2 Weeks in Bali: How I spent the best two weeks of my life

Didn’t you hear? I went to Bali.

I already want to go back and live there for a few months.

Whilst I was there I had so many messages about where we were, what were eating, day trips etc and I know a lot of people heading out there in the next few months so I thought I would list out our whole itinerary over the two weeks and what I’d do differently.

With only two weeks in Bali, we couldn’t really afford to just decide as we went as we had a lot to fit in. I watched A LOT of blogs to get an idea of what to do but also prices. I started with LostleBlancs channel on Youtube and went on a binging spree from there. Other than this the only other thins were:

• Jabs – half of us got them, half offs didn’t, we all survived to tell the tale
• Travel insurance – proved useless as my ear infection wasn’t expensive enough and Dan never filed his lost phone with the police but it was only £12 each so why not

When going to Bali, you need one of two things:

• The number for a driver – we used Putu who was absolutely great at organising day trips and getting tickets for us and general help whilst we were there. He operates like a taxi but you just need to WhatsApp him and get a quote and he can pick you up from most areas of Bali. We used him when moving to different areas and hen Bluebird taxi’s within those areas as tis is the cheapest (and most honest) taxi out there. If you would like Putu’s number please dm me on instagram or email thebellesofbrunch@gmail.com
• GoJek App – This app is magnificent. You can order Bluebird taxi’s, moped taxi’s, drivers, food, glam squad, so many things and it tends to be super cheap. I would definitely download this app if you aren’t confident on a moped yourself or it also operates like an ubereats if you’re feeling lazy. Be careful: GoJek is not welcome in places like Ubud and they will not pick you up from there as it’s too dangerous for them (same with bluebird taxi’s) – so you will either need to moped your way round or find a local taxi.

The Flights:

Saturday 21st – 9.45pm – Flight from London Heathrow to Bali with a stop off in Jakarta

• We booked via FlightCentre for Garuda Airlines which I can definitely recommend. The flights cost £432 return for our dates.

Sunday 22nd 11.45pm – Arrived at Bali Denpasar Airport – Putu picked us up to take us to the first villa.

23rd – 24th: Seminyak (1.5 days)

Accommodation: AirBnB: Villa Bima (2 nights = £174 for 4 people – £43.50 each)

• What a lovely way to start our holiday, a little further out than where th main strip is but still not more than 10-15mins. The villa was beautiful and I loved the outdoor bath. Made the maid was also very helpful when it came to booking transport and very responsive on WhatsApp

Where we ate/ what we did:

• Kynd Community – the famous personalised smoothie bowls
• Potato Head Beach Club – drinks and sunset
• Motel Mexicola – Dinner and night out (music = cheese room, think spicy girls but also Nelly)
• Cafe Organic – Brunch

Overview:

Seminyak is close to the airport so a good place to stop off. There is A LOT of restaurants here so you won’t be lacking in options, we got taxis everywhere so couldn’t connect with the town as much as others but I would say it is a must visit if on your first trip to Bali.

Other things or places I wanted to try:

• Bossman Burger
• Neon Palms
• Sea Circus
• Cabina Bali
• Ulookhotinabikini
• There’s so many more but these were the ones I was most sad about

 

24th – 27th: Canggu (3.5 days)

Accommodation: The Farm Hostel (3 nights for £126 for 4 people – £31.50 each)

• A very nice hostel, great breakfast selections, good crowd and very modern with the classic open bathrooms – absolutely recommend this hostel (I’m not one for the hostel life but this was one of my favourite accomodations)

Where we ate/ what we did:

• Surfing – you can book this on the beach with any of the guys selling drinks there (350.000IDR each)
• Crate Cafe – brunch
• The Avocado Factory – brunch
• Dandelion – you MUST visit this restaurant – best service and Indonesian home cooking
• Indigo Canggu – sushi bar
• Bar-K – dinner number 2
• Old Mans and Sand Bar – there’s no way you won’t end up here for at least one night

Verdict:

Canggu is definitely the most chilled place we visited. Staying in a hostel meant we made more friends here than anyone else although everyone on the island is very nice. Not loads to visit here but if there was anywhere I would want to live in Bali, it would probably be Canggu, our favourite place by far – full of food and options for nights out with a great crowd.

Other things or places I wanted to try:

• Pretty Poison – night out/skate park
• The Black Cat – bar
• Nude Canggu
• Lupé ice cream sundaes
• Cafe Vida
• The Loft – this is also a bar on Thursdays

 

 

 

27th – 30th: Uluwatu (2.5 days)

Accommodation: AirBnB: Villa Ronin (3 nights = £224 for 4 people – £56 each)

• Amazing Villa but we had a rocky start involving me having to break in to the villa grounds to find a way of getting us all in, this villa is a little far out but once you understand how to explain directions to find you, it was one of the nicest villas we stayed in – great for hosting drinks.

Where we ate/ what we did:

• Broke in to the villa
• Day trip to Nusa Penida – recommend, we booked with @nusapenidatourandtravel on instagram (600.000IDR each)
• Single Fin – best Sunday session on the island, amazing view of the sunset and good music, we were

Verdict:

We didn’t actually get to see a great deal of Uluwatu as we really only had two full days but it is home to some great beaches and some of the best sunsets in Bali. If you go I would schedule 3 full days and make sure you visit the cliffside temple. If you don’t want to stay in Uluwatu but want to go to the Sunday party then definitely get a Bluebird there and be prepared to pay a fir bit more to get home, the taxis outside Single Fin barely barter.

Other things or places I wanted to try:

• Cliffside temple
• Suka – brunch
• Visited one of their many beaches

30th – 3rd: Gili T (3.5 days)

Accommodation: Booking.com: D’Wahana Resort (3 nights = £192 for 4 people – £48 each)

• Adorable huts on the island with breakfast and bikes included, breakfast is simple but I loved the fruit smoothies.The hotel is not very big but when you have a whole island to explore its definitely nice to come home to. The staff are also SO sweet!

Where we ate/ what we did:

• Kayu Cafe – brunch
• Ikan – brunch
• Snorkeling to see turtles – we did see one!
• Pad Thai restaurant on the beach – dinner
• Jiggy’s – night out
• Cycled around the whole island
• Swing pic – of course
• BBQ night market – not to be missed (we went 4 times)

Verdict:

Gili T surprised me a lot. It’s not too crazy for a party island and I love that you can only get round by foot or on bicycles (they have horses but thats mean, don’t use them). The beaches here are much clearer and the sunset on the left side of the island is honestly breathtaking. The BBQ market was the highlight though – here you can get heaps of food for about £2.50/£3!!! I’m talking skewers of meat, loads of veggie supplements, you can even buy whole fish’s like red snappers or even lobster, one of our favourite experiences in Bali/Gili.

Other things or places I wanted to try:

• Pituq Cafe
• Mushroom Shake
• Scallywags Dinner – this was busy every night
• Jiggy’s Boat Party

3rd – 5th: Ubud (1 full day)

Accommodation: AirBnB: Enchanted Fantasy, Sayan (2 nights = £208 for 4 people- £52 each)

• B-E-A-U-TIFUL, the views are honestly breathtaking, not far from the centre and also has a lovely restaurant next door with the same jaw-dropping view

Where we ate/ what we did:

• Sayan Terrace Restaurant – the restaurant next door
• Urbana Restaurant
• Gedong Sisi Restaurant – lovely dinner spot
• 3am sunrise hike up Mount Batur
• Tukad Cepung Waterfall
• Rice fields
• Bali Swing
• Coffee tasting
• Monkey Forest

Verdict:

Ubud is the perfect combination of traditional Bali and modern Bali with a lot of the same older architecture. I personally loved Ubud for the short time we spent there and would definitely schedule a minimum of 3 days here to really get a chance to see it all. Ubud has good shopping, lovely restaurants and also a lot of activity and things to see so a culture hotspot for sure.

Other things or places I wanted to try:

• Tukies Coconut Shop – apparently the best coconut ice cream in Bali
• Holy Temple
• Folk Ubud
• Jungle Fish
• Ubudian Cafe
• Muda Cafe
• Bat Temple

Ah I’m sad it’s over and I hope this idea of my itinerary has helped you with getting a rough idea where to go or what to book. If you want a more visual idea then check my BALI highlight on my IG Profile – pre-warning, it’s very long.

For the two weeks we had about £650 spending money so hopefully that gives you a good idea of what to take, if you are comfortable on mopeds, you should be able to spend way less!

If you would like the contact details for my driver or have any questions please just drop me a DM on instagram or email me on thebellesofbrunch@gmail.com!