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Bali, Indonesia – Why You Should Go Now

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Indonesia? Sounds like a crazy place for most people. Bali, one of Indonesia islands, probably seems like one of those exotic, unachievable or unimaginable destinations that you only see and read about in magazines, right? Orr, perhaps not. Far from reality actually. Bali actually receives nearly 3 million visitors per year!

But you shouldn’t go there if you like beautiful beaches, amazing hotels, culture, surfing, great nightlife or incredible restaurants. Because that wouldn’t be the place for you. Like, at all! Did I mention cheap? Right, who would like something that is cheap!

All jokes aside, visiting Bali between April- October is perfect, because it is considered dry season. Rainy season is November- March, though, this should not deter you from visiting during this time. Visitors can actually enjoy all activities during rainy season, and perhaps take part in seasonal low hotel rates. Also it’s worth mentioning that because Bali is so close to the equator temperatures are similar year round.

Getting To Bali

If you have a bit of time off, maybe one-two weeks. You could easily see a few areas of Bali within that time frame, along with getting there and back. The great thing about traveling west over so many time zones, is that when you come back you can sometimes come back on the “same day” within a few hours as you took off. Which is one of the weirder experiences I’ve had during my travels.

Bali has one major airport located just south of the popular beach destination in Bali called Kuta. There are many flights leaving for Bali on the west coast from all major airports (LAX, SFO, SEA, SAN, LAS) all under $900 year round. Even some flights out of LAX are in the low $600 range. Sometimes you can’t even fly from LA to Miami without paying that much!

Which Area To Stay

Bali is a very diverse little island, with many different areas to take up temporary residence. Because of the vast diversity, you should probably stay in the areas that most interest on what you want to get out of your vacation. Below is a detailed map showing major cities, and where most of the hotels are located. Hotels are not limited to the areas featured on the map, you can actually find hotels all over the island, as well as, vacation rentals.

 

Popular Areas:

  • Kuta Beach- Best known as the most famous tourist resort area. It was the first tourist spot on the island, mainly for the great Indian Ocean surfing. This once rustic beach location, has grown into a party-centric destination for visitors all over the world.
  • Seminyak Beach- Home to some of the most luxurious resorts on the island, and by far the most fashionable part of the island. Shopping stalls and boutquies line the streets, as well as cafes and high end restaurants.
  • Bukit Peninsula- This location houses the famous cliff-hanging Uluwatu temple, Balangan beach -considered some of the worlds best white sand beaches- and now some of top surfing spots on the island. This part of the island also has some very uber swanky spas, and hotels with views to kill.
  • Nusa Dua- Is on the eastern side of Bukit Peninsula, but is in a category all on its’ own. This a more laid back part of the island, away from the crazy roads of Jimbaran and party area of Kuta. There is a very well known golf course, convention center, as well as, a host of luxury resorts. One of the more unique aspects of the Nusa Dua enclave is that there are three manned gates that are subject to a visitor security search. (Probably why the president of the United States stays on this part of the island.
  • Ubud- This part of the island is very near and dear to my heart. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve been in the world. The topography will transcend you to a completely different world, and the culture is matched to beat the rest. Don’t let the jungle of be worrisome there are a good variety of budget to luxury hotels in this area, to accommodate anyones needs.
  • Pemuteran- This is an increasingly popular area to visit Bali in recent years. This small liad-back fishing village is a way to seem some of Bali’s more natural and uninhibited beaches. One of the more unique features of this area is that it is home to largest artificial Biorock reef project in the world. (You like scub? *insert french accent here)

 

Bali is a fascinating island that has a lot to offer to visitor young, and old. If you have any suggestions or areas to stay that I haven’t covered leave them in the comment below!

Experience Grand Hyatt Kauai

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Recently I had the pleasure of staying at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Kauai, and let me just say it was beyond my expectations. When planning travel I look at a few things; location, surroundings, cost, and of course the property itself.

When looking at Kauai its almost broken up into three different sections, north, east, and south side. A lot of the west side is not accessible nor are there many places to stay. I narrowed our options to the north and south, west seemed too busy for what we wanted out of this particular trip. We were going to choose the St. Regis Kauai on the north side, but after some research we decided on staying south in hopes for better weather being we were visiting end of November onto December. Not sure if it actually made any difference, but I wouldn’t have changed it! So Grand Kyatt Kauai Resort and Spa it was. We even booked with our American Express Platinum card through Amex Travel to utilize the Fine Hotels and Resorts Perks. *(more on that later)

One of my favorite parts of this partials property is how lush and green it is!!! Okay, now I know what you’re thinking it’s not called the ‘Garden Island’ for nothing! Regardless, the property is incredible! Check out the minute long video below over the Grand Hyatt Kauai.

 

 

 

 

Experiencing A Hammam In Morocco

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la-mamounia-entranceHammam, turkish bath, roman bath, they’re all relatively the same. You my have heard of these spa services, or perhaps you haven’t. I will tell you before moving to Las Vegas I didn’t have a clue what a Hamamm was. Hammam is particular spa treatment originating from Turkey, known as turkish bath. Turkish bath in arabic means Hammam, reason behind the different names. With a price tag for these services generally over $400 they’re certainly not the most popular!

Recently, I was treated to a spa day at the Sahra Spa & Hammam at the Cosmopolitan by one of my gal pals. (Thanks again Chrissy @garciachristan! I owe you big time!) During my amazing massage I told my masseuse that I was traveling to Morocco soon, and that I was excited to experience their spa treatments, primarily their Hammams. His voice lit up, and said “once we’re finished here, I’ll show you our Hammam room”. How cool right? A private tour! And it was beautiful, and sooo luxurious. The masseuse began telling me about the treatment, but I was in such a daze from my massage and enamoured by the beauty that I kind of forget to listen. Opps! That would have been nice info to know! ha!

Fast forward to one month later…..

My girl friend and I are in Morocco. Marrakech, to be exact. We have our eyes set on many adventures while we are in Marrakech, and one of them happens to be this mystical, skin-silkening hammam service. I told my friend about this spa treatment, and after a bit of convincing she reluctantly she said she’d try it. As to our surprise there were very, VERY nice spas in Marrakech. One in particular being at our hotel the Es Saadi Palace, the famous Dior institute and spa. Supposedly there are only two of these in the world! However, we wanted more of a local vibe, and prices were also more affordable off property.

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Herbal room at Es Saasi Palace Spa

Luckily our kind friends in Marrakech booked us a 2 hour Hammam plus massage treatment at Les Bains de Marrakech. They told us it was very popular amongst locals and tourists, and a few days after arriving we were to have our first hammam!

The scrub down… I mean, Hammam treatment

Once the day arrived, I was a little nervous, because by now I’ve heard so many mixed views on hammam’s. From- “Like, you lay on this floor, it’s wet, your naked and someone scrubs you” to “You’re doing what” and “don’t worry it doesn’t hurt that bad”….ha what could go wrong right?! Okay, it was a bit intense sounding, a bit strange, but for the most part I was trying to keep an open mind. After all, we were in Morocco, and this is something that’s very much part of their culture.

After check in we were showed to the women’s facilities. We were told to undress keeping underwear on, and get in our designated robes and spa sandals. Once changed a woman immediately came to collect us and took us to begin our afternoon of festivities. Yay! After many minutes of walking down hundreds of corridors we made it to our hammam room. There we were passed off to another worker who tells us in french to de-robe, or I assume to de-robe because she was tugging on my robe belt. Okay robe off! She then began pointing at one side of the room, where I assume she wanted to me to lay given by her hand gestures. She then motions the same to my friend.

For some reason I thought my friend and I would be in separate rooms, this came to a screeching halt when we were both being forced into the same room. Let me tell you if we weren’t close friends before, it was about to get a lot closer!! Not embarressing at all… nope not one bit! Plus, neither of us spoke french so it was useless. *nervous laugh* The worker walks away and closes the door behind her. Allow me to paint this picture- she leaves us in this small room, which is about a million degrees, laying on two plastic type cushion beds with water drenched on them to sweat. In that very moment I literally had no idea what I got ourselves into, and I know my friend was thinking the same. All we could do in that moment was break out in uncontrollable laughs.

After the giggles and crying-laughs subsided, the woman finally returns says “le virage” about ten times (which means to turn over in French, I guess we were laying the wrong way) then she began putting some black rock soap on us. Once applying was over she again shuts the door and leaves us for about another 10 minutes, or in our minds an eternity! Finally, the lady again returned, allowing some fresh air into the small room, thank god! She then began administering this small glove to her hand, making her way towards me..  I knew now there was no going back. What she did from there, was something my skin had never endured before. I thought she was going to give be third degree burns from scrubbing so hard. After she finished doing devil practices to my friend, she then rubbed what looked to be mud (I think they said it was an algae mask) to our bodies and faces, and once again exited the room. I then began having thoughts like “I’ve never felt this much pain everywhere, like ev-er-y-where” and “I don’t want to look because I think I might be bleeding” it was that serious! After another long while she came back and one by one were told to rinse off and leave the room. Yay back to our fresh, comfy robes!

Facilities at Les Bains de Marrakech - Photo courtesy of @DreamySpas

Facilities at Les Bains de Marrakech – Photo courtesy of @DreamySpas

Final thoughts

Hammam reflections; after it was said and done, the treatment was great, awkward with another person, but great. Would I chose to go alone next time? Most likely yes, but going with a friend or loved one is not unheard of. It actually looked like the room could even hold a third person judging by the three beds. As for my skin, it felt freaking fabulous! Those dry layers of skin finally off, and the magic mud bath at the end seemed to really seal the deal. But, maybe it was my imagination? At a small price of, $60 USD for Hammam treatment plus a 1 hour massage, I would do it again in a heart beat! You can’t even get a 1 hour massage in the US for $60, let alone two treatments for $60. Les Bains, all I can say is, thank you so much for not scrubbing off all my skin so that some day I may return to Marrakech experience more hammams!

Top Hammam Spas in Marrakech

Let me know if you have any embarrassing spa or hammam treatments below!
From,

Jessie xx

Perfect Weekend Escape: Palm Springs

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Check out this trendy California spot for a quick weekend vacay. Where to stay and what to do!

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Destination Discovered: Singapore, Singapore

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My next addition of ‘Destination Discovered’ is the time I went to Singapore… check out my tips for traveling to Singapore!

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Springs Most Sought After Blooms

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Spring has definitely sprung, and with that comes some of the best gifts nature has to offer-FLOWERS!

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Destination Discovered: Hanoi, Vietnam

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Coming at you with week two of ‘Destination Discovered’! This time I will take you on a journey to a thriving metropolitan city in Southeast Asia called Hanoi.

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Attractions in San Fran during Super Bowl Weekend

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One of the biggest events in American Culture is upon us… no not Labor Day, no not even the 4th of July… I’m talking football!

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Lux for Less – 10 Penthouse AirBnB’s for Under $150/Night

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Do you like luxury? Do you like finding the best deals while traveling? Would you want to feel like you’re on top of the world? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions then you’ll probably like to know that you can have all this all for a mere $150/night at these Air BnB rentals. Best part of it all is that they’re all penthouses!

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5 Ideas for Weekend Getaway: Valentines Style

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Whether you love it or hate it… February 14th, aka. Valentine’s Day, aka. the dreaded holiday for some, is right around the corner. So, if you haven’t started thinking about what to get your ‘Valentine’ it’s time to start!

If you’re needing some Valentine inspo, then let us be your guide. Of course you could always go the clichè route by getting flowers, hearts, chocolate, but why not take advantage of Valentine’s Day falling on a weekend?! Stir things up this year and think about taking a day trip, or even a weekend trip with your V-Day crush.

 

Below are 5 weekend getaway ideas that you and your Valentine will sure to LOVE!

 

1. Check into a bed & breakfast

Bed and Breakfast’s have this sort of whimsical charm to them. The calm, relaxing feel will allow you and your Valentine to sit back and relax in the romance of the weekend. Many Bed and Breakfasts’ even have all inclusive package that allows for a stress free weekend. No ‘where do you want to eat’ argument will arise. Win! Most bed and breakfasts’ you can find using TripAdvisor, however,  you’ll need to contact the B&B directly for pricing either via email or phone call.

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Quintessentials Bed and Breakfast and Spa in East Marion, New York.

2. Visit a winery

Did you know every state has it’s own winery? The website – Winery By State – has a complete list of wineries in every state. Even if you aren’t a wine lover, wineries can still be pretty awesome! Beautiful scenery, and history of the vineyard is worth the drive in itself. Some wineries even have their own restaurants attached to them, which will be a good way to soak up a day of those fermented grapes!

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Silver Oak Winery; Napa, California

3. Spend the weekend at the beach

Though it might not be 80 degrees and sunny — okay, maybe in Florida — but other parts of the country it certainly will not be. It will still be incredible to kick back and watch the sun rise or set on the beach with your cupid’s crush. In fact, some of those killer hotels that you’ve always wanted to visit will be at discount since it’s considered low to mid season. You’ll even find great deals booking hotels last minute through sites like Hotels Tonight (TIP: Use PONPOINT and receive $25 off your first night night stay!). Not feeling the hotel vibes? Check out Air BnB for beach condos and houses, some houses can even sleep up to 8-10 people!

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Surf and Sand Resort Laguna Beach, California

4. Visit your nearest National Park

Visiting your nearest park may not seem very romantic, however, being alone and spending time together is really all you need. Parks are filled with amazing sites, great hiking, and perfect photo ops. If you don’t have access to national parks there are a lot of great alternatives such as; urban hiking, and local parks. Check out this link for an index of national parks by state.

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Urban Park: Dallas, Texas

5. Have a staycation

Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to visit somewhere new. Travel can be right in your backyard or in  the next city over. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to check out that new restaurant with that incredible wine menu, that show you’ve been wanting to catch, those spa passes you received for Christmas, or that new cocktail lounge. Make a weekend out of it by spending it with your Valentine at that nice hotel downtown. We bet sitting in those plush robes, while eating room service, will sure make you feel like you’re hundreds of miles away.

In at the market

Inn at the Market in Downtown Seattle, Washington