Want to avoid the notoriously painful process of obtaining a Thai tourist visa in places like Vientiane, Penang, or Phnom Penh? If Bali is on your itinerary, obtaining the visa here is akin to gearing up for a long, dull day of school only to be let out of class after just 10 minutes of … read the full post

Blindingly white with a small but glittering freeform pool, lovingly decorated Villa Kresna is hidden away on the beach-bound spur of Jalan Sarinade, a five-minute walk from the beach end of Jalan Abimanyu. A few years ago Villa Kresna lost around half of their land and a couple of years later it underwent a complete … read the full post

I’ve been on the hunt for Bali’s best babi guling for some time now, so when I heard about the babi guling tacos and burritos at Taco Beach (thanks for the tip, Hati Solutions), I figured trying them would really be an essential part of the overall mission, right? Right! So it was off to … read the full post

Call me mother of the year but when I go to an indoor play area in Bali, I’m hoping for three things: good coffee, decent air-con, and five minutes’ peace. At still relatively new Peekaboo in Sanur, aimed at kids under nine, I mostly get all three — Mr 3 still wants me to play … read the full post

Think of your ideal tropical paradise. Once you have that in mind, if it includes white-sand beaches fringed by palm trees, turquoise water so bright it stings your eyes, warm weather all year round, hardly any tourists and just enough decent accommodation to ensure you don’t have to pitch a tent then the islands of Karimunjawa are … read the full post