If you’re doing a spot of shopping along the Eat Street stretch of Seminyak and the heat is driving you nuts, urbane coffee house Anomali makes for a good rest and recharge-with-caffeine stop along the way around to Jalan Basangkasa (as Jalan Legian eventually becomes known as it heads north). Anomali has branched out from … 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

Bali’s Ngurah Rai bypass — stretching from Nusa Dua past the airport, skirting Kuta, Sanur and then, well, we’re not quite sure where it officially ends — can feel like a bit of a wasteland at times (you know, when it’s not slicing through mangroves). If you are using it to get from say the … read the full post

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

Kopi Bali House is a bit of an institution in Sanur, even though its location on Ngurah Rai bypass puts it out of the way of normal tourist foot traffic. The double-storey cafe, which has a completely separate section for smokers (rare!) serves excellent coffee, and has an array of coffee machines and paraphernalia (expensive!) … read the full post

It won’t win any awards for its decor, atmosphere, or location, but if you’re heading past Simpang Siur from the airport and onto Sunset Road and need a caffeine boost, Caswell’s is the place to make a quick stop. There’s another outlet inside Gourmet Garage in Jimbaran, but I haven’t made it there yet, and … read the full post

If I ever had a little wooden seaside cottage, I’d be asking Cafe Bali who did their decorating and getting their number. I love this place: it’s cute but not sickly sweet, a breezy blend of sophisticated and serene right bang in the middle of the disaster-construction zone that is Jalan Laksmana in Seminyak. Think … read the full post