While not new to us, (I think this was our fourth time staying here) this view from our favorite villa outside of Ubud, Villa Sagitta, never gets old! We returned for a few blissful days to this property on the river gorge and loved waking up to the sunrise mist each morning.

Our annual Bali buying trip - new finds for TDL and more off the beaten track destinations!

Every June we travel to Bali as a family and source old teak carvings, vintage daybeds, lava stone deities, beautiful woven baskets, and wonderful oddities from all over Indonesia. Each year we try to find new parts of the island to discover, and I want to share with you some of our new favorites.

New to us this year - but dating back to the 11th century is the stunning Gunung Kawi Temple northeast of Tegalalang.

Of course no trip to Bali is complete without visiting one of the many holy temples dotted over all over the island. We have visited many over the years, but somehow never had the chance to come to Gunung Kawi, a sacred water temple in the hills north of Pejeng, before this summer. While our trip coincided with the extraordinary deluge that came daily while in Ubud this year (normally rainy season ends in April - leaving the summer months dry and sunny - but not this year!) we still enjoyed exploring the site which was blissfully empty of almost any other tourists.

Another wonderful new experience this year was getting to bring David, who has worked for us for 6 years now, and his girlfriend Natalia along. Years ago we started a program here at TDL where we bring a long time employee on one of our buying trips each year. Jules our store manager came along to Morocco, Shane, our warehouse and logistics manager, came to Bali as did Tricia, our sales manager, and Ciara our interior designer, came to Turkey with us. This year it was David's turn - and we had a fabulous time with him!  

As always we found a million fantastic things to bring back to you all at TDL. Some of our favorite new finds are old water pots from Sumba - stone mixed with concrete, these chunky guys are meant to last and have a weather-worn patina that shows their age. Of course we bought as many carved stone pots as we could find - everyone loves these elegant beauties. We were also happy to find a whole cache of dark stone totem heads with fun individual details.

Everywhere we go in Bali we dig through warehouses, salvage yards, and attics for old carved panels. We have some real gorgeous ones coming this year!

The joy in our Bali shipments is the sheer variety of fun things that we bring back for the store. Terracotta tigers, Papua shell pieces, stone Ganeshas, and freeform benches and consoles just to name a few...

We found a wonderful new source for extra long teak dining tables this trip. These are made from the best quality, truly old teak wood and have a deep, rich glow to them. Some have lovely little dovetailed details, joining the planks together.

Our absolute favorite new-to-us destination in Bali is Sumberkima in the far northwest of the island, tucked up against the protected forests of the West Bali National Park. Somehow in our dozens of trips to Indonesia we have never explored this area in depth. This year when we had a few days off we took the 4 hour drive from Ubud and eased ourselves into the slower pace of life up in the hills. From our perch we had clear views of the mangroves of Pemuteran which wreath the shallow blue sea below and the towering, sulphuric Java volcano Ijen out on the horizon across the straight.  

Far from any tourist crowds, this area is like the Bali I remember from the 1990s. While driving around with the windows down little kids wave and shout out hello! - there are no influencers, bus tours, or trendy hotspots - and travelers that take the time to come out there seem to relish the quiet calm unsure that they'll ever divulge the secret escape they've found.  

The real highlight of this area is visiting magical Menjangan Island just off the coast, and taking boat tours of the mangrove forests that conservationalists are working to restore.

I wish I had an underwater camera to show you the jaw-dropping beauty under the turquoise sea by Menjangan. Healthy reefs full of color and complexity hug the entire coast of the island named for the small wild deer that are indigenous to the area. Fish of endless variety shift and dart in a kaleidoscope of vibrant life - we were out for hours for two days in a row and just could not believe how lucky we were to see such a thriving underwater ecosystem.

Our villa was part of a development tucked up in the hills that helps support the NGO Metamorfosa that is working to reseed coral in inventive ways along the coast of Northwest Bali. We were lucky to go out with one of the cofounders, Ketut Totok, and loved learning about their important work.

So much of Bali's original reefs were devastated by destructive fishing practices that reached a critical point in the 1980s and 90s. From dynamite blasting to stun and net large masses of fish, to cyanide poison to capture troical aquarium fish for collectors, desperate fishermen looking to make easier money nearly destroyed all the reefs along the north and east coasts of Bali.

Starting in the 2000s environmentalists have been working to educate fishing communities about these practices and to replant reefs. While there have been laws passed to protect the reef systems, it takes alternative revenue streams for these more rural seaside villages to create lasting change. Visiting these less tourisy areas, and hiring guides and boats within the local communities is a great way to support their efforts.  

Sumberkima Hill Retreat is a glorious collection of villas and bungalows that feels a little like grown up summer camp. There are community pools and restaurants dotted all over the sprawling grounds with hiking paths leading up into the forest. Every villa has a panoramic view of the verdant hillside gently easing down to the sea below. Local homes are interspersed with the simple but luxurious rental spaces. While out walking you pass sweet Bali cows, motorbikes packed with farm supplies, and kids playing in the simple roads shared by villagers and retreat guests.  

Walking with my daughter one evening we came upon this fairytale spot - perhaps there was a wedding the day before? Whatever it was - we were enchanted.  

A three to four night stay up in Sumberkima is ideal - if you go, like us, you will be already planning your next visit!

One of the coolest things about our trip up to the Northwest was it coinciding with Purnama - the Balinese word for full moon - and our friend Made's family trip to the local Pura Pemuteran. Made joined us snorkeling and relaxing in Sumberkima for a few days and then was able to meet up with his family for an important temple day. It all worked out so beautifully.

Getaways are important on any Bali trip - but even being near busy Ubud, where we have to be for our work, we love to find a retreat from the crowds. This year we tried a new villa just on the other side of the ravine by the Maya Ubud resort. We loved the long pool, huge beautiful rooms, the visiting monkeys and our own little Bali swing! This one is called Green Escape - it's linked here.  

We always like to end up our trips by the sea. We miss the ocean as desert dwellers do and like to close out our weeks in Bali seaside. We have stayed in the Seseh Beach area a few times and like how it's less packed with hipsters and party people. It feels more like a neighborhood still. It's a long walk back to our favorite restaurants in Canggu - but a long beach walk is always better than sitting in that infernal traffic closest to the center of town.  

If you've been following any Bali news this summer you will have seen that they are having crazy unseasonable rain this summer. The rapid overdevelopment of the low lying south has contributed to the area's inability to deal with flood waters. Without the rice fields and riverways there is nowhere for water to go - and thus the narrow roads that snake through Bali get inundated, and cars, buildings and tons of garbage gets washed away. We aren't sure if Canggu is sustainable in any real way. It's been sad to see it go from a fun, youthful place for creatives to a bloated mash of Westerners and their motorbikes endlessly stuck in traffic.  

If you are planning a trip to Bali, let us know and we can suggest so many off the beaten track spots to enjoy what is still an absolutely magical island. You just have to plan ahead and avoid the crowds!