One of the items that’s always in my shopping list when I go to Bali is “The Perfect Beach Bag” – it has to be beachy and made 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.
...The Perfect Beach Bag! (For me that is)
I’ve always come home disappointed because most of the beach bags are just beachy without the chic or look nice but have inferior faux leather handles and trimmings. Guess where I found it?
Imagine my surprise when I found this bag at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Duty Free on our way to Phuket last weekend. YAY! Finally!
Why I love it:
- It’s plain and ONE neutral color.
- The strap is not faux leather that will disintegrate at a different rate from the bag.
- I can dress it up by tying a scarf around the handle. (Notice I tied my very first scarf project to it?) I can change scarves depending on my mood!
- The lining is made with a soft satin finish fabric that is also perfectly neutral – this is what makes it resort chic instead of just beachy.
- It holds its shape and stands on its own. I hate droopy/floppy bags that fall over unless you’re holding them.
- The drawstring closure that enables me to do my vacation shopping with peace of mind that no one can just reach in and grab my belongings. Most beach bags are wonderful because they have a lot of space (for books, sunblock, tanning oil, camera, etc., etc) but most of them have big wide openings that don’t really close. Not secure at all.
- It’s the perfect size. Not too big that it dwarfs me, but big enough for everything I need to be beach/shopping ready. (Fits everything mentioned in #5 AND more!)
- It’s cheap!!! Well not by Filipino standards – I know where to get nice super cheap bags in the Philippines, but thinking it would be easy enough to find one in the biggest Archipelago in world (17,000 islands!) I didn’t bother including one in my shipment. But by Jakarta standards $12 is cheap!
And you know what the brand is?!? Bali Tropical Paradise. YUP. It’s handmade in Bali. So where the heck were these when I was there? Must find it next time I go there.
Yes, bag in hand, I was definitely ready for Phuket!
So cute!! I also like neutral color! The drawstring closure gives a little more security which I like as well. Are things cheap in the Philippines? I would love to go to the Philippines for shopping! Kaho
OMG Kaho… there is no place cheaper than the Philippines. When I tell my Indonesian friends how much stuff are there… they are incredulous! Whenever I go home, I go absolutely crazy! But I gotta give it to Indonesia though because they really protect their local products and industry, hence the much, much higher prices for imported products. They tax em higher. It’s funny though because some Indonesian products in the Philippines are cheaper in Manila than here in Indonesia (It’s called dumping in economics according to my father-in-law). For example when we were buying a printer, we looked both in manila and jakarta – and found that the one we wanted (5-in-1 wireless epson printer) was cheaper in manila. When I purchased it and checked the instruction Manual, I realized it was made in Indonesia. Can you believe it?