Beautiful Bali…a paradise island rightfully found on every traveller’s bucket list! Welcoming locals, beaches, nightlight, lush landscapes, exotic temples and flavourful food are just a few of the reasons visitors to Bali are left longing for more! But with so much to do, you may wonder, will your Balinese visit be long enough? I’m a huge fan of jaunts, there’s no such thing as too short and you’d be surprised how much you can experience in a very short time frame! Bali more than a destination, it’s a feeling, an existence, that encompasses you with it’s awesomeness😊 so even those with extended visits feel short changed when their Bali time is up. After volunteering in Thailand, I had the opportunity to visit Bali for 60 hours which was more than enough time to check off several Balinese musts! Here is an overview on how to maximize your Bali time!
“Life, religion and art all converge in Bali. They have no word in their language for “artist” or “art”. Everyone is an artist.
– Anais Nin
**Given my restricted time frame in Bali hiring a private car to customize my time and tour efficiently was essential in visiting all of my top must sees!
Day 1-
AMADEA RESORT & VILLAS:
Located right on “Eat Street” Amadea is centrally situated in the heart of Seminyak and walking distance to Seminyak Beach. Our flight arrived mid afternoon and we were shuttled directly to our hotel. Designer boutiques, upscale nightlife and fantastic food make Seminyak the preferred choice for those who favour the finer scenes.
Tips:
- ✅If you are traveling with a group of friends pool your resources and book a Villa instead of booking separate hotel rooms. Each Villa has 4 bedrooms, private pool, living room & kitchen!
- ✅Explosive checks under vehicles as they enter hotel grounds is common in Bali. This is standard procedure at Amadea so don’t be alarmed!
- ✅Click link in
greenbox below for Amadea’s reviews, prices & availability!
🚨Click here: Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor
TARIS:
Colourful beanbags, tropical bevies🍹and traditional Balinese umbrellas ☂ are a unique setting of laidback luxury! It’s no surprise that Seminyak Beach is among the list of Bali sunset musts! We spent our first sunset in Bali here, at Taris, sipping cocktails enjoying this spectacular view!
Tip:
- ✅Arrive early, at least an hour before sunset and visit on a night that you aren’t pressed for time.
Chill Reflexology:
After a long day of travel our spa booking at Chill was the perfect way to unwind from our journey! Clean and nice, I found the common massage area, separated by sheers, a little unusual at first but we were the only three there on arrival and guests remain clothed. Once my reflexology session began my surroundings were forgotten and Chill provides ear buds so I was surprised when I was finished to find at least three other people had joined the room during our time.
Tip:
- ✅We booked one of the last time slots for the evening which was less busy!
Day 2 –
Bali Green Surf:
Pleased with their charity objective of assisting local orphanages, I selected Bali Green Surf for my daughter’s morning lesson. The pick up at our hotel by scooter was a fun addition to our trip but my daughter, 19, was not happy with her lesson. She looked frustrated throughout, later explaining that her instructor kept her in water that was too shallow, his reasoning being “Bali waves are different”. (She’s have surfed previously in Hawaii, snowboards and is a lifeguard.) This unfortunately resulted with her buckling her knee when she came off her board in the shallow water. (She was on crutches for the remainder of our trip.)
Tip:
- ❌ I can’t recommend this place based on our experience.
Bali Made Tours & Bali Custom Tour*:
I booked a car with Bali Made Tours for two days, one partial and a second full day. Our driver, always early, was waiting with smiles for our “half”day of fun, planned for 11 am. Friendly and knowledgeable, Pak Ena, made our days interesting and fun!
Tip:
- ✅Wait what Jen? You listed two different private operators?! Yes, when I visited Bali my driver, Pak Ena, was employed with Bali Made Tours. He played a large roll in making our trip fantastic! (Even took my daughter off the beaten path to get crutches at a non tourist price!) Since my visit Pak Ena has opened his own private tours “Bali Custom Tours”.
- *If I return to Bali I would reach out to him first but I included both to be fair & provide options!
Lake Bratan (Ulun Danu Beratan):
This site, the Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, is one of 9 “Kahyangab Jaguar Temples” making it one of the most important temples for the Balinese and is home to five temples and a Buddhist Stupa.
Tip:
- ✅Bring an Indonesian 50,000 Rupiah note with you. The Lingga Petak Temple is found on this note and it’s cool to take a pic showing the note and temple together!
TANAH LOT TEMPLE:
A must visit Balinese icon, Tanah Lot Temple is home to eight temples! I was fortunate to visit at low tide allowing me to wander around the ocean floor for an up close and personal view of the Tanah Lot Temple itself!
Tips:
- ✅Check the tide schedule before you go to make sure you get the pictures you want.
- ✅The “Holy Snake” is available to be seen during low tide for a small donation. The Balinese believe he guards the temple from evil/bad things.
Soho Diner:
After a jammed full day it was nice to unwind with some great eats close to our hotel. Soho caught our eye driving out that morning and it did not disappoint providing us with some quality mother daughter time!
Tips:
- ✅Casual and laidback facing “Eat Street.”
- ✅Great Place for people watching
Day 3 –
Tegenungan Waterfall:
A QUICK stop for a photo opt, we didn’t stay here long! Pak Ena (our driver) stayed at the car while we set off for a quick peek and some pics. We had many other things we wanted to check off our list to maximize our Bali time and my daughter, being on crutches, negated us using the stairs to visit the waterfall’s base! A third friend decided to join our touring that day and she stopped to buy a bikini for her daughter from one of the local vendors that were strewn along the road to the waterfall overlook.
Tips:
- ✅I didn’t feel we missed out at all with such a short visit!
- ✅Always carry some cash for impromptu shopping.
- ✅Entrance fee of 20K to visit.
- ✅Visitors will mobility restrictions will not be able to visit the waterfall’s base.
- ✅Bring comfortable shoes to climb the long stairs.
- ✅Bring a towel for swimming.
Elephant Cave Ubud (Goa Gajah):
One of my personal Bali list tops was this uniquely carved cave that I was excited to visit! Coupled with the site’s stone carved fountains I knew that this was a place I would not want to miss…I was right!!!
Tip:
- ❌Accessed by a long uneven staircase. People with mobility restrictions will have issues here. My daughter (19 yrs) on crutches did make it down but other than her injured knee she is quite fit.
For more details about Goa Gajah check out my other post: https://jenzjourneys.com/goa-gajah-temple-bali-spiritual-unique-and-intsagram-worthy/
Sacred Monkey🐒 Forest Sanctuary:
This was actually not on my “must visit with Bali time list” but I am glad we went as the stone carved architecture throughout was definitely worth seeing! It is located close to the Elephant Cave so that’s why we popped in.
Tip:
- ❌Refrain from buying feed for the monkeys 🐒. They have a steady stream of eager visitors buying food all day to feed them. Many of the monkeys are uninterested in eating any more (but will play with the food). My suggestion would be to save your money for something else and find an uneaten banana 🍌 (which are lying around) if you’d like to feed a monkey.
- ✅❌Once their bellies are full the monkeys like to *ahem* play with their anatomy, which amused a lot of the visiting children.
- ✅Close to the Elephant Cave so worth popping in!
Ubud Market:
The market was the perfect place to satisfy our souvenir shopping needs! Here, I found flip flops, complete with Plumerias, my favourite flower and a decorative blown glass and wood piece that I now cherish! This stop is worth a short visit of your Bali time if you have anyone back home to buy for.
Tip:
- ✅As always bartering is in full practice! Never accept the first, second and even third price offered.
- ✅Take your time to look around. At first glance there are a lot of repeats in selection but upon closer inspection you can find cool items exclusive to one shop like my flip flops.
Tegalalang Rice Fields:
What can I say?! A UNESCO world heritage site and personal bucket list check! The Tegalaland Rice Fields were one of the reasons I wanted to visit Bali! They did not disappoint! My only wish is that my daughter had not been on crutches for our visit so we could have explored and hiked inside for awhile together. Lemonade out of lemons 🍋 I took a short trip to the bottom myself while she enjoyed the view of the terraces from one of the overlooking cafes!
Tips:
- ✅There are around 10 swings so don’t pick the first one you see. Walk along and find the one with the view you would like.
- ✅Take a walk to the bottom for a different perspective!
Tirta Empul Temple:
This was another unexpected top Bali fav for experiences! Tirta Empul Temple is one of the busiest and largest water temples in Indonesia! Dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of water and home to four temples, its two purification pools were a highlight! The local Balinese believe them to have magical powers and visit to purify themselves under each of the 30 bath spouts. The 30 bath spouts each represent a different cleanse,Cleansing of words, thoughts, actions, intents and karma as well as cleansing of the spirit, soul and illnesses. Visitors then leave the pools with a parting prayer.
Tips:
- ✅Visitors must wear a sarong to enter the temple. Bring one with you or $ for a small donation to rent one while there!
- ✅Allow approx. an hour for your visit!
- ✅Make sure to visit the Jeroan “inner courtyard”.
Yan Yan Silver:
Our final stop on our personalized tour came at the suggestion of our driver, Pak Ena, to visit a local silver factory where we found some beautiful hand made treasures and gifts for loved ones. Yan Yan Silver displays their work stations publicly as visitors enter, working on and stringing all of the pieces they make. A display room showcasing pieces for purchase is in the back of Yan Yan Silver!
Tips:
- ✅If you are buying more than one item prices are negotiable.
- ✅Parking is free.
Bistro Batu Kali:
Famished from a long day of adventures, we took advantage of the convenience of our hotel’s on site restaurant for dinner which offers great food with a view overlooking “Eat Street”. We enjoyed breakfast here each day as well where they served both American and traditional Indonesian breakfast buffets.
Tips:
- ✅Another great people watching location thanks to the open air street front views.
- ✅Our stay included complimentary breakfast here each morning which was extremely convenient.
Seminyak Square:
Despite our long day of touring we decided to explore the night scenery of the surrounding area of our hotel since it was our last night in Bali. We didn’t venture far before stumbling upon Seminyak Square where we found the “I love Bali” photo opt. After posing for some pics we decided to call it a night.
Tips:
- ✅”Eat Street” is heavily trafficked with tourists so walking around at night with a few people is safe.
- ✅Careful of potholes and missing stones on the sidewalk.
- ✅Some of the sidewalks narrow to almost nothing so you have to step onto the street but use caution when doing so.
- ✅Use normal safety precautions against pick pocketing and purse snatching.
Day 4 (Departure Day) –
Seminyak Beach:
One last visit for sun, surf and souvenir sand!
Tip:
- ✅Can never have enough Bali beach time!
Bali is a magical place whether you”re there for a short or long stay! Please let me know if you enjoyed these tips on how to maximize your Bali time!
