Bali

Villa Kresna Boutique and Suite - Seminyak (View from our room)
If you stay there - you must must must order the granola yogurt fruit salad for breakfast 💙

‘Terimakhasi’

No, I’m not abusing you. It’s how you say ‘Thank you’ in Indonesia. I had to start the blog with this because this is the first thing we heard at Denpasar Airport and we burst out laughing.

Filled with culture, surrounded by forested volcanic mountains, clear beaches, coral reefs, party pubs, paddy fields, hot springs – Bali makes a perfect destination for travellers with varied taste. It has something to offer for the young, the old, the couple, the child, the friends – Anyone. 

Before planning my trip, I heard a lot of people exclaim that the island is overrated or that it’s a better version of Goa / not safe. But, I disagree. It has a lot more to offer if you decide to not do the typical touristy things. Whilst we spend 6 days in Bali, I still feel I haven’t covered it all. According to me, a minimum 8-9 days can easily be spent there. Above it all, it’s inexpensive and it’s a place that doesn’t need an itinerary. Everything is about an hour or two away from each other (Except Gilli and the neighboring islands) but you can wake up in the morning and decide what you want to do on that day.

I’m going to share my itinerary with you but I’ll also mention a few places that you must visit that I couldn’t cover.

Days 1-3: Ubud (The spiritual awakening) – Inspired by Eat, Pray, Love!

The town of Ubud in the uplands of Bali is the cultural heart of the country. It is popular for being a center of art and dance and is surrounded by terraced paddies and monkeys. Most people visit Ubud or do a day trip to visit the Monkey Forest / paddy fields – But you can skip them. The best way to spend a day there is walk around the Ubud center / Ubud market area.

Ubud for the explorers:

• Visit the Luwak Coffee Farm - Bali has several coffee plantations making the famous and costly Kopi Luwak, and one of the nicer plantations is based in Ubud. The Kopi Luwak plantation in Ubud show you the process of the Kopi Luwak making, and at the end there is a coffee tasting session with 8 palettes of coffees

• Trek to Mount Batur - At sunrise, the sky turns from black to inky blue to pink and orange. With the light, you can see how far you’ve climbed. The trek to Batur is do-able for beginner’s aswell because it’s only a 2 hour trek. The sunrise trek starts at 2.00 am in the night and you reach up by 4.00 am and wait there for sunrise. They serve you breakfast and coffee on the top overlooking the village amidst the clouds and then you trek down. Across the valley there’s an even higher volcano: Gunung Agung, the most sacred mountain and highest point on the island. Hikers regularly make a similar sunrise trek up Agung, and it takes eight hours to reach the 3,000-metre summit. But if you’re planning your trip this month – beware there are high evacuation alerts for Agung because they believe that the largest volcano eruption is going to occur because the Balinese gods are angry.

• Treat yourself to a Spa (Don’t miss it. Infact, treat yourself to a Spa everyday)- Ubud is packed with spas and salons, so there are plenty to choose from if you want to heal, pamper, rejuvenate and focus on your personal needs both physical and mentally. Many of the spas are located in the beautiful, lush hillsides outside of Ubud with splendid views over the rice fields. There are quick Spas available in the market and the one I took was from the estate that I lived in. 

• The Ubud Market -  Originally named Pasar Seni, the Ubud market is located just across the road from the Ubud Palace. It is a bustling market that sells everything from clothes, souvenirs, handicrafts and sarongs.Feel free to buy your souvenirs from here since Ubud is cheaper than Seminyak/Kuta. Remember to ALWAYS bargain on the price before you buy anything. You should at least start at a quarter to half price of what the seller first offers. The Balinese play an instrument called 'Kalimba' - its a small circular shape musical instrument which is cheap (approximately 145 INR or 30000 IDR) and makes a great authentic souvenir.

Maybe you remember Julia Roberts shopping at this market in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”? The whole market was closed for several days in 2010 as they filmed it.

Ubud for the tourists:

• Visit the monkey forest - Meet over 600 monkeys in the sacred monkey forest . Be careful, because the monkeys are moody. Its 30000 IDR (150 INR) for entry and is located in the main market area. 

• Cycle in the rice fields - There are several lovely walks through the paddies and small villages surrounding Ubud. Take the official (eh..unofficial) Nerd Nomads rice field walking tour! Start at Ubud Palace and follow the road Jl Raya Campuan to the Warwick Ibah Luxury Villas and enter the hotel driveway. Here you take the path to the left and follow the walkway that crosses the river to Pura Gunung Lebah. From there it`s easy, just follow the concrete path north, that takes you up a hill with beautiful views over two river valleys and small villages. On the outskirt of the small village, you take the road that heads west (it is unmarked, but just ask someone you meet). The road winds uphill and downhill all the way back to the centre of Ubud. The entire walk is about 9 km. 

Indigo Tree- Ubud 

Ubud has a health-vibe going on, with some of the best spas, meditation and yoga retreats on Bali, as well as excellent restaurants and cafes focusing on healthy and organic food. Ubud is one of those places where days quickly can become weeks, and weeks can become months. Like Julia Roberts in “Eat, Pray, Love”, this is the place to come to heal and take good care of yourself.

Days 3-6: Seminyak , Kuta, Nusa Dua

Seminyak is brash, flash, and arguably a bit phony. It is also the center of life for hordes of the island expats, many of whom do surfs, own boutiques, or seemingly do nothing at all.It's a very dynamic place, home to clubs and scores of restaurants and a wealth of creative, designer galleries and shops. World-class hotels line the beach, and what a beach it is – as wide and sandy as Kuta's but less crowded. Right after Ubud, Seminyak feels very touristy, filled with Indians, traffic on roads and people filled streets. 

Seminyak really doesn’t have any things to do, but a lot of things to see and restaurants/bars to visit.Listing some must visits for you:

• Rockbar - Bali is famous for its kaleidoscopic sunsets but the best one I witnessed was at Rock Bar (Ayana resort in Jimbaran). The bar's minimalist and innovative design by Yasuhiro Koichi exploits the natural formation and character of the rock on which the bar sits, 14 meters above the ocean at the base of AYANA's towering cliffs. It’s a beauty. 

Rock Bar - Ayana Resort

• Potato Head Beach Club Bali - PHBC houses 3 restaurants where each of them presents its own distinct personalities. Potato Head Bistro serves comfort food inspired by international home cooked recipes (not too many vegetarian options though). It’s best to be here around the beach of the sunset, get yourself a breezy cocktail and relax on the sit down, mid pool sections of the area. Potato head has hammocks and a swimming pool, that’s all that I needed

• Woobar - Woobar is located, just a little ahead of potato head, and share the same beach. Just beach hop and get there and try the coconut sangria infused with lychee and red wine. Head back to kuta and party hard

Woo Bar - W Hotel

• La Favela - Known for the picturesque bridge and late night partying. You can be here untill 3 am or even later.

Apart from all the partying, since seminyak is centrally located, it is easy to get to Gilli, Tanha Lot and Nusa Dua from here. I strongly recommend on doing day-trips to Ulluwatu or Tanha Lot and one entire day at the beach in Nusa Dua and the convention center. 

• The Balinese Temples 

Balinese temples bring culture and tradition to the country and in the recent past have become the islands most iconic landmarks. Therefore, visiting atleast 1-2 temples in Bali would be an experience of its kind. 

Tanha Lot is perhaps the most frequent temple that is features in Bali postcards. This is also because of its perfect sunset backdrop and offshore setting. 

Ulluwatu Temple is similar to Tanha Lot, only this one is at a higher altitude. Its famous among surfers and water sporters.

Goa Gajah and Besakih temple are among the other few that can be visited

Note: Donot miss the Kecak dance , also known as the 'Ramayana Money Dance' which is dance performed by atleast 150 characters with beautiful backdrops, to depict the battle of Ramayana. 

Tanha Lot Temple

• Nusa Dua 💖

Nusa Dua is only about 45 mins away from Kuta and is predominantly known for its luxury hotels and clean beaches. Very different in style from Kuta, Nusa Dua is a luxury destination in itself. It also has a beautiful shopping center which has some local brands with a great clothing line. Visit this store called as Bali Collection for chick outfits and more. It was my next favourite destination after Ubud – so its definitely worth a visit!

• Gili 👌

Situated just off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia, the Gilis are made up of three small islands: Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan. Over the years, these sleepy little islands have become a huge destination for backpackers and budget travellers. They are a wonderful destination to relax and soak up the sun. They are also very popular for endless water sport activities like snorkelling, kayaking, diving etc. I was always amazed at how few crowds there were on the islands. Go, relax, get a tan, and enjoy! 

Gili Trawangan is the party island out of the three, whereas Gili Air is the quietest. Party nights are regular and are rotated between the bars, which usually stay open until 4 am. When the islands are busy, the famous Full Moon parties are held on the beach on the southern part of Trawangan with a DJ playing beats to sunrise. The famous swing picture can also be taken in Gili Trawangan.

Also, getting to Gili takes some time, so it’s best to stay a night at least in Gili. That way you can enjoy the nightlife and don’t have to worry about heading back. Gilli Speed boats run from Seminyak and Kuta. Booking for the same can be done over the counter. Alternatively, there are endless travel agents in the market that can get it done for you.

Costing - Diving is around 500,000 IDR for a fun dive, but can cost less if you get a discount or bring your own equipment. Snorkel rentals are just 15,000 IDR for the day, and bike rentals cost between 35,000-50,000 IDR. Most of the activities on the island revolve around the beach and ocean.

QUICK TIPS:

1. Exchange rates are better in the smaller towns like Ubud – so get all your dollars converted here. There’s also no standard exchange rate running in the market but the rates available in the morning are better than those available at night. There is a standard chain of money exchange called as ‘’BMC’’ – so look for them 
2. Local transportation – There are taxi’s across Bali that run on meter – these are the best economical means of transport for within city and well as inter-city travel. Look for blue taxi’s with a bird icon on the top. There are other blue coloured taxis but they don’t run on meter, so be careful when you stop one. 
3. Bargain Bargain Bargain – The Balinese bargain upto 50% of the quoted price. Use your girl charm to get extra discounts. This bargaining is applicable not only while shopping but also with cab drivers, hotel staff etc. The money exchange stores also bargain upto 10%.
4. NEVER FLY BY AIR ASIA – They don’t even serve water on the airplane.

FOOD:

The local Balinese cuisine is authentic, delicious, filled with flavour and also very healthy. Most restaurants/ shops selling Balinese food will have a name that is followed by the word ‘ Warung’. A warung (old spelling waroeng) is a type of small family-owned business — a small restaurant or café — in Indonesia which is part of daily life in Indonesia. Foreign visitors, expatriates, and people abroad —refer to Warung more specifically to a modest Indonesian restaurant or a place that sells things Indonesian (mostly groceries or foodstuff).

Tempe Goreng (fried soya bean cake), Jukut Urap (mixed vegetable with spices and coconut dressing), Kering Tempe (spicy & sweet deep fried tempe with fried peanuts), Serundeng (crisp spiced grated coconut), Sambal (chili sauce) : these are all the dishes accompany the “Mud Rice” which actually consists of thick peanut sauce poured into a mixture of steamed white rice with sweet corn. I strongly recommend trying this around your trip.

All in all, I think Bali makes an amazing get-away and I wouldn’t hesitate an inch if I had a chance to revisit it.

Take-aways for people travelling soon:
Day 1: Arrive at Denpasar airport and head to Ubud. Chill for a bit and go for a monkey forest tour/ Kopi Luwak farm tour. Come back to the city centre for dinner.
Day 2: Spend the day in the Rice fields and chill. 2 am in the night - go for the trek to Mount Batur. Return next morning
Day 3 : Return from mount batur trek - chill, take rest and check out. Head towards seminyak and check into hotel
Day 4: Chill in Seminyak. Visit one of the temples (Tanha Lot or Ulluwatu). Come back to the beach clubs and chill
Day 5: Do a day trip to Nusa Dua. Do some water sports, spend the day at the beach relaxing and party hard at night
Day 6 : Check out if you're on a 5N6D vacation. If not, spend another 2 days in Gili

Accommodation costs - Average INR 2000-2500 for a 3 star or Air Bnb
Food : INR 1500-2000 per day per person (Assuming you eat a local restaurants and cafes)
Flights : INR 20000 per person (if it's booked in advance on Air Asia)
Overall trip cost - INR 55000-60000

We stayed at the Indigo tree in Ubud - 800INRer person per night . Filled with foreign tourists, and a home stay environment, I think it makes the perfect selection for a stay in the middle of the rice paddies.

Villa Kresna Boutique and Suites (Seminyak)- Slightly overpriced but makes a pretty honeymoon hotel with walking distance to the beach

Please leave comments or inbox for details on where to stay, eat etc.