Bali is one of the most friendly, popular, commercial, green, diverse and beautiful islands of Indonesia. It is also known as island of temples or island of the Gods, because it houses so many religions. The majority of the Balinese are Hindu, who believe that the Gods are present in all things and every element of nature. They have to bring offerings to the Gods all day to honour them. Therefore you will see lots of temples and colourful Hindu offerings all day everywhere on the island.
We have traveled all around the island and stayed in 3 very chic hotels in 3 different locations. As there is so much to see and do on and around the island, I will share with you my tips in 2 seperate blogposts. We defenitely didn’t see and do all that we wanted, so we will certainly come back to this beautiful island again soon!
The favourites so far:
Seminyak
This is a very popular town North of the very turisty Kuta, defenitely more chic, but also more expensive. We stayed in a well known resort, which is really stylish and right next to the beach, called Anantara Resort and Spa. It also has a rooftop bar with amazing views, which is worth a visit, even if you are not staying there.
Shopping in Seminyak is very nice, but also not cheap. If you are looking for more local shops follow Jl. Legian which goes from Seminyak past Legian to Kuta to pass by many shops and beach views. Kuta is a very turisty and busy surf town, but good for a day visit, with lots of (surf) shops and of course the well known Hard Rock hotel.
Dinner in Seminyak:
We loved restaurant Ultimo with fabulous food and nice garden seatings at Jl. Kay Aya, the main restaurant street in Seminyak.
French restaurant and gallery Métis is a bit more chic and expensive, but also nice for a more affordable lunch, with direct views over the ricefields.
Trattoria La Lucciola is a really good outdoor Italian with a fabulous location directly on the beach.
Ku de Ta, for many years already a very popular beach club in Seminyak, with direct sea- and sunset views. We loved to have lunch here and of course drinks in the evening.
The Hu’u bar is also a very popular restaurant and bar, with fabulous settings and mostly well visited in the weekends.
Ubud
A creative town in the heart of Bali surrounded by nature and ricefields! It has lots of art galleries, authentic shops and a local market in the morning.
This was our second stop, which we loved for it’s authentic vibe and green surroundings! We stayed in hotel Maya Ubud, very luxurious and surrounded by nature. Most rooms have ricefield views from the balcony, tropical plants everywhere and the hotel has several fabulous infinity pools and spa facilities. Perfect for a honeymoon or if you want to spoil yourself, even for a few days.
For a more central town location and authentic experience there are also a lot of affordable homestays in the town centre such as:
Dinner in Ubud:
Terazo is a very good, but more chic restaurant situated in a side street of the main road.
Casa Luna is a nice more quiet restaurant on Jl.Raya Ubud, which also offers cooking classes.
We loved to experience dinner on cushions at Café Lotus, with perfect views at the lotus pond and the Legong dance show at the Royal Palace.
Sanur
This is a fishermen’s town to the South East of Bali with better, more local prices and lots of restaurants on the beach. Even though it is more authentic we did stay in a chic private, but affordable villa with our own swimming pool.
The villa’s are called Villa Mahapala, located next to the beach, totally private, with breakfast served every day in your villa on your pool terrace.
The town also has a nice restaurant street with a big choice of outdoor restaurants. Our favourite was Italian restaurant Massimo.
I also really recommend a visit to Jimbaran, a town more to the South of the island near Sanur, but also not far from Seminyak. It has lots of restaurants right on the beach, where you can choose from all kinds of fresh seafood, which will be prepared for you on the spot and served at your table with sea views.
It is easy to explore and travel around the island by scooter, taxi or with a private or group tour. For authentic tours for a good cause, all guided by locals, go to below link for inspiration and direct bookings:
For more pics and tips about exploring the island and different sights on Bali, check out my next blog post; Exploring Bali’s sights and surroundings.
