Wow...a week in paradise! Where do we even start? Matt and the surfers usually went out twice a day, depending on the swell and the weather. Ben and the other surf newbies usually had a lesson once a day. Alex and I never ended up surfing at all, which was 100% fine. Wifi was mostly in the common areas and our phones had spotty service, so we unplugged and had fun. I read 3 books and didn't miss my phone at all! We had optional excursions most days, like snorkeling, paddle boarding in the mangroves, and a jungle trek. We were never bored!
Each day started with sunrise yoga in a bale by the beach...a pretty perfect way to get going.
Our friend Petra was a beautiful yogi.
We ate plenty! The food was really outstanding...breakfast cooked to order and lunch and dinner buffets family style. They grow most of their own veggies and had a great rotation menu of food from all over the world. I've never enjoyed vegetables so much.
I can not be unhappy in a place like this. The beaches were incredible.
Plenty of surfboards and paddle boards for everyone!
The jetty was great fun for the kids and had a little sitting area at the end, which was perfect for the sunset.
There were quite a few fish living under the floating dock and the snorkeling at the house reef was lots of fun.
The batfish was a fun little guy to spot all throughout the day.
These were some of the cleanest beaches we've seen in Indonesia. That's how we knew we'd really traveled off the beaten track.
There was one other teenage girl who stayed busy with online classes and surf lessons and two little British boys who loved anyone and everyone that was doing anything interesting. Max and Teddy were always happy to see what Alex was up to.
Nala, the resort puppy, was always more than happy to get in the middle of everything, too! She was a sweet dog and so much fun to "borrow" for the week!
She joined all kinds of activities with us!
Pablo, her dad, was much less social but slept right outside the boys' door every night. He was a sweet dog as well.
If the beach view is nice, it only gets better from the spa! Their two masseuses were terrific.
The stand up paddleboards were available any time and they were lots of fun to take out. Alex and I went over to the break to watch Ben surf one afternoon.
All four of us paddled across to the other island to explore a little cove.
There were several beginner level surfers there with us and they enjoyed their lessons with Luka and surfing Tikus together.
Alex brought his chess board and he was thrilled to find out the Luka and Febrezio were both avid chess players. They would play a few games each day.
The colors! I love how the ocean continually changes colors with the tides and the weather. This was a rainy afternoon but the water was brilliant.
Everyone was entertained watching a fruit bat attack a banana after dinner one night.
After a big storm, there was no waves at all the next day. Matt talked the guys into pulling him from the boat for some surf-skiing.
Alex gave it a try as well so I guess he can say he did surf a little!
Alex and I spent hours playing with the hermit crabs. I would collect them and he would make a race track for them.
Truly endless entertainment! We created all kind of challenges and watched them try to escape and sabotage one another.
We did have some down time and the kids did get to use the internet some, but it was great having some many other sources of entertainment. We only had two rainy days and we did enjoy some movies and screens.
I don't normally hop out of bed for a sunrise, but if I could see the sun peeking through the curtains, it was generally worth it to get up. Nothing beats this view with a cup of coffee.
Even the cloudy days could be beautiful!
My only big complaint - the resort faces east! I love watching the sun set into the water, but we still got beautiful views on the clear evenings.
It's really a magical place. The manager said the difficulty in reaching it really weeds out the less interesting travelers and I have to agree. But those willing to make the trek will sure enjoy it!
