Where We Be
After a stretch of busy touring days, it was pure bliss
to sit still for awhile and soak up the beach vibe in Bali
Legian Beach -- Bali, Indonesia
One of the things we loved about this trip as a
whole was how we struck a balance between
busy touring days and quiet relaxing days. So
after five days of on-the-go temple touring in
Yogyakarta, we sandwiched in five days of
tranquil beach time at Legian Beach in Bali.
After that, feeling rejuvenated, we spent five
more days in Ubud seeing temples and cultural
sights galore. This back-and-forth between fast
and slow gears makes for good travel karma.

It has always been a dream of ours to visit Bali,
which took hold of our imaginations years ago
when we were still mostly armchair travelers.
Legian Beach offers a gentle introduction to
this lovely island. Bali is predominantly Hindu
rather than Muslim; calls to prayer are replaced
by hundreds of small Hindu temples seemingly
on every block of every town. But the temples
can wait. We spent our first days in Bali in
dreamlike, pampered bliss, alternating between
the beach, the pool, fine meals, and even finer
massages. By the way, Balinese massage is  
one of the most amazing values we've ever
experienced: one full hour for less than $5 US.
We promise you'll miss it once you leave Bali!
From the first moment we stepped off the plane, we knew
we were somewhere different in the best possible sense
The great thing about Legian Beach in general is its location only about
twenty minutes away from the airport in Denpasar, so getting here is easy
Our room (#125) was clean and comfortable with strong AC, great wifi, and large breakfast buffet
included. We particularly liked the modern looking open-air shower at the back of the room.
Our home away from home was All Seasons Legian Hotel ($73 per night), and the thing we cared about most was the pool.
We absolutely loved this pool with its canopy of trees. We spent whole days slipping in and out of the water like human seals.
Restaurants are plentiful all through town. We loved the gado-gado
sushi rolls at Big Bowl and the casual beach vibe at local bars and cafes.
The beach itself is wide and pleasant. Legian Beach sits between two other well-known Bali beaches,
Kuta to the south and Seminyak to the north. A long walk can take you from one beach to the next.
Waves vary between kiddie pool friendly and  pretty damn
intimidating depending on time of day and conditions
Surfers weren't intimidated
no matter how big the waves got
After five days at Legian Beach we felt rejuvenated and
ready to take on Ubud with its temples and culture galore