That Cool Travel Couple

Bali is a very trendy destination, and its easy to see why! From balmy weather to ancient temples, from swanky beach clubs to delicious seafood, Bali is truly an exciting destination.

Practicalities

Currency: Indonesian Rupiah

Recommended length of stay: 2 weeks (or more!)

Month of visit: April 

Useful tips: Download the “Go-Jek app”! This is so useful for ordering not only food and drinks but also medicines, drivers and much more directly to your hotel or villa. There is also the Blue Bird taxi app to order drivers which is considered a slightly safer way to go than simply hailing a cab on the side of the road. 

CDC’s Recommended Vaccinations: Click here!

Packing List For Bali

• 2 bathing suits and coverup
• 2 pairs of shorts and light weight shirts
• Light weight dress or button down
• Lightweight long pants
• Sandals
• Sneakers
• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen
• Packable towel
• Sarong or scarf
• Sunglasses

The Itinerary

My journey started in Denpasar, which is where I flew into and is also the capital of Bali. I had a driver meet me at the airport and started the 40 minute drive to Ubud (which felt like much longer after such a long trip!). I stayed at Ume Sri Villas which I would definitely recommend. 

The hotel staff met me at a pick up point and took me via motorcycle to the actual villa, which was a sprawling two bedroom home with a large pool overlooking the jungle and an outdoor kitchen and seating area. Similarly, the bathroom was part outdoor which was a real treat and extremely luxurious, and the AC worked like a charm which was very important due to the very hot climate that is Bali! All the staff were extremely pleasant and accommodating, and a delicious breakfast was available at the villa as well. 

Ubud

Ubud is a gorgeous village full of small cafes, restaurants, yoga studios and shops. Eat, Pray, Love was partly filmed in Ubud! Ubud is a great launching point for visiting the iconic rice terraces of Bali as well as some surrounding waterfalls. It is also famous for the monkey forest although you most definitely do not have to go into the monkey forest to see a plethora of monkeys all around. Hold on to your belongings or they might end up disappearing into a monkeys grip! 

From Ubud I was also able to visit several gorgeous temples including Pura Gunung Kawi and Pura Kehen. I had never seen such amazing and intricate temples before and was truly taken aback. Make sure to bring a sarong or long pants and something to cover your shoulders if you are visiting the temples, out of respect. Some temples have sarongs available to rent, but I’d recommend purchasing a light one as it also covers your shoulders and protects from the sun. 

In the evening I’d recommend visiting Folk Ubud for excellent food, drinks and music. Kebun bistro also comes highly recommended for a romantic mediterranean style dinner. 

Seminyak

Next on my trip was Seminyak, which is a beach town on the west coast of Bali. It is a very “vibey” place and has lots of trendy beach clubs playing sick beats. I also ate a lot of fish and seafood while in Seminyak and it was all extremely fresh – not one bout of food poisoning! 

My hotel was the Grand Balisani Suites which I would completely recommend. I stayed in a suite overlooking the ocean with a private plunge pool and separate one bedroom chill spot. The service was 10/10 and I visited the spa for a manicure as mine was chipping and had a great experience. During the day I wandered down the beach to Sea Vu Play and Mrs Sippy Beach Club (definitely bring a bathing suit for their massive pool) and Potato Head Beach Club. 

The Go-Jek app came in handy in the evening as I ordered a ride to Seminyak town and spent some time at  Motel Mexicola – the food was decent (I live in LA so its hard to impress me with Mexican food) and the drinks were amazing. It was a great place for dancing as well. 

Seminyak has amazing offerings for coffee and acai bowls. Check out Coffee Cartel, Titik Temu Coffee, Revolver Espresso, and Cafe Organica to name a few.

Canggu

After Seminyak, I was off to Canggu (pronounced Changoo) which was a smaller surfer town. I’d highly recommend a surfing lesson in Batu Bolong as the waves are more gentle than other surfing spots and the guides are very patient. 

I stayed at Sejuk Beach Villas which had a beautiful private pool and I spent lots of time lounging on the black sandy beach outside the villa. The interior of the villa was gorgeous but I had a bit of a mosquito problem! 

Definitely check out The Lawn for drinks and La Brisa beach club. Betelnut cafe is a must for breakfast. Old Mans is a great hangout spot after surfing. If you’re hankering after another acai bowl, Nalu bowls is your spot. 

One thing that certainly struck me in the entire country of Bali was the sheer amount of people taking photos of themselves, presumably for instagram etc. Don’t get me wrong, Bali is VERY instagrammable, but I wish everyone could stop and enjoy the view a little bit more! 

After Canggu, I headed back to the airport to connect to LAX via Hong Kong. See my post on 24 hours in Hong Kong if you have a similar layover!

One more thing…don’t leave Bali without having a fabulous Balinese massage and flower petal bath! So luxurious!