Bali Guide

This was my second trip to Bali, and WOW things have changed! Bali is becoming more and more well known and is a now huge tourist destination! Bali is all about the waterfalls, beaches, rice paddies, and now beach clubs, aesthetic foods, and nightlife. With so many new businesses popping up, the things to do are endless. During our 2.5 week trip, we started in Uluwatu, made our way to Canggu, visited the Gili Islands for a weekend, then ended in Ubud.

DO’s: Bring a reusable water bottle. Bring covered clothes for temples. Always carry cash. Book tickets, boat rides, and bus rides ahead of time. Bargain with street vendors & taxis. Treat yourself with villas and spa days!

DONT’S: Don’t wander/drive through unpopulated areas at night. Don’t brush your teeth with/drink tap water (you will get Bali belly like I did..). Don’t get into a fight with a local, you will lose in the end. Don’t drive TOO crazy. Don’t take out cash from sketchy ATM’s. Negotiate taxi prices before getting in.

Uluwatu

Uluwatu was the perfect place to start our vacation, as it was a perfect combination of some of the best things Bali has to offer. We were welcomed with incredible surf (for my boyfriend and sister) and breathtaking sunsets! Uluwatu is filled with beautiful beaches, surf, eateries, beach clubs, shops, bars, and people from all over the world!

Where to stay: We stayed in Bingin, right next to Uluwatu to avoid the higher prices of staying on the point but still right in the middle of everything you need. We moved around a little from villas with pools to beach front boutique hotel rooms – to experience a bit of everything! Villas are a great budget friendly option if you’re traveling with a group, while the hotels mainly cater to pairs of travelers. One of the highlights of our stay was spending the night at Le Cliff Boutique hotel! We booked last minute so we got a discount and only paid around $80 a night. As the name suggests, Le cliff is located on the side of the cliff in front of Bingin beach right next to Padang Padang. Our room had an amazing outdoor shower, bath, and balcony steps away from the beach! With so many people in and out of these hotels, something to keep in mind is BED BUGS! Keep your belongings away from the bed to avoid them crawling in and tagging along with you!

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Things to do: Uluwatu beach and Karma beach were some of my favorites from the whole trip! With clear water, views of the surf, and Bintangs (local beer) and coconuts on the beach – its perfect for relaxing. Make your way through the boulders and around the rocks at Uluwatu beach to find shipwrecks, more secluded beaches, and tide pools at low tide! Make some friends with the local ladies and dogs roaming the shores, and stay the evening for the most incredible sunset! You can also catch the sunset from the blue point infinity pool, and enjoy drinks and food while you’re at it. Karma beach is the spot to go if you’re looking for something away from the crowds. Karma beach is a private beach where you have to pay around 600,000 rupiah (or a little over $40) to take the gondola down to the beach from Karma Kandara Resort. There are some restaurants and beach clubs, but far less people compared to the other spots. After the beach, treat yourself with a spa treatment! We all had the best massages from the entire trip in Uluwatu. We went to a spa next to Laniakea spa (I wish I could remember the name..) and paid fair prices for amazing quality! While not as luxurious as Laniakea spa, the price for the quality was unbeatable. Everything in Uluwatu was a bit higher priced compared to everywhere else, so I’d definitely save your shopping for for later!

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Where to eat: Uluwatu had some of my favorite brunch spots out of the entire trip! Cashew tree and Bukit cafe are a MUST! I will forever be thinking about the coconut smoothie from Cashew tree and pancakes from Bukit cafe ughhHh. I would also highly recommend wasabi sushi, Trattoria Cucina Italiana, and Cafe Asia for dinner!

Nightlife: The Hatch goes off on Thursdays, and Single Fin is a rager every Wednesday and Sunday. The Hatch is basically a hipster glorified tree house! With two floors or video games, pool tables, ping pong, and trees going through the roof, its definitely a place to check out! As you probably already know, Single fin is the place to be. Every Wednesday and Sunday the bar is so packed you may find it hard to even walk! I’d highly recommend pregaming or sticking to bottled drinks, as the mixed drinks in Uluwatu everywhere seemed to have the lowest alcohol content EVER. Like literally a splash.

Canggu

If you’re looking to meet like minded travelers and enjoy the laidback surfer lifestyle and not so much the local culture – Canggu is the place to go! It’s full of travelers and foreigners who are living and working there, making it a great place to meet people and get their traveling tips! With endless healthy food options, vibey beach clubs, surf, and nightlife – it’s definitely worth checking out!

Where to stay: If you want to be near by all the action – stay near echo beach or Canggu Beach! Food, shops, shopping and waves are all in walking distance. If you’re looking for somewhere a bit quieter and cheaper, a bit up the street near the main road Jalan Pererenan – Tanah Lot (as it reads on google maps) is where you’ll want to be. Either way, accommodation is very reasonably priced, and you can get a nice clean room for $40 a night! If you’re looking to live in luxury, Canggu is full of incredible villas and boutique hotels that won’t break your wallet either!

Things to do: Beach clubs are a must in Canggu, with La Brisa being my favorite! With no cover charge (only minimum spend for certain seating), two pools, amazing food, and views of the surf and the sunset, you could spend all day here! Although the water is a bit murky at the beaches due to the black sand, Echo beach and Canggu beach are great places to surf for every skill level. After the beach, check out a street market like Love Anchor and be ready to bargain! You’ll find a variety of higher quality locally made clothes, purses, house decor, and souvenirs! Different places around mark up the prices more/less, but in Canggu you can generally get things for half the price they originally ask for. If you’re in the mood for a unique spa day, head to Udara spa, where its like you’re entering Alice in Wonderland!

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What to eat: If you’re a foodie, you’ll be in heaven in Canggu! Pretty much every eatery is insta worthy and tastes great! There’s healthy and vegan options pretty much around every corner too! For breakfast, check out the famous Nalu Bowls. While a bit pricier than other smoothie bowls you’ll find in the area, they’re yummy, convenient, and served in a coconut shell! Another great açaí place is a little açaí stand right at the entrance of Echo beach. Our favorite dinner spot was a pizza place called Luigi’s. They have different specials almost every night and the pasta is to die for!!! There’s also a bunch of specialty shops to add to your food list like Creamery Bali and Matcha cafe!

Nightlife: On Wednesdays everyone heads to Old Man’s, and Pretty Poison on Thursdays. They both have outdoor areas, with Old Man’s having a stage and Pretty Poison having a drained pool in the center where skaters keep everyone entertained! It gets pack so be sure to head there early to get a front row spot.

Gili Islands

Out of the 3 Gili Islands we visited 2 – Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno. These islands were by far my favorite part of the trip! Crystal clear waters and white sand beaches, sunsets that light up the sky, and some of the most beautiful coral reefs I’ve ever seen! Although the islands are tiny, theres so many things you can cross off your bucket list!

Where to stay: We stayed on the main Gili island, Gili Trawangan. We stayed a few blocks in from where the boat dropped us off at Gili Trawangan Beach. Since most people on the islands are muslim, they have the call to prayer multiple times a day starting at 4:45am and the last one being at 7:30pm which we heard very clearly from the side of the island we were staying. While they did add to the experience, if you’re interested in staying somewhere quieter, I’d recommend the southern part of the island.

Things to do: Take in the natural beauty the island has to offer!! We rented bikes and snorkels and biked past the sunset side of the island to the Turtle Point. I’d recommend getting fins as well as the current can be a bit strong and you have to walk over sharp rocks to get to the swimming area. There you can swim among blue coral reefs with schools of fish and turtles! When we came in from swimming, the locals offered us fresh magic mushrooms! We were iffy at first, but since the Gilis are known for mushrooms we decided why not! We biked a bit further down and found a restaurant with cabanas over the ocean, where we got some lunch and ate the mushrooms. They kicked in within 30 minutes, and we spent next few hours giggling and laying in the shallow waters! The next day we took a day trip to Gili Meno to snorkel at the underwater sculptures that was created as artificial reef to encourage coral growth and ocean life! I’d recommend taking a boat tour for this one to avoid walking half an hour and over sharp rocks to get to the spot. I’d also recommend getting fins and going as early as possible to try avoid the main crowds! With strong currents and around 30-40 people all kicking and trying to get pictures with the statue, it was hectic to say the least.. It’s definitely worth it but you might not get that picture for instagram that you were imagining, so just enjoy it! A plus of not taking a tour and getting a boat that dropped us off on a different side of the island was stumbling across a turtle sanctuary! We paid 150,000 rupiah (which goes to feeding and taking care of the turtles) to release a baby turtle into the ocean! I’ve always dreamed of something like this and was unexpectedly able to cross it off my bucket list!

What to eat: The Gili Trawangan Night Market is a great place to try some local food! Due to the recent devastating earthquake, I don’t think there was as many vendors as there was before, but you’ll still be able to find a good variety of food from desserts to grilled seafood!

Nightlife: Bars line the main street with the most popular one being Sama Sama Reggae Bar. While walking the street, you’ll probably stumble across some bars and street stands blatantly selling magic mushroom shakes too!

Transportation: The only ways to get around the island is to walk, bike, or take a horse taxi. I’d suggest getting a bike for the days you plan to go further then just around where you’re staying, as it just takes about 1.5-2 hours to circle the whole island! Although the horses are a part of the locals every day lives and they use them for personal transportation and for work, the horses used for tourist taxis do seem overworked. If the horse looks like they are in no shape to be ridden, it’s probably a good idea not to for ethical reasons.

Ubud

Ubud was the perfect place to end our Bali trip! It was the perfect spot to adventure, relax, and experience the local culture!

Where to stay: Finding a place in Ubud with a good location shouldn’t be too hard, as the center is pretty small and all the airbnb’s crowd around it. We found the most perfect airbnb with rice paddies as our backyard in walking distance of the center! If you’re looking for tropical treehouse outside the center, start looking months in advance as all the good spots get booked fast!

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Things to do: Ubud was our favorite place to shop and get massages! The main streets and the Art Market will meet all your shopping needs and wants! If you’re looking to get a taste of the local culture, get to the Main Street early (starts at 7am) and you can experience a farmers market any morning and you can try exotic fruits! The main streets are also full of boutiques selling high quality clothes, jewelry, bags, bath products, etc. – but of course these will be regular priced. The art market is great for finding cheaper souvenirs and gifts to bring home like sarongs, jewelry, dream catchers, purses, dishware, and even the famous luwak coffee! The prices at this market was the best and the vendors didn’t try to mark it up too much. We barely had to bargain compared to everywhere else we visited! Not only was the shopping the best in Ubud, but so were the spas! You could get an hour massage + facial for 200,000 rupiah! Just make sure the spa you visit looks clean and comfortable and has good reviews. I’ve realized that many times cheaper massages are not worth it. Off the main road on the side street Jalan Bisma there are a handful of decent priced great spas. I’d recommend calling and booking ahead of time as the more popular spas might not have openings on the spot! Other things to do in the center of Ubud include visiting the monkey forest and temples. Venture outside of the center and visit the Tegallalang rice terrace where you can swing on those famous Bali swings, view the rice terrace from a birds nest, and even take a bike ride up high on cables that run across the fields! While you’re at it, there are multiple coffee tasting places lining the terraces. We visited the Alas Harum to taste Luwak coffee. They gave us a small tour of the coffee making process and tray of 14 different types of coffee and teas all for free! The only thing we had to pay for was for a cup of Luwak coffee for 50,000 rupiah. Even further away from the center are a handful of well known waterfalls like Sekumpul and Tukad, and 2 hours away from the center is the Lempuyang temple, known for its gate to heaven! While beautiful, I wouldn’t say it’s worth it as we got there at 8am and had to wait 4 hours to take a picture. When you arrive, you take a number and wait for it to be called. They give you 3 poses and the workers take 3 photos. The reflection seen in most pictures that makes it appear like the gates are surrounded by water is actually just a trick the workers use with a mirror! Although the system they had for taking pictures kept things organized, I felt it unfortunately took away from the cultural experience.

Transportation: We hired a private taxi for the days we went to places outside the main area for 550,000 rupiah for 10 hours. Private taxis are a great options for days you plan on going far distances, or moving with all your luggage! You can also use apps like Gojek and Grab, but it’s outlawed in most tourist areas such as Ubud, Canggu, and Uluwatu. Some drivers will still pick you up, but there’s no garauntee.

One thing to keep in mind while visiting Bali is that there is so much more to it than you see on Instagram! While the photos you see online may help you find some of the most beautiful spots, don’t be afraid to venture further to experience the culture and meet locals! Watch the sunset every night, enjoy the coffee and fresh food, and experience the local culture as much as you can!