bali / Georgina Does

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Bali Highlights

Monday, 12 January 2026

And with that, another Bali trip comes to an end. I worked out that my recent Christmas visit was my 7th trip to Bali and I'm still not quite bored of it yet. Here were this times highlights:

The White Palm Boutique Hotel

Three of the four hotels I stayed at were amazing but the room at The White Palm particularly stands out as a favourite. It's a small boutique hotel with just a few rooms bordering a pool. The aesthetic was very black and white which is right p my street and the rooms themselves were super simple and very clean. I was upgraded to the suite which had a lot more space and added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the place! Sadly, there was construction next door so whilst the room was perfect for outside the hours of 9-5, spending time by there pool was a no go as not only way it loud, but it was very overlooked by the builders.

Lazy pool days

I didn't let that stop me enjoying my pool days however. I love to swim whilst I'm on holiday, and that was all I really wanted out of this trip so I spent most of my days lazing around the pool at the previous hotel I'd stayed at which was a 3 minute walk away.

It was more of a traditional, island resort type place with two pools and a restaurant so I picked my favourite of the two and set up on a shady sun lounger. Between swimming, sleeping, reading and drinking one iced tea after another, whole days disappeared.

Hiring a photographer

This was a case of serendipity I think, because usually I really enjoy taking my own photos on holiday, but this time around, I just couldn't be bothered.

The first hotel I stayed at offered a free photographer session and I was really happy with the outcome. A week later when I realised I hadn't taken any holiday photos, I reached out and asked if she'd come to my new location and take some photos for me.

The results was a fun afternoon activity, and some great, professional looking memories!

Spring Spa

I usually like to find new, niche salons and I did a couple this time around but often, I'm disappointed so I've realised that sometimes, it's best stick with what you know.

Spring Spa is a popular chain in both Bali and NZ and have never failed me before. They'd opened a new location in Bingin since my last visit so I got the benefit of trying somewhere new paired with the quality I have come to expect from them.

I booked in for a reflexology session on my penultimate day and it was great. I had a male therapist and his thumbs were so strong. After a bit of research, I now understand why I enjoy reflexology so much - it's all about nervous system regulation. Fine, makes sense. Anyway, it was so good that I went back the next day for another half hour on my feet and a wonderful facial just before I left for the airport. I'll definitely be doing that again next time.

Flight upgrade

I was adamant that I was going to fly business at some point on this trip and it was a definite highlight; of the year, not just the trip. I've flown upper classes before but I was so proud of myself for the first business class flight I had bought for myself.

Ice tea

I get hyper fixated on food in Bali. In the past it's been smoothie bowls, but this time around, it was iced tea. You never know what you're going to get when your order an ice tea in Indonesia, sometimes it'd get sugary, sweet milk tea, other times it was refreshing lemon iced tea and quite often it tasted like jasmine. I'm not quire sure what that one was but either way. I enjoy them very much.

Yoga Class

I did three yoga classes whilst I was away and I probably would have done a couple more if I felt like my back could handle it. My favourite class was Morning Light Yoga at Uluwatu surf villas. Their open air shala was overlooking the ocean and surrounded by palm trees which meant gentle stretching to the sound of the waves!

Friday, 15 December 2023

Travel is such a huge and very important part of my life; and 2023 has been full of incredible adventures. Here are some snippets of my favourite days from each.

Tenerife

In January, I was fortunate enough to escape the cold on a last minute trip to Tenerife.

One of my favorite moments was lounging by the pool with a frozen cocktail in hand. We stayed in an amazing suite with a rooftop jacuzzi so my time was mostly split between there, the spa or eating iberico ham at the beach bar.

Morocco

I had been desperate to go back to Marrakesh ever since my press trip in 2017, so this was a real treat.

The whole city is just magical and reminds me of Aladdin so I especially enjoyed having more time to wander around the souks and the Medina this time.

My favourite part of this trip was our afternoon at the La Sultana; where I had my first hamam experience and an awesome massage. After that we went to a Moroccan restaurant and ate traditional food whilst the belly dancers weaved around us.

Amalfi Coast

My driving holiday along the Amalfi Coast was unforgettable. Cruising along the twisting roads in a Fiat 500 while watching the sunset was magical. However, my favorite day was our boat trip to Capri. We made friends on the boat and spent the afternoon sipping sparkling cocktails with them on the island before heading back to the mainland for dinner in Positano.

Thailand

In May, I took my first solo trip since before lock down and it was full of great days.

Maybe the five star hotel spa day, the day I spent surfing on the flow rider; or maybe an accumulation of the lazy days spent at the pool at my jungle hotel.

Every day was special in its own way on this trip. I was really struggling with life at home in May and needed some time away to reflect and process what had happened. I spent a lot of time journalling by the pool, speaking to my therapist and getting into bed early and came back feeling much better.

Ibiza

I had been wanting to see Ushuaïa for as long as I can remember so whilst I'm not a big party girl, this is what my trip to Ibiza was about. Another bucket list item, done

Lagos

Our biggest girls trip yet - we some how managed to find a date where everyone could come which was great. Still doing a lot of reflecting, I spent a lot of time of my own by the beach but my favourite memory from this trip was getting afternoon drunk on frozen strawberry daiquiris by the pool.

Seville

I haven't got a lot to say about this trip because I spent the majority of it in bed sick. I did manage one morning of adventure though which involved a food tour around the city and I enjoyed that very much.

Barcelona

This trip was booked totally last minute when I won a ticket to see Blink 182 play there. It turned out to be one of my favourite memories from the whole year. Not only was I super excited to see one of my favourite bands which I'd not been about to get a ticket for in Lodnon, but I also took my skates along with me and spent the afternoon skating up and down the beach in the sun. I ate tapas in the street, wandered about on my own and fell in love with around a city I'd previously written off.

Indonesia

Having already flown to Asia earlier in the year I was looking for another excuse to go back so when I saw that another favourite band of mine, Bring me the horizon were playing in Jakarta it was the perfect excuse.

Jakarta was another place I had no interest in visiting, I was only there to see the band but funnily enough, this was another place I ended up really loving.

Bali I know well and with a mix of luxury hostels and private treetop villas, it was a wonderfully varied trip. I made friends and went to beach clubs some days and jumped between delivery food by my private plunge pool and the spa on others.

This trip was less reflective and more grounding. I looked at it as a healing trip and wanted it to be about getting back to myself and being happy - and that's exactly what happened.

I am very grateful I was able to travel so much this year and after a couple of quieter years due to covid, it reminded me just how happy travel makes me. I look forward to whatever adventures 2024 brings!

Monday, 6 January 2020

Smoothie bowls, rice paddies scooter rides and flower baths; did you even go to Bali if you're Instagram isn't plastered with these things by the time you leave?

Flower baths seem to had blown up in 2019 and as I travel blogger, I took it upon myself to go and on a little solo adventure and indulge myself, so I could share my experience here, naturally.

Well let me tell you, they aren't all they're cracked up to be, from my experience anyway; but cute photo hey?

A lot of the little spas that line the streets of Bali offer flower baths but it wasn't what I wanted. I had a scene set in my head and I was going to chase that - for as cheap as I could. I wanted traditional Balinese, outdoors - overlooking the rice paddies and it had to be instagrammable - it's a lot harder to find that you'd expect when you're not willing to pay too much. As flower bath massages go, I went for a mid priced experience although it was the cheapest one that ticked all my boxes otherwise it was a normal bathtub in the back of a salon somewhere.

I came across Sedona spa and it seemed to have everything I was after. It was a beautiful setting, outside in the rice paddies just on the outskirts of the city and I was able to walk there from my accommodation. I also liked that you didn't need to book with them, you could just turn up and get started.

Their treatment list was great too. With a lot of places, you'd need to book a massage and the flower bath part separately and that's why it ended up costing so much. Sedona had a whole section just of these type experiences. All different smells and flavours but all basically the same thing: massage, scrub, bath.

I went for the Green Tea Bath - RP 210.000 (£11.50)

A relaxing one hour massages using a combination of techniques. Our special body scrub with a natural “Green Tea ingredients follow a natural yogurt and honey moisturizer will refresh, soften & rejuvenate your skin cells. Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants; reduce acne, cellulite and the formation of stretch mark. Finally, you immerse yourself in a bath of exotic flowers.

After choosing my treatment, I was lead outside to one of the rooms overlooking the rice paddies, made very private but the surrounding greenery and flowers.

As mentioned, we started with a massage, then a body scrub and then the flower bath but I had a few issues with the experience as a whole and that's what I'm here to share.

Firstly, I was cold. lol. Bali isn't cold and this was the last thing I thought was going to be a problem but when you're covered in warm oil and there are no walls to catch the breeze it actually gets pretty chilly.

Secondly, they insisted on running the bath whilst I was having my massage. So for the hour, I had the noise of running a bath in my ear and honestly, it made it really, really hard to relax.

Next, and this one is for the 'grammers. Once my massage was done and she was ready to leave me with my floral bath, she casually dropped that I have 20 minutes. Twenty minutes?! It takes longer than that to set the camera up how I wanted it, let alone take a good photo.

and the last, and probably most annoying thing? The bath was literally boiling hot - like scolding but I came for an instagram photo and I wasn't going to leave without one so I sucked it up and took the plunge. My poor red feet haha

All in, I'm glad I got to do it, and honestly, it did only cost me £12 so no big loss but that being said, I wouldn't go back and do it again, not there anyway - though I am keen to experience it somewhere else and see if they're all similar.

So would I recommend? yes, If you are looking to get your photos for the gram, without spending too much then yes - but just be aware that it's not always as it seems!

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

My travel styles have been known to hit both ends of the spectrum. When I was in full time employment, my holidays were limited to 25 days a year and consequently, I spent all of my money on them, they were pretty indulgent. Now that I no longer have a limit - or a stable income - and I have discovered a whole new way of traveling; my trips are much longer and cost much less.

As such, I'd never had any inkling to use Air bnb. Unlike your typical millennial, I guess I kind of just found the whole thing a bit mediocre, but that all changed when I switched the location of my searches to Bali, Indonesia and I realised that I could get my over indulgence back at a price I could afford!

I had my first, and second Airbnb experience this summer and while I still have absolutely no interest to use the service anywhere else, I would 100% recommend using it if you plan to visit Bali. Here are 5 reasons why:

Value For Money

Considering just how nice these places are, you'd be surprised at how much they cost. Air bnb prices per property, not per person and between us, our budget was £50. I was there with just one friend which obviously made it £25 per night each but the villa actually slept 4 making it ridiculously cheap per head. It's pretty standard to pay £20 per night for a nice hostel in Bali so this was incredible value for money and we were both very pleased with ourselves.

Facilities

People rent these places out to live in, not just to holiday in and so they have all the everyday facilities you'd need which is not something you often find with a hotel or a hostel. As Schofields points out, having things like an oven and a washing machine makes life much easier for guests and whilst Luke took advantage of the kitchen, if you know me, you'll know full well that I went out to eat at any and every opportunity.

The private pools however, are something I took full advantage of and are where I spent most of my time.

Low Cost Luxe

The first time I went to Bali a few years back, I spent an embarrassing amount of money. I don't regret it because I stayed at the most incredible villas, but as I've become much more aware of life without a travel agent, I've realised that I could have very easily done it myself for a fraction of the price. The villas that I sourced and booked myself through Air BnB were just as good, if not better.

Privacy

Hostels have their benefits and for me, the fact that there are people around all the time is something I like when I'm traveling alone; but privacy is not their strong point.

I loved being able to unpack, to leave things on the floor, to make as much mess as I wanted and know that everything was going to be just where I left it when I got back. As well as privacy from the rest of the world, having a double bed and a room all to myself, plus my own outside en suite was awesome.

Unique Accommodation

A private pool and outdoor bathrooms were all I was after and Luke just wanted modern so our villas were smart and clean cut with a Balinese charm.

Some of them though, were so unique - Air bnb is an amazing place to find something different! Things like tree houses and little huts were a norm among the listings so I'd love to stay somewhere really quirky next time!

For my first experience though, it was very good! I'm glad I did it with a friend but I would be confident to use the service solo now I've seen how it works. Everything looked as the photos showed and our hosts were great when we couldn't find the address and very helpful when Luke forgot all his electronics after we left.

So if like me, you've never used air bnb before, hopefully this'll convince you to give it a go on your next trip! I can't wait to do it again.

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Monday, 23 July 2018

Travelling hasn't just all been a big adventure (well it has, but), it's actually helped open my eyes to other ways of doing things; hence today's blog post. I realise that whilst a few of my most memorable experiences have indeed been at a luxury hotel, you don't need to spend thousands on accommodation to have great trip. If you're clever about it, you can do even the most expensive destinations on a budget and still have a blast. Whether its a cheap or expensive destination, there are always ways around it! Check out this useful tool to help you experience a Dubai holiday on any budget shoestring to splurge!

Although it seems pretty obvious, this really was a bit of a discovery for me. To put it into perspective, the first time I visited Bali, I blew so much money I don't know what I was thinking. I'm glad I did it back then because I don't think I could justify spending £300 a night on a holiday right now. When I went back to Bali last year, my accommodation cost £7 a night; that's almost 50 times less omg.

I've slept in some very expensive rooms and now, I've slept on the airport floor to save paying for a bed. Here are some of my most memorable nights:

Purple Monkey Hostel, Pai

I had never heard of Pai but when I arrived in Thailand the whole backpacking community were talking about how amazing it was so I decided to book a couple of days and give it a go.

My trip turned into a week long visit and it became my favorite part of Thailand; it definitely had some of the coolest hostels but all of the good ones were out in the middle of nowhere and I didn't want to hire a motorbike so I had to compromise.

After a few nights in a shared dorm at Purple Monkey, I couldn't take any more, it was just too basic and with Electric Valley festival coming up, I decided to book myself into one of the private rooms because I knew that I'd want to get a proper sleep the day afterwards.

Turned out that the private rooms were actually tiny little huts, just big enough to fit the mattress on the floor. There were 5 of them, all lined up in different colours. Super cute and pretty hilarious (they looked like an oversized dog kennels to me) with a padlock to lock the front door; it was the perfect place to shut myself away from the world and get some much needed sleep.

The Mondrian Hotel, London

The Mondrian is my favourite hotel in London and I have mentioned our many stays there on the blog before; although somehow, I failed to mention the time/s we stayed in their river view balcony suite (which is going for £924 including breakfast for tonight).

I assumed it was going to be an once in a lifetime experience, seriously, not even I would spend that much on one night but somehow, it happened again and we got to stay in this incredible room on two different occasions. Interesting what a couple of 4am fire alarms and a good old complaint email can get you.

The room was 700 sqft with two bathrooms - one with a freestanding bath, a separate dining area and a huge balcony overlooking the Thames. We drank complimentary champagne in the room, had massages at the spa and dinner and cocktails at their Sea Containers restaurant downstairs. Along with crab scrambled eggs and avo toast in the morning; this will forever be one of my most memorable hotel visits ever.

Tipsy Tiger Hostel, Penang

Tipsy Tiger was the best party hostel that I stayed in during my stint in Southeast Asia plus it was super cheap for such a popular place. My £7 got me a bed, a 2 liter bottle of water, two very strong mixed drinks at the bar and as much nutella and toast (and well you know, fruit) as I could eat the next morning. It was big, spacious and super chilled out during the day which made sense because you don't really get much sleep sharing a bedroom with 19 other ridiculously drunk people.

Yep. The 20 bed at Tipsy Tiger was the biggest room I came across and stayed in on my trip and yes, there were multiple couples having sex every. single. night. That was the tame stuff; all sorts of things went down in that room and as you can imagine, it was just madness.

Like all of my favourite hostels, I extended my stay here and did 6 nights on the trot. I left at 7am on the last day, completley broken and had to take a week off to recover, vowing I'd never go back. oops.

ME Hotel, Majorca

It's not often I go back to the same place again and again, but this is one exception; I went back one year after another and was still desperate for more.

I've been to a few ME hotels but the one in Majorca is very arty, very lifestyle based and it is such a vibe. Honestly, that is the perfect the word for it; they even have a room called VIBE - although I've always stayed in sea view PASSION room because it has bathtub looking over the beach. Priorities.

Along with the bath tub, the rooms are minimalist, fresh, white and crisp with an open plan bathroom so you better be comfortable with whoever you are sharing with. With an adult only pool, an on site beach restaurant and music pumping all day from Nikki Beach next door, I didn't want to leave the hotel all too often; but of course we did (a couple of times at least.)

Chilled days would be spent drinking frozen cocktails by the pool and then heading out to Port Adriano for a seafood feast and more adventurous days would see us exploring Palma old town on an open top bus and making the most of Magaluf's infamous night life with super club, BCM just down the road - another Majorca holiday highlight for me, I've been going to that place since I was 17.

Home, Auckland

I wasn't sure if I should put this one in but I always think to myself how important part of my life story this little place is going to be. Not only was it my first home, the first place that I paid rent for but it's the first place I lived with a partner and the first time I've lived in another country, let alone one that is about as far away from home as I could get. It's funny where life takes you.

Ubud Village Resort, Ubud

I couldnt come in with an intro like that and then not mention the rooms. We actually stayed at The Elysian in Bali too but whilst I loved that place equally, it was much less authentic and I will always remember arriving at this hotel. It was our first time in Bali and I didn't realise that places like this existed. A completely open reception area meant we could see across the whole property while the sun set and we sipped on welcome drinks. As it got darker, candles lit every walkway in the resort; we hopped on a golf buggy to our villa. A big wooden gated entrance, a private pool, an outdoor bathtub and soft Balinese music playing in the background, made it (and Ubud in general) the most romantic place I've ever visited.

I wrote this paragraph and then realised that I have quite literally quoted this post word on word; very strong memories as you can see.

Sukhuvati Retreat, Canggu

For someone who had never done yoga before, it had always been a strange dream of mine to visit a yoga retreat and I finally made it happen last year.

What an experience; with daily treatments at the spa and in the villa, vegan food that I didn't know existed and a room to myself, even more extravagant than the one in Ubud, it was one of the most amazing things I've ever done.

Having taken up yoga since arriving in New Zealand, I would love to return to Sukhuvati one day.

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