Bali 3.0

The last week in Bali we pretty much spent lounging by the pool, swimming, relaxing, shopping, and doing not a whole lot....oh and we also got to work out since we had a gym! :) We were in Nusa Dua, Sanur, and then Seminyak again. We decided to splurge a little and stayed at larger, nicer resorts. Luckily we got really great last minute deals and used points at the Hyatt in Sanur which was our favorite hotel by far in Bali....excellent food and service. We also loved Breezes in Seminyak which was pretty cheap and the staff were really helpful and friendly.

Nusa Dua and Sanur are on the eastern part of the island. This is where all the large resorts are located with well manicured beaches (although not nearly as nice as Hawaii...or even LA!) There isn't as much to do in terms of nightlife, restaurants, shopping, etc. but we were ready for chill time in a nice environment. And it was nice not hearing the beeping of taxis asking if we wanted a ride every two seconds. :)

On our second to last night in Seminyak we went to Sarong for a fun night out. Our good friend Debra (from LA) introduced us to one of the owners of the restaurant, Andrew. He took time out of his busy schedule to hang with us for a bit and treated us to some yummy appetizers and drinks. We loved Sarong. The restaurant is the perfect combination of sexy, fun, and chic....and the food is the bomb! The fish tikka and mint chutney is outstanding....as were the 4 appetizers we had and the coconut ice cream.

Our last day we spent uploading pics, getting mani/pedi (me), $10 massage (Darsh) and having dinner at Ultimo again so Darsh could get the lasagna! Perfect way to end Bali and get ready for our 24 hour journey to Venice.

Selamat Tinggal Bali. Good times indeed. Until next time. :)

A Night with Jean Georges

Our last night in Shanghai we treated ourselves to a nice dinner. This was really our first “fancy” night on the trip. We actually stumbled upon Jean Georges’ restaurant as we were walking around the Bund. He has two restaurants in Shanghai – his main, fancier dining room and Nougatine, the more casual one. We didn’t feel like "over the top" fancy so we picked Nougatine. It really was nice to dress up, put makeup on, and look nice for a night out. :)

The restaurant had a great view of the river and a fun ambiance, but the best part was that Jean Georges was there presenting a special menu for the Shanghai World Expo. We were hoping to meet him….no luck - although we did see him (if you look closely at the pics, he's in a few)! Dinner was beyond yummy!! Darsh got a 2-for-1 Pizza deal (and he loves a deal!) Mushroom with Truffle Oil and Beef Carpaccio. I got Tuna Tartare and Miso-marinated Cod, which are both some of my favs! For dessert we had to get his signature chocolate cake. …perfectly baked with wonderful gooeyness on the inside and vanilla bean ice cream. Very fitting as this is the only dessert I can make pretty well but his blows mine away!!!! :) Oh and they mixed the best drinks ever – Perfect Manhattan with a Yuzu Cosmopolitan. Everything was really very good – the flavors complemented each other well and was beautifully presented.

It was a perfect way to end our time in Shanghai!