The Best of Bali

The Best of Bali

Bali is one of my absolute favourite travel destinations and I have been 4 times since the borders opened last April (thank you Jetstar for having cheap deals). I have stayed in different areas of Bali each time I have gone so I thought I would break this blog post up into those areas and tell you my favourites/recommendations of each. 

There’s so much to see and do in Bali so it can get very overwhelming trying to figure out what you want out of your trip. What you need to consider before booking is what kind of experience you want. Do you want jungle, beach, nightlife, restaurants and cafés, shopping, scenery or relaxing? Choosing what kind of 'vibe' you want your trip to be will be a good indicator on what area to stay in.

The areas I have stayed:

Ubud - Jungle, relaxing, scenery, waterfalls, monkeys
Canggu - Restaurants, cafes, shopping, beach clubs, sunsets, very busy
Uluwatu - Beach, swimming, beach clubs, scenery, monkeys
Seminyak - Restaurants, cafes, shopping, night life
Munduk - Jungle, relaxing scenery, waterfalls, monkeys
Sideman - Jungle, relaxing, scenery, waterfalls, Mt. Agung view

I haven't had a chance to head out to Nusa Penida, Lembongan or Gili Islands yet, but it's next on my list! If you have the time, I definitely recommend heading out to one of them for a couple of nights.

How much can you expect to spend in Bali? Watch my tiktok here

Ubud:

Let's start with Ubud - probably one of my favourite places to stay because it's definitely what you picture when you think of Bali. The waterfalls, the rice terraces, the palm trees, the monkeys, the jungle views, the incredible tree house Airbnb’s, it really has it all. Even if you don’t want to be in this area the whole time, I really recommend staying here at least two nights. 

What to do in Ubud:

  • Tegalalang rice terrace - this is a must! I really recommend getting there around 8am to get the beautiful light and beat the crowds. 
  • Leke Leke waterfall - technically an hour away from Ubud, but definitely worth making the drive out here. The walk is only about 15 minutes down to the waterfall and it isn't a tough walk! We got here around 1pm and it woes great lighting, however a little busy. 
  • Nung Nung waterfall - only 30 minutes from Leke Leke, Nung Nung is probably my favourite waterfall in Bali. Be warned, the walk down and back up is HARD. So, so, so many stairs but it is 100% worth it. This waterfall is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. We got here around 9am and it we basically had it to ourselves.
  • Spend a day at OMMA Day Club

Fave accom: 

There is literally too many to list. A quick search on airbnb will bring up SO many beautiful options with pools, nets and rice terrace views. I get the most questions about where I stayed when I was in Ubud, so my recommendation is:

  • Zen Hideaway - watch my tiktok video here, we stayed in #3.

Fave cafes:

I actually haven't taken the time to scope out where to eat in Ubud as my time here was mainly spent in our Airbnb, but I have been to Lazy Cats cafe and it was amazing! 

Uluwatu:

Uluwatu is my other is probably my other favourite place to stay because it has that real laid-back beach vibe. The beaches here are the best I’ve seen in Bali so far; super blue with amazing cliff landscapes all around it, we even saw turtles! I really think that Uluwatu is very 'up-and-coming' as it seems to be getting a bit more attention, however it was still much less touristy than Canggu. If you are wanting a more chilled, beachy Bali trip with some beautiful beach clubs, shopping and food, then Uluwatu is for you.

What to do in Uluwatu:

Best accom:

Best places to eat:

I can only recommend places I went to, which wasn't a lot! I noticed that Uluwatu had a great selection of Vegan food as well.

Canggu:

Canggu is a great place to stay if you want to be really central, close to shops, close to cafés, and be around a really young 'digital nomad' crowd. Some Airbnb’s here are absolutely incredible, however I do find that Canggu is getting really busy and it’s probably not my top pick when picking a place to stay anymore. Canggu will have you close to beach clubs, sunsets on the beach (not the nicest for swimming though) and you’ll be surrounded by amazing food and shopping. 

Fave accom:

Best places to eat:

Best beach clubs:

Sideman:

Sidemen was the first place I stayed in Bali and it left a very lasting impression. I don’t know if it was because of where we stayed (it had an amazing view of Mt. Agung) but Sidemen is absolutely beautiful, and so is the drive out there! It's about 2 hours from the airport so the air is cooler & fresher and you get never ending views of rice terraces and palm trees (and there are loads of beautiful waterfalls in this area as well!)

Fave accom:

What to do:

  • Gembleng waterfall - watch my tiktok here
  • Tukad Cepung waterfall

Munduk

Munduk is absolutely beautiful, even though it’s a bit of a drive from the airport. I was only here for two days working with a hotel, however I saw so many monkeys and so much beautiful scenery with endless mountain views. The waterfalls around this area absolutely incredible and worth going just for them alone. The air is a little bit cooler being up a bit higher so it’s a nice break from the humidity. 

In full transparency, I got Bali belly while up in Munduk so I didn't venture out to eat or do anything apart from go to a waterfall, so my recommendations are a bit limited!

What to do:

  • Sekumpul waterfall - watch my tiktok here
  • Fiji Rice Terrace (right before Sekumpul waterfall)

Fave accom:

Seminyak

Seminyak is probably my least favourite place to stay purely because it just seemed a bit bogan lol. In saying that, Seminyak definitely has the best shopping I saw and I even made the drive out to Seminyak just to do some shopping while I was staying in Canggu on a different trip. You are also going to be around a lot of different food options, however I still think Canggu takes the cake in this area.

If you are wanting lots of night life, restaurants and shopping and a bit cheaper accommodation - this is the place for you!

To summarise:

I hope these recommendations help you plan your next Bali trip! If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a DM. 

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