Ever since a fun lunch at Jamie's Italian and bar hop before Christmas we have been looking forward to this trip. Somewhere near the end of the day, sipping cocktails at The Aviary, Ken suggested we go on a holiday. Lombok is cheap! Let's go. Then Rosie found accommodation which is a 5 star private resort, no longer cheap, but we think we're worth it.

We booked the cheap flights on Jetstar - no frills, no luggage, and then the airline somehow gifted us with 25kgs each. Which is just as well for some of the party.

So there we were on the plane - Mike and Judy, Linda and Kim, Rosie and Phil and Ken and myself. The plane was delayed taking off (apparently we need fuel to fly), but nothing can dampen our excitement and the anticipation of that first Bintang sitting by the pool. We have left the cold and rain behind in Perth.

On arrival in Lombok we ambled through customs (Linda msut have looked suspicious, they wanted to know why she had been to Vietnam earlier in the year) and then found our drivers outside. They took our luggage in one vehicle and we all traveled in a following one, with our esky of Bintangs and cold water. The drive was about 2 hours, through the streets and then through the most beautiful mountains. It was so lush and green, we saw lots of little monkeys on the side of the road. As we approached our destination it was becoming more rural with lots of cows around. Rosie was getting worried that our villa was not going to live up to the website.

She didn't need have worried - we were met at the door by the property manager,Gusti and Ida with a frangipani necklace and cold towel. We entered the villa into the main pavilion and were stunned. It is absolutely beautiful. We had fresh coconut juice by the pool and then Gusti showed us the property - the amazing bedrooms, the bar and dining area, the large grassed area leading down to our very own beach - paradise!

We had already drawn numbers for our rooms. Ken and I had the blue room, number 1. We are very happy.

Rosie and Phil have number 2, with 3 glass walls. They are very happy too, but will need to draw those curtains!

Mike and Judy have number 3, the largest of the bedrooms. Also happy.

Linda and Kim have number 4, the red room. This has a very cool outdoor bathroom. Happy? Yes! All good, all amazing. They are all stand alone buildings with views over the pool and out to the ocean.

We set up at the bar and Ida brought us snacks. We had pre-ordered our dinner and could smell the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Dinner was fantastic and then we stoked up the stereo and the boys racked up the pool table. We had a fun night dancing and singing by the pool.