“‘I left my heart in Bali’ is one of the most common hashtag on Instagram when it comes to Bali. Everyone told me that is a peaceful place and that you can feel that peace all around you when you’re there and I didn’t really believed them. I didn’t believe any of that, I was very skeptical! I mean, comme on, it’s such a touristic place, how can you feel peace in there? That was until I got there. And man, oh man, was I wrong! From the minute I arrived at the hotel it hit me! Yeap, the peace hit me! Hard! From the moment I stepped inside our accommodation: a small villa in the middle of one of the many rice fields of Ubud. Everything felt balanced: from the stone bathroom to the flower arrangements, from the peaceful water fountains to the perfect ambient music. Everything had it’s place, every piece of furniture and every decoration, I then understood the meaning and purpose of Feng-Shui.”
I thought long and hard about what to write about Bali I really have no idea what to say besides everything that it has already been said on every travel post ever! Yes, it is a magical place, at least for me it was! Yes, it is peaceful and yes, I left a piece of my heart there! Bali has a lot to offer: from awesome beaches to amazing rice fields, from quite places to party all night clubs, from wonderful cascades to delicious cocktails, from magical temples to a great volcano, there is something for every taste.
To sum up and not get you bored before getting to the point:
Ubud:
- Go to The Sacred Monkey Forest, keep in mind that you must be careful with your belongings - from water bottles to phones - those monkeys will steal you anything!
- Go have breakfast with elephants at Elephant Safari Park, in Taro. It was described by the late Steve Irwin as 'The best elephant park in the world'.
- Walk around the city: enjoy the coffee shops, the bazaar and Sunday markets (don't forget to bargain 😉).
- Tegenungan Waterfall: keep an eye open for the cool signs and enjoy a coconut from one of the terraces with a perfect view over the waterfall.
- Tegalalang Rice Terraces is also a must (although a little crowded) with a stop to enjoy a cup of coffee.
- Tirta Empul Temple (Holy Spring Water Temple) - if you want to bathe in the springs bring some changing clothes with you. We chose not to bathe, because the spring and the whole ritual has a great meaning for the locals and I'm sure it wouldn't be the same for us.
- Gunung Kawi - the Temple in the Valley - one of Bali's oldest and largest ancient monuments.
- Pura Ulun Danu Bratan - translates as 'the source Temple of Lake Beratan'.
- Go to Tanah-Lot at sunset - the view is spectacular!
The Seaside:
Admire the sunset from Jimbaran
The most amazing sunset I have ever seen and some of our most awesome and dearest photos with us are from there <the ones with our silhouettes at sunset>. Also, try the grilled shrimps from one of the beach restaurants. Our personal recommendation is the small one called Padan Sari Cafe!
Seminyak Beach
Relax and have a cocktail on on the beach! If you're not on a strict budget you can also go and enjoy a great dinner, awesome cocktails and listen to good music at Potato Head.
Pandawa Beach 🙈
Take your afternoon nap there 🙈or just enjoy a splendid and almost empty beach, with crystal clear waters.
Padang-Padang Beach!
Have a beer or a coconut water and be careful of the stealing monkeys! Our personal favorite beach from the whole Bali!
But first, rent a scooter
And discover new beaches, and new places: that's what we did. Every single day from dawn till dusk we scootered our way through Bali. And it was amazing!
DON'T!
The biggest mistake I made was to book a resort in Nusa Dua. DON’T DO THAT! You’re going to miss the true spirit of Bali. Try to find a small villa (they are very bugdet friendly) and enjoy staying in a true balinese atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, the resort was awesome, people were just as friendly, but we felt like we are missing something. The great part about that resort was that we had a pool right in front of our room so every night when we came back we throwed ourselves into the pool. But, and I cannot say this enough, DON'T STAY IN A RESORT no matter how good it looks and how good the price seems!
Unfortunately, we book our trip 3 weeks in advance and it’s not a great idea because the plane tickets were a little expensive. But if you book it with at least 3 months in advance, you can find some good deals (believe me, I’ve checked! 🙈).
I'm sure I forgot to mention something, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Thank you for reading so far, cheers to great adventures!