Our trip to Kuala Lumpur was to connect with friends, to visit, to eat and visit some more. Our trip to Bali was just to relax…and eat, and eat, and eat some more.

We stayed first in Ubud, rented a little airbnb villa with our own pool. At most Airbnbs, you are pretty much on your own, so we were so surprised that we had a 24 hour attendant to look out for our needs. Breakfast was served to us each morning, cooked in our outdoor kitchen. Our bed was made up daily complete with towels folded into swans. The entire villa cleaned spotless. And once, when I got sick, a scooter ride to the pharmacy. Now that is service!!!!! And the cost was $90.00 USD per day.

Eating Our Way Through Bali
While in Ubud we visited several nearby waterfalls and temples, a coffee plantation, hiked Kapuhan Ridge, and we ate at some pretty amazing restaurants, world class restaurants.

Going to a waterfall in Bali is quite a bit different than say hiking to a falls in Mt. Rainier National Park. Most of the falls are owned by a village and it becomes a commercial venture. There is usually an entrance fee and they’ll be attendants to steer you into a parking lot. Next you will need to walk by shop after shop selling touristy what-nots, food, and drinks. Once you make it through that gauntlet, you start down the path to the falls. Along the way you will find photo props like big hearts made out of twigs or giant bird nests where you climb in and have a pic taken. And at the falls you will need to use all your patience to catch a shot of the water cascading over the precipice without all the Instagram hungry posing this way or that. But the falls are beautiful and usually worth the effort.



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Temples are everywhere in Bali, in fact there are more temples than there are people. Every home will house numerous temples where they pray and give offerings. There are local temples that range from village temples to those with great Balinese significance. There are many smaller temples like irrigation temples set in rice fields. You usually enter a temple from the south through a split gate called a candi bentar. Most temples will be enclosed by walls and will consist of at least three courtyards. There is much meaning and significance to the courtyards. Appropriate attire is required at all the temples and usually they have sarongs to rent or borrow. Depending upon the temple, there can be huge crowds. We were going to go the Pura Luhur Lempuyang, The Stairway to Heaven Temple, that has this amazing view of Mt. Agung framed between the entry gate. But we heard there was up to a 5 hour wait just to get your chance at a picture in front of the gate. Regrettably we chose to forego that visit.

And now onward to the food…..

Apéritif
Apéritif is what you might call a cozy, high-end destination dining in Bali. It is located at the premiere luxury resort Viceroy Bali tucked on the side of a lush remote river valley just outside Ubud. We started the night at another restaurant at the Viceroy called CasCades….wanted to grab a cocktail before dinner. We were sat at a bar table overlooking the most amazing valley as we watched the jungle turn colors with the setting sun. It was here we found the best tasting mojito of the trip.

We were then provided a ride to Apéritif in one of the Viceroy’s passenger carts. You enter through this gorgeous hallway and are led to the bar for your aperitif. We chose to sit on the deck instead of in the bar…the view is beautiful. It was here our dining experience began. First a couple of drinks…our Apéritif. Then came three different appetizers, each one more spectacular than the next.

Then we were led into the dining room…a large elegant space with the most modern, stainless steel kitchen you have ever seen. We got to meet Chef Alex, the pastry chef, and sample one of his creations. At our table we selected the 8 course (it turned out to be about 16 courses) degustation menu complete with wine pairings. And then for the next couple of hours plate after plate of this most amazing food came to our table, often accompanied by a chef to explain everything to us. And with each course along came Madhe Yudiana, the sommelier, with our wine pairing. And the pours were not small. So we already had a couple cocktails, and now we were drinking glass after glass of wine from all over the world….our livers got a good workout!!!! For the Venison Wellington, Head Chef Nic came to our table to serve us. We aren’t fans of venison, but we loved this version. Service at Apéritif is stellar; a most pleasant combination of Indonesian friendliness, European sensibility, and Japanese efficiency. We left fat, satisfied and more than a little tipsy!!!!

Locavore
Next up for us was Locavore, set right downtown Ubud. Locavore has been listed as one of the top restaurants in the world….this year was number 26 in all of Asia. It is much more of an intimate experience, smaller in scale, but with the same dedication to fine dining using locally source ingredients. A good friend of ours knows the chef here at Locavore, and while he was too busy to come and talk with us, unbeknownst to us, he had the wait staff add additional courses to our meal. So sweet!!!

When we were seated, the first thing that came to our table was a plate filled with edible flowers. Our waitress told to enjoy!!!! We ate our way through the flowers and there, under all the petals was the menu…SURPRISE!!!! So creative.

We chose not to go with the wine pairing, instead selected drinks from their custom cocktail list. And then, like at Aperitif, plate after plate arrived at our table, each one creatively plated. I think we had at least 5 desserts. We rolled out of this restaurant with contented bellies and sober enough to walk back to our villa.

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Cuca
Last, but certainly not least, was Cuca. We have been here 5 times and it never gets old. Located down in Jimbaran, about an hour drive from Ubud, we arrived early enough to take a walk on the beach and grab a cocktail at the Sunset Grill at the Intercontinental Hotel. There on the grounds of the hotel we caught the last ten minutes of a mass wedding. Approximately 50 couples from China all got hitched at the same time. The ceremony had more of a game show atmosphere complete with balloons and a rousing send off. Then it was down to the beach for after-wedding photos!!!!

The Sunset Bar and Grill is another one of our favorite spots. You take your flip-flops off and let your toes dig around in the sand, sip on an adult beverage or two, and watch the sun set into the sea. Doesn’t get much better than that.

At Cuca we sat overlooking the kitchen…love the see the action. The food is tapa syle with flavors that just pop in your mouth and always so fun. We met with Chef Kevin (thanks again to our food blogging friend) and he treated us to a tour of the restaurant and after dinner drinks on the outdoor patio. He is such a great guy….loved his vision, his passion for creating exceptional food, and his zest for life.

It is time for us to say goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Ubud. Next stop will be the peace and serenity of Sidemen.