I have a very un-Australian confession to make.

I was born in Aus, have lived here my whole 30 years of life and, yet, up until very recently, I had never been to Bali.

Even admitting this now feels scandalous, given our country’s love for the Indonesian island.

Indonesia was once again crowned the most popular destination for Aussie travellers in 2025, with more than 1.7 million people visiting from Australia last year.

I have always known I am among the vast minority, made particularly evident by the genuinely shocked reactions I have received in the past when divulging my shameful secret.

“But, it’s so close?”

“But, it’s so cheap?”

“But, it’s so fun?”

So, when the opportunity came along to right my wrong, I jumped at the chance.

I will admit, I had a preconceived notion about what a Bali trip as an Aussie tourist might look like (hello copious amounts of Southern Cross tattoos and Bintang shirts).

But my experience of Bali was very different from some of the cliches I had seen online.

We stayed at the luxury COMO Uma Canggu, located in a prime oceanfront position near Echo Beach.

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This spot has everything you want out of a resort; a huge lagoon pool, an on-site spa and wellness retreat, all-day dining with ocean views and copious amounts of sunchairs and lounges spread across the whole estate.

For the dedicated people that still go to the gym while on holiday (not me), there is a fully equipped fitness centre, along with pilates and yoga studios.

I am not kidding when I say that, when I entered my room for the first time, my jaw hit the floor.

I stayed in the one-bedroom residence and I was blown away by how spacious it was.

With its own kitchenette, living room, balcony, bedroom with king-sized bed, I genuinely think it was bigger than my Sydney rental.

One of my non-negotiables when booking accommodation is having a bathtub, so when I walked into the bathroom and saw the absolutely gigantic spa bath complete with a jar of bath salts, it was at that point that I knew the trip was going to be a success.

In case it isn’t clear, relaxing is my top priority when I am on holiday, so of course my first stop was at the on-site COMO Shambala wellness centre to try their signature 60 minute full-body massage.

As a girly who loves a massage, I cannot overstate how amazing this experience was.

From the ginger tea on arrival, the foot bath before the treatment and, of course, the massage itself, everything was 10/10.

When it came to food, the on-site COMO Beach Club offered a wide variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, even with the option to have snacks served to you poolside.

But my favourite meal I had at the resort was easily the Sunday brunch.

The menu offered a huge range of dishes (the beef tartare with truffle mayonnaise was out of this world) and was designed to be shared, which added to the relaxed atmosphere.

For dog lovers, the venue also allows people to bring their furry friends along on the first Sunday of every month.

Continuing with the theme of incredible food, we headed to Santanera for dinner, located just 900 metres from the resort.

The three-storey restaurant is visually stunning, with its stylish but cosy interior, and set my expectations high for the meal.

Those expectations were then exceeded when every single dish I tried (which was many) was better than the last, with the Latin American flavours perfectly matched with the local produce.

The following day we headed to COMO Shambala Estate near Ubud – and this is where my love for Bali was truly cemented.

The wellness resort is situated on the edge of the Ayung riverbank and is surrounded by lush rainforest.

The estate feels so peaceful and secluded that literally the only noise you can hear are rushing water and the sounds of the surrounding forest.

We were lucky enough to take part in a water purification ceremony, which is a sacred Balinese Hindu ritual.

We were guided through the ceremony by a local priest while standing under the running spring water.

It felt as if I was experiencing a completely different side of Bali from what I had seen online and heard from friends who had visited.

Needless to say, that was a hard activity to top, but a trip to John Hardy Boutique in Seminyak the following day came very close.

We took part in the jewellery brand’s Icon Chain Masterclass, where you learn how to hand-weave, solder and polish the classic bracelet style John Hardy is known for.

It was another incredibly unique experience, made even better by the fact the workshop followed by a Long Table family style lunch and participants get to take home their very own Icon Bracelet engraved with their initials.

So it’s safe to say I am officially a Bali convert, and I can see why so many of us Aussies keep going back time and time again.

The trip was booked through Virgin Australia Holidays, which offer curated flight and accommodation packages.

And as someone who hates having to figure out the logistics of a holiday, being able to bundle two major aspects of your trip really helps make the “planning” phase as effortless as possible.

Virgin Australia Holiday is currently offering discounted packages to Bali from now until May 27, 2026, with return flights and 4 nights’ accommodation from $745 per person for select travel dates between July 15, 2026 and March 16, 2027.

Virgin also operates up to 35 return services per week to Denpasar from Australia, which makes picking your flight even easier.

This writer travelled to Bali as a guest of Virgin Australia Holidays