Oh, Bali! 

You’ve been nothing but beautiful & relaxing. 

I recently returned from Indonesia with family. I was traveling with my in-laws and sis in law— while the hubby stayed behind. I’m only sharing my experiences and what we could manage to do in five days, so I may miss out on places you’d like to experience. 

Our trip was short and sweet, so here goes!

UBUD

I planned the itinerary for the entire trip- read a ton before heading there so I hope this blog saves you some research time. I knew that as a family we would love Ubud & sure we definitely felt like we belonged there. The best way to describe it would be a calm tropical getaway filled with waterfalls, paddy fields, shopping, massages, yoga (we booked a morning class at yoga barn), dips in plunging pools and healthy eating. 

Heading to Bali during the off-season got us all worried sick about the rains, but honestly it was a blessing in disguise. We faced only one night of rain, which was great for us & the off-season also meant lesser tourists & cheaper rates for stay, flights to bali, etc. The only downside I would say that if you are looking at going on treks (like Mt. Batur) avoid the rainy season. 

I’m so excited to share everything I bought in Bali, styled at home. :) 

If you do better price wise let me know, but I hope this helps you estimate how low you can get.

I did also pick up a few silk scarves and wooden carvings for family, there is something for everyone at the markets. Don’t miss out on the paintings in Guwang market, sadly I couldn't get anything back! 

Make sure you venture out of Ubud centre as well. The surrounding areas have a lot more bigger galleries where you can find sculptures, wood and cane furniture. On the way to Tegenungan waterfall we came across many lovely factory sized outlets. 

Where we ate:

Warung Tepi Tebing (nasi goreng is a must in a traditional warung, better accompanied with bintang if beer’s your thing).

Celts and Spells (amazing creperie) and make sure you head to Tukies after for one of the best coconut ice creams I’ve had…

Clear Cafe.

Wanna Jungle Pool & Bar at the Kanyon Jungle Resort!

Mudra. ( Their matcha vanilla soy latte is everything!! ) 

Where we stayed: Calma, Ubud (lovely hotel 5kms away from Ubud centre) 

Travel: Rent a scooter, but if you aren’t confident download an app called Go-Jek for scooter hop-ons since Ubud can be quite hilly. It’s so convenient to rent a scooter at the hotel, our hotel charged us 70,000 indonesian rupiah per day to rent. 

Other places we visited: 

Monkey Forest, Saraswati Temple, Tegenugan Waterfall, Tegelalang Rice Terrace, Bali Swing (Alas Arum the one I went too)…

SEMINYAK 

The beach wasn’t great, but the shopping and eating is a must! Spent only a day here, so it was a rush!
Where we ate:

Kynd Community (super insta-gram-able)

Motel Mexicola (great for pictures during the day, absolute riot/rager at night) 

Sea Circus 

Nightlife: We headed to La Favela to dance the night away! And boy, it sure was FUN!! 
Where we stayed:

Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach

Travel: Taxi’s are out and about since this is a hip part of town. Make sure to use only taxis from the Bluebird Group as they are the only ones that run on meter. 

Shopping 

: for home decor 

Kim Soo (a store filled with textured items)

Samantha Robinson (wonderful ceramics)

Local handicraft stores

:for clothes 

Auguste the Label 

Wanderlust (bikinis and shoes) 

Faithful the brand 

K&i Boutique 

Scandi (silver jewelry)

Happy Travels! 

Nain xx