Asia | Bali Retreat 2013 | Indonesia

Bali Retreat 2013: Day 7 – Gili Trawangan / Seminyak

September 21, 2020

13 March 2013, Wednesday

It was Day 7 of our trip and we had a few hours in the morning to spend at Gili Trawangan before making our way back to Bali. Breakfast at our Alam Gili resort was sumptuous as usual.

Fresh fruits to start the day right
I love this jaffle!

After that, we went for a walk around our resort to take in Gili T’s beautiful white sand beach one last time. The sky was a tantalising shade of blue, with wispy streaks of white clouds floating carelessly across it. The water was clear and alluring. It was the best weather we had in the three days we were there. I gave in to temptation and soaked in the water for a short while before checking out of our hotel.

Strolling along the beach one last time
That’s Mount Agung and Mount Batur on Bali…they don’t look so far away from here
And that’s Mount Rinjani on Lombok. I will love to climb it one day.
A lovely day for boating
Driftwood
Rooms available
I love these…we were here yesterday
Just like a postcard

At about 11am, we hailed a cidomo and rode the horse-drawn carriage to take us to the harbour. For our return trip to Bali, I had booked a fast ferry from a company called Gili Getaway (click here). Tickets for the two of us cost IDR 1,248,000 (US$129).

The ferry was supposed to depart at 12pm but since all the passengers had already arrived, we departed ahead of schedule at 11:35am. After enduring two hours and 15 minutes of bumpy boat ride, we arrived at Bali’s Serangan harbour at 1:50pm.

Taking a cidomo from our resort to the harbour
On board the Gili Getaway fast ferry to Bali

The onward shuttle to our hotel was provided by Gili Getaway. At 2:28pm, our taxi departed the harbour and we arrived at our hotel, Ivory Resort Seminyak, at 3:00pm. The resort was located at Jalan Petitenget No. 35X, Banjar Umasari, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Badung, Seminyak. We didn’t want to stay at Kuta because it was very touristy so we decided that Seminyak would be quieter and more chill. We booked a Deluxe Room and it cost US$126 for two nights.

Ivory Resort Seminyak
The rooms are on either side of this nice walkway
A large couch outside the room to chill out
The bedroom
A very large bathroom
And a nice swimming pool

After checking in, we ventured out to explore our surroundings. The resort was located a short distance away from the main drag in Seminyak. We spent the afternoon walking around the streets without any particular destination in mind. There were plenty of small, back streets with interesting shops and funky art galleries.

Surf shop, bookstore, clothing store and cafe all rolled into one
Apple crumble, latte and surf
Just Chillin’
Cool art
Funky buddha
The ogoh-ogoh is a statue built for the Ngrupuk parade, which is held on the eve of Nyepi, which happened two days ago. Ogoh-ogoh usually take the form of demons.
Fierce
This one is a bit more bizarre

I also did some shopping and bought a couple of T-shirts and a cap from Hurley, my new favourite brand. We do have Hurley in Singapore but it is not as common as the other surf brands like Quiksilver, Billabong or Rip Curl. That’s why I like it.

Hurley – my new favourite brand

At night, we went to Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak. The main building was very modern, chic and classy. We managed to snag one of those huge beds by the poolside. It was supposed to face the sea but the sea was pitch black so we could only hear the waves but could not see the sea. It would have been amazing to see the sunset from here.

Potato Head Beach Club at Seminyak
Stylish and chic
A great place to lounge
The pool is so tempting
Relaxed vibe here at Potato Head
Just Chillin’ Part II

We ordered a bottle of wine to accompany our main course of grilled salmon and wagyu beef burger. Surrounded by good food, fine wine and a gentle sea breeze, I could fall asleep there and then.

Cocktail & beverage list
Can’t do without wine
Grilled salmon
Wagyu beef burger

The mood at Potato Head was so chill I would fly to Bali just to visit Potato Head again. It was simply lovely. A great way to wrap up Day 7 of our trip!