Bali Diaries; Nusa Penida Island

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 ❤

Chapter 30; Bali Birthday Celebrations

26.01.25; celebrating my 30th year around the sun on the wonderful Island of Gods, Bali.

I might be entering my thirties but I really do feel like a twenty year old at heart still.

We kicked off celebrations on Friday evening with a stunning sunset at the iconic La Brisa on Echo Beach.

For dinner we went to another awesomely aesthetic spot in Canggu Penny Lane.

It was the Ubud health bowl for me and a hearty buttermilk chicken burger for my boyfriend.

On Saturday I treated myself to a blow dry at The Rustic Sun Canggu as it’s less than £15 pounds here in Bali!

That afternoon we went to a new beach club Luna and soaked up the scorching sunshine, whilst dipping in and out of pools and lounging in our private pod sipping cocktails.

For dinner I changed into my new Flook The Label beach dress, a birthday gift from my boyfriend which I chose last week in their boutique in Pererenan.

Luna beach club comes alive at night too with spectacular lights and even a fire show.

Sunday 26th January, my actual birthday, I awoke to the cutest surprise from my boyfriend.

He organised with the villa manager to decorate the pool with a happy birthday message, balloons and even a floating breakfast.

This was truly the best way to welcome in my 30th birthday.

After a very chilled day relaxing at the villa my the pool, we headed down to Batu Bolong Beach to catch sundown.

Our third magnificent sunset in a row and the perfect way to see out my big birthday weekend.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Lawn where I had my favourite classic Caesar salad with prawns.

The night finished at Deus Ex Machina Sunday sessions live music and 241 cocktails of course.

Mood for my thirties; Happy. Content. Staying in my own lane. Healing. Freeing. Flourishing. Growing. Glowing ❤

You can watch the full birthday weekend vlog over on my YouTube channel here – https://youtu.be/gQm6zSVOcfU?si=M3SjFdGB_rgJGqtc

Bali Villa Tour; Welcome To Casa Cherish Canggu

Welcome to Casa Cherish! I’m so excited to show you around this gorgeous two bed luxury villa we are living in here in Bali for the next two months.

Set over three floors with a private plunge pool and spacious roof terrace too, it’s our very own hidden oasis in the centre of Canggu.

From the sunken living area and arch doorways,

to the tropical plants and neutral earthy tones throughout,

this villa exudes island living vibes.

Casa Cherish already feels like a home away from home ❤

To book a stay at Casa Cherish villas for your own trip to Bali, checkout the rates and availability on their website here – https://www.casacherish.com

And don’t forget to watch the full villa tour on my YouTube channel here – https://youtu.be/43WvgZZ912A?si=g_JRft4EXX1QR__t

Bali Calling; Back Soon

Friday is here and after being back at work this week following a dreamy holiday in Bali, I’m very glad to be welcoming in the weekend. We landed back in London on Saturday evening and whilst our jet lag wasn’t bad out in Bali, coming back has been a challenge and the extreme fatigue set in. Thankfully after a few days back in routine, we’re feeling a lot more alive and I can’t wait to share all of the Bali content from our awesome trip back to my favourite island.

From chasing sunsets whilst beach bar hopping and sampling the best of Bali’s foodie scene, to exploring the rainforest and rice terraces in Ubud and surfing on Echo Beach, we certainly made the most of our 10 days in Bali.

Over the next month or so, I have an exciting schedule of posts about our trip including where we stayed, what we got up to, my favourite places for sundowners, the creme de la creme of restaurants in Canggu, how much things cost and my top tips for visiting Bali.

So stay tuned as I soothe my Bali blues by reliving our holiday with lots of exciting Bali content to come! ❤

Turkish Tales; Balmy Nights

Whilst Balmy Beach Resort is a tropical paradise by day, it also comes alive at night with live music every evening and cocktails served until the early hours.

I love getting dressed up for evening dinners on holiday and having fun with cute outfits I wouldn’t get a chance to wear out at home.

With our first proper evening at the resort being a Friday night, weekend vibes were in the air from noon and by dusk the live DJ was getting the atmosphere buzzing at the beach bar.

I wore this Stradivarius skort paired with my favourite floral wrap frill blouse, these ASOS woven sliders and my new Dune white crochet handbag with gold chain which I brought in duty free at the airport.

When we were at the airport on our journey over to Turkey, I also decided to really splash out and treat myself to these magnificent MuiMui sunglasses.

I wanted to debut them for our special romantic dinner for two on Saturday evening at the Balmy a la carte restaurant.

First up though, it was sundowners at the beach bar where I enjoyed a glass of bubbly in this beautiful champagne flute looking so elegant next to by cute new bag.

Having got a golden glow from the first few days of sun, I decided to wear this white body con middy dress I got in Australia years ago paired with my pear detail sliders, a pair of oversized white shell earrings and my By Alona gold chain pearl necklace which I wore almost every night, the perfect holiday jewellery piece.

I was feeling very St Tropez in all white complete with those killer sunnies and sipping my champagne at that beautiful boho beach bar.

There’s nothing like dining al fresco on holiday with that salty sea air and mellow pink and blue sky as the sunsets and dusk draws in.

We had a wonderful evening together enjoying delicious food and being looked after so well by our lovely waiter; can you tell he was making me laugh here 😉

Sunday night I wore this tropical print maxi dress which is completely backless and features a flattering thigh split. Very little accessories needed with this number, the dress does all the talking.

That evening the live music was over at the garden bar, where we sat in the charming surroundings of the courtyard and could gaze up at the stars in the night sky.

Monday night I went a little more casual with these black crochet Zara shorts, my boho print bardot style croptop, those timeless ASOS plaited sliders and my usual gold jewellery to complete the look.

And once again we found ourselves down at the buzzing beach bar for post dinner drinks and another live band session.

For the final night we got dressed up and ready for dinner in time for golden hour down by the pool and beach bar.

I had to get out my favourite summer minidress from Abercrombie & Fitch, paired with this pastel pink shell detail ASOS clutch for a pop of colour, and of course my new MuiMui babies.

That golden hour glow was giving me all the fuzzy feels and I just wanted to bottle that magical moment forever.

Once the sun hid behind the mountains and the pastel pink sky set in, we went for pre-dinner cocktails at the beach bar.

We couldn’t have wished for a more exquisite setting for our final dinner at Balmy Beach.

Later in the evening the crescent moon came out to sit just above the mountains at dusk; how peaceful and spiritual this moment felt.

And so that marked the end of our stay at Balmy Beach Resort and we couldn’t be more grateful to the staff who were so kind and friendly in making our time there an absolute joy and pleasure.

Sunset views and moonlit hues; goodnight Balmy Beach ❤