Ultimate Bali Travel Guide

Bali is one of the most popular destinations in Indonesia, full of beautiful beaches, volcanic mountains, rice paddies, and lush jungles. All of the locals were beyond friendly and the majority spoke pretty good English so there wasn't much of a language barrier. My boyfriend and I spent three weeks exploring Bali and the surrounding islands and it was not nearly enough time. Neither of us are big planners so we just booked our plane tickets and an Airbnb for our first three nights and went from there! We started in South Bali since it was the closest to the airport and hopped around all the beach towns. We stayed in Seminyak although it doesn't really matter where you stay because all the beaches are a quick motorbike ride away (5-30 minutes). Renting a motorbike is the best/cheapest way to get around for 60,000- 100,000 rupiah equivalent to $5-8 USD per day. We used Google maps to navigate our way around, it works perfectly if you load up where you want to go prior to leaving WiFi. Also, If you have a long layover in Seoul, South Korea the airport offers a free tour of the city I would highly recommend doing (ask any information desk for info)! 

Must Bring:
- SUNSCREEN! You can buy it there but it's more expensive
- Hat!
- Plug adapter
- Good hairbrush (my hair was a mess from the humidity)
- Ditch the makeup (again the humidity)
- Light raincoat
- Bug spray (They sell a cheap mosquito repellent in all the markets too called "Soffell" it's a white bottle with a pink cap)

Kuta/Seminyak (South Bali) is the most westernized area in Bali with the cutest shops, cafes, and beachside bars and restaurants to take in the sunsets. In this area depending on where you eat a plate will probably run you around 80,000 rupiah ($7 USD) and 20,000 rupiah for a Bintang beer ($1.60 USD). 

Must Do's: 

Watch the sunset at La Plancha Bali Beach Bar

Eat at Kynd Community @kyndcommunity, they have amazing plant-based dishes and the absolute cutest smoothie bowls. 

Uluwatu Temple full of beautiful cliff views and roaming monkeys

The Lawn Canggu (great area to watch the surf)

@a_mendoza_ 🎥: Canggu Sunset Surf

Ubud (upland Bali) was probably my favorite, with a more traditional Balinese culture vibe.  We spent the days chasing waterfalls, exploring rice terraces, and strolling the markets. 

This was my absolute favorite villa of the trip, we had a huge balcony overlooking the jungle with a view of the volcano and an infinity pool! All for $80 a night, which was the most we paid, all of our other villas were around $30 a night. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Ubud, the place is amazing and the staff is so nice. It's in a more peaceful area with a couple restaurants in walking distance but Ubud center is only a 5 minute ride away. Here's a link to the Airbnb: Sunrise Villa Bali

Complimentary breakfast served to our room every morning and the view from the infinity pool! 

∞

Must do's: There's many waterfalls and rice terraces in Ubud and most charge a small fee to enter $2,000 - 5,000 rupiah, so only a few dollars. Here's the ones we went to...

Kanto Lampo Waterfall

Banyumala Twin Waterfalls

I absolutely loved this spa! We got the most amazing green tea exfoliating massage and this insane rose bath for only $16 USD. The spa is called Bali Botanica Day Spa.

Ubud center is the place to shop! The markets have awesome stuff and fairly cheap so save some extra room in your bag.

Sacred Monkey Forest. Hold on to your sunglasses but these guys are adorable. 🙊 

Traditional Balinese meal $4

Gili Islands we got the fast boat to Gili Trawangan which was about $80 round trip from Ubud for two. Just ask your accommodation and they can set it up for you, the price includes pickup from hotel. I suggest if it's the same price to get a one-way ticket and book your return boat in Gili the day before you want to leave so they can take you to your next destination. The Gili Islands are a group of 3 tiny islands known for their coral reef and nightlife, the only form of transportation is bicycle and horse carriage. 

Must Do's: eat at Pizzeria Regina- the pizza and pasta are amazing! Check out Sama Sama Reggae Bar they have great live music!

The famous Gili swing located by Sunset Beach

We spent the majority of our time in Gili getting scuba certified. It was awesome, we saw sharks, giant turtles, and tons of fish. If you're interested check out Diversia Diving our instructors were awesome!

Uluwatu we ended our trip in Uluwatu because we liked the more laid back surfer vibe there with beautiful cliff views and beaches!

Must Do's: 

 Green Bowl Beach

Single Fin Beach Club, a little more expensive but a great place to catch the sunset!

Nusa Penida we took a private day trip to Nusa Penida that I set up through Instagram  @nusapenidaexperience for 1,000,000 rupiah each, which is a bit expensive $75 per person, but we were in Uluwatu so it's further away. The price includes a pickup and drop off at hotel, the fast boat to and from Nusa Penida, private car, snorkeling, lunch, and a tour of the island. Nusa Penida is beautiful and well worth the trip, only downside the water was pretty choppy so we didn't see any manta rays while snorkeling at Manta Point.

Kelingking Beach

Broken Beach

Angel's Billabong

Bali is amazing and I highly recommended visiting!! Check out our Instagram stories for more pics/ videos from our trip! @KCLIFFF & @a_mendoza_Hope this blog was helpful, send me a message with any additional questions. xx