Beautiful Bali

Bali is such a varied destination offering so much from Culture, Surfing, Wellness and active holidays- each resort offering something for everyone.

Traffic is an issue here- so busy on the roads, so always best to leave for a longer journey resort handy in the morning to avoid the busy traffic! The people are just lovely, so happy and keen to help. Very spiritual country.

We visited 4 areas of Bali- in a nutshell here is what I found out about each resort.

Nusa Dua-

A 25mins transfer from the airport- handy for a beach stop at the start or end of your holiday. Very much a resort-style hotel, the centre of Nusa Dua offers dining options but would be a short taxi ride away. Most hotels are big names here (like Ritz Carlton, Inter-continental etc) The beaches here are lovely and you are able to swim in the sea. Uluwatu- 30mins from Nusa Dua are by car. We went to the Uluwatu temple, also visited the local area and took part in a Banjar walk which walks you through the temples and area, visiting a local school- the children were made up to see us, so warm and welcoming (very moving actually) There was a festival coming on which only happens twice a year, the decorations are all hand made- the detail was fantastic. We walked through the local market before heading back to the hotel for a MeluKat Ceremony (purifying ceremony designed to cleanse body and mind) The views from the coastline of Uluwatu are beautiful.

Canggu

With the traffic the transfer was around 1hr 30mins from Uluwatu- we headed off mid-morning. Canggu resort had a really great vibe about it- it‘s a surfer‘s paradise (the beach is not for swimming) but great for water sports and surfing.

Canggu offers so much in terms of wellness, Yoga, Pilates, surfing, biking etc. We went into the local town of the evening, lovely market and shops and plenty of dining options and places to drink. Very Thai feel about it. Perfect for a relaxing stop getting from one side of Bali to the other- a couple of nights to just relax and recharge is a great area to choose and eat out locally.

Ubud

Ubud was around 1 hour from Canggu, we left just after breakfast. Ubud was great to see and a MUST for everyone to take in the Bali feel- so much on offer here from markets, temples, white water rafting, quad biking and more. We went to the Ubud Palace, and Ubud Markets (again saw a Fruit-giving ceremony which only happens a few times a year- very lucky to witness it) and the decor around was beautiful that displayed for it. We also went rice terraces of Tegalalang on route to the next resort- here you can do the famous Bali Swing, take an aerial bike adventure, zipline and more to get the adrenaline going- prices start from £10 (lunch was cheap here too) Last stop was the Monkey Forest, natural and ethical environment for the Monkeys- you walk around them and they play, and just be themselves, eating at stations and running around- you are told not to look the monkey's in the eyes, but it was great to just watch them in a natural setting (around £5pp to get in) Spent around 45mins here A real treat whilst in Ubud, was the Kedara water gardens (this was at Umo Shambala resort) which anyone can visit around £40pp- you are taking into the jungle whereby you enjoy a beautiful picnic surrounded by nature, afterwards you can swim in the natural spring water- a highlight for me. Jimbaran Bay From Ubud was the longest Journey around 2 hours, but we left after a full day in Ubud so got most of the traffic.

Jimbaran Bay is a small fishing village- we didn't have a lot of time here, but we drove through the village before we arrived at the hotel, which offered restaurants, shops and places to enjoy the beach. The Beach here is safe to swim, located close to the airport which is handy for a couple of nights to relax at the end/start of your holiday with it only being a 20-minute transfer to the airport. A bit like Nusa Dua a lot of bigger chain hotels here, which are resort-style along the beach.   

There is something for everyone in Bali- just depends on what you want from your trip.

Get in touch to talk all things Bali

Angela