KANGEN BANGET SAMA PULAU BALI!

Hello teman-teman, apa kabar? Aku harap kalian dan keluarga dalam keadaan yang sehat yah! Mari kita sama-sama mematuhi peraturan PSBB yang ada, tetap dirumah aja jika tidak ada keperluan mendesak dan jangan lupa sering cuci tangan dan pake masker. Pokoknya kita harus bahu-membahu mematahkan rantai Covid-19 ini. Kenapa?

Karena kasian para tenaga medis kita yang sudah kewalahan,  kasian perekonomian bangsa kita, kasian industri dan teman-teman yang terkena dampak Covid-19, dan kasian kami yang jiwa travel nya sudah meronta-ronta.

Tidak dapat di pungkiri, travelling menjadi salah satu kebutuhan sekunder masyarakat yang harus dipenuhi. Rutinitas sehari-hari membuat pikiran kita penat, dan travelling bisa membantu kita untuk mengistirahatkan pikiran kita sejenak. Pernah dengar dong istilah ‘Work-life balance’? Suatu kondisi dimana kita bisa menyeimbangkan antara pekerjaan, kehidupan keluarga, kehidupan pribadi dan rekreasi.

Banyak riset yang mengatakan bahwa jika ‘Work-Life Balance’ itu benar-benar di jalankan, kehidupan seseorang itu akan lebih produktif, lebih kreatif, dan lebih bahagia. Karena itu rekreasi seperti travelling di butuhkan untuk kesehatan pikiran dan mental kita, apalagi setelah satu dunia di terpa oleh badai pandemi seperti ini.

Banyak orang berpikir rekreasi seperti travelling itu harus jauh dan mahal, harus keluar negri baru merasa pergi travelling. Padahal travelling di dalam negri juga seru loh! Pasti banyak kota atau tempat yang pasti belum pernah kita kunjungi, dan banyak hal dan tradisi yang belum kita ketahui. Bagaimana tidak? Indonesia punya lebih dari 16 ribu pulau dan hampir 100 kota. Gak kebayang butuh waktu berapa lama jika ingin mengelilingi Indonesia saja.

Namun dari banyaknya kota dan pulau di Indonesia, destinasi yang paling aku kangenin adalah Pulau Bali. Pulau Bali ini  menyimpan banyak kenangan buat aku. Inget banget, dulu pas aku masih kecil, aku dan satu keluarga besar road-trip ke Bali. Kami convoy menggunakan 4 mobil dari Jakarta, dan membeli Walkie-Talkie untuk saling berkomunikasi antara 4 mobil tersebut, kata papa sih karena waktu itu pulsa handphone masih mahal dan kena roaming kalau di pakai di luar Jakarta. Wah, saat itu aku merasa keren banget bisa ngobrol lewat walkie-talkie kita road-trip. Rasanya seperti di film-film action yang ada di TV. Hahaha.. Yah, namanya juga anak kecil.

Perjalan road trip kami membutuhkan waktu 4-5 hari. Kami stop dan beristirahat di beberapa kota seperti Semarang, Jogjakarta dan Banyuwangi, hingga akhirnya sampai di pulau Bali. Setelah itu, kami menghabiskan sepekan disana dan mengunjungi semua destinasi wisata yang hits pada jaman tersebut. Seperti main ombak di Pantai Kuta, berenang di Pantai Sanur, melihat matahari terbenam di Tanah Lot, melihat banyaknya kera di Desa Sangeh, dan makan di Hard Rock Cafe dan juga ke tempat lokal lainnya.

Setelah belasan tahun berlalu, Bali pun berubah, banyak destinasi wisata lain yang bermunculan. Seperti cafe-cafe yang instagrammable,  adanya pantai Canggu yang hits untuk para peselancar, banyaknya tempat untuk melakukan yoga atau meditasi di Ubud, dibukanya kawasan baru yang  untuk bermain aktifitas outdoor, dan banyak tempat rekreasi lainnya.

Saat ini Bali menjadi semakin bagus dan wajib untuk di kunjungi. Orang-orangnya juga tergolong ramah, sehingga membuat wisatawan betah untuk berlama-lama berlibur disana. Dan pilihan Hotel di Bali pun juga beragam, bisa di sesuaikan dengan budget dan keinginan teman-teman sekalian.

Seharusnya aku berada di Bali bulan Juni nanti untuk bekerja dan berekreasi. Biasanya aku menyempatkan diri untuk extend di Bali untuk mencoba cafe baru, pergi yoga ke Ubud, atau relaksasi di tempat spa favorit aku. Wahh.. Sungguh menyenangkan setiap kali ada perkerjaan di Bali. Dulu bahkan sekali extend, bisa sampai 3-4 hari. Sampai akhirnya uang yang aku dapatkan dari bekerja di Bali, hampir habis juga untuk akomodasi dan rekreasi yang lainnya. Haha

Tapi setelah itu aku belajar untuk mengatur uang dan waktu lebih baik lagi, dan memilih untuk menginap di Hotel murah di Bali  . Menurut ku, Hotel murah di Bali pun masih bersih tempatnya untuk di tinggali, lokasinya pun masih dekat dari pusat rekreasi. Jadi sisa budget nya bisa di pakai deh untuk makan enak dan relaksasi di Bali. Hehe

Nih, aku tunjukkin ke teman-teman yah, tempat mana aja si di Bali yang paling aku kangenin :

  1. Makan Babi Guling

    Menurut aku, Babi Guling yang paling enak di Bali adalah Babi Guling Pak Malen! Setiap kali mendarat, aku selalu menyempatkan diri kesini untuk makan atau takeaway untuk makan di hotel. Dagingnya tidak bau, krispi dan juga empuk, dan pedas nya pas untuk aku. Harganya pun masih oke di kantong. Namun jika kesini dengan teman-teman, aku sarankan untuk bawa 1 mobil aja, karena area parkirnya agak kecil.

    babi guling pak malen

  2. Cafe Hopping

    Banyak Cafe di Bali yang seru, banyak juga yang meyuguhkan ‘healthy organic food’, namun Cafe Organic ini adalah salah satu favorite ku. Menu nya sangat variatif, makannya pun sehat karena di buat dari bahan-bahan yang organic, penyajiannya sangat menarik, dan rasanya pun enak. Di tambah tempatnya yang nyaman dan instagramable. Gak heran banyak juga loh wisatawan asing yang suka menyantap makan paginya disini juga.

    cafe organic bali

  3. Jalan-jalan di wilayah pedesaan Ubud

    Kangen banget jalan-jalan di sawah seperti ini. Kalau kamu tertarik dengan pemandangan sawah yang membentang dan udara yang segar, kamu boleh banget main ke wilayah Ubud. Tidak hanya indah di mata, namun secara psikologis, melihat penghijauan yang luas mempunyai pengaruh terhadap mood dan pikiran kita yang membuat kita merasa tenang. Di jamin pasti langsung lebih prima deh saat kembali bekerja nanti.

    sawah ubud

  4. Mengambil kelas Yoga di Ubud

    Sebenarnya tidak harus mengambil kelas Yoga di Ubud, banyak kelas-kelas yoga dan kebugaran lainnya yang ada di wilayah kota, namun ntah mengapa, rasanya di Ubud suasana nya lebih mendukung saja untuk berolahraga yoga di ruangan semi terbuka dan menjernihkan pikiran. Banyak Yoga studio yang berada di Ubud, seperti Yoga Barn, Radiantly Alive, atau pun kelas-kelas yang di adakan di beberapa Guest House. Menurutku, kalau kamu yang sering Yoga di Jakarta, kamu harus coba Yoga di Ubud Bali. Perasannya benar-benar beda. Hehe

    yoga di bali

  5. Spa di Bali

    Makan sudah, Jalan-jalan sudah, Olahraga sudah, tinggal terkahir nih, pergi Spa!
    Ya ampun, Spa tuh udah jadi ritual aku banget kalau ke Bali, sebisa mungkin pasti aku akan menyempatkan diri untuk Spa 1 jam. Apalagi setelah lelah bekerja di Bali, dan berdiri terus dengan memakai heels. Rasanya tuh surga banget buat aku. Banyak Spa yang tempatnya bersih dan nyaman di Bali, dari yang harganya terjangkau sampai Spa mewah yang bisa kamu kunjungi juga. Kalau aku selalu suka coba spa di tempat yang berbeda-beda karena ternyata seru mencoba berbagai jenis spa di Bali, berbeda suasana di setiap tempatnya.

spa di bali
Jadi aku disini benar-benar berdoa agar pandemi ini cepat selesai, dan bisa bekerja serta berkunjung kembali ke Bali! Kalau kamu, setelah pandemi Covid-19 ini berkahir mau berkunjung kemana?

 

Advertisement

BALI : Taman Air Spa

I think it has been the fifth time that i visited Bali this year. Apparently Bali is very popular destination for every events, be it for international events to private ones, all the more for wedding celebrations. I know having a private party in Bali over the oceans or up on a cliff can be very beautiful, especially when the sun goes down and give pretty hues all over the skyline.

But apparently having a destination wedding or business trip (as for me) is pretty tiring.

The traffic that we have to go through, the waiting time at the airport, the flight itself, and the drive to our hotel can take a lot of energy. Even though what we do is only sitting quietly and probably just playing around with our gadget or reading some books.

Nowadays, i’ve been looking for a spa anytime anywhere. Gosh.. Not sure if it’s the age issue or having a spa is always a good idea when you’re kinda tired. Haha.. not those only massage place, but those with nice scents, good scrub and flower bath. *pampering day mode on.

Finally, after hosting a pretty wedding at Conrad, Nusa Dua, I decided to have my me time in this pretty space called Taman Air Spa. Was just googling around, and found this gem in Sunset area.

Taman Air spa has a lovely interior design for a spa place. A space that’s designed rightly for resting and relaxing. The nice smell all over the place, friendly staffs, beautiful view, proper therapists and one more important thing, they have a very clean space! All of the above made my spa experience whole in Taman Air Spa.

Not only that, after went to a few spa places jn Bali, i think Taman Air Spa has a good price too! I spent Rp 375.000 for 2 hours spa treatment that includes massage, body scrub, and flower bath. Oh, btw i think they have a different price between Indonesian / KITAS holder and foreigners. Don’t forget to check with them first.

And oh, this is not an endorsement. Purely good place that i just want to share.

Taman Air Spa 

Jl. Sunset Road No.88, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

0811-3895-558

Body Getaway at Bodyworks SPA – Bali

** Apologise for no pictures / less pictures as reference for this post.  As i mistakenly deleted some photos on my media blog and could not recover it back. =( **

Since tomorrow, 14th October 2015 is Indonesia’s public holiday, i guess it’s appropriate to write something about relaxation.

When i was younger, i hate massage so much. I dont like the idea of taking my clothes off, and some ‘mbok-mbok’, a quite old female therapist will put some oil on my body and start the ritual of massaging. Well, that was when i was 8 or 9 years old. My mom would frequently call this ‘mbok-mbok’ to massage her and asked me if i want to try. As one curious kid, i wanted to know how it feels, since my mom and the ‘mbok-mbok’ said it is very nice and will relax our muscles and release body tension.

Since that very first time, i banned massage as one of the way of relaxation. haha. It freaking hurt, i did not like the oily feeling on my body, and i feel a bit humiliated to took off my shirt in-front of someone that i did not know. Maybe it was not the right age to try massage as well? i dont know either.

As i grew older, my girlfriends like to ask me to go SPA with them. What i know that time, SPA is only a fancy name to a hurtful massage. haha.. i kept saying NO. But there was a time, i finally said YES to go to some javanese SPA in Singapore. It was when i finished all my uni exams, and i just want to relaxx and release all the stress. My housemate said, why dont you start with a good massage? and i dont know why, i just went with her to the massage parlour and OMG! i enjoyed massage for the first time in my life! haha. Since then, i always look forward for any SPA session.

Somehow, Bali is always correlated with nice great SPA. Two weeks ago me and my friends tried Bodyworks in Petitenget area. The location is just opposite of Motel Mexicola Cafe.

Bodyworks has a cozy place to begin with. When i entered the place, i have that feeling that i’ll be surely pampered. They have big space and they have many SPA Menu for us to choose. From Manicure/Pedicure, Facial, SPAs, Hair Treatments, and even Make up.

FBGE6045 VFSR7638WECI2915

OTJO5452

For those of you who choose Manicure/Pedicure, you can request to do it outside and see the greeneries. Somehow this view reminds me of ‘Marigold Hotel’ the movie. It has the Indian vibes in some way. haha.

I choose 2 hrs of Exfoliation Massage (Mandi Lulur) this time. Indeed it feels like ‘Kanjeng Ratu’ Indonesian princess when i entered the room. Do you think so?

IMG_4302

“This treatment begins with an hour-long Balinese massage, then the entire body is painted in a brown, granular paste (the traditional Javanese “lulur”), containing turmeric, sandalwood, cinnamon, ground nuts and rice. The paste is then gently rubbed to exfoliate the skin. After a quick shower the body is covered in fresh yoghurt. The enzymes stimulates cell activity and restores th pH balance of the skin, which feels soft as silk after the yoghurt is washed away. The final step involves luxuriating in a warm, fragrant, flower-filled bath” (from Bodyworks)

I really enjoyed my time there, i just went back from island hopping and really in need for a good massage. i think they can give the relaxation that my body needs. The therapist can unclench my tensed muscles during the one hour Balinese massage. Eventho the scrub smells quite pungent, it felt like it can lift all the impurities from my skin.

I love the yoghurt smell! the therapist said that it made from fresh yoghurt mixed with Dancow milk full-cream. haha.. after the yoghurt time, it feels like my skin 10x smoother than before.. so soft like a baby’s butt. haha.. and Finally, one of the moment that i have been waiting for, soaking in flower bath! Well, i was expecting the bathtub will literally full of flowers. But too bad, they just put 2 basket of flower petals.. =(..

IMG_4415   **pictures from Julyerna/Julyerni (my twin friends) instagram** (forgot to take my own pictures.. =(.. )

I had great overall experience here. For me, it is indeed a good place for my body-getaway. Eventhough one friend of mine didnt really enjoy it here.

Ambiance : 3.5 / 5

Massage Service : 3.5 / 5

Price : 2 / 5

Any SPA recommendation in Jakarta / Bali, anyone? i would love to try! ❤

Bodyworks

J. Kayu Jati No 2, Petitenget, Bali, Indonesia, p. +62 361 733317. Open Mon-Sun 9am-10pm.

SPA BALI

I am sure most woman and some of the guys out there have the love of spa.

whereby you just need to lay down to let go of all your tiredness and rejuvenate yourself .

when i went to bali 2 weeks ago.

me and some of the girls have the craving of spa.

we need to be pampered ! haha

 

after we did our research,

we finally decided to go to Spa Bali.

yes.. SPA BALI is a spa name.. hehe..

its a nice, decent, clean spa nearby Seminyak area.

*agak masuk2 gang kecil gt*

 

well, it’s not a luxurious spa

but we are very happy with the services.

as i mentioned before..

the place is clean and very decent

looks small from outside, but its rather big inside.

It’s like mini salon as well, where you can do your hair and nails. 

the price is considered cheap..

we took SPA BALI MASSAGE – their signature Balinese massage mixed with Swedish and Shiatsu techniques for only RP. 133.000 ( 2 weeks ago 1 SGD = RP 9200, so its only for 15 SGD)

 

they have private rooms. 

since it was 4 of us..

so they gave us 2 rooms.

the room is just a normal 2 bedded room.

our other 2 friends got a room with build in bathroom inside.

 

ohh.. actually there’s funny story.

the therapist asked us to take off all our clothes except our panties..

then after we took that off.

there’s an awkward moment between me and my friend. ahhaha..

we just chat for a while since the therapist have not come in again,

until me and her was like.. uhmm.. its kinda awkward yaa when we chat without clothes on.

then we just lay ourselves down and wait for the therapist to go in again. hahaha..

i cannot imagine if i need to go for the pre-marital massage. haahha.. well.. hahaha.. 

our other 2 friends said it was even more awkward for them, cause there’s no partition for the bathroom, only have 2 showers in the same place. hahaha. 

 

they have great ‘massage-rs’ (if there such a word.. haha) or therapist..

they are very friendly and really know what they are doing.

like any other spa, they will ask you how is the massage.

is it too hard or too soft?

i am one of those people who cannot take hard massage.

i prefer soft massage.. 

but that time, eventho it was not that hard..

i can feel some pain on my right thigh.. 

and i asked the therapist to do it softer on that specific area.

when i took bath after that.

i can feel that my thigh is a bit painful. its like the muscle ache.

 

my friend said it’s normal if your leg are too tired.

so when you go for massage, the pain will come out and will go away shortly after that.

 

and you know what..

its truee.. haha

so 1-2 hrs after the massage.. i dont feel anymore muscle ache on my right tight..

maybe too much walking in singapore. haha..

 

anyway..

it’s very recommended..

i think their stone massage and flower bath is very pampering as well.

but too bad, we only have 1 hr for the treatment since we have to go somewhere else.

 

the last time i email them, they said their websites is still under maintenance

so you can give them a call or drop them an email if you are interested. =)

 

SPA BALI DRUPADI-SEMINYAK

Jalan Drupadi

Seminyak, Bali

PHONE (0361) 737-694

 

SPA BALI – SEMINYAK

888 Jalan Dyanapura

Seminyak, Bali

(0361)-737-932/(0361)-737-933