Nusantara is a restaurant I decided we should visit after my extensive research about local food in Ubud. There are about a billion restaurant offerings in this small town, and it’s really hard to just pick a few when you are only staying there for a few days. Nusantara is the decidedly more low-key restaurant headed up by the folks at Locavore – a restaurant that has been at the top of most “best-of” Indonesia and Asian lists for a…
Momotaro has been a staple for Japanese food and Sushi in the busy West Loop neighborhood of Chicago since it opened in 2014. I have been here about five times, and this time, we came to celebrate one of our wedding anniversaries! It was a very busy Saturday evening, and, unfortunately, the service was really lacking this time, and I feel like this place is starting to decline a bit in quality and service. This restaurant’s design is minimal and…
As I mentioned in my article about Four Seasons Bali, Jimbaran Bay overview, we booked the Bali – Twice the Magic Package through Four Seasons, which allowed us to stay at both Four Seasons properties in Bali. When you book this package, you have the option to check into Four Seasons Sayan via raft – which means you get dropped off at the Ayung river, the longest river in Bali, and a captain and guide take you down the river,…
One of the activities Noah really wanted to do on our trip to Bali was snorkeling. I had been snorkeling a few times in areas around Bali – there are a few small islands to the east of Bali where snorkeling is excellent. Previously, I had been to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan and I have awesome memories of those excursions. Back then, in 2002 and 2009, Nusa Penida was not even on the radar as far as tourism goes,…
We stayed in Singapore for an overnight layover, and my primary purpose for our short stay was to get Noah his first Michelin stars. If you didn’t know, Singapore is chock full of Michelin stars, with 51 restaurants boasting anywhere from 1-3 stars. It was really really hard to pick one place to go, but Cloud Street stuck out to me as a cool and hip, not too stuffy place, with really innovative food. Plus, two Michelin stars is not…
Four Seasons is known throughout the world for their incredible service, luxe rooms, and high end amenities, but did you know that they also curate special tours, that will provide you with amazing memories that will last a lifetime? Well, our first experience with a Four Seasons tour was the “Ocean to Table” tour at the Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay. I booked this tour because it combined a fun water activity (fishing) along with a cooking class, and it…
The Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay is 100% villas. If you stay here, you will have your own private enclave with a ton of space, and the differences in price are basically the views, although there are some massive 2+ bedroom villas available as well. I actually booked a Deluxe Villa, which was a partial ocean view, and this was the nicest villa you could book before the prices took a big jump. They actually upgraded us to a…
Since we were coming to Bali, a place for relaxation, wellness, and healing, I wanted to take full advantage of all of the spa opportunities I could. The Healing Village Spa is located at the very top of the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, and offers a massively wide range of services. I always have a hard time choosing which service, because I really love massages, but I also love scrubs and wraps. Luckily, the spa had a combo package made…
This was our first outing outside of our resort on our recent trip to Bali. I booked the excursion through Forever Vacations, assuming that having a guide will provide an extra layer and added value of interest and knowledge when visiting the temple. For this particular tour, I would not recommend booking through Forever Vacations, at upwards of $80 per person, because while your driver does take you around and provides water and arranges getting the tickets to the dance,…
We ate at the Sundara Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort in Jimbaran Bay twice, mainly because the sunset views there were completely epic, but also because there are several different experiences you can have there, from a formal dinner to more a tapas or sharing menu. First, the sunsets. I mean, Bali has some of the most beautiful sunsets in the entire world, and being on Jimbaran Bay itself means you can witness this stunning spectacle almost nightly. Sundara…