Month: February 2025

Bali Diaries; Life Lately

February 24, 2025

And so we find ourselves commencing the final week of our time here in Canggu. I knew the few months we are here would fly by and it definitely has, but it also feels like we’ve been here forever and its become a place we call home.

We’ve certainly made the most of this adventure and experienced the very best that Bali has to offer.

From exciting day trips to see the most breathtaking natural beauty at Leke Leke Waterfall,

and trekking around the luscious green jungle at Teglalang Rice Terrace in Ubud,

to working from the many gorgeously aesthetic cafes,

serving the most delicious healthy vegan food,

and scooting down to watch sunset on the iconic Echo Beach.

I have an extensive list of our favourite cafes, restaurants, bars and beach clubs, so I’ll have to do a future blog post on my personal recommendations for if you’re visiting Canggu too.

But for now we have a whole week ahead of us to enjoy and soak up every moment of the blissful Bali life before we return to the UK via Singapore.

Do checkout my Bali Diaries vlogs over on my YouTube channel here – https://youtu.be/6ww63YMJVUw?si=1Yxp3Il7uj5Mq9bm

Let the final chapter of Canggu life 2025 unfold ❤

Bali Diaries; Love From Canggu

February 16, 2025

With Valentines Day on the horizon, I was excited to make the most of it here in Bali and plan a romantic date night with my boyfriend at some of our favourite Canggu hotspots.

Every romantic evening in Bali begins with sunset drinks, so at 6:30pm on Friday we headed down to The Lawn for sundowners on the beach with a view.

I wore my new Flook The Label maxi dress with this stunning cutaway detail in my favourite colour of the moment, chocolate brown. To accessorise I wore my Seaside Stories gold plated shell necklace, matching gold shell earrings and Abbott Lyon statement gold bangle.

Once sun had dipped below the horizon and dusk was upon us, we went around the corner to Billy Ho for more drinks and nibbles.

We discovered Billy Ho when visiting Canggu last year, so with its sophisticated ambience giving uptown New York vibes, I thought it was the perfect V-Day romantic evening spot.

For an appetiser we shared the smokey edamame beans and the vegetarian dumplings, absolutely exquisite paired with a glass of bubbles too.

My boyfriend was craving pizza for dinner, so we headed to one of the best pizza spots in town Luigis.

We shared a classic margarita pizza and green leaf salad with balsamic vinegar. Simple yet delicious and satisfied that pizza craving perfectly.

To finish the evening of bar hopping around Canggu, we went to Santanera rooftop for a nightcap. This was our first time here and it was buzzing on a Friday night. Spread across three floors it has a cool, lofty vibe whilst still feeling intimate and exclusive.

It was a perfect Valentines date night in Canggu complete with scenic sunset drinks, refined appetisers and even some classic home comfort food in the form of a very cheesy pizza.

With love, from Canggu Bali ❤

Bali Diaries; Surf Session Echo Beach

February 9, 2025

I’ve always loved surfing so living in here in Bali for a few months, my goal has been to get a session in every week. I would consider myself at intermediate level, so I’ve been going without an instructor which is more challenging particularly when it comes to getting past the break, but my skills are swiftly improving and I’ve had some great sessions.

I decided to kick the week off with an AM surf on Echo Beach last Monday and needless to say, it was the best way to start the week on a high. With the sun shining and the waves not too hectic, it was the perfect conditions for a chill morning surf.

A swimsuit on and hair pulled back into a ballet bun and I was ready to get out there. Getting past the break is always the hardest bit particularly with the big foam boards which are super heavy and almost twice the length of me!

I actually got out pretty quickly this time and caught some of my best waves yet. It can be exhausting just paddling to get out and battling with the tide, but it’s so worth it for those epic moments riding the waves.

My final wave was awesome and I stayed on it until I was almost on the beach, so I had to jump off before it got too shallow. It’s then equally challenging to get back onto the beach without being dragged under by the tide, so I had to rip off my leash and run up the beach to get out safely before letting my board wash up.

That post surf salty hair free feeling is the best.

Checkout the full edit of my surf session on my latest vlog here – https://youtu.be/M0LS_QLRNW4?si=UgXKwVvSnVcWdudK

Bali Diaries; Nusa Penida Island

February 2, 2025

Happy Sunday! We’re winding down after another awesome week here in Bali, so I thought I’d share some highlights of our trip to the island of Nusa Penida yesterday. I booked the trip with a local via Instagram and the total cost was 950k IDR per person, which is just under £50. Comparing this to prices online it seemed the best deal which is usually the case if you book through the locals.

Our day started bright and early with pickup from our villa at 6am to get to the port where the boat was departing at 7am. It took about 45 minutes to get over to the island of Penida where our driver for the day was ready to greet us.

First stop was Diamond Beach, an absolute paradise on earth with the white sand beach and crystal clear turquoise water. We trekked down the precarious stairs to walk along the beach, but you are not allowed to swim as the tide is too dangerous.

Salty toes and that warm ocean breeze was heavenly.

Next stop was the Thousand Island viewpoint where there is the famous instagram spot Tree House Molenteng. Unfortunately they make you pay for a photo here and there was a very long wait, so with the peak midday humidity we decided to pass on this.

It was then a long hour and a half car journey through the jungle roads to Kelingking Beach.

Another jaw dropping view out over the cliffs where many tourists come to get that iconic Instagram snap.

The tropical rain had started at this point so we didn’t walk very far down, but the view from the top overlooking Kelingking cliff faces was magnificent.

1:30pm and it was time for a well deserved lunch at a local Warung, also included in the cost of our trip. I had a fresh garden salad with a coffee and my boyfriend had a tasty sweet and sour chicken dish with rice.

With a long journey back to Bali mainland ahead of us, we caught the fast boat back from the island at 3pm and were driven home to our villa again. Bali traffic, particularly in Canggu gets hectic at rush hour, so it was 5:30pm by the time we arrived back at Casa Cherish.

A long day of travelling and hiking, but very much worth it to have seen these iconic natural wonders of Bali.

Diamond Beach was the highlight for me; it’s pure paradise which got me in a tropical state of mind ❤