I've been to Bali too

And then I went to Bali.
Two weeks after returning from London.
And before I go any further I assure you that my life doesn't usually look like this, but for various reasons this is how the timing happened.
The main reason being the 40th birthday of a close friend,  Bali being deemed to be a great meeting point for both Australian and English contingents.
Although heavily weighing in our favour.
Now I don't know about you, but my first trip to Bali was only two years ago. And it was only due to heavy campaigning by a friend that I agreed to go.
Prior to that I had always dismissed Bali as the not-my-type-of-Aussie holiday destination.
But thank God my friend persevered.
For now I am a convert, and aim to spend a week there annually.

We stayed at the luxurious Sentosa Private Villas in Seminyak.
After the overheated and hectic airport experience, followed by an arctic air-conditioned airport bus ride, the serene and seemingly temperate environs of this resort were a welcome relief.

There is a little bit of cultural cross-polination which can be slightly challenging for the purist, however, the overall effect was really very beautiful and soothing. 

The Japanese pond with large paving stones and coy carp set the tone upon entry.

I wasn't sure about the large stone figure, which we lazily described as Buddha, however, as Bali is a Hindu enclave in a Muslim state, other possibilities clearly abound.

The quadrangle of bedrooms and shared living space around the private pool nods ever so slightly to a Dutch-Indonesian colonial aesthetic. And if you've read any of my previous postings you will know how I feel about a colonial reference.

I especially loved the bedrooms. 

Complete with mosquito-net canopied four poster beds and multiple gold cushions a la Anouska Hempel (the bolster being one of my favourite touches), it felt Asian and ancient Roman all at once.

And while I hesitate to use the unimaginative 'east meets west' it crazily managed to achieve this in a cohesive way.

So with this, and our inflatable Havaiana, as our base, this group of Aussie holiday makers enjoyed a week of Balinese merriment.