You will hardly Bali•ve your eyes!
Where to go in Bali? With so many unique, incredible neighborhoods and mini-Islands, it’s definitely a touch choice. But one place not to miss for sure…. Ubud. You definitely should!! 😉 Ubud is the heart of Bali. This pumping, spirited, vibrant, chic, charming city was a must on my ‘Bali Must See’ List, after having researched all the neighborhoods thoroughly.
UBUD
My BFF and I started our Bali trip here, in Ubud, and stayed 4 nights, and I wish we could’ve stayed longer. There is so much to see and do, and it is a feast for all the senses as well as your mind, and spirit. We stayed in the gorgeous Goya Boutique Resort, which was walking distance to Ubud town center, and close enough to everything, but still seemed to be remotely floating in the jungle. Everything about this place was perfect! The rooms, service, food, infinity pool, and overall elegance, was luxury that won’t break the bank. The included breakfasts were unbelievable (with lots of Gluton Free options for my BFF), and the entire staff went out of their way to help with anything we needed. We didn’t need much though, because we loved to explore the town on our own.
When we wanted to venture a bit farther, we had an amazing driver, Agung who we booked throughout our entire stay in Bali. He was so reliable, his rates were awesome (between $40 and $50 for an entire day- 12 hours), and he spoke good English. He introduced us to the culture and history of Bali, and explained all of the areas we drove through. And we introduced him to his very first frapuccino from Starbucks! He drove us in Ubud, Uluwatu, and Seminyak, and when he was not able to drive us on Nusa Penida, he recommended someone else who was also wonderful- Ketut! Ketut’s instagram is @ketutindrasuastika You can contact him through the app. One thing I will say, that was an enormous help and major stress-relief, was booking Agung well before our trip, and making sure he picked us up from the airport. The Bali airport is a bit of a madhouse and it can be extremely overwhelming. To ensure a less stressful arrival, book your driver (either separately or through your hotel), well before you even board the plane.
After our unbelievable breakfasts, we took many strolls through the city center, wandered into random gardens, got $12 hour-long massages, saw the Saraswati Water Temple, the Monkey Forrest, and the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. We spent another day driving to neighboring areas which included a trip to the Banyumala Twin Waterfalls and Wanagiri Hidden Hill (both epic photo spots!) Agung knew just where everything was, which was so helpful! And after all the adventuring, we spent time lazing by the infinity pool of our wonderful hotel, and watching the epic sunset over the jungle….
NUSA PENIDA – the rough and gorgeous island
Our next destination was a place where the Wi-Fi was weak, but the mind-blowing game was strong! Where Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali— teaming with craft markets, dance, temples, and health-conscious living, Nusa Penida Island is its untouched distant cousin, where the main attraction is the insane landscapes that nature alone created. Its tourist infrastructure is pretty non-existent, and the roads to each destination were rockier, bumpier, and more foreboding than the cliffs we arrived at. But OH!!! …. when you do finally reach that destination…. WOW! We stayed at Saka Boutique Hotel, which was very pretty, and located extremely close to the dock where your boat comes in. The room was clean, the bed was comfy, the AC was cool, and the owner was very helpful and friendly. I noticed earplugs on each of our bedside tables and thought that was curious…… until we were woken up at 4:00am to the daily ritual chant that is piped over loud speakers throughout the main town (you can hear the chanting from everywhere). It was long and very audible. So, just in case, bring earplugs to Nusa Penida if you are not an insanely sound sleeper (and do so, even if you are!)
We visited Diamond Beach and the Rumah Pohon treehouses on the Eastern side of the island – which was probably my favorite out of all the sights on Nusa Penida, and worth the incredibly bumpy car ride. We also saw Kelingking Beach (from above) and if we had had more time, we would’ve certainly ventured down. But even just seeing it from above was spectacular! And a fun place to drone. Plus, we got to see fun little monkeys scampering up and down the trees at the viewpoint. We saw the sunset at Crystal Bay, and the following day went to Broken Beach (also a great place to drone), and Angel’s Billabong, which was an epic place to take a dip. The algae on the rocks felt soft and the water was warm, but still so refreshing, because Bali can get hot!
(Side note: I absolutely love traveling with a drone, because it is about the same size as a DSLR camera, and allows me to see entirely different perspectives of killer sights. I often get asked which type of drone I use. The DJI Mavic Pro is my choice. It’s very compact (can fit easily in any little bag), it’s intuitive, easy to fly, great for beginners, and has all kinds of safety and safeguard properties, which is helpful for the novice and daredevil alike. If you are even thinking of buying a drone, I’d highly recommend getting this one. Most of my photos below would not have been possible without a drone.)
Chilling out in ULUWATU
Next stop was Uluwatu. Translation: U.will.want.to. After a week of non-stop action & adventure in Ubud and Nusa Penida, we opted to follow the lead of this laid back surf town in Bali, and just relax and chill. Known for some of the best waves in the world, Uluwatu is where people come to ride the curl or just watch those who do. We spent most afternoons at our favorite Uluwatu spot, Single Fin, where watching waves at the edge of an infinity pool, eating fruit bowls and tacos, seemed like the absolute right thing to do. Oh, and we saw some temples, beaches, wicked sunsets, and monkeys too.
The Uluwatu temple was beautiful and the monkeys there were unbelievably entertaining! Hold TIGHT onto your belongings. Lolipops are not the only things those monkeys will steal right off of you! Padang Padang beach was adorable! The narrow pathway through a crack in the rocks was exciting in itself, but the beach was gorgeous. Lots of monkey-thieves at the entrance too, so be careful! But don’t miss this fun spot. It’s great for people-watching and buying $3 sarongs with beautiful Balinese prints, from local old ladies selling them on the beach.
Accommodations in Uluwatu
For our four days in Uluwatu, we stayed at the beautiful property, Villa Hari Indah. And it was perfect. I found it on Booking.com, after searching through dozens of other places. We stayed in the exclusive Suite Putih, which was extremely affordable luxury. What sold me on it, was the private outdoor platform bathtub in a jungle oasis of birds of paradise and other gorgeous greenery. The indoor-outdoor bathroom was definitely icing on the cake, but the detail of everything in this stand-alone Villa-room was incredibly thoughtful and beautifully appointed with traditional Balinese furnishings and some fun touches (like a falac silver metal bottle opener, that became the centerpiece of some of our most hysterical photos from the trip.) The bed was huge and comfy with a mosquito netting that we used each night, along with the wonderfully cool A/C. The entirely-glass wall on one side of the Villa swung open to access the private balcony and hanging nest chairs where Amber & I enjoyed our fresh fruit welcome cocktail, and sat and talked about how lucky we were to have this awesome place, for such a great deal. In Bali, your dollar goes a long way, and you can feel like a princess for the price of a pea. The breakfasts were awesome- you had personally-prepared cooked options and fresh fruit and juices every morning, and the proprietor there was so helpful in booking us taxis and massages, all very reasonably priced.
Last stop: SEMINYAK
Amber & I ended our Bali trip with two days in Seminyak. We ‘indulged’ (for less than the cost of a U.S. Motel 6) with a private pool villa, which came complete with an adorable ‘butler’, named Andy, who made us breakfast, regaled us with stories of other interesting foreign guests, and found it endearing that she and I just couldn’t stop giggling that we had a butler. We ventured out and walked to town along the roads, stopping in some of the cutest boutiques in Bali! We had dinner one night at Mrs Sippy, a very cute and trendy pool club that had fun swimming pool features and photographable coconut drinks. The next night, our last, we hung out at the famous and ever popular PotatoHead Beach Club, which is an iconic establishment and has a very cool vibe. The food & drinks were great, and the DJ spins some sweet tunes as the sun goes down.
We decided to walk back to our Villa via the beach this time, and got to witness a fantastic last sunset on our final night…. magic!!
Until next time…….. Aloha, Bali!
DAPHNE’S TOP TEN THINGS NOT TO MISS IN BALI:
- UBUD CENTER – Monkey Forrest- be sure to get there plenty before it closes, as there is a lot to see, and fun monkeys can keep you watching for hours! Make sure you go all the way down to the Dragon Bridge, and even further than that (to the right and down) to see the secret river steps. So cool! Check out the water temple too, and be sure to leave plenty of time for walking around the town center.
- TEGALALANG RICE TERRACES – get there early! To avoid crowds & heat. Not too much shade there. And definitely try one of the swings! So fun, and if you go early, you can negotiate the prices quite a bit down.
- WANAGIRI HIDDEN HILL – if you are looking for awesome instagram pics, or just want some epic photos to show back home, this fun photo-pit-stop has a phenomenal view with adorable little pods, nests & swings to take photos in.
- BANYUMALU TWIN FALLS – there are so many falls in Bali, but this lesser-known one was gorgeous, and we pretty much had it all to ourselves! You need to pay a small fee for entry & it requires a bit of a hike down (and then later, up) stairs, but so worth it!
- PURA ULUNDANU BERANTAN Water temple
- NUSA PENIDA ISLAND – Don’t miss Diamond Beach, the treehouses, Kelingking Beach (or just the view), Broken Beach & Angel’s Billabong, and Crystal Bay for sunset, if you can.
- ULUWATU – the Temple, Padang Padang Beach and Single Fin were our favorites.
- SINGLE FIN’S Sunday Beach Party – If you can make it, go!
- SEMINYAK – Mrs. Sippy, Potato Head Beach Club, and sunset on the beach- epic!
- TANAH LOT TEMPLE – here too, get there early, if you can. It gets crowded!
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF BALI –
- Pre-order a driver to pick you up from the airport. Whether through your hotel or another trusted site. You will be thankful you did.
- Prepare for the heat. Wear light-to-barely-there clothes
- Try to get to places early to avoid crowds
- Monkeys are cute little thieves. Don’t be a victim to their adorable charms. Guard your stuff. We say a monkey jump right onto a woman’s bag & grab her sunglass case right out of it. Guys told us that they had their GoPro stolen too.
- Get massages! From $5 an hour and up, you cannot go wrong. Seriously.
- Try to see several neighborhoods. They don’t have to be the ones I’ve listed above, but each neighborhood in Bali has its own vibe, and tasting the flavors of a few should be a must on your list!
- Buy some beautiful Bali prints! Whether on clothes, sarongs, art, etc…
- Embrace the local culture and be very environmentally conscious. Bali has been making an effort to clean things up, and you can help by doing your part. Don’t leave anything behind besides footprints.
DAPHNE’S PACKING MUST-HAVE’S FOR BALI:
- Ipanema Sandals I do not leave home without these, when traveling pretty much… anywhere! They are super cute and stylish and go with anything, from swimsuit & jean shorts, to a romper, to a nice maxi dress for the evenings. They are also incredible comfy- I walk MILES in them, and they are rubber, so they can get completely wet or dirty, and you can just rinse them right off & they dry immediately. I know what you’re thinking- how can rubber shoes be stylish? Just take a look! They are!
- Sun Hat!!! It’s hot & sunny in Bali, and you’ll be happy you have a cute one! This straw hat is pretty, wide-brimmed, foldable!! and is adjustable on the inside to fit your head perfectly
- Beach Cover-up – You’ll pretty much be living in your swimsuit for most of the time, so this is nice to throw over if you’re going into a restaurant to eat, or for walking down the street to your next chic spot. This crotched, low back cover up dress is sexy and sweet at the same time- I love it! I wore it all over Greece too!
- Travel towels – Chances are, if you are staying at a hotel or resort, they will give you bath towels. But these are bulky, and take up a lot of room, and you don’t want to be hauling them around on your beach outings. I use Anaskela travel towels on all my trips. They are soft, beautiful, dry quicker, fold up super small, and are made from recyclable plastic bottles (wha?!?!?), and will last you forever. I take mine everywhere.