the bali guide

Selamat datang! 

We just came back from our 8 day trip to Bali for my boyfriend's 26th birthday. It was one of my favourite holidays and seems to have inspired a lot of our friends to give Bali a go too! This was actually my second trip to Bali, I previously went in 2016 just for three days and it didn't honestly didn't leave much of an impression on me. But this trip completely changed my view - I am writing this just two days after our trip has ended and I am ready to go back again!

I had a lot of images of Bali tabbed on Instagram from some bloggers I followed - @prettyfrowns @bellywellyjelly @prettysickly - and also the lovely @incyvincyspider from Sydney sent me her AMAZING Bali itinerary, which we followed for a lot of the places. Her photos from Bali were magical, so definitely go check them out! We chose to have a longer holiday as we wanted to explore some of the smaller islands next to Bali and also have enough time to relax and enjoy the Bali life. I definitely recommend staying for 5 days or longer as there is just so much to do! Whether it be exploring the islands, relaxing at the beach clubs or going on a mie goreng marathon, there is SO MUCH TO DO.

This itinerary will be separated into two parts - the second being our stay in Ubud and will go into detail about the prices ($AUD) and our villa stays and include way too many photos. I will also attach a more concise, no frills itinerary at the end as well. Hope you can see how much fun was had and we hope we inspire you to give Bali another visit or perhaps your very first visit! 

DAY 1

12.00 Our driver, Buddha (contact info at the end) picked us up from the airport and drove us to Seminyak

While we waited for checkin...

Seminyak Square to get our feet eaten by fish (they feel super smooth afterwards haha) 

and MAD POPS BALI to have some of their Instagram famous ice cream

Drove to KYND COMMUNITY for some brekky and then to the W HOTEL for some
post-breakfast cocktails on our way back to Seminyak Square

3pm Checking into BRACHA VILLAS

1 Bedroom pool villa - $177/night approx.

This probably ended up being my favourite villa during our stay, it was also the most conveniently located, within 10 minutes walk to Seminyak Square and 5 minutes to many restaurants and shops. It had elements of traditional Balinese style villas but also had completely indoor living and bathing areas. A lot of villa's have outdoor showers and living rooms which is fun for the first hour or so until you're sweating whilst brushing your teeth and fighting off mosquitos while eating your dinner. We actually choose this villa for one night only because we saw they did breakfast on the pool haha. We really wanted to stay at Kamandalu Ubud who have the most amazing pool floating breakfasts, but was way too pricey. For a room tour, please check out this video on Youtube. 

5pm Dinner at THE LAWN, Canggu

Around a 30 minute drive from Seminyak

First come first served for spots on the lawn and for daybeds, with a minimum 1,000,000IDR / 100AUD spend for daybeds. There is a pool but you can walk straight down to the beach. Although a little pricier for Bali, we absolutely loved this place, the layout, the live music, the atmosphere, wish we could've gone back again! 

DAY 2

Kickstarting the morning with a refreshingly cold dip in the pool and a floating breakfast at our villa 

and then hastily packing everything up to get ready for our second villa in Seminyak!

12pm LA LAGUNA

Once again playing the waiting game, waiting for our villa check-in. 

But completely fine by me, when there's amazing beach clubs to relax the day away at!

I added La Laguna to my list upon seeing photos on Instagram of beautiful gypsy style rugs and cushions set up on a lawn overlooking the sunset. Unfortunately when we went they weren't set up yet, but it was definitely way too hot and sunny to be lounging around on the grass and being burnt to a crisp! Fortunately we were seated 'inside' the restaurant instead (if you count a roof and no walls as inside) and it was absolutely beautiful, the whole grounds have a Spanish, gypsy, boho-chic style and it feels like you're stepping into a gypsy wonderland. Although more on the pricey side for Bali, with cocktails averaging at $12-$15 and $8-$12 for dishes, I highly recommend this place, especially for those with children as well! 

3pm Checking in to BALI DREAM SUITES VILLA SEMINYAK for the next three nights

1 Bedroom pool villa - $160/night approx. 

This was more of the typical type of villa you find in Bali, with outdoor living and dining area and of course the famous outdoor showers! The villa itself was lovely and included breakfast every morning also a complimentary 15 minute massage for 2 guests. They also prepared a birthday cake for Justin which was super sweet. The cons of this villa was the location. Firstly, there are three Bali Dream Suites all within 5 minutes of each other and with VERY similar names, so we had a hard time driving home and finding the right villa, even when we presented our taxi driver with the villa business card. It is also quite far away from Seminyak Square, you would have to drive there and it is in quite a secluded lane area, without any surrounding shops or restaurants. The problem with having outdoor living areas was that we only used it when we were eating and showering. Most of the times we hid in the bedroom where there was air conditioning and not (as many) bugs. Outdoor showers are all fun and games until a worm drops down from the tree above, or a little frog decides to hop in the shower with you. Be warned, if you do not like creepy crawlies! However, it was a nice Balinese holiday experience and something you must try out. Sweating whilst brushing your teeth can only happen when you're truly on holiday in a tropical place! As usual, room tour can be found here on Youtube

5pm POTATO HEAD BEACH CLUB 

Just a 10 minute drive from our villa

It was very busy when we went and tables were first come first served, but we did the hovering act and managed to snag a couch across from the pool. The daybeds are minimum 500,000IDR / 50AUD spend and most people arrive at 9am to grab one of these (it doesn't even open till 10am). They have traditional Indonesian dishes, vegan friendly dishes and your typical beach club pizza, burger and fries. Food was around $10-$12 per dish and cocktails around $12 each. The sunset was gorgeous to view from the pool, and if that gets a little too busy for you, just hop straight down to the beach! We absolutely loved this place and can see why it is so popular, we even came back for a second visit later on in our trip.

8pm KUTA 

Known as the party area with lots of Aussies, if you're looking for a quiet night do not go here! I came here during the day time and it was quite nice, the shopping strips and restaurants are right by the beach (which is not dirty like some say, just busy). I wanted to come here to do some souvenir shopping as I knew the ones in Seminyak had increased the prices three-fold and wouldn't accept a lot of haggling as they know people will still buy it at that price. You can find things like straw bags, shoes, bags, those Bintang shirts, just a lot of typical Bali souvenirs here. For me, this isn't a must see area in Bali but it's something fun to do at night as there are a lot more bars and clubs in this area.

DAY 3

Day trip to NUSA PENIDA

I initially wanted to visit the small island of Nusa Ceningan but was convinced to visit the much larger island of Nusa Penida after seeing beautiful pictures of their beaches. I thought I would be able to visit both in one day, but Nusa Penida alone requires 2 days to see all the popular spots. Our driver, Buddha booked our speedboat tickets for us which included a private car for pick up and drop off. The tickets were quite expensive, $60 each considering it was a 15 minute car drive and a 30 minute boat ride. The speedboat is very full and very stuffy, there are no fans or AC (at least not turned on) and VERY bumpy. If you get sea sick easily I definitely do not recommend this boat trip, you will hate yourself haha. We actually arrived at Sanur Point around 8.15am but weren't able to board the 8.30am speedboat, so we were put on the 9.30am boat. The port itself has some small stalls and a small café that will serve you some morning mie goreng (for those who woke up too late to catch their hotel breakfast, aka me). The boat didn't leave until around 9.50am and we got to the island at around 10.20. Upon arrival we were met with different drivers and scooter rental people at a little café. It was an extra $60 for a private driver for the day - However our trip on the island only lasted 4 hours or so and most of the time was spent in the car rushing from destination to destination. It was quite expensive as our driver for the whole day in Bali was $50. You can also rent scooters for $10 but I would not recommend it, as there is barely any cellular service on the island so you wouldn't be able to use your phone to map, and the roads are CRAZY bumpy. The few tourists who chose to take the scooters almost didn't make the boat back home. If you also get carsick, I do not recommend this trip either haha, it was so bumpy it felt like my brain was being shaken into mush. It took about 2 hours to drive to Kelingking Beach, a further half an hour to Broken Beach and that was all we had time for before we had to speed across the rocky roads back to the meeting point for a 3.30pm departure. Although we saw some beautiful sites, I felt like this day trip was overpriced, very tiring and not really worth it. A lot of people recommend to stay overnight on the islands so you get to experience more at a more relaxed pace. 

DAY 4

3.00pm LEMPUYANG TEMPLE

We started this day a little late, so we were met with A LOT of traffic and it was also the day before Galungan, a Balinese holiday. There are a lot of temple gates in Bali, but the two most famous (and most Instagrammed) would be the Lempuyang Temple and Handara Golf Resort - yes the entrance to a golf resort haha. We chose to venture to Lempuyang Temple or locally referred to as Pura Lempuyang Luhur. It is one of the oldest and most highly regarded temples in Bali. It was almost a 3 hour drive from Seminyak and we arrived at around 3.00pm. I was warned it would be very busy, but there were hardly any people there! You have to wear a sarong to enter the temple and they are 10,000IR / 1AUD to rent each at the entrance. Entry fee is also a donation of your choice. This temple is actually huge, it takes 3 hours to explore all the temples, but luckily for everyone the most famous and biggest one is just 5 minutes walk from the entrance. You do have to climb up some steps to reach it, but nothing too dramatic. When we were there, the staff were taking pictures for everyone in front of the iconic temple gates and I don't think you were allowed to take it yourself - Some tourists tried but were met with very disapproving looks and staff telling them to move to the side so the tourists who lined up for a photo could grab their shot. I'm actually very glad they were there to take the photos, they took them on your phone for you but they actually had a piece of glass which they used to reflect the sky onto the floor and the results were AMAZING. The photo does require a tip. We spent around 30 minutes and didn't go to any of the temples further up. 

 

4.00pm TIRTA GANGGA WATER PALACE

Just a 15 minute drive from Lempuyang Temple, this former royal palace is also very popular amongst tourists, entrance fee is 30,000IDR / 3AUD per person. It is a beautiful garden filled with ponds and fountains, beautifully maintained. You can also swim at one of the 2 'pools', the water comes directly from the mountain so it is clean and clear. You can purchase fish food on the way in at 5000IDR / 0.50AUD for 3 packets and I highly recommend you do so, makes for a great picture surrounded by fish and also just a fun experience in general. It was quite empty when we visited and relatively easy to make our way across the pond using the stepping stones (that are securely attached to the floor for those worrying!) For me it wasn't a 'must-see' in Bali but it was a nice stop-off and bonus experience on our way home from the temple.

7.30pm MERAH PUTIH 

Now this restaurant is a 'must-do' in Bali! It is located in Kuta but just 2km away from Seminyak so still relatively close. We didn't have a booking and for a Thursday night it wasn't particularly busy. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the traditional Balinese dishes were also beautifully delicious! Even though it is considered 'fine-dining' in Bali, we found our meal to be quite fairly priced. We ordered 2 appetisers, 2 mains, vegetables, rice, 4 cocktails and the total for two people was $120AUD which is what you'd probably expect from any regular restaurant in Melbourne. I don't have any dishes to recommend as everything was so delicious! The best meal we had in Bali, hands down. 

DAY 5

11.00am COFFEE CARTEL

Today was the first day of the Balinese holiday, Galungan so our driver took the day off to spend time with family, so we decided to take a 'day off'. Almost all restaurants and shops were open and taxi's were running as usual, only a few small roadside shops were closed. We were actually recommended this cute coffee shop by some fellow Australians that we met at Potato Head the other night. Quite popular amongst tourists they serve many healthy brunch dishes and turmeric latte's - if you're about that life. However the highlight, was their COFFEE PRINTING, yes you heard that right. They use a machine called the Ripple to use coffee beans to print a coffee picture onto any coffee of your choice. I chose a pink chai latte and a photo of my child, Kit Kat and I was so awestruck with the results. You airdrop any photo to their phone and 5 minutes later TA-DA! The coffee printing itself costs 15,000IDR / 1.50AUD and the coffees were around 3IDR / 3.00AUD, which might seem a little gimicky and pricey, but honestly, even if it was 10AUD I still would've done it. 

12.00pm POTATO HEAD BEACH CLUB 
Yes, we came back. And we came back determined to get a day bed. Upon arriving at the later already very busy hour of 12pm (my usual wake up time), we were given #28, yes 28th in line for a day bed and most people spend ALL DAY there. However we still had a lovely time lounging around on the couches, cooling off in the pool, exploring the beach and chilling in the in-pool bar. Four hours later, we were awarded our day bed! There is a minimum spend of 500,000IDR / 50AUD for a day bed, but that can be easily reached with a few cocktails and some bar food. 

6.00pm MOTEL MEXICOLA 

Almost next door to Potato Head, this place is also very popular amongst tourists. The decor is amazing and it has a very fun and busy atmosphere. We arrived at dinner time and there was already a waiting list so we just decided to get some drinks and enjoy the music for a sip or two. I would recommend this place for a fun night if you have a group of friends. 

This concludes the first part of our stay in Bali, we decided to move into the jungle in Ubud for the remaining 3 days of our trip, which is coming up in part 2 of our guide!

As promised, here is a link to a simpler version of our whole itinerary.

Our driver, Budha was 500,000IDR / 50AUD per day 

Super friendly, fluent in English, LOVES Aussies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/budha.bali

Jenny