the Bali files, episode 1: locked in the trunk of a 5star

greetings all, it is I, your long forgotten virtual friend.
my apologies, the cpu didn't actually make the journey with me to Bali, and thus, the update has been sitting with me for some days now.
Bali was superb, thanks for asking.
we had a great time there, albeit a very quick 3 day/4 night stay.
i will try to keep it brief, no need for one of those long, mass/spam emails where i provide you with every little detail, down to the hour of what we got up to. a daily recant ought to do i reckon.

Friday -
good Friday......, try great Friday, as we set off on our trip to Indonesia, flying via Singapore with, ironically enough, Singapore Airlines (a good overall airline experience). total of 7ish hours of travel time, numbed a little by the Fighter (the movie) and Street Fighter (the game). also had one of those 'world is a small place' moments upon chatting with a guy in the arrival customs line to discover that he not only grew up in my hometown of Oakville, but actually went to same high school as i did, 15 years my WOSS senior. isn't that something.

Saturday -
our first chance to see the resort in daylight, and it didn't disappoint. dare i say, the St. Regis is perhaps the nicest place we've stayed at. more than enough room in our chambre, complete with tasteful decor and nice touches including a full soaker tub along with a persistently filled plate of fruit. oh, and they also had a breakfast that just wouldn't quit. since our plan was more euro than all-in, we certainly made the most of this each and every morning. a quick rundown - smoothies, fresh juices, eggs benny, french toast croissants....money. bring on the beach.

Sunday -
lazy beach day, which was more or less the theme of our holiday. the Regis has a very nice little set-up, with padded loungers & cabanas. weather was hot, which required an hourly dip on average. if there was one complaint, it would be that the ocean wasn't fit for swimming. a ton of garbage was constantly washing in, making it an easy decision to opt for the pool. ok, let's say there were 2 complaints. the other being that the resort was extremely overpriced for pretty much everything. drinks for $20, meals for $50....ricoculous.

Monday -
more of the same really. explored the fairly intricate lazy river system that flows throughout the grounds, and made plans to leave the resort that evening for another adjacent beach town, the highlights of such included:
*one of us getting locked in the suite's bathroom, requiring housekeeping to essentially break the door down.
*embarking on a 10km taxi drive to dinner, hitting a traffic jam, resulting in a 1.5 hour ride.
*enjoying the driving habits of the Balinese people, who turned 2 narrow lanes into 5 very messy streams of scooters, cars, and buses.

sadly, our trip was over as of mid-morning on Tuesday.
all things considered, definitely a great beach destination & top-notch accommodation. it does beg the question though of where it may fit into the Freedom's top-10 beach vacations of all-time...?
and so, here it is, the *unofficial list* (not verified with Aline):

1. Zanzibar (Tanzania) - powder white sand and literally isolated from the rest of the World
2. Ko Phan Ngan (Thailand) - hut on the beach type of set-up, where you can roll out of bed into the Gulf.
3. Naxos (Greece) - unlike some of the other popular Greek islands, this place features amazingly desolate & clothing-optional beaches reached via scooter. add a Mythos & Gyros to taste.
4. Cancun (Mexico) - say what you will about this underaged drinking, booty-shaking habitat...it still has one of the nicest stretches of beach you'll find. and did i mention the booty-shaking?
5. Maui (Hawaii) - who doesn't dream of checking out this un-continental piece of the US pie. extra points for anyone who can sneak their way onto a better hotel's beach, i.e. the Four Seasons.
6. Bali (Indonesia) - this one is fresh in the mind, and so I need to refer to it fondly. no question a great beach, however, this one makes the list based on the resort.
7. Sardinia (Italy) - this is a very random destination, that we ended up at based on an apartment swap. we blew up an oven and crashed a car....and thus i can't really remember if the beach was nice....i think it was.
8. White House (Jamaica) - add a dash of Sandals with a little Team Morgan and you get a family vacation to remember. i even have the t-shirt to prove it.
9. Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) - hundreds of little mountain tips popping out from the ocean, offering many a secluded beach. i may or may not have stripped down on one of these seclusions.
10. Tofino (BC) - no way i can leave Canada off this list. pain in the butt to get to, but one of the great white north's natural strips of beauty. bring a wetsuit.

full trip pics are here.