Travelfish correspondent Samantha Brown

Samantha Brown is a reformed news reporter. She now edits most of the stuff you read on Travelfish.org, except for when you find a typo, and then that's something she wasn't allowed to look at. She's lived in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Jakarta and Bali, where she now still spends a lot of her time looking after two little Travelfish.org researchers in training.
Website: http://www.travelfish.org

Posts by Samantha Brown:

• Travelling green in Bali

  First published: 17 Aug 2011
  

  As Time magazine pointed out in April, and people living and travelling in Bali over the past few years know only too well, the island is a ticking environmental time bomb. Want to travel to Bali but not be part of the problem? We’ve written elsewhere about how to travel green in Southeast Asia, but … read the full post

• Free WiFi in Bali’s Seminyak

  First published: 15 Aug 2011
  

  Seminyak’s Jalan Laksmana, also known as Jalan Oberoi, is packed with places to eat — hence its third name, Eat Street. The strip, which also boasts an ever-increasing number of gleaming glass-fronted clothes boutiques, is a great spot to find a quiet corner to catch up on email or work online for a few hours … read the full post

• Party season in Bali

  First published: 11 Aug 2011
  

  If it’s August, it’s high season in Bali. Parties are cranking into gear and though for some that means running for the hills, for others it’s time to glam up and get out of the hotel. Seminyak is party central with the main spots for grooving being sunset institution KuDeTa, old-hand Hu’u and audacious newcomers … read the full post

• A few quiet Bali splurges

  First published: 10 Aug 2011
  

  Sometimes you don’t want to go sightseeing, you don’t want to learn to surf, you don’t want to climb a volcano, but you do just want to have some down time. Here are a few of Travelfish.org picks for places to stay for some down time in Bali. These are mid-range to upper end places, … read the full post

• A good mid-range spot on Nusa Lembongan

  First published: 29 Jul 2011
  

  UPDATE: This place has now closed. It’s been taken over by Sandy Bay Beach Club and been converted into a Glo spa. We’ve done cheap and we’ve done pricey on Nusa Lembongan; but often you do want something a bit better than average that won’t have you whipping out plastic. Seaweed Lounge, next to the … read the full post

• A visit to Bali Zoo

  First published: 28 Jul 2011
  

  As someone who usually avoids zoos in Southeast Asia, my expectations of Bali Zoo were not high. But the verdict: it makes for a good half-day out with 3- and 4-year-old kids in tow. For the most part, conditions for the animals seemed decent by (non-Singaporean) regional standards, and the experience was quite hands on. … read the full post

• Nusa Lembongan’s Batu Karang spa

  First published: 23 Jul 2011
  

  Having had a splurge dinner on Nusa Lembongan, what better way to follow up than a splurge spa visit? Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa is one of the island’s higher-end spots to stay or to go for a massage, so expectations for a visit here were high. I called in advance and couldn’t … read the full post

• Balinese dance in Ubud

  First published: 21 Jul 2011
  

  Maybe I’m just getting older, but while I used to find Thai and Cambodian traditional dance dull when I lived in the countries that produced the style, I find myself these days enjoying the slightly less staid Balinese dance. While Balinese dances can be incredibly intricate and slow moving, there’s an element of almost slapstick … read the full post

• Ubud Writers Festival venues: Bar Luna

  First published: 19 Jul 2011
  

  The Ubud Writers Festival takes place at an array of venues across Ubud, several of them overseen by Festival organiser Janet De Neefe: Indus, Casa Luna and Bar Luna, for instance. Being restaurants, however, these are venues that you can visit even when an author isn’t holding court. And at Bar Luna on Tuesdays and … read the full post

• Drinks with a view on Nusa Lembongan

  First published: 17 Jul 2011
  

  I’ll be honest: I’m a sucker for expensive cocktails, even when I know cheaper places are nearby. So on Nusa Lembongan, after a visit to the spa at Batu Karang, I couldn’t go past a stop at The Deck, its attached gleaming panini and cocktail place. Located right next to the path running along the … read the full post