli.

They were lovely to the children who loved their pasta.

For 5 adults and 2 children several cocktails, a bottle of Italian wine, sparkling water, shared entrees, 5 main courses and 3 desserts it was just under $400 Australian.

Night Two was a Denise’ birthday, so her choice was a restaurant just out of Seminyak but easily reached by taxi: Slippery Stone.

Jalan Batu Belig No 9

This was a Greek restaurant and it looked like we’d arrived in Greece.

It would be good for groups, has a fire show and a lovely outdoor setting.

The food is typical Greek food but very well done.

Night Three was Sarong:

Jalan Petitenget No 19.

This was more theatrical. Dark ( in fact so dark they give you a little light to read the menu!) , moody, beautiful decor and menu of Indian fusion. It’s a share food type of place. We started with some absolutely beautiful tuna betel leaf, delicious dumplings then some shared plates: saag curry, spiced octopus, butter chicken and beef rendang. All delicious.

Night 3: Barbacoa

Jl. Petitenget No 14

The fusion food here is designed to share. Though I love sharing I sometimes think I end up with too many flavours.

They had a good kids menu as well. We started with a bite each – I had a tiny fish taco. Bite sized and delicious.

Others had roasted corn, a dumpling,

Then we shared a beautiful piece of beef with a green sauce. The dishes ‘from the garden’ were wonderful. A spiced toasted cauliflower dish, green beans with anchovy butter and garlic, eggplant roasted,

Desserts were sensational. The nitrogen ice cream was prepared st the table and thrilled the children. The creme brûlée just right and my dessert cocktail – limoncello finished with Italian meringue.

Night 4: Bikini or You look Hot in a Bikini

Jl. Kayu Cendana, near Seminyak mall.

This is a little show stopper. Very creative. Very cheeky and fun.

And a menu to match.

It can be shared or ordered individually.

Exquisite small plates like works of art.

We had a crispy salt & pepper kale crisp! Yum. Satay. Clever and tasty, crispy eggplant – to die for, glazed beetroot, whipped feat and candied hazelnuts. Yumo beautiful barramundi with apple purée, beef rib w artichoke and glazed chicken. All wow.

Night 6 : Potato Head Beach Club

Jl Petitenget 51B

FUN! This is a true beach club where in the afternoon the bikini is almost the dress code. But not for us and it didn’t matter.

Go in time for a few drinks at sunset. Book a large flat bed. Or swim in the pool.

This is more a fun drinking kind of place but the food is still good. We set up on a big lounge area, the children played , the adults people watched and the sunset was amazing. If you enjoy a bit of a show and like to see party people in action this is for you. It’s off Petitenget road by the water with a huge swimming pool and swim up bar.

The menu has various sections from burgers to Indonesian selections to a little little Italian. There are different kitchens around the huge complex. I like it because it’s table or lounge service.

There’s a gelato shack and the music is cool. Just chill there for awhile

Brunch at W Hotel

For more sophisticated eating try the W Hotel famous Sunday Brunch in their Starfish Bloo restaurant. By the huge pool it a great place to spend some time eating, drinking and swimming.

It’s an amazing buffet with one big decision. With or without alcohol!

So get into the eating in Seminyak Bali. Have you got a favourite place? Please share it in the comments.

Mt Agung holds us in Bali

June 29, 2018June 29, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

If you have to be held hostage somewhere Bali isn’t a bad place to be.

We’ve spent the day just lounging in a cabana by the pool. With the pool in front and green lawn and the beach behind it’s pretty good.

There has been a little to and fro from the reception trying to organise rooms in case we had to stay another night.

So it seems the Qantas flight is going tonight ( or early tomorrow) at 12.30am. This is a surprise to us as the Virgin crew flying with me to Brisbane have been partying by the pool all day and said ‘if we don’t fly then Qantas won’t ‘ seems she was wrong!

So I’ll be here alone night and tomorrow after they all leave the hotel at 9.30 pm. Then the dreaded overnight flight.

The kids have been in and out of the pool all day. Great fun.

We had a little walk along the beach and chatted to a few locals offering manicures, massage and a chat!

So people who come to Bali should not complain if they get held up here due to volcanic activity. The airlines don’t like it , the locals don’t like it, but there’s nothing you can do.

There is no insurance to cover the hold up, so plan for it or perhaps don’t come to Bali.

Safe travels everyone.

Mt Agung extends the Bali holiday.

June 28, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

Our last day in Bali was lovely. Peaceful friendly people at our resort bid us farewell.

Zali has her hair braided. Jack had his cut ready for Kindy.

We had final swims, final breakfast, final games of snakes and ladders, final Gin& Tonic and our last dinner.

Only problem was when we arrived at the airport at 7.30pm for a 10.10 flight we were told flights were cancelled. Well the ones to Australia were.

This is why!

And we were blissfully unaware.

Now we are in the Holiday Inn near the airport. It’s actually a rather good looking hotel right on the beach.

So if news is not good tomorrow this is where we will stay!

I’ll keep you all posted.

Passing Time in Bali

June 27, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

It’s amazing how time passes when you’re not doing much!

Bali is super relaxed.

A day goes like this:

Wake up when a 3 year old Zali or 4 year old Jack appear at the bedroom door. Chat in bed. Share a story or play a game.

Prepare for breakfast- walk to the restaurant. Share the delicious breakfast and the chat, the hat swapping and some games.

Back to the villa for a swim and playing games together.

Then have a walk to another area we haven’t explored . Catch a buggy to the gate or for exercise walk! Walk!

The streets aren’t the easiest places to walk so we manoeuvre the ups and downs of the pavements which have a gold star in a red square every few metres.

Today we walked and explored the W hotel by the beach. It’s beautifully done – from the tree lined drive way

to the restaurant with a lovely pool area. Just right for a G&T!

The graffiti/ street art livens up the buildings

We usually have a sleep in the afternoon before heading out for dinner.

Last night we went to Bikini.

What a great restaurant. I’ll do a whole separate post on the restaurants we visited.

Tonight we walked down a long drive to Potato Head Beach Club. What a scene! It’s a great place to relax with a drink and watch the sun set.

We sat on the lounges near the pool. The dress seemed to be Bikinis 👙. The smaller the better. But we maintained our standard and dressed up, not down!

We watched the sunset with a cocktail in our hand and talked about the great week we’ve had together.

There was a large sculpture at the entrance which depicted the waste all salvaged along the shores of Bali’s west coast. 5,000 thongs or flip flops as they are known in some countries!

Another lovely day.

Tomorrow we pack and leave late at night.

State of Origin Bali Style

June 24, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

Another lovely dinner last night at believe it or not a Greek restaurant. ‘Slippery Stone’

This doesn’t suggest Greek but it was like being in Greece. And the food was good. The kids tucked in and so did we.

Then the fire show started. It was a little like the show I saw in Vanuatu last week. But just 2 lovely locals standing in ankle deep water.

This morning we walked from the hotel along Jalan Katu Aya past some of the big resorts and also some of the lovely homeware shops. There are some very smart shops here.

We arrived at the markets which compared to some markets I’ve been to were clean, friendly with individual little shops.

We browsed and chatted to the shop owners and bargained. The Balinese are really sweet lovey people. No mean words if you don’t buy anything. No shouting ‘looky looky come here lady’

We moved onto Seminyak square and had a cool drink in the Seminyak Bakery. A cool respite in the heat.

It’s not as hot as I thought it would be. Perhaps living through our Brisbane summers has hardened me!

We returned to our little oasis in Peppers for a swim and a Vietnamese salad from a little street food place named Street Boi – near our villa.

Once again a lazy afternoon by the pool until Clare suggested a session in the gym. There’s a good gym at the resort that Clare has been visiting each day. I did my 10km on the bus me and s few yoga stretches and felt better.

Now it is watching State of Origin in a bar near the resort. It’s dominated by Blues supporters and every time it gets exciting the TV freezes. It’s funny to watch the reactions of the crowd.

The drinks are flowing. The crowds are cheering. The Blues are winning. The locals are laughing. They prefer the soccer World Cup.

Now off for dinner at Sarong. This is an Indian fusion restaurant.

The decor of the place is dark, moody and sophisticated. The food delivers a punch.

We certainly are eating well here.

We walked back past the restaurants and bars, avoided the scooters and motorcycles and made it back to the villa by 10.30. A late night!

So we have been to:

La Lucciola

Stepping Stones

Sarong

If you have a favourite restaurant in Bali please send it’s name in the comments at the end of the blog.

Exploring Seminyak

June 23, 2018 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

Living within a resort complex protects you from the big noisy outside world. Each time we leave Peppers Resort the senses are assaulted!

Last night we walked to the beach area. Up and down the broken foot paths, dodging motor bikes and scooters , waving a ‘No’ to taxi drivers, admiring the little altars set up along the paths and greeting the smiling Balinese people as we walked. They don’t harass you to ‘come in and look look’ like in China!

We had a really lovely early dinner with the children who were well looked after by the wait staff at La Lucciola.

It’s by the beach in a very pretty setting- if you avoided the smells from the creek we crossed arriving at the restaurant.

The cocktails were great and the food delicious.

After dinner Sam took the children back to the villa and Clare, her mother in law Denise, my sister Catherine and I continued around the streets to watch and explore and do a little shopping.

I had forgotten my hat! So I bought a new one quickly at the markets in the afternoon.

We found a lovely dress shop called Misty. The girl in the shop knew she’d would have a good sale when we all walked in! We all had a little try on and I bought two new dresses and Catherine one . Perfect for Brisbane’s sunny weather.

We continued walking – up and down avoiding the holes and broken concrete and made our way back to our villa.

This morning another lovely breakfast to celebrate Denise’s birthday. The charming staff came out with a little cake with a self lighting candle that just couldn’t blow out. The kids loved it!

We checked out the Spa next door planning our massages and facials and Catherine and I decided to walk back to the beach to check out the beach scene in the day light.

Just a little disappointed- the sand is a black colour and the surf a little rough. But we had a walk as the clouds gathered.

The entrance to the beach was impressive as was the lifesaving tower!

There were boats and deck chairs but it was probably too early for most people as the beach seemed quiet. Perhaps everyone sits by their resort pool?

We stopped by a modern looking cafe run by a German man. If you’re looking for some fresh, clean, healthy food this place would suit. Check out Clean Canteen on Petitenget. Delicious salads.

We walked along the quieter lane leading back to our resort. There are some great looking places to stay here away from the crowds.

So our afternoons are spent on deck chairs by the pool. It’s a lovely way to relax.

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