I have a very un-Australian confession to make.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Even admitting this now feels scandalous, given our country\u2019s love for the Indonesian island.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, it\u2019s so close?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, it\u2019s so cheap?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, it\u2019s so fun?\u201d<\/p>\n
So, when the opportunity came along to right my wrong, I jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
But my experience of Bali was very different from some of the cliches I had seen online.<\/p>\n
We stayed at the luxury COMO Uma Canggu, located in a prime oceanfront position near Echo Beach.<\/p>\n
MORE: Aussies can save minimum of $320\/wk by moving to Bali<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n I am not kidding when I say that, when I entered my room for the first time, my jaw hit the floor. <\/p>\n I stayed in the one-bedroom residence and I was blown away by how spacious it was.<\/p>\n With its own kitchenette, living room, balcony, bedroom with king-sized bed, I genuinely think it was bigger than my Sydney rental.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In case it isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n As a girly who loves a massage, I cannot overstate how amazing this experience was.<\/p>\n From the ginger tea on arrival, the foot bath before the treatment and, of course, the massage itself, everything was 10\/10.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But my favourite meal I had at the resort was easily the Sunday brunch. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For dog lovers, the venue also allows people to bring their furry friends along on the first Sunday of every month.<\/p>\n Continuing with the theme of incredible food, we headed to Santanera for dinner, located just 900 metres from the resort.<\/p>\n The three-storey restaurant is visually stunning, with its stylish but cosy interior, and set my expectations high for the meal.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The following day we headed to COMO Shambala Estate near Ubud – and this is where my love for Bali was truly cemented.<\/p>\n The wellness resort is situated on the edge of the Ayung riverbank and is surrounded by lush rainforest. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n We were lucky enough to take part in a water purification ceremony, which is a sacred Balinese Hindu ritual.<\/p>\n We were guided through the ceremony by a local priest while standing under the running spring water.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n We took part in the jewellery brand\u2019s Icon Chain Masterclass, where you learn how to hand-weave, solder and polish the classic bracelet style John Hardy is known for.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The trip was booked through Virgin Australia Holidays, which offer curated flight<\/a> and accommodation packages.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cplanning\u201d phase as effortless as possible.<\/p>\n Virgin Australia Holiday is currently offering discounted packages <\/a>to Bali from now until May 27, 2026, with return flights<\/a> and 4 nights\u2019 accommodation from $745 per person for select travel dates between July 15, 2026 and March 16, 2027.<\/p>\n