BALI
While living in London, we were able to take advantage of a major flight deal that landed us in one our dream destinations: Bali, Indonesia.
I had been wanting to visit Bali ever since reading Eat, Pray, Love almost a decade ago and had been trying to make it happen for years. I was so excited when the opportunity finally presented itself.
Traveling from London, we flew through Guangzhou, China. We’d planned to do a bit of China exploration during our long layover but we received mixed messages regarding the visas at the airport and decided to play it safe and stay at the airport.
Dumplings and stir fry in the Guangzhou airport.
There’s something for everyone in Bali. There are beaches famous for surfing, spas, temples, upscale resorts, hostels - you name it, Bali has it. We flew into Denpasar and stayed in the southern part of the island, as we were only there a short time. We explored three main areas on the island:
Ubud: Located up in the hilly rainforest, this area has lots of temples, small shops, cute restaurants, and spas. Some parts are walkable but you might need to taxi from your hotel to get to the walkable areas (as we did).
Seminyak: This area is more “happenin,” it’s closer to the beach, and where many of the beach clubs are. It’s a much more walkable area.
Uluwatu: Located on the southernmost part of the island, this area features lots of dramatic cliffs with stunning beaches down below - we didn’t spend enough time here to say for sure, but things felt further apart and less walkable.
I will go in depth describing each place, but for now, I will leave you with a few key takeaways from our trip:
Prepare for tropical weather. It will be hot and humid, and expect rainfall. Before booking, check to see what the weather will be like. We visited during the wet season and got rain nearly every day, but it was also sunny every day and the rain didn’t bother us too much.
Don’t drink the tap water or brush your teeth with it unless advised otherwise by the resort that you’re staying at.
Be careful with what you eat and drink, consider bringing Pepto Bismol or another medication for upset stomachs if you have a sensitive stomach. I never travel without it :).
Negotiate everything, especially taxis. Negotiate the taxi price before you get in.
These are pretty standard recommendations for traveling, but definitely worth reiterating.
Our hotel in Ubud was situated up on a mountain in the rainforest, which made for stunning views.
Our hotel in Seminyak was stunning and modern.
View from a beach club we visited in Uluwatu.
