There’s something about Bali.

Ren and I aren’t beach people so we never imagined we’d be enamored with a tropical destination like Bali. After all, we’re from the Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,600 islands, some of which are recognized year after year as among the best and most beautiful in the world. You’d think a place like Bali wouldn’t be anything special to us, but it is.

If you’ve never been to Bali, then the first thing you’ll probably think of are its sandy beaches. As idyllic as many of them are, they tell just a part of Bali’s story. Within days of our first trip, we learned that there’s so much more to this popular island destination than just sand and surf.

For starters, it’s home to a thriving food and arts scene that’s more developed than anything we’ve seen in Southeast Asia. Instagram-worthy villas with infinity pools are the norm and there’s a wealth of cultural attractions to be experienced like Hindu water temples and Balinese dance shows.

But perhaps the one thing that struck me the most was the vibe. There’s an energy to this place that’s hard to put into words. When you’re there, you just feel it.

We went to Bali expecting it to be like any other island destination in Southeast Asia. We expected to like it, but perhaps not enough to really want to go back. We were wrong.