12 days in Bali

During our 2016 Asian Trip, we spent our last 12 days in Bali! We flew from KL to Denpasar with Malindo Air, and it was by far the best low-cost flight we ever took! We payed 36€/pers. for the one-way flight, and the checked-baggage was included in the price. The plane was brand-new, with a personal-screen for each passenger with a lot of movies/TV-shows and we even got a free meal! If you can avoid flying AirAsia and fly Malindo instead, don’t hesitate!

After a long hesitation, we decided to rent a motorbike in Bali instead of taking cabs to move from one place to another. What made us hesitate was the fact that we had one huge backpack each, and as you can imagine it’s not super easy to fit two people and two huge bags on a single scooter (see picture below, sorry for the bad quality!). But we made it and it was a lot of fun 🙂

#1 Seminyak

We spent our first 3 nights in Seminyak, because it was not too far away from Denpasar. We chose the Grandmas Seminyak Hotel (20€/night, no breakfast), our room was very clean, the bed quite comfortable and the staff was very friendly. if you’re looking for a cheap but decent place to stay in Seminyak, I recommend!

Seminyak is very touristic and you’ll find a lot of bars/restaurants/shops, and you’ll probably end up  one evening drinking a Bintang in a beach bar, sitting down on a colorful beanbag while contemplating the sunset.

Since Seminyak is approximately 40mins away from Tanah Lot Temple, we decided to visit the temple on our second day. The Temple is definitively worth the visit, even when it’s raining !

On our way back to Seminyak, we made a stop in Hijau Cafe & Warung that we had discovered in the Routard Guide (it’s French and similar to Lonely Planet for those who don’t know), and it was probably one of the best choice we made during our entire trip… The best chicken-sate ever! I even took a second one while my girlfriend took a dessert 🙂 Moreover, the view from the restaurant on the rice terrace was stunning.

#2 Ubud

Our second destination in Bali was Ubud, where we stayed 3 nights at Alam Terrace Cottages (€28/night, breakfast included). This B&B was great, with a superb outdoor pool with natural sounds, a perfect place to relax! The only negative points were the bed – not very comfortable – and and an unpleasant smell in the room. Location was perfect, breakfast delicious and staff very helpful!

While in Ubud, we visited the famous Tagalalang Rice Terrace, the Monkey Forest and we climbed the Mt Batur. We really enjoyed these activities, and particularly the stunning sunrise at the top of the Mt Batur. While the climb to the top is quite challenging, the incredible view at the top is worth the pain. Tagalalang Rice Terrace is also a beautiful place, and if you like monkeys you’ll fall in love with the monkey forest :-). Here are some pictures of these three places.

Also, we decided not to use the main road on the way back from Tagalalang, and as you can see, we ended up in some beautiful places!

When you are in Ubud, don’t forget to enjoy a famous Babi Guling at Ibu Oka (it became so popular that they have Ibu Oka, Ibu Oka 2 and Ibu Oka 3 in Ubud). I really liked it, and I’m sure you will!

#3 Munduk

Our third stop was in Munduk, a little village high up in the mountains. We stayed one night at the Bali Rahayu Homestay (€30/night, breakfast included), a wonderful place with a nice outdoor pool with stunning view on the hills! Our room was super clean and comfortable, and the breakfast was one of the best we had!

On the way to Munduk, we made several stops to contemplate some breathtaking view, such as the Twin Lake.

While in Munduk, we also did the “Waterfall hiking” because I really wanted to see some waterfalls. The water was a bit cold, but it was very nice!

#4 Pemuteran

We went to Pemuteran because it seemed to be one of the best snorkeling and diving spot in Bali. We spent 3 nights (but only one entire day) at The Sari Bungalows (€42/night, breakfast included), and overall it was a very pleasant stay at an affordable price.

Our diving (for my girlfriend, €100 lunch included) and snorkeling (me, €40 lunch included) experiences with Ocean Dreams Pemuteran were great. It was the first dive ever time for my girlfriend so she had a practice session in a Pool the day before, and the guy in charge was very friendly. We both had the opportunity to see many fishes and corals.

#5 Balian Beach

As we didn’t want to drive all the way from Pemuteran to Jimbaran in one day with our motorbike, we booked one night in Balian Beach (Tabanan) at the Shankari Bali Villa ($42/night, breakfast included). On the way to Tabanan, we made a stop at the Rambut Siwi Temple, which was surprisingly empty (we even thought it was closed!). We were the only visitors and it gives a special feeling, the guy in charge even gave me his “hat” for the visit!

We did not expect much from our short stop in Tabanan, but at the end it was very pleasant! The village where we stayed was lovely, there are several restaurants and it’s a famous surfing spot in Bali.

#6 Jimbaran

The very final stop of our 2016 Asian trip was in Jimbaran. We stayed 2 nights at the Horison Jimbaran (€23/night, breakfast included). The hotel was quite nice, the room was cleaned and the breakfast buffet offered plenty of choice. Location is quite good, but we rented a motorbike for two days in order to visit Uluwatu Temple. We also enjoyed a sunset dinner on the beach for our last evening in Bali, and it was a unique moment! Almost all the restaurants on the beach install a terrace on the sand when the sun is setting, and you better book a table if you want a spot in a decent restaurant! Bbe careful and read restaurants’ reviews on TripAdvisor, there are many  tourist traps where you’ll pay a fortune for not-so-good food.

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