Sanur Surprise!  No, it’s not the latest cocktail at a Bali beachside bar.  Prepare to visit a region that was Bali’s first to attract tourists to the most beautiful island in the world.

Bali is well travelled for many of us and as many travellers are now discovering, there are some great flight options wherever you’re travelling from.  I’m flying with TransNusa Airlines and I love this airline for being not focused on the frills … but with a few frills available.

There are preflight options for you to explore from meals to baggage limits and seat preferences.  There’s a friendly flight crew who are busy but take time to answer questions and help parents with small children and to ask passengers to stow carry-on bags above the seat they are assigned.

It’s great to feel relaxed on a flight and it’s the best way to kick off a trip, leaving behind the airport anxieties and hearing the wheels lock themselves in the belly of the plane.

Sanur was Bali’s first tourist region and somehow, with no previous experience of being there, I had assumed it was a bit tired and run down, perhaps consisting of a few 60’s and 70’s era hotels and struggling to attract tourists with their eyes on Benoa and Nusa Dua or the west coast tourist havens of Legian and Seminyak.

Sanur is easy to get to. Using the Bali Mandara Toll Road, a fast highway built over the water that connects Nusa Dua, Benoa and Sanur to the airport, and ensuring you avoid the congestion of Kuta.

My first impression of Sanur is so different to my assumption. I am reminded of areas like Nusa Dua.  The streets are well maintained with barely a dropped leaf in sight.

These early impressions are from a moving vehicle and as I later walk the streets, I feel the calm and charm of what is clearly more than a tourist habitat, it’s a community.

You can buy an icy pole and walk down the street, slurping away as you pass by more locals than tourists, and shops bursting with what locals need more than tourists want. I get tooted as I’m slurping away and think I must have made a mistake stepping off the curb, but it turns out to be an old friend who has recognised me.

Agus and I once climbed Mount Agung in the middle of a windy night.  He’s now working at the resort I’ve come to stay at and he’s more than happy for me and my dripping icy pole to jump into the front seat.

Agus is so proud of Sanur and for the Meru Sanur resort he works for that has heritage links to Bali’s first ever hotel, the Bali Beach Hotel.  It’s a landmark of Balinese tourism and was conceived in the 1960’s by President Sukarno as part of the vision to bring the world to Bali.

Its architecture is typical of hotels built in this era and probably through the 1990’s and 2000’s we scorned this block style building but now that it is gleaming and restored there’s a sense of retro style and glamour that has it sitting perfectly alongside the contemporary and breathtaking Meru Sanur.

Both the hotel and resort are in a special economic zone and focused on regenerative tourism – actively restoring destinations of heritage value.

They are both located right on the beach and right on the foreshore path that leads you just 10 minutes away to the Icon, the best shopping mall in Bali for food and mid to high end shopping in air conditioned comfort.

The Meru Sanur and Bali Beach Hotel may share the same view of Sanur’s golden sands and sunrises but the architecture of each is very different. One made a statement in the 1960s, the other is making a statement right now.

The Meru Sanur feels natural with a sense of community and architectural elements that have soaring timber structures and gardens that are like verdant jungle.

It’s overwhelming in how striking it can be with stone tunnels leading to a breathtaking reception space and wooden beams that cut across giant palms and soft foliage that shade the walkways to your perfect suite, which has an oversized bath, oversized bed and room to move whether it’s in the entrance, bedroom, bathroom or, on the ground floor, your own courtyard of lawn that is perfect for kids to run around or may just for you to lie in the sun, screened by a lush, green garden wall.

This is breathtaking tropical luxury that changes the way you breathe with every step. There is the use of gleaming stone walls and reflective pools to capture and enhance angles and profiles that are fluid and welcoming.

There are the Balinese spiritual design elements that we all love but they are tuned into a modern age of inspiring elements that are luxurious and spectacular. Part of the Meru experience is just walking the gardens and passageways of the resort.

I’m surprised with Sanur and surprised that in writing this story the words above are about the setting, the environment and the buildings. I normally write about people. That will never change.  Chats with Melody and Nathasya about their work travels and sister’s wedding, experiencing restorative wellness treatments with Yuda and what I love about Bali with local university students is why travel is the best thing in the world.

The Meru Sanur has two more surprises for me.  There are two enormous pools just perfect for what we call swimming on holidays but really is just our feet bouncing on the bottom and tipping your head back and letting your face absorb the warmth of the sun.

The final surprise is my failure to complete the mission set by the resort to sit overlooking the beach while being presented with an 18 course dinner.  I got to 12 and then could only nibble at 13, 14 and 15.  I had to say no to 16, 17 and 18. From soft shell crab to steamed snapper, poached octopus to slow cooked beef and grilled vegetables, it was a meal to remember even though I didn’t reach the finish line. There’s always next time and maybe I’ll start with the desserts!

This is a resort which whispers a message though the gardens as you walk past.  The name of the spa and wellness is Taru Pramana and its meaning is what you hear; there is life force found in plants. I would also add that life force is found in the people of Meru and the people of the Sanur community who are so happy to see you.

The Sanur surprise is about discovering a place that slows you down with a sense of community, luxury and friendliness.  It’s all there to discover at walking pace, or in the front seat of an old friend who just happens to be passing by.

This story is shared and reflected through the eyes of Chris Parry, an Australian travel writer, capturing his personal journey and discovery of Sanur, Bali.