Indonesia - Bali in 8 days

Updated: Mar 7, 2021

Best time to go: avoid the months from May to October as the island gets extremely crowded and there will be no way to enjoy it like this. We went in January and it was great; we were practically alone in many of the main sightseeing locations but it can rain during these months so be prepared for that.

General advice: make sure you have a hat and sunglasses with you all times. I have been in many hot countries but this was a different level, the heat was overwhelming, so be prepared.

Download the app "GRAB" it's like Uber for South East Asia and it works very well. It's very useful to use to go for dinner or to pick you up from the airport.

Where to stay? Bali has many options depending on what you are looking to do.

▪ Nusa Dua - this is a very quiet area with lots of 5 star hotels and a great beach. Our recommended hotel here is "The Royal Santrian"

▪ Jimbaran – another part of the island with lots of 5 star hotels but with more restaurants and shops. It is a very famous area to watch the sunset. Our recommended hotel here is "Belmond Jimbaran Puri"

▪ Ubud – the Ubud Market is quite good and I really liked it but the area is a bit touristic. Despite this, I must say that this area, even though is far from the beach, is a good base point to go to numerous sightseeing spots. Our recommended hotel here is "Natya Resort Ubud"

▪ Uluwatu –this area is very famous among surfers and there are a few very good restaurants and spots to watch the sunset. On the down side, this is very far from the temples or rice fields so sightseeing is difficult from here. Our recommended hotel here is "Suarga Padang Padang"

▪ The north of the island – this is very isolated and if you are looking for peace and quiet this is your place. There are not many beaches as this area is surrounded by cliffs and volcanic sand. Our recommended hotel here is "Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali"

▪ Seminyak – we didn't explore this area but seems quite touristic and it is very close to Kuta.

▪ Kuta – avoid Kuta. This is just the party town.

We stayed in the Nusa Dua area the whole week but after our experience my recommendation is to split your stay across 2 main areas: Ubud and Nusa Dua.

Therefore, for this trip I am going to suggest 2 itineraries

A) What we did, staying at the same hotel in Nusa Dua all week.

B) How to split your trip if you are going to stay in Nusa Dua and Ubud

OPTION A → 7 nights at Nusa Dua

Day 1: Nusa Dua

We arrived the night before at 1 am after a very long trip so we were quite tired during our first day and decided to take it easy and stay on the beach relaxing and reading.

We went for dinner at the "Fat chow temple hill" at Jimbaran. Typical Balinese food and southeast Asian and very good!

Day 2: West and North Area of the Island

For the day trips we hired a driver to take us wherever we wanted to visit. The private driver was 55 euros per day. His name and phone number are: Mudana +6281236418061

Our route this day was:

1. Tanah Lot – this template is high on the rock, facing the ocean. Very nice scenery.

2. Ulun Danu Beratan temple – this one is located on a lake in the mountains, not only was this pretty but the temperature was super nice!

3. Rice fields - the most popular rice terraces are Tegalalang but these ones are extremely crowded, so we decided instead to go to Jatiluwih. It was fantastic! We were practically alone and it was so pretty, definitely something that you must do in Bali. When we finished we stopped at Batu Karu Kopi for a coffee, the views where breath-taking.

4. Taman Ayun Temple – we found this one slightly more simple so not sure if I would recommend to visit it if you are planning to visit others.

Day 3: Uluwatu

We spent the morning at the beach relaxing. In the afternoon, we went to Uluwatu temple that is located on the edge of a cliff so when you visit the temple you can also enjoy the view of a wonderful sunset. During sunset there are performances of Balinese Kecak and fire dances.

We went for dinner to "The place with no name" which was healthy food in a restaurant not very far from the temple.

Day 4: Ubud Area

Again with the same driver our route was

1. Ubud market – I recommend to go first thing in the morning when the shops are still opening and there are not may tourists

2. Ubud Palace – opposite to the market you can find the Ubud Palace. The entry is free and it doesn’t take long to visit

3. Monkey forest – for obvious reasons don’t go if you don’t like monkeys

4. Goa Gajah – as this temple is close to Ubud there were more tourists here than in the temples that we visited on day 2. The temple it is not spectacular but it's located in a very nice place surrounded by jungle

We went for dinner to "Opia" at Jimbaran. We really loved the food and the place. International food a bit expensive for Bali standards but it was great.

Day 5: Nusa Dua

We relaxed at the beach during the day and booked an appointment for a Balinese massage at "Sekar Jagat Spa". The massage cost 60 euros for 2 people for 1h30min. Another recommended spa is "Prana".

We went for dinner to "Balique" at Jimbaran. Very European style and very nice food. You have options to choose among Balinese or international food.

Day 6: North East Area

Again with the same driver our route was

1. Tegenungan Waterfall – it is a nice stop just to see from above the waterfall and take some pictures

2. Tirta empul – this one was my favourite temple. It was really different and original, with a particular story behind it. Definitely a must do in Bali

3. Besakih Temple – this template is quite far from everything but the road to get there is impressive. At some point you can pullover to take pictures from a beautiful lake surrounded by green mountains. The temple has hundreds of steps so be prepared to climb!

4. Taman Tirtagangga - is a former royal palace and therefore a bit different from the temple visits, even though is far it worth exploring