It was a rainy afternoon in Bali. My mom, sister, and I were planning to go to Penglipuran Village. However, because it was raining heavily, I suggested that we stopped by the biggest Starbucks in Southeast Asia. “Oh, you mean Dewata?”, asked my driver. Ah, so that’s it! Starbucks Reserve Dewata, to be precise. I wasn’t a coffee lover but since we were already in Bali, I wanted to check it out! Not only it was the biggest Starbucks cafe building ever, it also had its own logo and offered a different experience that you wouldn’t find in other Starbucks. First, it had its own parking lot, receptionist, garden, coffee…
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Bali Trip: Why You Should Choose Unpopular Hotels During Peak Seasons
It’s the second week of January 2023 but who’s still in a holiday mood? 🙋♀️🙋♂️Don’t worry! When you focus on your job, summer won’t be too far, hehe! If you’re a conscious spender like me and are planning to travel to Bali during peak seasons, I suggest you stay in unpopular hotels over popular ones. Last Christmas, I finally realised my dream to stay in a five-star hotel in Nusa Dua. I heard that the big hotels in that area were gorgeous, so I couldn’t wait for my stay. But I found out that the experience wasn’t fully satisfying, compared to my expectation and the money spent. Staying in Popular…
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White and Blue Christmas at Koral Restaurant, Apurva Kempinski Bali
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a great holiday and Christmas (for those who are celebrating)🎉🎉🎉 I had a memorable Christmas celebration with my mother and sister at Koral Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant under the sea. Since the restaurant was inside Apurva Kempinski Bali, we also stayed for one night there. This white and blue Christmas dinner was part of my impulsive travel bookings that I didn’t regret. If you’ve been following my blog, you may remember that in early 2022, I made some impulsive travel bookings. There were consequences to my actions, of course. I was always careful with my spending, but because of my impulsiveness,…
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The Impulsive Travel Bookings That I Don’t Regret
As a Capricorn, I tend to stick to my budgets and goals. However, when I heard the news about Malaysia will reopen its international border on 1 April 2022, like many people, I wasn’t immune to revenge travel. But I have no regrets 😛 My impulsive travel bookings happened on 11 March 2022. The night before, I had a small misunderstanding with my mother. After things straightened up, I looked at her photo and suddenly realised that… my mother was getting old. When my mother was in her 30s, she was very beautiful. Well, she still looks beautiful to me now. But she sacrificed a lot for me, and surviving…
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How to Keep Motivated Until the End of the Year
I can’t wait for the end of the year. How many of you wish for the same? I can’t wait to welcome the Ox Year in 2021, with the hope of better (hardworking) days ahead. I’m not a very superstitious person, but this year 2020 in Chinese 2+0+2+0 = 4 = death, bad luck. Surely, there are things that I feel grateful for. But we still have four and a half months until the end of the year. What could keep us motivated and carry on? I found mine, and I’m gonna share them with you in this blog post. It may or may not work for you, but hey!…
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Treat Yourself at Rock Bar and AYANA Resort & Spa, Bali
Spending most of my time at home affects my mood and creativity. While looking at my travel photo album searching for inspiration, the memories of Rockbar and the luxury spa at AYANA Resort & Spa, Bali made me happy. Why? The top two reasons are: The situation back then is very in contrast with what’s happening today! Now, Ringgit is 3x stronger than Rupiah. I’m worried about my personal finance after the salary cut. I’m counting the days until the end of August, crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to travel abroad (I’ve paid for the trip in full). I may have a few things to worry about but…
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A Rainy Day at Penglipuran, Bali, One of the World’s Cleanest Villages
Two reasons that make Bali so enchanting to tourists even Indonesians are the culture and architecture. The architecture boasts a centuries-old style of design that’s heavily influenced by Bali’s Hindu tradition, especially the temples. If you’ve seen most of the temples in Bali, I encourage you to visit Penglipuran, Bangli, Bali. Recognised as the World’s Third Cleanest Village 2016 alongside Giethoorn (Netherlands) and Mawlynnong, the small village will definitely charm you. I heard about this village from my mom, who has been urging me to visit it. After a year or two, finally, I managed to see it with my own eyes. And with a plus-one 😉 Penglipuran derives from…
