Travel Guide To Bali
I once read about Bali: “Visitors run the risk of falling in love. + it’s not necessarily up to you to choose: Bali has a say. She either embraces you + catches your heart, or tumbles you around + sends you on a new path.” I don’t think I could have said it better myself. I fell in love with Bali, hard. But, it wasn’t love at first sight…
I came to Bali seeking an Eat, Pray, Love experience. I imagined myself sipping tea in peaceful cafes, meditating in lush gardens, writing a TON, + maybe even having a session with a guru. My first stop was Ubud, the mecca of spirituality. 5 days in + my cortisol sky rocketed every time I stepped onto the trash-filled streets with the swarms of mopeds. After days of being quite discouraged, I realized: I had to release my expectations of Bali. I had to release my desire of a “spiritual awakening.” I put so much pressure on this trip to have deep meaning that I was missing the beautiful simple moments of everyday life. When we finally “surrendered” all expectations, the magic happened [of course!]. Here’s what we noticed:
#1] The people of Bali are the kindest in the world. Everyone has a smile on their face at the all times. The way they prioritize rituals, ceremonies, + family is so inspiring. Also, they LOVE babies. When we went out to restaurants, they asked to hold our baby while we ate. This happened all over Bali! Highly recommend Bali as a family trip.
#2] The food is the best in the world. I’ve never had so much FOMO around food before. Every single meal we had was outstanding + so nourishing. I miss Beef Rendeng, Gado Gado, + Sambals. Also, the food is so affordable!
#3] Bali is NOT ruined by tourists. Bali has been on our bucket list forever. However, we almost didn’t go because we heard that Bali was “not the Bali it used to be.” I was worried that it would be super crowded, chaotic, + a resort town. That wasn’t the case at all… well, it was a bit chaotic with the mopeds lol. It’s 100% still worth it to go — especially Uluwatu.
#4] Bali has a thriving massage culture. $10/massages everywhere. The Balinese put so much love + care into every massage, too. Get as many massages as you can when you are in Bali!
#5] Uluwatu is a fairytale. Uluwatu was our last stop + as soon as we got there, we both said: wow, *this* is the Bali we imagined. Lush nature, peaceful beaches, + a chill surfing vibe. It needs to be a must on your Bali trip!
Ubud: SO much culture, temples, yoga sanctuaries, vegan cafes + massage spas on every corner, gorgeous rice fields, lots of monkeys, LUSH LUSH LUSH vibes. There are a lot of amazing stops *around* Ubud, so highly recommend renting a driver to explore it all.
Must Eats + Things To Do In Ubud:
- Nusantara — our fav date night
- Sun Sun Warung — our fav warung
- Zest — best vegan + vibes
- Sari Organic Rice Walk — start at Pukano for coffee + walk all the way to Pyramids of Chi
- Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary — MUST
- Yoga class at Radiantly Alive — our fav yoga studio
- Karsa Spa is supposed to be an incredible spa… book early!
- Rent a driver for the day… our fav stop was the water blessing at Pura Tirta Empul [+ Mads Lange for a meal!]
- Full Ubud Wellness Guide
Canggu: Bali’s fastest growing city… once a sleepy surfer village, it’s now a thriving digital nomad community filled with amazing food, beach clubs, + lots of shopping. The surf is still very well known here + one of the best places to learn how to surf.
Must Eats + Things To Do In Canggu:
- Miel Coffee — cutest coffee shop
- Ulekan — fav date night
- Skool Kitchen — really wanted to go here, but it was closed. Looks amazing!
- Black Sand Brewery — beautiful beer garden
- Yoga class at The Practice
- Balinese massage at GOLDUST Beauty Lounge
- Learn how to surf with In Da Surf Camp
- GO SHOPPING! Wander the streets + pop into all the cute boutiques
- Full Canggu Wellness Guide
Uluwatu: Surf breaks for every level [from beginner to world class], the BEST cafes, beautiful beaches, amazing wellness scene, lush nature, + so very peaceful. It truly feels like paradise. Uluwatu stole our heart ❤
Must Eats + Things To Do In Uluwatu:
- Drifter — Our fav cafe
- The Cashew Tree — Our second fav cafe… go to both + see which one you like more 🥰
- MASON — Our fav date night
- Mana’s — Bring your swimsuit as you can use the pool if you eat at the cafe!
- Bambu Fitness — Our fav gym… ever? + has an amazing cafe!
- Beach hop — Thomas Beach was our fav… but there are SO many amazing ones!
- Learn how to surf at Padang Padang Beach
- Uluwatu Temple — Make sure to book tickets to the Kecak Fire Dance [it’s daily, but tends to sell out!]
- Full Uluwatu Wellness Guide
Is Mount Batur worth it? This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but my vote is no. It’s famous for the “sunrise hike” — so if you are coming from Ubud [like most people], you wake up at 2AM + head to Mount Batur with a full bus + tour guide. The entire hike is in the dark. Once you get to the top [hopefully before sunrise 😉], your guide will make you breakfast while you enjoy the beautiful view — we had hardboiled eggs, banana, + a banana sandwich. So, you might be wondering… all of this sounds fine, what’s not to like about Mount Batur?
While the view is beautiful… you’ll be enjoying the view with 100+ other people. We were also a bit salty because the couple in front of us had a drone that they were using that was really loud. The worst part though: as soon as the sun rises, the flies start SWARMING everyone’s food. Seriously, I’ve never seen that many flies in my life. + then there’s the monkeys… I saw monkeys steal multiples people’s foods + drinks. Lastly, the hiking trail allows for mopeds. One of my favorite parts about hiking is the serene peace that being immersed in nature brings, + having mopeds next to you while hiking… it just doesn’t do it for me.
Also, our guide said a couple THOUSAND (!) people a day climb Mount Batur during peak season. We were there in November (off season) + it was still way too crowded.
All the sites I read screamed YES Mount Batur is worth it… so I’m here for offer a different perspective. Save the early wake up + skip Mount Batur! Granted, Isaac + I are *really* into hiking + backpacking so we’re tough critics. We didn’t do Mount Agung, but we would definitely consider doing that next time — it’s Bali’s highest mountain + most sacred volcano. It’s supposed to be an incredibly challenging hike, so definitely get a guide!
Amed: Black sand beaches, very sleepy, TONS of diving + snorkeling, mediocre food [unlike Ubud, Canggu, + Uluwatu — which truly all had outstanding, upscale food], + a beautiful lush mountain view everywhere you looked. It very much felt like what I imagined all of Bali to look like 50 years ago. I wouldn’t seek Amed out *unless* you are into diving — there’s dive shops everywhere.
Bali Q+A + Tips:
#1] When to visit? We were in Bali end of October until mid November. There’s two seasons — wet + dry. The rainy season is April-October. From everything I read [+ experienced myself!], even the wet season is still a good time to visit Bali. Think warm, tropical rain… + it doesn’t necessarily rain every day. However, if you are a surfer — apparently, many surfers DO NOT go in the water from January-March due to the trash in the water.
#2] How long to visit? At least 2 weeks [especially because it’s such a long flight!].
- Ubud — 5–7+ days… Ubud would be an amazing place for a yoga retreat or teacher training
- Canggu — 2–4 days… a long weekend is perfect to experience Canggu
- Uluwatu — 5–7+ days… don’t be surprised if you want to stay longer 🥰
#3] A tip that was given to me that I totally stand by — When looking at guides/travel blogs, look at the date of the guide. Areas in Bali can change quickly. For example, right now I LOVE Uluwatu, but when we were there — we could tell that development was starting to skyrocket… so in 3 years, the chill surfer town of Uluwatu could totally change.
#4] Find a driver you love — DM me on instagram for our driver Agung @elisabethsinnott. He drove us from Uluwatu to Batur… Amed to Uluwatu. He was SO nice [literally a smile never left his face!]. Bali is such a small island + the drivers are so willing to drive you everywhere. Establish a relationship with someone you like! *Note: I would NOT rent a car. We made the mistake of renting a car for a “road trip” + instantly regret it… 15 minutes in + we ended up returning the car + hired a driver instead lol. The roads are way too narrow + the mopeds are chaotic.
#5] Surprisingly, Bali is SO kid friendly — I talked about it above, but WOW… I didn’t realize how much the Balinese love babies! I’ll link up a post about international travel with kids soon… but just wanted to say: don’t be afraid of traveling your kids! Bali was amazing with our 6 month old. DM on instagram for our amazing babysitter Zaniab @elisabethsinnott.
#6] Don’t drink the tap water in Bali. Drink all the coconut waters, though 🤩
“Have you been to Bali? My God, do they dress. Every day of the week there’s a celebration” — David Bowie
Well, have you booked your tickets to Bali yet?!
Love,
Elisabeth