therexnest

3rd – 5th January 2018.
The gang’s first trip!

Hotel – Amnaya Resort Kuta

Alaya was bought over and rebranded to Amnaya. Rooms and breakfast were still great! Now renamed as Bhava Spa, their new menu no longer had the 2hr customisable service, however, their quality of  treatments were just as good as the old Dala Spa was 7 months ago. No complaints here.

Milk & Madu Cafe

To maximise our short time in Bali, we took the 0600 flight from Lombok. Pity that Nono could not join us. We were all pretty weary after the massive NYE partying in our hotel, Kebun Villas & Resort. I, for one, had only just begun my down time. With some fuel to spare and refusing to let time be wasted, I took it upon myself to bring the gang to Canggu, the upcoming hipster area of Bali. Still very much in the developing stage, one could say Canggu might give Seminyak a run for her money in 2-3 years’ time.

Decided to try breakfast at Milk & Madu due to good reviews online. Unfortunately, it did not live up to what I had read. Sorry gang for feeding you a subpar breakfast. This being our 3rd trip to Bali in 7 months, Kenny and I came to the conclusion that the island’s western breakfast/brunch places are a hit-and-miss. We very much preferred Amnaya’s generous breakfast spread; a sentiment strongly shared by the entire group as well.

© Photo: Synne (tried their famed skillet eggs. had better)

Had a route planned to check out a couple of key shops in Canggu after breakfast, however, Augustus & Synne were totally wiped out so we had our trusty driver, Ketut aka Uncle Chop Chop, bring them back to the hotel while Keith, Kenny & I explored Canggu on foot. The 3 of us must have summoned excess energy from outer space for we had covered quite a lot of ground in half a day!!

Keith got a hair cut at a vintage-inspired barbershop, we checked out quite a few stores (from home living to apparel) and bar-hopped. As the sun rose to high noon, the heat became unbearable for us to continue on foot so we changed up our exploration to a cab. We were one of those assholes whose taxi moved at a snail’s pace (40km/h tops), indecisive to stop or not. #NotReallySorry

The Lawn

It is a miniature version of Potato Head with a cozier vibe. Cocktails were alright. I am a biased judge of drinks because I have been spoilt by El Kabron. Keith was totally in his element – beachfront bar/club.

© Video: Keith

Finn’s Beach Club

Nono, you really missed out on this one. They played old school 90s Pop & RNB!!

Music good. Food good. Drinks good. Dessert good. Wind strong and good. Finn’s is a great alternative to El Kabron! The latter is a fancy cliffside bar while Finn’s is (another) beachfront club and cheaper. By the way, all 3 aforementioned bars have pools and I recommend anyone not to waste your time at The Lawn. For smokers, Finn’s boutique shop has a decent selection of Cuban cigars.

Potato Head

Kenny and I came here 3 months ago. We decided to return again so Keith could see what the fuss was about. Unluckily for us, it was full. So, we just took a walk around. If their kitchen is any consistent, their food is quite good based on what Kenny & I had eaten in September 2017.

Revolver Espresso

Kenny & Keith squeezed in a short massage and quick shower at the spa while I continued on foot along Jalan Kayu Aya & Jalan Petitenget on my own. Not a shopping fan but all this intense walking (on wedges no less!) helps to get a workout in. LOL. The boys met up with me at Revolver’s baby outlet.

© Photo: Keith

One of their main shops, which is tucked in an alley along Jalan Kayu Aya, is an immersive underground gem which blends grunge and chinoiserie seamlessly. When Kenny & I were there last September, their coffee and dessert were really yums! Gotta make time for Rev the next trip!

La Laguna

We met up with Augustus & Synne directly at our dinner venue. The entire place was immaculately designed to transport one back to the time of the gypsies. Painted florals on wooden furniture, antique pieces & vintage caravans with a tarot card reader to boot!

© Photo: Synne

Fatigue finally caught up with me. I dozed off in my seat while the gang were taking photos.

© Photo: Synne

© Photo: Synne

Woke up at sunset.

What really caught mine & Kenny’s attention were the resident mongrels, a male & female. Forgot their names; took me too long to blog about this. They were docile and definitely well-fed. LOL. However, they did not beg at the table.

Food – 7/10
Ambience – 9/10

© Photo: Synne

Breakfast & Seminyak Shopping

© Photo: Synne

A fitting breakfast for a day of shopping and walking!

We covered only a third of Seminyak’s street and already got quite a few things! Can never go wrong shopping in this area. Hopped into Uncle Chop Chop’s car and we were off to El Kabron (again!) for our 2nd sunset dinner!

El Kabron

Our third time back at this wonderful cliffside restaurant & pool bar. Renovations were completed and the new bar & balcony looked swanky.

Needless to say, Augustus & Synne were instant kabron-converts! As expected, food & drink did not disappoint and I had my usual Bianca-s >D

© Photo: Synne

© Photo: Synne

(no filter. natural ombre sky)

Pork Nasi Campur & Sky Garden Clubbing

Headed back to the hotel for a short rest before clubbing. Uncle Chop Chop helped us to tabao (take away) local food and boy, it was eye-rolling, chills-down-the-spine, shiver-with-excitement overwhelming yum-ness! I did not try any though as I was too full but judging from the massive moaning in front of me, they were all creaming in their pants.

Recharged by a great shower, delicious Balinese food & refreshing drinks, we brought Augustus & Synne to Keith’s temple – Rooftop @ SkyGarden. LOLOL. Managed to get a table next to the dance area. Kenny & I got our shisha fix while we danced the night away for about 2hrs (?)

© Video: Kenny

© Photo: Keith

Warung Lao Ta

Hands down, the best supper place after clubbing! We dug in like we have not eaten Chinese food in ages. LOL. Every time we are in Bali, Kenny and I always have one of our meals here. The standard has been consistent for the past 5 years. You will not be disappointed.

5th January 2018

We had an amazingly slow morning. Woke up late, shuffled our feet to breakfast, lazily ate & chatted into lunch hour. Packed our bags and headed for our 2hr spa session. What better way to start the new year & bookend a long vacation than this? Checked our jellied bodies out of the hotel, ordered another round of pork nasi campur together with our complimentary afternoon tea and finally, we were en route to the airport.

KLM is highly recommended. With leg room made for Caucasians, we Asians get double the space! Plus great movie selections, entertainment & above decent food, SGD 210 is a steal, given the prices I usually pay for a subpar Silkair flight.

© Video: Synne

Unwittingly, we had decided to take a side trip to Bali together after celebrating NYE in Lombok. There were plenty of firsts for our group #FlyVirgin. We emerged intact and to date, still pretty much able to stand each other’s faces. Verdict: Travel – Able √