Jonny’s Travel Spots: Bali

The article was written by Jonny for LifeLowDown

I will be discussing every aspect to do with my 8 day trip to Bali including my hotel accommodation, attractions I visited, my favourite part of the trip, the tour company I used and whether I would visit the island again (you can probably guess my answer to that already). First of all, I will give you a bit of context in regards to why I decided to visit Bali.

Tegallang Rice Terrace

I must admit years ago Bali was never on my radar as a place to visit. Maybe it’s because I didn’t know much about it at the time or perhaps I had in my mind that it was too far away to travel to. However that all changed over the last 2-3 years. I have been constantly seeing so many photos of Bali on my Instagram feed and it’s been looking like the “in-place” destination to go to for a while now.

These photos caught my attention, especially the ones of the rice terraces and swings – I swear these are some of the most “Instagrammed” spots in the world right now. I made the decision that Bali was a place that I not only wanted to visit, but HAD to visit.Due to other commitments, I was not able to persuade any of my friends or family to join me on my planned trip to Bali. So as a result, I decided to do the trip alone.

It’s safe to say that it was a bit daunting, despite the fact that I’ve travelled so much in my life. I planned and booked every aspect of my trip before I even left my house. I travelled there in November which was a good time to visit as it was sunny with very little rainfall. I decided 8 days would be enough to see all the sights that I had on my list and I wanted to stay in one central position rather than moving around between hotels constantly. This is where we get to the accommodation that I booked.

For the whole duration of my trip, I stayed at the Bali Garden Beach Resort in Kuta. This is a fantastic hotel which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Bali. Firstly, the hotel is situated very close to Ngurah Rai International Airport which is the island’s main airport. It was roughly a 15 minute drive from the airport to the hotel. I did choose to book a private airport transfer so there was a hotel representative waiting for me at the airport. He was there on time and was extremely friendly. The check-in process was quick and efficient. And in no time I was in my room putting my feet up with a Bintang beer.

The beautiful hotel gardens

Bali Garden Beach Resort is a large and expansive hotel. What I loved the most about the hotel was the scenic gardens and various swimming pools. There are three pools in total. One of which is small, but it is more hidden and boasts the perfect setting if you are looking for peace and quiet. The main pool which is the largest, features a swim-up bar and mini cabanas. The third pool is located at the back of the hotel and this is the most special one out of all of them. This is somewhat of a infinity pool that overlooks Kuta beach. The ocean views are really impressive. There is also a boardwalk restaurant located next to this pool, so you can have dinner whilst looking out to the ocean. You can’t get much better than that!

The infinity pool with a beach view

The choice of restaurants in the hotel is great. There are a wide array of restaurants that suit a variety of tastes. For example, you have Aribar which is a Mexican restaurant, Iltempio which is an Italian restaurant, Karum which is an Indian restaurant, and more! I ate in both the Italian and Mexican restaurants, both of these were incredible. I managed to visit before peak time so I was served straight away and the food was brought out immediately.

The food itself in both restaurants was of the highest quality. In Iltempio, I opted for the garlic bread to start (obvious choice really) and a calzone for main course. Whereas at Aribar, I had loaded nachos to start, followed by a beef burrito for mains and cinnamon churros for dessert – this sure was an epic meal.During my stay I had breakfast included which was well worth the extra money for this. The breakfast featured a full buffet selection that comprised of cereals, pastries, breads, fruits, yoghurt, juice, tea, coffee and egg station where a chef was cooking any style of eggs you wanted along with pancakes as well. If you arrive early enough, you can grab a table on the decking outside that overlooks the gardens. Breakfast goals indeed!

The main reason for visiting Bali was to see some of the epic scenery and temples that I had seen all across Instagram. I wanted to make sure that I got this element of the trip right. I spent weeks researching and planning on which sights or attractions I wanted to see the most. Having to fit these into 8 days was quite the challenge! This is why I decided to book a private tour guide to take me to these sights. I will now discuss everything that I saw and why it is worth seeing it in person.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

It makes sense to talk about Ubud first, seeing as this is the most popular part of Bali to visit. The landscape of Ubud epitomises Bali perfectly. This is where you get the real tropical vibes of the island what with the wide array of rice terraces and jungles. Arguably the most famous attraction in all of Bali and Ubud in particular is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.

It is here where you get to explore a dense forest sprawling with guess what… monkeys! I have never seen so many monkeys before in my life. Luckily I did my research beforehand and made sure that I kept a firm grip of my camera and that I didn’t wear anything shiny, as this is what attracts to monkeys to you. I’ve heard many stories of tourists getting their sunglasses, cameras or phones taken from them so I didn’t want to risk out. I even saw monkeys unzipping someone’s backpack and rummaging through it. These monkeys are a lot of fun to see but be warned, they are very wild!

The swing at the Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Another famous sight is the Tegallalang Rice Terrace located near Ubud. Out of all of Bali’s rice terraces (where there are a lot), Tegallalang is the by far the most well known and visited. I must have timed it right on the day as there wasn’t as many people as I expected.

I was able to walk around freely and explore all the different levels of the terrace. I made I went on the swing as well in the terrace as this has to be done, then of course upload the photo to Instagram later on.

The swing was so cool and it was such an adrenaline rush. There is also a zipline that goes from one side of the terrace to the other, however I didn’t have time to try that out. I had lunch in a restaurant here which overlooked the whole rice terrace. It was maybe the best restaurant view I have ever experienced.Now we move on to the temples of Bali.

These really embody the culture and history of Indonesia. You have the most famous temple, Tanah Lot that actually sits in the ocean, but very close to land. I think because of the unique location this is why this temple gets so much attention. It is close enough though to have your photo taken with it in the background whilst you’re on the beach. Seeing this temple during sunset is a must do!

Near Ubud, you have the Taman Ayun Temple which is worth a visit, especially if you’re already in the area. I was able to tag this on to my trip to the monkey forest and rice terrace seeing as they are all fairly close together. Taman Ayun Temple is a Balinese temple and gardens, it is one of the six royal temples of Bali. It is technically a water temple as you have the towering shrines surrounded by a moat.

There is also Goa Gajah cave located nearby which I enjoyed visiting. This is otherwise referred to as the “elephant cave”. The cave itself is tiny, but the sculptures at the entrance are great to see as well as the relics inside too. There is a Hindu temple located next to this cave so this is another sight to see!

The entrance to Goa Gajah cave

Ulun Danu Beraton Temple

A very impressive temple that I visited was located more central in the island and this was the Ulun Danu Beraton Temple. This a temple that I had seen advertised in many travel brochures and websites. It is the temple that I most associated with Bali because of this, and so it was something that I had to see first-hand.

I think what makes this temple so impressive is the surrounding Lake Bratan and mountains. It really does make for an epic backdrop for your photos. There are also some nice gardens leading up to the temple so you will want to allow plenty of time here to fully explore.

On the way to this temple, we did stop off at a viewing point of Twin Lakes View which wasn’t initially planned, but my tour guide recommended a few photos here. It offered quite the view and plenty of photo opportunities.

On the journey to Ulun Danu Beraton Temple, we also stopped off to see Munduk waterfall. This was the only waterfall I got round to seeing in Bali as it was conveniently located on our driving route. It was a long trek through the forest to get to the waterfall and it was certainly worthwhile in the end.

The waterfall was so striking with the vibrant green colours of the vines and trees surrounding it. You could even tread through the water and stand on top of a rock directly in front of the waterfall which again makes for a brilliant photo.

I would say my favourite sight and temple that I got to see was the Pura Lempuyang Temple, located in Karangasem. It is one of the highly regarded temples of Bali. It is the main display photo that I have used in this blog post for a reason as it is just an incredible view.

The archway in this photo is known as “heaven’s gate” and on a clear day you can see the mighty Mount Ayung in the background. Unfortunately there was a lot of clouds on the day I visited which partially blocked the mountain view. Be aware that this is an extremely popular tourist sight and you do have to wait in a queue to get your photo taken in the archway. It took about 2 hours to get my photo, but it was totally worth it. The temple is located on the highest peak of Mount Lempuyang so you do have to get in a buggy to get to the top. It’s all part of the experience and it really adds to the adventure.

Tirta Gangga Water Palace

On the way back from the Pura Lempuyang Temple, my tour guide recommended stops at the Tirta Gangga Water Palace and also Virgin Beach. The water palace first of all, boasts picturesque gardens with water features. The palace’s famous spot is a spring pool with a stepping stones that sit just in front the main landmark of the palace, an 11 tier fountain.

You can actually buy fish food here to feed the many fish that are in the neighbouring pond. It really is a nice place to visit. Following this I visited Virgin Beach, which is a tropical hideaway from the busy and bustling roads. It is about a 5-10 minute walk from where you park to get to the beach as it is very hidden and secluded. It is a golden sand beach and it is less busy than some other beaches on the island. If you want to spend a day on the beach, then this is the place to go!

The tropical lazy river at Waterbom Bali

As mentioned earlier in this blog post, I did visit the island’s main water park, Waterbom Bali. This water park is so much fun and have an amazing selection of slides, along with a great lazy river.

I can see why this is the number 1 water park in Asia! Waterbom Bali has slides that range from a moderate to an extreme level. There are multiple slides that have the trapdoor where the countdown kicks in then the floor gives way, plummeting you right down the slide in seconds.

These are now my favourite type of slides and so this water park was ideal for me. I beat my record by going on 20 slides in one day… safe to say my back hurt after that!

WHAT TOUR COMPANY I USED

I sure did plenty of research into the best tour companies in Bali. There was plenty of time spent looking through Tripadvisor at all the reviews, as I feel this is the easiest way to scope out the relevant tour companies. One particular company stood out for me based on the extremely positive reviews and this was Bali Sun Tours. I ended up purchasing three separate day tours which were with a private tour guide/driver. These tours gave me the freedom to plan and visit whatever I wanted to, providing it was realistically going to fit within the time period they allocated.

This is me and my tour guide Made

My tour guide was called Made and he was absolutely incredible at his job. He knew the whole island like the back of his hand and was very knowledgeable. I began each day by outlining the exact sights that I wanted to see and he was more than happy to take me to each of them. He even recommended a few photo stops along the way, as well as great places to eat too. I couldn’t recommend Bali Sun Tours and Made enough to anyone who is looking to visit.

The spectacular Kuta beach sunset

I would have to say that the sunsets on Kuta beach were a major highlight for me. I’ve never seen sunsets quite like them. The sky was literally so orange and in a matter of minutes, it would change to a more vibrant red colour just as the sun sets. Looking across the ocean at this sunset was a fantastic way to see it. It seems like most people have the same idea as the beach was always packed during this sunset period. There is just such a great atmosphere amongst everyone and it is truly a special moment.

My ice cream waffle at Cold Stone Creamery

WOULD I VISIT AGAIN AND WHAT WOULD I LIKE TO SEE

Would I return to Bali again in the future? Yes, I would 100% go back. If I had the choice I would be in Bali right now, relaxing by the beach! I loved my time there and it has now become one of my favourite destinations in the world.

Although I saw so many sights during my trip, there is still much more that I want to see. When I return to Bali, I’d like to climb Mount Batur during sunrise, go scuba diving, relax on the beach at Gili Trawangan, sail over to Komodo Island and bathe in holy water at the Tirta Empul water temple.

Part of me wants to start planning this trip already, though I still have many other places in the world to visit first!