Monday, May 20, 2019

Bali Travel Guide and Vlog


BALI TRAVEL GUIDE & VLOG

Bali is a whole mood! I visited Bali with my husband for our 8th year anniversary and fell in love immediately. Watch my BALI TRAVEL GUIDE VLOG below and read the rest of this post to get all the details!




We flew from Orlando, Fl on Singapore Airlines, which I recommend. It is an airline very similar to Emirates airlines. We had three layovers, in New York, Germany, and Singapore, and was about a 24 flight and took two days to get there. So, keep that in mind if you plan a trip to Bali, you will lose two days traveling. Their money, which is called the Indonesian Rupiah conversion rate is about 14,000 ≈ $1.00 US. We exchanged our money in their airport.  We landed in the morning and our driver took us right to our hotel, the Amatara Royal Ganesha, a 5 star hotel in Ubud (About $50 US a night). We were so extremely jet-lagged we fell asleep all day and all night LOL!



On DAY 2, our actual anniversary, we woke up bright and early for my floating breakfast which I reserved with the hotel the day before. They bring out your breakfast for you in the beautiful infinity pool over looking the rice paddies and I took pictures galore (My hubby is amazing!) and afterwards ate breakfast.


 

Our driver, Gede, who was absolutely the perfect driver and we HIGHLY recommend as well! Before our trip, I reserved him. I gave him my itinerary and he made a few changes to give us the best Bali experience. He takes you anywhere you want to go, all day long for $40 US!! His contact information is below!




After breakfast, Gede took us to our first stop, which was the Bali Swing. For $35 US per person, you get unlimited swings on any of their 18 swings and pictures in nests, on rocks, etc.  plus, lunch is included.

 







We stopped at the Tegalalang Rice Terraces where you can walk around the rice paddies before heading to the Sacred Monkey Sanctuary Forest. Here you walk through the sanctuary or natural habitat of Balinese long tailed Monkey. They are roaming free and you should not touch them or stare them in the eye. They may see that as a threat. The monkeys seemed very chill to me, however, other tourists complained that monkeys stole their belongings. So just be safe and smart! 😊

 


Our last stop was the Tegenungan Waterfall, one of the most popular waterfalls in Bali. For less than a $1 US, you can hike the waterfall, swim, and enjoy the scenery. I would definitely bring water shoes. There is also a swing at the waterfall! One of my favorite parts of Bali.

 


We ended the day eating dinner at a restaurant our driver took us too (Sorry I can’t remember the name) The chicken satay was delicious and affordable. Our driver warned us about eating the street food and that it will give us “Bali Belly” aka nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. So, I would advise against that! Go the restaurants in the city center of Ubud that are geared towards tourists. We knocked out that night!


The next day our driver took us to the Lempuyang temple where you see the “Gates of Heaven” and get the infamous picture! Definitely get there early, we got there a 9am and waited 1 and a half hours for the picture, some people we met, waited 3 hours! 





 Stop two, was to the Tirta Gangga Water Palace where less then a $1 you can walk around the beautiful grounds and feed the koi fish.

Later on the night, we went to the Udaya Resort and Spa for a couple’s massage and flower bath. I did make a reservation before I left and put a deposit down. It was such a relaxing experience and the massage and bath were perfect!  The massage was about $75 US and the bath was about $40 US. Make sure you ask for the “Celebration of Flowers” when booking and you can choose however you want the flowers to be designed. 






The next day we checked out of our hotel after breakfast and another swim, and our driver took us to Kuta Bali. Kuta is a touristy beach resort area off the coast of Bali known for surfing, backpackers, and clubs. Other great beach areas to stay are Seminyak and Jimbaran, which are more family friendly. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Baruna, another 5 star hotel (About $50 US a night) We let our driver go home and took a Grab (Similar to Uber) to the Beach Walk mall and two other malls in the area. This area has tons of restaurants, massages and shopping in the area that are all in walking distances. Beach walk mall had Zara and H&M plus Top Shop and other great stores if you love shopping like us.

The next day we went to the Uluwatu Temple, which a is a sea temple with the best views I have ever seen. There were also monkey roaming around there too, but they were much more aggressive!


 

We went to Dream Land Beach after, which was beautiful and good for surfing, not swimming. The waves were huge and will knock you right off your feet! We went to our hotel afterwards to swim in the hotel infinity pool at sunset. Another highlight of the trip.


 Gede had added having a seafood dinner in Jimbaran to the itinerary. This dinner should be added to everyone’s itinerary. We went to the Ganesha Café, where you first pick your seafood, whether, fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, etc. and they make it fresh however you like and bring it to your table on the beach. You get to eat a delicious and fresh seafood dinner overlooking the waves with live entertainment. Another highlight of the trip!





On our last day we got massages (About 7$ an hour) at one of our favorite spots in Kuta CARLA SPA and did souvenir shopping. Bali is always a good idea and I am so happy and blessed that we were able to visit. The people are the nicest, most genuine, I’ve met, and the culture is so humble and 
gracious. Bali…TERIMA KASIH (Thank you)








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