Destination Wedding! SQ to Bali, Conrad Nusa Dua, Room4Dessert, Babi Guling Pak Dobil

[yflyer]

There was a large spa...



Tennis courts...



Spaces for tranquility and reflection...



...and a well equipped gym...

[yflyer]

A separate section of the resort was set aside for villas and suites...



This section of the resort had a separate pool area...



We didn't take a look inside the Suites, but strolled around the area outside...



There was a Conrad Suites Lounge, presumably for Suites guests, but the lounge was also open for Hilton Diamond members, and served complimentary afternoon tea from 3pm-5pm, as well as evening Happy Hour cocktails from 5pm-7pm.

[yflyer]

Overall, this was a wonderfully planned tropical resort with excellent facilities and a laid-back, relaxing vibe...



It was not peak season when we were there, so while there were many guests in residence, the resort felt quiet and peaceful in the best possible way.

[yflyer]

Dining at the Conrad Bali was very good. While it was not Michelin star dining, the standard of F&B was high, especially for local Indonesian dishes.

Our booking was for the half board package, which entitled guests to a full breakfast, and either lunch or dinner at any of the restaurants at the Conrad, which included Suku, the main multi-cuisine restaurant, 8 Degree South, the dinner-only beach front seafood restaurant, and Rin, a Japanese restaurant.

Our first meal at the Conrad, right after arrival, was lunch as Suku.



This was located on the ground floor of the main building, right in front of the main swimming pool.



For guests on the half board programme, there was a set menu to choose from. The menu showcased local selections from across Indonesia, not just Bali, as well as international/western dishes.

There was an extensive selection of appetizers...



Indonesian mains...



Western mains...



...and desserts.



Crackers with local sambal dip...



Starters we tried included the Balinese Batu Batu...



Gado Gado...



Maluku raw fish salad...



During our stay, our party sampled both the local and Western dishes. The Western dishes were fine, but in general we found the local Indonesian mains to be outstanding, including the Sop Buntut Betawi...



Bibek Bengil, traditional crispy duck from Ubud...



Sate Lilit Ayam...

[yflyer]

A platter of assorted local desserts...



Lapis Legit, a traditional layer cake, served with sorbet...

[yflyer]

As Hilton Diamond, I was also entitled to complimentary afternoon tea from 3pm-5pm at the East Lobby Lounge...



...and evening cocktails from 5pm-7pm.



The afternoon tea menu...



A nice selection of snacks to accompany your brew...



From 5pm, complimentary cocktails from the bar were available...



Canapes...



A very pleasant way to spend the early evening!



At Nusa Dua, the beach was East-facing, which meant there were no sunset views (For that you would need to head elsewhere, for example The Rock Bar, at tha Ayana Resort at Jimbaran Bay)...



...but to compensate, there were gorgeous sunrises to be had, as we would discover later in our stay.

There was a nice vibe in the evening...



On most nights, I simply could not resist an evening dip in the pool...



...either before dinner, after dinner, or both...

[yflyer]

On one of our evenings there, we dined at 8 Degrees South, the beach front seafood restaurant, which was open daily for dinner...



Indoor and outdoor seating was available. We opted to sit outside...



Some of their signature cocktails...



Ocean's Breath...



Starters...



Mains...



Most folks came for the seafood, including the "Sea"cuterie Board...



Complimentary bread to start...



Delicious glazed scallops...



Tuna tartare, in little seaweed cones...



Pan-seared tiger prawns...

[yflyer]

We could not resist the whole lobster on the "sea"cuterie board...



This was an impressive spread!



The desserts here, and at every other restaurant at the resort, were just beautifully presented, and tasted wonderful too.

[yflyer]

A highlight of each day was the stunning breakfast buffet spread at Suku.



On cool mornings, many guests chose to have breakfast outside, by the pool.



Apart from the stupendous buffet spread, there were also a la carte breakfast options.



Proper barista coffee...



The dragonfruit bowl, with it's striking pink/purple colour, was a popular breakfast choice...



Other a la carte choices included the local fish in yellow coconut sauce, Nyat Nyat Be Pasih...



...and a very tasty Salmon Benedict...



A la carte items aside, most folks were content to feast upon the huge buffet spread laid out before them...



...which had the usual Western options, including real pork bacon...



...a "made to order" egg station...



Waffles and pancakes...

[yflyer]

I spent most of my time savouring the local breakfast options...



An amazing selection of different sambals...



Local greens...



Nasi goreng, as well as fried noodles...



Chicken 65, a dish originating in India...



Balinese chicken curry, made with minced chicken, in a deliciously light curry sauce...



I just had a try a bit of everything...



There was a noodle station...



...for traditional mee bakso...



There was a kid's corner for breakfast...



Miss yflyer no.2 recently turned 21, and she felt embarrassed to head over there for a cup of cold chocolate milk, but then I pointed out that many other fully grown adults were heading to the kid's corner to do the same...

[yflyer]

We also checked out Rin, the Japanese restaurant at the Conrad. This was also included in our half board package.



Rin was located close to the Suites section of the resort, a short walk from the main lobby.



The cuisine here was delicious...



...with tasty Japanese fare...



...done to a standard that would satisfy the many Japanese guests at the resort...



A good test of any Japanese restaurant is how they do their Tempura. Here they passed with flying colours...



Here too, the desserts were beautiful...

[yflyer]

The day after we arrived, we took a drive from Nusa Dua to Ubud, to do a little sightseeing, and also dine at a well known restaurant, Room4Dessert.



We were warned that traffic in Bali was very congested these days, and this turned out to be the case. Most roads outside the Denpasar were just 2 lane affairs, one lane in each direction, with frequent bottlenecks and jams.

We were content to do our sightseeing out the car windows as we inched along towards Ubud.



While Google Maps was available, the estimated journey timings were unreliable, and often far of the mark.



On the way to Ubud, we stopped at Tegenungan Waterfall...



Mrs yflyer had organised the itinerary, and I had not done prior any prior travel research. When she mentioned we were going to see a waterfall, and that there would be some walking involved, in my mind I thought it would be a trek through some forest and scenery, to see a pristine waterfall in all its natural glory.

In actual fact, this attraction was something quite different. The rows of tourist shops leading to the waterfall was the first inkling that this might not be mother nature at its most untouched...



Then a long climb down a concrete staircase...



"Going down is fine...", I told the others, "...but remember what goes down must come up!"

The waterfall came into view.



I wasn't expecting Niagara, but the sight before me came as a mild shock.

There was a waterfall of fairly modest dimensions in the far distance, but completely overshadowing it was a club. Yes a club, complete with bar, pool and loud music. So loud that I struggled to hear the waterfall over the incessant beat of the music from the club.



What on earth was going on here? I understand the economic benefits of tourism, and how it can change lives of the locals, but it did strike me as essentially ruining the natural beauty of the place. What's the opposite of eco-tourism? Probably what I was looking at right now.

But it would probably be hypocritical of me, as a tourist myself, to complain. Maybe I was part of the problem...

In any case, I think this place would appeal to the younger, party going crowd...



We continued down the steps towards the waterfall...



Many visitors were in swimwear, enjoying the flowing water...



We stood and watched from a distance, before turning around and heading back up the steps.



Not much here in terms of natural beauty, I thought to myself, although the place seemed popular enough with a younger crowd, and it definitely did bring visitors and revenue to the area. But was it all worth it, I still wondered...

[yflyer]

We continued our drive to Ubud, thankfully against the flow of evening traffic, which was really heavy in the opposite direction...



Soon we were in Ubud...



...with its many palaces and temples.



The centre of Ubud was thronging with tourists...



There was a nice, lively vibe...

[yflyer]

We arrived at Room4Dessert.



Will Goldfarb was a well known chef who spent time at El Bulli before making a name for himself in NY City with a dessert-centric restaurant, Room4Dessert. Then, at the height of his fame, he closed his restaurant and disappeared from the NY restaurant scene, before re-emerging in Bali with this restaurant of the same name.

Fans of the Netflix series Chef's Table will know of the episode featuring him, and copies of his book were also on sale at his restaurant.



A tasting menu heavily focused on desserts? Would that work? We would find out soon...



Ironically, when we were dining at his restaurant that day, Will was not around. He was in Singapore putting the final touches on his new project: a restaurant at Dempsey...

[yflyer]

We stepped into the garden...



...and were introduced to their herb garden...



...before being seated in their semi-open dining room...



This was a 15 course tasting menu. We would have our first 5 savoury courses in this space, before proceeding into the main dining room for the next 5 dessert courses, then moving again to an outdoor area, for the final 5...



Apart from the full tasting menu, it was also possible to order dishes a la carte.



Simple, elegant place settings...