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With international travel back on the agenda, many Australians are looking towards to getting back to their favourite island destinations. It’s welcome news for Kelly Sturgeon who’s been forced to ride out the challenges of Covid-19. The former Gold Coast resident has been living in Bali since 2010, where she took over the reigns of Bisma Cottages. With Bali opening up for tourism in March, she’s things are slowly getting back to normal for Kelly, who says there’s no better time to visit Bali, than right now.

“I have always loved Bali – the weather, the people, the more relaxed lifestyle, the creative freedom, and the value for money. After having worked in the tourism my whole life, I tried a corporate job in 2007. During these two years my annual Bali holiday was the savior to my work/life balance. During one of these holidays, I decided I had to work out a way to live in Bali. It wasn’t easy as there were very few jobs for expats then. Through persistence and networking, I made it happen, and in 2010 I moved to Bali and returned to working in the tourism industry that I truly love.” A life in Ubud

“When I first moved to Bali, I lived and worked in Seminyak and really didn’t know much about Ubud.

“I had won a voucher at a charity auction for a Ubud hotel stay and as it was about to expire, I booked a weekend away. Ubud’s green rice fields, village atmosphere and culture were so different to Seminyak, so from then on, Ubud became a regular weekend break.

“One of my life plans was to work part time and have a small business, so when I met the owners of Bisma Cottages and they needed someone to take over, it was the perfect fit. “The property is six rooms, four are traditional Indonesian wooden style cottages called Joglos. The other two are larger, more modern and have a rice field view. It’s a peaceful little oasis but within walking distance of the town centre.”

Surviving the pandemic “The business had enough money to survive for one year and from then it was my personal savings. I also had to give up my villa and live onsite.”

No better time than now

“Bali opened for tourism is March and week by week more and more travellers are returning. “Bali was always beautiful but now that Mother Nature has had a break for two years, the nature is even more spectacular. “More long-stay visitors are coming now due to the flexibility that is being offered by companies, this is good as these people are contributing to the economy for a longer period. At Bisma Cottages we now have a combination of guests that stay for a few nights and others that are staying for a month.

“The opening for tourism was also timely as June, July and August are Bali’s high season and we really need a good high season this year to start to get back on track.”