For the record, we wouldn't have gone to Seminyak if my uncle and aunt weren't there, but since it was only half an hour from Denpasar airport we thought it might be nice to spend a day or two there and spend time with my favourite uncle, my Dad's brother, who was staying there for a few days like they have many times before.

The hotel we stayed in, the Puri Sayon, was not bad for the money, and very close to the beach - some 200 metres. In fact, you can see the ocean just beyond the pool.

That's the usual Bali accomodation by the beach for you - a big pool, and some fabulous tropical gardens with frangipani and hibisus. It honestly took as all of five minutes to relax.

The room was quite large, and the bed comfy.

The big buffet breakfast was good too - you get what you pay for. There was a selection of Asian style food from kimchi to nasi goreng, the classic Indo fried rice, a fruit and fruitsalad bar, omelettes cooked whilst you wait, cereal and so on. The filter coffee was awful but we could cope with that - just. My uncle and Aunty said it wasn't as good as previous years, and the service had gone downhill, but we were happy enough.

Jamie was just happy coz he got to have his Full English breaky - well, nearly. Baked beans, toast, egg, bacon - his smile says it all. I stuck to the fruit salad.

In the evening we would head over to the beach for the sunset and Bintangs, cheap Bali beer. This was not the kind of holiday we would have chosen - we would never have chosen such a busy beach. There were people selling watches and sarongs and cheap bracelets and wooden boats (best not make eye contact, or they don't leave you alone), fire twirlers, a bad doing awful covers, kites, bean bags, people taking selfies, and so on. Madness.

But kinda - celebratory. It was Jamie's birthday, after all, and spending it watching the sunset on a beach in Bali had to be okay, surely. Happy Birthday, darling.

Still, it was interesting. This part of Bali was something we'd heard about, so it was kinda good to see it and see that it wasn't our thing at all. Still, we had a nice time - we walke along the beach early mornings, had a swim in the pool, went for a massage, and ate good food.