Bali Travel Diary - Part 1

“Maybe it’s the inviting sound of Balinese music constantly playing in my ears, or the warm smiles of the Balinese people dressed in vibrant attires. Maybe it’s the moon that hangs low over the palm trees or the sound of the river gently flowing in the rainforest. Bali is heaven on earth.”

— Maliny Quotes

It was a quite evening by the warm infinity pool overlooking the enchanted forest. The waxing crescent moon was out; I could smell the sweet savory taste of Balinese and international cuisine while soft Balinese music played in the background. I could not believe the beauty and serenity that resided in this place; in that moment I thought to myself, ‘if earth is this beautiful, I can’t even begin to imagine what heaven must be like.’

Bali was our main destination for our honeymoon, we had a whole 9 days to spend there before jetting off to Thailand. Upon arrival at the airport, I was instantly captivated by the architecture of the airport, which is typical of East Asian architecture.

The main airport of Bali is quite far from everything, including the main town center, Ubud. The trip to our resort took at least 90 minutes on a Sunday with no traffic. We didn’t mind the long ride as we were fascinated by the bustling streets full of motorbikes, the endless temples on the way and the heavy statues sold on every corner.

Padma Ubud Resort

Finally, we arrived at our resort, Padma Ubud. It’s a five star resort hidden in the middle of a bamboo forest of Payangan by a river valley.

Our frst morning in Bali started out with the sound of roosters crowing to signal sunrise and what a beautiful sunrise it was.

Panda Ubud has 125 rooms, all with beautiful views of the garden, the pool or the forest. They offer the most delicious breakfast with a variety of Balinese and International cuisines. They had a dinner buffet every night featuring cuisines from all over the world along with nightly entertainment by the pool for everyone to enjoy.

Padma is so huge that I had dedicate an entire post to show you pictures of different aspects of the resort grounds, which include the garden, spa, hiking trails, pool area, outdoor lobby, etc.

This is the front entrance to the hotel. They have an outdoor lobby where checking in and out takes place - it’s different.

There’s no shortage of relaxing things to do at Padma. We took some time to explore the garden that had a variety of plants and flowers. The resort grows a lot of their own food so you will see a variety of spices in the garden.

If you have no ide what a banana tree looks like, this is it.

They also have an entire row of papaya trees.

This bamboo pathway is right along the river; it’s an uphill pathway leading to the resort grounds. It makes for a beautiful hike while touring the massive resort.

The Spa:

There’s no better way to kick off your vacation than enjoying a free 90 minute Balinese massage. The spa at Padma is beautifully designed to mirror Roman architecture. Upon setting foot inside, it feels like you just walked into a whole different world with dim candle lights, enticing aromas and huge columns peacefully resting in a pool of water.

The Swimming Pool:

I must admit, the 89-meter infinity swimming pool was the main attraction that made me book this resort. The pool is somewhat concave and has a lush garden and swim up bar. Yes, you heard that right. You can literally swim up to the bar and get a drink.

Everytime I travel, I always set aside some time to wake up early so I can take unadulterated photos. Kevin is not a fan :-).

If I ever had an opportunity to design my dream home, it would have a pool just like this one. Who ever thought of having a perfectly manicured garden in the middle of a pool? Genius.

RESTAURANTS:

The resort has two restaurants onsite - The Pool Cafe & Bar, which sits across the pool deck and infiinity pool, and The Puhu Restaurant & Lounge, which is located on the top floor overlooking the pool, gardens and terraced rice fields.

Outfit Details:

I’m wearing a H&M loose jumpsuit with cut out sleeves. I have a love hate relationship with this jumpsuit - it’s comfy and perfect for vacation especially when the weather is not too warm but at the same time, it feels too loose for my liking.