View from our balcony at The Sun & Surf Stay
I recently returned home from three weeks traveling around Southeast Asia, and I really wanted to highlight some of my favorite spots I explored during my first week in Bali. When we finally arrived in Bali after 25 hours of travel we couldn't wait to get to our Airbnb. We stayed at a small hotel/airbnb called the Sun & Surf which was in a great location right on Bingin Beach in Uluwatu. We were a little nervous given the mixed reviews on this place but I honestly can't recommend this place enough! Some places were definitely more crowded than I had imagined but after a couple days we no longer noticed how busy some places were.
My Bali Must do's after 8 days in Uluwatu:
- Stay at Sun & Surf on Bingin Beach (amazing location right on beach, extremely helpful hosts, AC, good restaurant in front, surf board rentals...) (Be warned there are several stairs down to the beach which required me to take a couple rest breaks on the climb up)
Dinner at Lucky Fish Lounge on Bingin Beach
Our first night in Bali we were super jet-lagged and tired but once we made the trek down the many stairs (reason for the mixed reviews on airbnb) to our place for the night, we decided to walk down the beach for dinner. Luckily enough the restaurant next door was actually a sort of famous place that I was recommended by several people to try. It's called "Lucky Fish" and they basically have coolers on the beach of freshly caught fish for you to select your dinner and they grill them right in front of you. For the less adventurous eaters there is also a full menu in which you can order off of as well. We also went back for breakfast one of the days as well and that was just as good! I had a dragonfruit smoothie bowl.
- Watch the sunrise on the beach
- Rent a scooter right away (ask hotel/airbnb host for a contact) (recommend going with the larger size if there are two of you riding)
- Dreamland beach - white sand, turqouise waters, good surf
- Padang Padang beach
- White Monkey Surf Shop to rent/buy used surfboards & Channel Islands to buy new
- Nyang Nyang beach - a less crowded beautiful beach, also great for surfing, make sure to scooter slowly down the hill to the beach, it's steep and would be a very a long walk back up
- Cashew Tree: healthy and delicious breakfast/lunch
- Alchemy for breakfast or coffee/tea (they're open for dinner as well but we didn't try it)- went back to this place 3 times, loved it!
- Studio Fondue for a short intense mat pilates workout. The studio was very nice and they give you a glass of water and cool towel afterwards.
- Single fin for a drink and to watch the surfers
- Ours Bali- food was amazing with a cool atmosphere
- Uluwatu Temple - be sure to go at sunset. You will see lots of monkeys! Kecak Fire Dance was cool to see and hear some of the history but not sure I would do it again.
Keramas Beach
During these 8 days in Bali we decided to hire a driver to take us to check out the other side of the island. We booked a stay at Komune Resort which is located right in front of the world famous Keramas surf break. This is a must stay!!! On the higher end price point for Bali but still super reasonable ($80-$250) and 100% worth it. We actually extended our stay an extra night because we loved it so much. The beach/ocean front rooms all have an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and are worth the extra price. The spa and health club offer amazing massages, body scrubs, group fitness classes, yoga and a health food restaurant/cafe.
Day Trip to Ubud
We only had time to do a day trip to Ubud which I am so happy we did. We woke up pretty early and hired a driver through our airbnb to take us to Ubud city center. Once there we rented another scooter to get around the area ourselves. We started in town and checked out the street vendors and shops. From there, we headed to a place recommended to us called Sweet Orange Warung. A beautiful restaurant nestled amongst the rice fields with incredible traditional Balinese food and fresh juices. After that we wanted to see a waterfall, the rice terraces, a temple and try the luwak coffee. We didn't think we had enough time for it all and decided to skip out on the waterfall since it was a bit out of the way. On our way to the temple we happened upon a sign on the side of the road that said "Melayang Waterfall" located next to some stairs that took you down into a forest. We parked the scooter and decided to head down the stairs. After about 10 minutes on a dirt trail we reached the most amazing waterfall, pool and river that was completely empty. We went for a swim and wished we had packed a picnic as we could have stayed there for hours. After that, we continued onto the Holy Springs of Tirta Empul where we participated in the sacred purity ritual that Balinese Hindus go regularly for ritual purification. We ended our day at the rooftop of Ely's Kitchen where we had one of the most incredible meals.
Dinner in Ubud at Ely's Kitchen
