The Zala Villa Bali was my home for two weeks back in August 2014, when I was visiting Bali with my family and friends. It was the first luxury accomodation I stayed at, and what can I say, it set the bar very high.

Located away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak, in the middle of rice fields in Canggu, it's the perfect place to relax without being too secluded. Echo beach - my favourite - is just a 10 minute drive away, while a trip to the 'tourist central' will take you about half an hour.

The owner Andrej, a fellow Slovenian, built the property up from scratch, and I don't think he could have done a better job. There are four villas in total, each offering complete privacy, having their own entrances and living areas. They're all decorated in a modern style with traditional Balinese touches and have a private pool, two bedrooms, two semi-outdoor bathrooms, and a spacious open living space with a lounge, a kitchen and a dining area.

The place was kept spotless throughout our stay, and we always had the most delicious fresh juices waiting for us in the fridge. I still can't get them out of my head! The meals were great too. We usually started our day with breakfast and then planned the rest of our meals around activities on the actual day, which was very handy.

Andrej and his wife Ida are definitely not your average hotel owners. They made sure we experienced the best of what Bali has on offer and made us feel like we were staying with old friends. Andrej was our personal driver (along with Andi) and a tour guide with the best tips and local secrets. He organized all activities for us, so that we didn't have to worry about a single thing, and tweaked the itinerary for us on the go, based on our preferences. 

I would recommend the place to families, couples and friends alike. I really don't have a single complaint. The only thing I was missing was a fully functioning wi-fi, but that's Bali and I've seen worse to be honest. Most of you probably don't depend on the internet as much as I do, so you're good. If you're a fellow YouTuber, though, make sure you have those videos scheduled and uploaded before you land on the island, haha.

Bali was one of the best places I've ever visited and I would love to explore more of Indonesia in the future. After having such an amazing experience at The Zala Villa Bali in particular, one of the first places on my to-visit list is definitely Andrej's new venture, Coconut Garden Beach Resort in Flores. Who's coming with me?!

I've been writing about food so much lately The Puzzle of Sandra's Life is unintentionally starting to resemble a food blog, haha. Today I don't have a recipe or a restaurant review per se for you guys, but I do have one amazing tip that you'll be glad I told you about when you visit Bali. It's called The Cafe.

You can find it inside The Mulia, a luxury five-star resort in Nusa Dua. Essentially, it's a buffet restaurant, but a very fancy and rather affordable one! I know, that's two words you don't see in the same sentence very often, which is a reason enough to give it a go if you fancy experiencing luxury on a budget.

You can go there for either breakfast, lunch or dinner, and enjoy top-notch meals from all around the globe for about €30 per person. Being a buffet, you can try whatever you want and go fill up your plate as many times as you like. I would recommend starving yourself beforehand, because everything looks and tastes so good there, you will want to eat all of the things. I went there for lunch, and indian, korean, italian and thai were only some of the cousines I tried. That's before I made it to the famous dessert bar. Insert blushing emoji.

Even though I said the place is a buffet-style restaurant, it's not exactly your typical buffet. It looks luxurious, the food is prepared by some of the best chefs in the world, and everything is cooked fresh, sometimes even in front of your eyes. Ten out of ten! If I ever repeat my visit to Bali, we'll definitely meet again. Would you give it a go too?