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BALI BITES: The Rock Bar Sunset Cocktails

May 25, 2010

On our last day in Seminyak, Bali last April, my hubby surprised me with  uber fabulous sunset cocktails at The Rock Bar – Ayana Hotel (formerly the Ritz Carlton Hotel) and dinner at Metis (see my later post on this). Since hubby is not a planner, this tickled me to the tips of my tippy toes. So sweet and romantic! Prepare yourself, there’s lots of pics! It was hard not to snap away amidst all that beauty!

Making our way to the cliffside in Hotel Ayana, we enjoyed all the pools, fountains...

...waterfalls (that go down to their swimming pools)

... and gorgeous flowers!

We got there quite early (about 4pm) because hubby was told reservations were not allowed when he called. Since they weren’t allowing people into the seating area of the bar yet. We ordered drinks and enjoyed ourselves on the cliff while waiting.

Bintang draft (Rp 50,000) and Bali cooler (Rp 105,000) which is Hatten Rose Wine, orange Curacao, fresh pineapple juice & passion fruit syrup.

 

I even got to check out the lovely Ayana Hotel Chapel

Can you imagine having a small wedding and walking down this aisle?

A peak at The Rock bar from the elevator waiting area.

The bar is situated and carved into the cliff side of gorgeous Jimbaran Bay, which is renowned for its beautiful sunsets. Took this pic while going down the open-air-diagonal-elevator.

Touch down! Check out the beautiful view!

Course I had to take a pic with a ROCK at The Rock Bar! This is me while we were waiting for our seats. Thank God we went down early, because there were people ahead of us in line already! Oh and that we brought down our drinks to enjoy while waiting around - bet the other peeps were jealous hehe!

The perfect lounge seating if you're in a group

We got great seats near the bar, which has the ocean as its beautiful backdrop

My hubby the crackberry. THAT'S the view from our seats

Strawberry crush drink (it was a bit sour - so sad because it was so expensive!), complimentary cassava chips (LOVE this - yum!) & tortilla rolls with spicy guacamole (MmMmMmmm!) ...oh and some cool towelettes - perfect for the scorching heat!

I didn't get to take much notes because I was too busy enjoying the scene and my hubby's company. This is a yummy unnamed long drink!

More Bintang Draft & cassava chips

Tsk! Tsk! Someone forgot to put SPF on their face. DO NOT forget to slather on sun protection ALL OVER. I had SPF 50 on my body and face, and I STILL got a tan!

Sunset was made even more dramatic with the chillax sounds from the DJ's booth

Then the clouds started rolling in - so dramatic!

Nightfall... bye-bye Rock Bar! (The candle lit counter is exactly where we were sitting earlier - perfect seats)

Time to go to dinner at Metis!

The Rock Bar

  • AYANA Resort and Spa, Jl. Karang Mas Sejahtera, Jimbaran, Bali 80364, Indonesia (at the very tip of Jimbaran Bay)
  • Phone: +62-361-702222
  • Fax: +62-361-701555
  • fb.reservation@ayanaresort.com
  • Beverages/ Snacks: 17:00-1:00

15 Comments · Indonesia

Comments

  1. Jennifer Canada says

    May 25, 2010 at 3:20 PM

    gosh this is where my friend got married last year. I didn’t get to see how beautiful the place was in her pictures. wow.

    *uber jealous. Will definitely hit Ayana next time I got to Bali!

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      May 25, 2010 at 6:13 PM

      Glad you thought the pics were beautiful Jenn! It really is a must see. Even more beautiful when you’re there!

      Reply
  2. Candice says

    May 27, 2010 at 5:50 AM

    I love this post about your sunset cocktails in Ayana. And because of that I am seriously, seriously contemplating a trip to Bali in July. Any recos? 😀 Or would I even be able to catch a day with you? 😀

    Btw, great pictures. Are you doing the whole photography stuff too?

    Cheers Mrs. Diplomatic Wife 😀

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      May 27, 2010 at 6:58 AM

      Emailed you my recos Candice! Hope to see you in Jakarta!

      Thanks! I’ve loved photography since college but did not get to practice much. Believe it or not, these shots were taken with a point & shoot and a Blackberry! =)

      Reply
  3. Josephine says

    October 31, 2010 at 3:53 AM

    Very cool! glad to find your blog today while we’re preparing for our trip to bali next week =) hope we’ll make it to this Rockbar,too! Thanks for the information shared! =)

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      October 31, 2010 at 4:36 AM

      Most welcome! Glad you find my site helpful Josephine! There are so many places that I haven’t written about in Bali. Are you going to Ubud? If you are, you should definitely buy Silver and eat Babi Guling at Ibu Oka’s and try Naughty Nuri’s. We also heard about a Pinoy resto there, called Crispy Pata. We haven’t tried it but our food editor friend says that he’s been hearing good reviews, though the crispy pata is a smaller version of what we are used to in the Philippines. Enjoy your trip and don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions!

      Reply
  4. Starlet says

    August 5, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    Welcome baccck 🙂 🙂

    Getting married in that gorgeous little chapel was my dream since it was still Ritz, but that has turned into doing a wedding anniversary celebration there. hehe.

    The Rock looked like a super awesome place and how sweeeeeeet of your hubby to surprise you such!

    You looked so cute in that dress btw.

    And you make me missed Bintang beer, much!

    Reply
  5. Didi says

    August 5, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    Hahaha! if you swing by dubai, you will see a LOT of sunburnt westerners. BURNT TO A CRISP ha. Literally. I actually feel their pain. Maybe they are just deprived of the sun so they are overwhelmed with the sunshine here.

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      August 6, 2011 at 3:13 AM

      Hahaha! I guess that is the look that they are going for. They are always tanning. Pero nagulat ako kasi yung babaeng to ay hindi puti. Usually Asians are staying out of the sun/wearing hats and umbrellas and westerners are the ones tanning/baking in the sun. And this one only her face was super red. The rest wasn’t! =O so it was so weird!

      Reply
  6. mouse says

    August 19, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    Ahaha! Burnt holiday makers are *fun* to look at. Though I shouldn’t really laugh as I burn easily for an Asian -_-”

    I love this place! I was there last year and watched the sunset from the pool, while sipping martinis, fabulous times 😀

    (By the way – your dress..! OMG! I am in love with houndstooth as a pattern in general, and it being yellow and a dress = YAY!)

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      August 19, 2011 at 4:07 AM

      It’s my fave fab sunset memory so far!

      Thank you so much! Would you believe this dress is Roxy and i got it in one of the outlet stores?!? SCORE!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. FINALLY. The Perfect Beach Bag. « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    September 15, 2010 at 3:11 PM

    […] with native material BUT can also be dressed-up for a nice dinner at a posh beach side bar (like The Rock Bar) with resort chic wear. I’ve always come home disappointed because most of the beach bags are […]

    Reply
  2. TRAVEL DIARIES ✈ My Bali Hitlist « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    February 6, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    […] THE ROCK BAR – This for me is THE ULTIMATE place to have sunset cocktails in Bali. Again no reservation here so I reco you go at 4pm, buy drinks on the cliff, then go down the elevator with your drinks and get on the waiting list. At least you have drinks while waiting. Make sure to bring SPF here. Also no dinner here just drinks and pica-pica. Have a seafood dinner in Jimbaran after! (My resto reco below) The Rock Bar – Ayana Hotel […]

    Reply
  3. SEMINYAK RESTAURANT ✈ Uber glam sunset at Potato Head | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 15, 2013 at 4:06 PM

    […] from The Rock Bar, this has to be the 2nd most glamorous sunset location I’ve been in. Now if only I could diet […]

    Reply
  4. DIPLO TRAVEL: Bali Hitlist says:
    August 31, 2014 at 1:28 PM

    […] Super chic and apparently totally kicking Ku De Ta‘s arse. According to @GourmetTravel, food is still better in Ku De Ta but this place is great for drinks. With 3 restaurants, a pool and a shop – I have to agree! More details and photos of The Rock Bar here. […]

    Reply

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
MARINA BADALONA HOTEL At first we were going to MARINA BADALONA HOTEL 

At first we were going to stay in the heart of Barcelona, where we stayed 8 years ago (I didn’t even know that @diplobaby was already in my tummy at 2 weeks old) but the “hotel” is now expensive with no amenities & small rooms. So TD found a hotel in #badalona - a 20min taxi ride from Barcelona city center - that was so fabulous & slightly less expensive.

SAVE THIS NOW for future trips to Barcelona

WHY I LOVED marinabadalona
🤍 All white interiors was so beautiful & calming
🤍 Gorgeous view of the Marina 
🤍 Everything was so aesthetic, even where you tap your card to enter the room
🤍 Massive bed
🤍 Electric curtains
🤍 Lots of closet space & hangers
🤍 2 TVs
🤍 Refrigerator
🤍 White/cream Nespresso & kettle
🤍 Architecture & interior design is sooooo me!
🤍 Small rooftop pool with unbelievable views (need to do a separate post)
🤍 5min walk to the beach
🤍 Gorg esplanade
🤍 Yummy restos beside
🤍 Mercadona right beside - so convenient!

FEW RECOS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
✌️ Loved the textured wall paper, but it’s difficult to keep clean inside the bathroom
✌️ The bathroom surface area was a bit small & our stuff kept falling off the sink
✌️ Not a single chair in the family room so when we had room service we had to eat standing
✌️ No salt & pepper with room service so we called to ask & were told we would be charged for them taking it up. After TD clarified that there was no S&P with our meal, they said they would bring it up. The person brought a small bowl of of salt & pepper combined. The salt was for DiploBaby’s salmon, but he can’t eat pepper, I wanted both for my pesto. Had to run down in my slippers & the resto staff were very apologetic coz who serves a mixed S&P ever? They gave me individually packaged ones which I really appreciated.
✌️ Since the hotel has a pool & is by the beach, I wish there was a place to hang & dry swim suits. Our suits & watershoes did not dry in the tub.

All in all the value we got from staying in this hotel was so high compared to a more expensive hotel in Barcelona. No hotel stay is perfect.

Now, would I stay there again? YES PLEASE! Would you?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries
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