My children are indeed genetically linked to me.

I know I was present at each of their births but to have none of them raise objections to devoting a big chunk of the first full-day of our holiday in Bali to shopping? Well, that … that just confirmed the ties that bind us.

Until … they out-shopped me.

Yes, when faced with a stroll down Seminyak’s main shopping street, Jalan Kayu Aya, they took on the challenge and handed over their Rupiah like nobody’s business.

Granted, this street is home to many of the global surf brands and I do have a tribe {My SY included} who love their surf clothes. And when said surf brands are cheaper than at home, it’s little wonder that they went at it. Hard.

Our favourite shop hands down was Drifter Surf Shop & Cafe. Loved the eclectic shopping mix here – kind of surf-wear-meets-high-fashion – with a decent coffee {plus reliable free wi-fi} served up on the side.

Me, I loved popping my head into little boutiques in between the big names. This isn’t the bargain-shopping end of town but for independent boutiques, the pricing compares with Australia.

When I realised that we’d reached Seminyak Square and I was the only one without a purchase to my name, I had our driver drop me back at the start of our walk at a boutique called Mist. Mist had been recommended to me by a Facebook follower who clearly knew my love of a cool rayon or cotton frock. Read on for one of the new Mist additions to my Bali wardrobe. The average price here was about $AU85 per frock.

I resisted buying one of these tanks at the Seminyak Square markets … for now 😉

As for who dominated the shopping. Well, hands down that honour went to the son who’s heading off to uni next month and no longer has a uniform to pad out his wardrobe. Yep, that’s some haul.

But back to me … about that frock. A girl’s got to wear it immediately, hasn’t she?

Turns out it was just the thing for afternoon drinks and early dinner at Potato Head. It’s cool to wear, has a splash of colour and is still a bit sun-safe. I tell you, that 5pm tropical sun still has a mighty bite to it.

Oh, and please note the distinct lack of hair styling?

Yes, this is what I call the I’m-on-a-tropical-holiday-permanent-wet-hair-look. To distract from lack of attention to detail, I call on my friends, big earrings {in this case the perfect orange tassels from Red Phoenix Emporium} and big sunglasses. They never let me down.

Just fell in love with the design of the building at Potato Head …

The kids were a bit taken with the wet-edge pool.

Could happily work my way through the cocktail list and back up again.

Nothing like a sunset to give you a holiday glow … even on Day 2.

Now, that my East Coast friends is what sun setting over the water looks like. And if there was a soundtrack to this photo, it would involve uber-cool-for-school pool-house beats.

Bali … I’m in love.

Editor’s note: I’m on holidays this week with my family. I’ll be popping in here most days with postcards from Bali. Regular Styling You programming will resume next week.

Want more? 13 tips for travelling for travelling to Bali if you’re a newbie