I’m often asked about my favourite places in Java and I often reply with expected responses such as “Bromo — it is spectacular” and “Dieng — a mystical paradise in the mountains”. But I also mention places such as Karimunjawa and Ujung Genteng, both of which receive very few foreign tourists, but are stunning places … read the full post

Bali’s Canggu Club, with its plantation style fans and vast sports fields, isn’t exactly a backpacker mecca. But a cluster of interesting little cafes on the street that runs just to the north of the club might be more in tune with what independent travellers are looking for in Bali once they’ve exhausted their nasi … read the full post

When I started this series on cheap Indonesian food in Seminyak, the place at the top of my must-try list, because I still shamefully hadn’t after four years in Bali, was Made’s Warung. Everyone knows Made’s Warung; it’s been around since 1969 and these days has two outlets; I tried the one in Seminyak, which … read the full post

One of the great things about Indonesia is the diversity of the landscape. One of the great things about the Dieng Plateau is that it looks and feels completely different to almost anywhere else in Indonesia. Sitting up in the mountains about 150 kilometres northwest of Yogyakarta, the Dieng Plateau is absolutely stunning: rolling hills … read the full post

If you’re shopping in Seminyak and need to stop off for a quick lunch or dinner and you’re in the mood for some cheap Indonesian food, you have a few options to choose from. Here we cover just two of our favourites: Warung Ocha and Taman Bambu, with two more places up our sleeve for … read the full post

Zen Garden on Seminyak’s Jalan Mertanadi — the road that runs up to the jail from Sunset Road — has only been open a week but shows great promise as a genuine healthy spot to have breakfast or a lingering lunch if you’d like to take a dip in their pool. Jalan Mertanadi is a … read the full post

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