Globe-trotting Adventures and Mouth-watering Eats: Pemuteran, Our 2-Day Home in Bali

The ferry ride was peaceful. The soft breeze and smell of ocean water was a nice welcome after a full day of train travel. After about an hour's ride on the ferry, we reached Gilimanuk, Bali. While on board the ferry, we phoned Taruna Homestay, our home for the next two days, and asked the owner if it would be possible to check in early as we have traveled long and far to get here. He graciously said not a problem, and that our room shall be ready upon arrival. Thank God for kind-hearted people.

Thanks to my mom and her strong negotiation skills, we chartered a private bemo for Rp. 150.000 (about $15 USD) for the 45-minute ride to our hotel. The ride consisted of mostly countryside, a few homes, and not much else. I was starting to doze off when we suddenly pulled off the side of the road. Yay! We have reached Taruna Homestay! We were so tired, we were all ready to just lie down and sleep! Two women dressed in traditional Balinese garb came out to greet us. We would later learn their names as Embok Tia and Embok Erni, 'Embok' being the equivalent of 'Miss' in Balinese, two women who were the friendliest, most hospitable, and welcoming staff I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. One of them guided us to the reception desk, which is located in their art gallery/gift shop. I couldn't help but notice all sorts of beautiful arts, jewelry, and hand-made crafts in the store. I told myself that I will have to come back later and have a better look. For our two-night stay, we paid in cash a total of Rp. 1.070.000, or about $110 USD, taxes and daily breakfast included. She then showed us to our room, which was behind the art gallery via a flower-patterned stone pathway through their neatly-manicured gardens past four other rooms, each with a patio facing the gardens.

The lovely flower-patterned stone pathway on the hotel grounds

The short walk from the front of the hotel to the back of the property

Every room has its own patio

Our beautiful, cozy, room and private terrace

My family and I were quite impressed with the grounds -- traditional Balinese with so much beauty and character -- and our room, a Super Deluxe Garden View, was simply gorgeous. I couldn't wait to just relax. After all, this is why we came to Bali. And Pemuteran is the perfect place to do just that.

There was a set of welcome drinks (freshly-squeezed watermelon juice) and flower-scented hot towels awaiting us on our patio table. And as if that were not enough, we entered our room to find beautiful frangipanis beside a hand-written note on a frangipani leaf atop our bed. Talk about a welcome!

Our welcome drinks

Frangipani, flowers you will find all over Bali

Nothing says welcome than a welcome note on a frangipani leaf!

It was 9 AM when we got settled into our room. After thanking the ladies, we decided to get some sleep before waking to have lunch in the hotel warung, or restaurant. Here are some more photos of Taruna Homestay.