Bali - A Paradise Lost

My friend and colleague, Andrew Stephens is currently in Bali. We both joke about how much we really love Bali  - passionately. Words like Mudsharks, and Kuta Cowboys are often part of the conversation, along with surfing, chilling and how in the world do we get to live and work there!

It's currently Summer and surf season, added that its the long Christmas Holidays and like Andrew, many Australians make Bali their home for a few months. With this comes.... rubbish.

Andrew recently sent me some photos of the beautiful beaches, littered with rubbish - plastic bags, bottles, basic rubbish that doesn't break down and drowns our beaches and waterways, while suffocating the marine life.

It broke my heart. Here is his post and photos. If you do get to Bali and have a few hours spare in your day, please contact Make A Change and volunteer to pick up some trash.


#PickUpAPieceOfTrash - Andrew Stephens

Before heading to Amed for some freediving, I had a few days in Seminyak working. Ducking down to the river mouth near Ku de Ta for a quick surf check revealed the entire beach covered in plastic and junk.

The sight of this trash was absolutely devastating.

Thankfully +Lisa Fryar pointed me to Make A Change Bali to see if any volunteer beach cleanups were available in the next few days and provided some inspiration about how people are dealing with the pollution and rubbish problem here in Indonesia.

Thanks #worldnomads

Daily clean up

Imagine lying under these beach umbrellas!

*sigh*

2016: Eleven Countries in Eleven Months

Phew!

At the end of every year, I like to take some time to reflect on the year that was and start making plans for the year ahead. I make wishes because I'm that kind of girl. Superstitious, hopeful, romantic, positive.

True, it's self indulgent and there are possibly a million better ways to spend my time. Like learning a new language. Clearing out my wardrobe. Selling my books on eBay. Regardless, its what I do and I generally start immediately after Christmas Day getting motivated for major changes and big planning.

My wishes usually involve getting fit, healthy and travelling more.

New Years Eve 2015 was no different - I wished for more travel because I'm an addict. I didn't really have a plan on how it would all play out, but I knew that travel would feature heavily on my year.

As the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for"!

Eleven countries in Eleven months.


Indonesia -Bali
I just love Bali. Whenever I land it feels like home. I love the earthy smell of incense burning and what the humidity does to my skin. Bali makes me feel alive and there is never a year without a trip to Bali, however short the trip is. I once went to Bali just for the weekend (ok, it was a long weekend, but a weekend nonetheless).

This trip to Bali was a spiritual trip. Clearing my mind for personal reasons and putting my body back into health and fitness mode.

I returned home more healthy, and with clarity of mind to launch my busy year.

*****

USA - Aspen
Whilst Aspen wasn't on my list, I never pass up the opportunity to jump on a plane. When a call came in to help a traveller on the snowfields of Aspen, I already had my Apres boots on.

What a winter wonderland! After a 15hr flight to Dallas, then a couple of hours to Aspen, I sadly only had 16 hours on the ground to watch happy shiny people glide up and down pristine ski fields. I was tempted to buy an hours lift pass, but knew that if I broke my leg before collecting a patient, I would probably lose my job.

So on the side I stood with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

It's now on my list to visit for longer!

*****

Italy - Rome
My daughter and her partner were travelling to Italy to go to a wedding, and....... what an excuse to visit Rome and spend some time with her! The added bonus was that my dad gifted us an "experience" to spend more time together as a family, so we rented a cute little Airbnb apartment in the foodie heaven of Testaccio where we feasted on all things Italian. Breakfast each day was a chocolate cornetto (a pain au chocolat / chocolate croissant) and a long black. Lunch each day was a pizza slice and dinner was something off the scale in terms of flavours and calories.

Rome surprised me! The Vatican, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps..... I could go on. Every corner was a "movie set" moment - places I'd studied in high school or seen in movies. The wow factor was omnipresent.

Spending time with some of the most important people in my life in such a stunning city..... priceless!

I returned home to Sydney with an additional 6 kilos.

*****

Croatia - Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik
Oh Croatia! No one told me how beautiful and chilled you are!

The overnight boat from Ancona to Split was an adventure in itself and proved that I'm not a lover of cruises. But sailing into Split as the sun rose behind it was spectacular!

An Airbnb in the walled old city was perfect to drop the bags off to before heading off to explore. I was taken back in time through cobbled streets and quirky cafes, with modern twists on pop-up bars and restaurants.

Four days on Hvar was not nearly enough time, but it was enough to finally breathe and zen-out of my normally hectic lifetsyle. Driving around the island in a red convertible, and sailing around to paradise beaches made me want to rip up my passport and stay forever.

Instead I kept exploring Croatia.

Dubrovnik..... not having a TV means I have no idea about Game of Thrones, of which I was reminded down every alley and square in this truly fun city.

What a fun city, if not a little too touristy.

*****

Bosnia - Mostar and Sarajevo
I still remember the Siege of Sarajevo from the 90's; as a young adult I was acutely aware that on the other side of the world was a tragedy in action.

I'd never have imagined that one day I would be driving through Bosnia as a tourist, taking in the sights, sleeping in bullet peppered buildings and immersing myself into the historic cafes sipping Saleb and smoking shisha.

But I did that!

Walking over Stari Most, the stunning Unesco Heritage site of the Mostar Bridge was surreal. Once again, I was transported back in time in a city I knew too little of but one that I know I will return to and explore further.

The little cafes and restaurants where I drank local wine and ate too much Chevapi..... A few more kilos surely couldn't hurt!

And then there was Sarajevo where I fell in love! The facade of Sarajevo remains to ensure the memory of the Siege is front of mind. Dig deeper and the nightclubs, markets and cafes are full of fun and passionate people.

I still cant believe I smoked shisha! Not quite a convert, but chilling out in a cafe smoking was one of my highlights of Sarajevo.

 

*****

Montenegro - Kotor and a stunning roadtrip
The stunning winding road around the mountains and lakes of Montenegro, is indescribable. If only I could ride a motorbike, this would be the perfect ride. A night in Kotor exploring the walled city and wandering around the lake was peaceful and another step back in time.

It was obvious that money has flowed into Montenegro more than other Eastern European countries, the roads are brand spanking new - a dream to drive on. Beachside cities with expensive cafes overlooking marinas of Russian super yachts. Yep, there was money in Montenegro.

*****

Serbia - Belgrade
I invited myself to a wedding in Belgrade! Because..... I love weddings and I love to travel and I'd never been to Serbia! I'd heard that Belgrade is the nightclub capital of the world, and it didn't disappoint. Days start late and are very long; throughout the city are bars and cafes that kept me well fed and watered.

Being a hippie, I'm open to trying new things. So when an opportunity presented to jump in a car and drive a couple of hours to an old farm and shoot some guns I was only slightly uneasy. Put that rifle, pistol, AK47 and sniper rifle in my hands and well... the hippie in me went out the window. What a rush! I cant say I'll ever pick up a sniper rifle again, but I can say it was my favourite of all the guns. And I surprised myself with how good I was!

My little apartment was close to the Belgrade Fortress, which meant afternoon exercise exploring the stunning grounds of Kalemegdan Park, which was also the location of the wedding I'd invited myself to.

Romantic. Sexy. Fun - thats Belgrade!

 

*****

Hungary - Budapest
I had a choice of returning to Venice or exploring Budapest.... I chose the latter. Its not that I don't love Venice, it's one of my all time favourite cities. Its possibly also the most romantic city in the world, I'd explored it with someone I love and I didn't want to taint that experience by returning. I'm unashamedly romantic like that.

So Budapest it was.

My son was keen to explore the Turkish baths of Budapest and I was happy to oblige. If a teenage boy shows interest in anything other than a video game, you have to take advantage of it!

We hired Segway's (against every bone in my body) and we explored the city on two wheels. Most of the city has been rebuilt after WW2 (as has much of Europe), but it still felt like stepping back in time. We explored the castle (where I came crashing off my Segway and left my dignity behind), and soaked our souls in the Turkish baths of Gellert.

Budapest surprised me. I loved it.

*****

Germany - Berlin and Potsdam
I'm very fortunate to be in a role that affords me travel.

A dear friend had just moved back to Berlin and I was very keen to see her and her family so even though Berlin was for work, I took advantage of having too much annual leave on the books and extended my stay there.

Before I left, so many people had given me the "hype" about the city and I had very high expectations. Sadly, the city just didn't do it for me! Maybe it's been talked up too much, maybe I was exhausted after all the years travel - but Berlin really disappointed me.

My final night in Berlin, I went to the Christmas Markets alone and drank Gluhwein and bought christmas decorations for my team. Sadly, these are the markets that only a month later were the scene of a terrorist attack.

Potsdam on the other hand... wow! I loved this city, the quiet pace, the autumnal forest, the funky apartment I stayed in, my beautiful friend Katrin.

*****

Austria - Vienna
Being in Europe means you're close to everything and my time in Berlin with an extra 10 days meant I could choose to go anywhere at short notice. I'd originally planned to spend the weekend in London but plans changed and I ended up catching a train to Vienna.

A romantic 10 hr trip by train, reading books and taking in the countryside of gorgeous little villages. Basically 10 hours of idleness that is pure luxury in the fast pace of my life.

Austria is the home place of Sound of Music, and Vienna is the home of Mozart. What's not to love about that?

Beautiful buildings and very clean streets hide the of nastiness of humanity. I was surprised at the amount of homeless people, hidden debris that didn't quite fit in with the city. I was attacked at 8am on a Saturday morning in Vienna, and by midday I had booked myself to the next city the following day.

*****

Czech - Prague
25 years ago I was offered a role in Prague, and as a young single mum I thought this was my chance. Unfortunately the day before we were due to fly out, the job was retracted and my trip was cancelled, but my yearning to go had never wained.

25 years later, I arrived by train into a wintery Prague without any expectations but to explore.

Travelling solo in a city like Prague is pure heaven! Being winter, it was freezing - and I loved it! I rugged up with boots, a thick cape and a mink hat and explored my little heart out.

Once again I drank Gluhwein in the square, I ate goulash and pretzels and meandered for hours through alleyways and hidden squares. Locals were so friendly, I truly fell in love.

I stayed in a little hotel near Charles Bridge which was so close to everything.

It will not be another 25 years before I explore Prague again!

*****

So for 2017...... I have no idea what to wish for, but I do know more travel is in my sights! Twelve for twelve? 

I won the Sky Lottery!

Travel addicts know exactly what its like to plan a trip. So many considerations; manage a budget, get time off time (how much time, when is a good time), location, style of holiday, what to wear, how to pack.... 

I'm no different! For the last thirty years, I've ben an avid traveller - clocking up thousands of kilometres every year just to get to my destination. Some of my favourite trips have been last minute ones with little planning, and some of the most memorable have been where I was able to tack on a few days to a business trip. 

I was fortunate to land a job many many years ago that afforded me the opportunity to travel for work which meant that not only did I clock up miles (and points), I rarely had to pay for my flights. But despite it being travel for business, I was never permitted to travel in business class (as per company policy), until I joined my current company. 

For the past four years, I have been flying in business class (mostly) for my trips, of which there have been many! Business class, let me tell you - is special! There is a comfy lounge, loads of leg room, seats that become flatbeds, champagne, and little toiletry bags of nice things. And more champagne. Did I mention champagne?

My most recent trip, I won the sky lottery. I was upgraded to a FIRST CLASS apartment on Etihad Airways - just like another redhead Australian girl, Nicole Kidman. 

Flying from Sydney to Berlin meant that my first class experience was of the long haul variety, 14hrs to Abu Dhabi, a couple of hours in the First Class Lounge, then another 8hrs to my destination. And return! For those 2 x 27hrs worth of travel - I was the ultimate princess rockstar sans attitude. Or maybe with just a little attitude, and a little bit of boast posting on social media. But just a little.

Flying Business and First Class on Etihad begins before you even arrive at the airport because it includes a chauffeur limousine to drive you to the airport where the check in process is red carpet all the way. I seriously regretted not buying a new outfit for the experience. 

I enjoyed a glass or two of Bollinger in the Etihad Lounge in Sydney Airport pre flight, and once boarded and arrived at my seat (1A), a few more glass before take off. I was personally introduced to my chef (Darryl) and my lovely hostess (Amy) who continued to look after me and bring me amazing treats throughout the flight. 

 

But let me tell you about my little space. Oh my! 1A was everything I thought it would be. A spacious little cabin with a wide beige leather chair the reclines completely to a flatbed. The space was so generous that I couldn't even stretch my legs to reach the other side. Admittedly I don't have the longest legs in the world, but you get the visual. 

I watched movies on the big screen in my apartment. I drank more champagne and ate al la carte, the best Wagyu Steak I've ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. 

I even had a shower - at 30,000 feet! Yes, I stood in the bathroom of the A380, naked (admittedly consumed with anxiety that if we hit turbulence I would need to race back to my seat in the nude!) and I used every product in my First Class toiletries kit! (sorry, no photos of the shower for very good reason)

When I returned from my shower, I found a lovely bed waiting for me...... to sleep for a full eight hours! My neighbour snored a little, but the Bose headphones soon fixed that. 

On arrival in Abu Dhabi, we disembarked on the tarmac - where a private car awaited my arrival to drive me to the terminal LIKE A ROCKSTAR! 

The rest of the journey was pretty much the same. Customer service to rival none, comfort and luxury that would make the Queen feel at home and and experience I may never get to repeat. I made the most of my First Class indulgence, and while I may have come across at times as a little smug - it was pure excitement. 

***Not a sponsored post***

Romance on the Canals

Ah Venice! You beautiful romantic city of canals and cannoli.

When opportunity strikes, I jump at the chance to head off to a new city to explore and discover the great delights of another culture. A business trip is no different.

Flying on Emirates A380 in Business Class is just the tip of the princess iceberg, starting with Moét and Veuve on virtual tap and eating my way across the globe for 27hrs.

#traveltip Number 1 - Wear expandable clothing and eat nothing for a week prior to flying

On arrival into Marco Polo airport, we had the option to catch a public ferry or pay a few extra hundred euros and live like George Clooney in a highly polished wooden speedboat. We didn't feel like George Clooney and jetlag hand't yet kicked in so we caught the public ferry for a couple of Euros.

We got in on a Saturday afternoon after 27hrs of travel, an early night was on the agenda for our first night. As we were staying at the Hilton Molino Stucky, we took advantage of the rooftop bar to enjoy the sunset, beer and cocktails before throwing our exhausted selves into our room.

The Hilton is a ferry ride to the main island, located on Giudecca which only added to the romance of Venice.


#traveltip Number 2 - Embrace your jetlag. 

Jetlag means waking at ridiculous times, which is a blessing when you're in a city with a zillion tourists who all want to see the same sights. We ventured across to San Marco Square extremely early (6am), before everyone else woke up. Having the place to ourselves meant we could wander aimlessly in relative peace, exploring the beauty of Basillica and surrounds. Sadly there are limited coffee options at that hour, but the wait for our first Italian coffee was worth it!


#traveltip Number 3: Visit Venice in Aqua Alto season. 

Despite everything you read in Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and every other travel book/blog on the planet - don't listen to them. 

The floods were awesome! 

I was confused at first with sightings of the scaffolded walkways. I thought there was a power-broking construction project happening all over the island. I soon discovered these were walkways to avoid the high waters. Its starts of as a few mils of water and after a few hours you're breaststroking your way to an Aperol Spritz. 

if you're packing light (like I do), and can't fit your Hunter Gumboots in your luggage, don't fret. Every corner sells disposable bright orange plastic covers for your shoes. Italy is the country of "style" - which is not quite how I'd describe the covers. I refused to wear them and sadly my beautiful boots got ruined. But I remained semi stylish while I ruined them, and on the plus side it meant I didn't have to pack them to return to Aus. 

#traveltip Number 4: Aperol Spritz and tasty little morsels

I get that I'm a late adopter of the trends. Always have been. But my god, the discovery of the Spritz was nothing short of winning the lotto! Every glass came with a bowl of potato chips and when we went slightly more fancy, a bowl of olives! 

Its fairly easy to wonder and stumble across something truly amazing in Venice. One of my favourites was a a quite little cafe bar called Al Parlamento - unassuming, affordable and amazing! There were a few others we found by accident, which is the way to go in Venice. 

Don't plan. Wander. 

#traveltip Number 5: Bring on the romance. 

The most beautiful aspect of Venice is that there are no cars. No cars means no traffic noise and no streetlights. Just cute little street lights lighting the alley ways and canals and a gentle ambience to guide you to little wine bars. 

If you really have to jump in a gondola, do so. For me they seemed constructed and awkward and overpriced so we stuck to walking and getting lost in little alleyways. 


A week in Venice was enough of an entree to make we want to return to Italy. 

#traveltip Number 6: Holiday hangover is best cured with arranging another holiday. 

I'm now planning our Eastern Europe holiday for 2016.... Watch this space

My Happy Ending Massage

A love of many western travellers is to head off to a tropical location and soak up the humidity, sandy beaches, cocktails and all round Zen-ness. 

Sometimes beers beside the pool. Or sand between the toes. 

Sometimes pampering. 

Sometimes more than just pampering, like a massage with a little bit extra. 

So this is what happened to a friend of a friend of mine. Or me. Actually it was me. This happened to me. 

After leaving a job that I really loved, I decided to head off to Cambodia and stop feeling sorry for myself. I arrived in Phnom Penh and joined a house building group in a rural village. 

Our little group built 40 amazing little houses in one week! It was hard work in searing heat, and for someone who had never held a hammer before, physically exhausting. I had blisters on blisters and in places I don't care to mention. 

After a week of banging out a few houses, I decided to head into a local massage parlour and get me some pampering. Manicure, pedicure and a full body massage for $12. Bargain. 

Only, I got more than I bargained for. 

Feet and hands done, I was ushered into a quiet cool dark room with a water feature and statue of Buddha. Some kind of water music was playing. 

Naked, lying on my tummy on the bed, I didn't see my masseur enter and my only visual of him was through the little face-hole in my bed. He had six toes on each foot. Possibly he had six fingers on each hand as well. 

He was good. Strong hands needling out all those builders knots. My back turned to jelly, so he moved down to my legs. Starting off gently at my ankles, he worked his way up the backs of my thighs - quite "up" and he wasn't slowing down. I wasn't quite sure where he intended to stop and it was bordering on awkward so I shifted a little on the table and he moved to the next leg. Moving pretty close to my lady parts I shifted again and he returned to my neck and back. 

When he got to the knots in my lower back I felt something on my arm as he pressed against me. He worked his way pressing against my arm and the "something" got harder and harder. 

A sole female, completely naked on the table in a massage place where English was limited, I was pretty vulnerable. 

A polite "No thank you" worked it's magic and he retreated to the door only to have the Madame of the parlour come in and ask me to leave. 

Thankfully I live to tell the tale that my happy ending wasn't a "happy ending" 

Middle Aged Hippies in Cambodge

I started the year with a few really good intentions. Like not drinking alcohol, not eating meat, not brushing my hair. So far I have found varying degrees of success in each. 

I also started the year looking forward to a trip to Cambodia in February to build houses for charity and even though this was changed last minute, we had flights booked and were still very keen to go. 

We decided to call our trip - "The Hippy Trip", because we're both middle aged hippies on the inside. This also meant a fair degree of backpacking (yes, we bought a backpack), and using the cheapest transport options available to us. All of our accommodation was booked as we went along through Agoda using last minute specials and crossing our fingers we'd find a decent bargain! 

I'd won a free trip to Singapore flying Scoot Airlines through a Facebook competition via Nova 96. A little nervous about flying a budget airline, I was extremely surprised - in a nice way! The seats were comfy and the customer service  was outstanding! We were fed and watered throughout the flight and arrived on time into Singers. 

Singapore didn't disappoint. We stayed a few nights with my gorgeous friend and her family and laughed ourselves silly. She lives very central to everything; a quick stroll down Orchard Rd, a morning coffee in Botanical Gardens while my husband jogged, and we also enjoyed fantastic views on the rooftop before dining in the Supertrees at Indochine. Half an hour at Brix was more than enough for me, an expat bar under the Hyatt where men go to pick up high class hookers. Enough said. 

Kylie, John and I on the rooftop of Indochine, SuperTrees!

This is not at Brix. 

Jetstar flew us to Phnom Penh, and at $55 per person we were definitely succeeding backpacking. 

This was my third trip to Cambodia and my husbands first, so we decided to acclimatise for a few days in a cute little boutique hotel overlooking the Mekong, The Quay! Its one of my all time favourites, and even thought the upkeep is starting to slide a little, I still really love it there. John was excited to explore and we wove our way through the streets to bookstores, restaurants, cafes before climbing onto tuk-tuks to visit the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Prison. 

Our concierge booked us onto a bus for Siem Reap, and thinking we might like comfort, had booked the "private minibus". 8 hours of hell, sitting in the last seat in a cramped mini bus over potholes and dodging large trucks, I truly wished we'd gone more budget and spent a third on the public bus. Lesson learnt....

The last time I was in Siem Reap I was only one of a handful of tourists, and being there in February was more of a culture shock. Busloads of noisy and disrespectful tourists ruined some of the nicer temples - selfies in front of ancient monuments were their priority. A Facebook profile pic. A pose in high heels. Many tour leaders held megaphones and yelled at their "charges" as they scrambled over ruins and rubbed oily hands over bas relief sculptures. I had to walk away for fear that my memories of such amazing temples be tainted. 

The 4am wake up call to watch the sunrise over Angkor Watt was hardly worth the effort, however I did manage to run into a lovely acquaintance, Johanna of Traveleater as we both tried to escape the noise! The world truly is a very small place. 

I also spent some time in the Royal Angkor Hospital feeling sick and sorry for myself. I left with a goodie bag of medication to see me through the remainder of my trip. (I can highly recommend the hospital -  clean, knowledgable and very efficient, but not for the backpacker budget). 

Our time at Siem Reap had come to an end and we caught the public bus to Battambang. Well worth the $6!

Battambang - what a place! We found a cute little villa to rest in that was not quite backpack style, but we could keep our backpack there. The Sanctuary Villa was fantastic respite from the dry and dusty heat, with a swimming pool and really lovely gardens.

On arrival, we'd met a young polite driver - Darra - who we hired for a full day to take us to some remote temples. Totally inspiring, Darra is putting himself through university to do a business degree as well as paying for his sister to do her university degree in hospitality. He is also supporting his grandmother. 

Climbing the three hundred stairs to Watt Banan, being fanned (literally) by an 8yr old was a highlight, as was going for a fast and furious ride on the Bamboo Train! The other higlights of Battambang were discovering and old friend Daisy at Jaan Bai, run by the amazing team of Cambodian Childrens Trust and spending a night watching the Phare Circus! 

We also spent some time at the Bat Caves, and wandering the streets of my new favourite little town. 

Putting together our little carriage of the Bamboo Train

Back in Phnom Penh, we booked ourselves smack bang into the red light district - something the reviews on Agoda don't tell you about! Le Cube was really quite nice, and we were upgraded to an executive suite, complete with golden leather headboard and round bed....... I shudder to think of the activity that goes on there. 

Our final days in Phnom Penh were spent eating at the FCC, walking through the markets, having afternoon tea at Friends and generally just enjoying being on the streets of this busy little city. 

There are so many things I truly love about Cambodia and each time I return I find more to love. We may not have built our houses this time, but we had an amazing hippy time being backpackers. 

Adventures of a Rockstar!

Up front, I know I'm not a rockstar. Never was, and most likely never will be. But, for a fleeting moment that lasted a weekend, I lived the rockstar life and I am hooked!

I didn't set out to have a rockstar weekend, it's just not something this middle-aged mother of three would do. All I wanted was a weekend away with my husband to celebrate a significant wedding anniversary. The basic criteria was relaxing, fun, not too far away and slightly exotic (aka tropical). There is only one place that fits the bill.....

Bali, Island of the Gods and playground for Aussies. 

All my husband knew was that we were going away for an extended weekend and I was doing the packing. He actually thought we were headed to New Zealand to ski and snowboard. How wrong he was! He discovered our destination on check-in to the business class counter at Garuda.

Rockstars only fly business class because they get to chill in the lounge at 7am and drink champagne, and then have it on tap the entire flight.

The Garuda A330 did not disappoint. The food, the service, the little pamper packs with L'Occitane products, the entertainment unit and the very comfy flatbeds were all very rockstar!

Kath n Kel go to Bali

On arrival we were met by Ketut to drive us to the W Retreat and Spa Bali in the luxury of an aircon'd BMW X5. The driveway to the hotel was a lush indicator on how our weekend was going to turn out - exotic, fun, fancy. When the concierge opened the car door to welcome us, he even knew our names!

Our room wasn't ready on our arrival so fresh cocktails were waiting for us by one of the gazillion "chill out zones" and after downing some absinthe and other alcoholic liquid in a teapot, we ventured up to our room that would be our rockstar home for 3 nights.

The W had thought of everything! Fun posters and gemstones adorned the massive king size bed wishing us a "Happy Anniversary" and more cocktails were waiting for us to enjoy the view from our ocean balcony. 

Everything at the W is different. It's fun and funky and innovative. Right down to the entrance, the fun bathrooms, the day beds, and the carpets in the elevators. Every detail was well thought out, and from the staff it all seemed effortless.

10 years Wedding Anniversary, 20 years together! Achievement! 

Apart from our massive celebration of being together for 20years, and married for 10 (I love a ceremony!), it was also my birthday. Those of you who know me, also know I LOVE my birthday!

The W also knew (probably by looking at my passport on check-in), and they made sure my day was ultra rockstar. Champagne breakfast with cake, an extra dusting of diamond scrub during my 3 hour massage and facial (yes I came out sparkling), champagne and cake again for lunch, and a beautifully hand-written card under the door to wish me well as my vintage improved!

I'm sure they knew my name was Lisa. 

One of our highlights was visiting our lovely friend Katie who is celebrating 1 year of opening the most amazing coffee shop in Seminyak! For Aussies who are discerning (and snobby) about their coffee, head over to Revolver Espresso and say hi to Katie and her band of great Baristas!

On recommendation from another friend living in Bali, we ate at Teatro Gastroteque . I am very happy to pass on this recommendation with the disclaimer that you will come out much heavier than you went in. We chose the 5 course degustation (which comes with a course in between each course...), the food was well timed, fresh and totally outstanding! The wine menu was limited and expensive, but all wine in Bali is not cheap. 

Vin+ is a new wine bar that we tested and loved. Small share plates and tapas and also a great selection of cocktails and wines. 

And talking about food and wine and being an all round rockstar ....my birthday lunch was spent in a cage at Starfish Bloo at the W, where champagne flowed and the food was to die for! (literally, the chilli dish is very hot)

Being pampered is one of those obligatory past times of the rockstar; oxygen therapy, daily massages, facials, pedicures, manicures and a fair bit of "idle time" (spending an entire day on a day bed by the pool reading books and sipping g&t's and beer).

The day spa at the W (Away) got to know me by first name.

We flew home Sunday night on business class Garuda in an extremely comfortable flatbed seat which allowed for a great night sleep before having to go straight to work on Monday!

My rockstar-ness challenge for future special occasions is to do a world tour of the W hotels.

W Maldives anyone?