Ubud has been the 'it' place of Bali for many years now filled with yoga studio's, vegan food and 'Eat, Pray, Love' fan's, but I wonder if Ubud has now had it's day. The streets have changed so much, from the quaint artsy village I first visited in 1996 and is now overrun with western cafe's, european chain fashion shops and far too many tourists! Don't get me wrong. it can still be a nice place to visit, but not if you are expecting a serene village. Ubud has some great markets, excellent dining options and yoga studio's galore. There is no shortage of guesthouses to stay. It is sweet to walk through the town's lanes and imagine/remember how heavenly Ubud was before before mass tourism took over. Day trips will bring you to the same souvenir shops, the same restaurants and the same famous sights, along with the masses. There are some pretty inspiring temples in the surrounding area, which are worth visiting, for example Gunung Kawi, or Tirta Empul where you can bathe in the holy water spring. If nature is more your thing, visit the Tegalalang rice terraces which offer spectacular views across the countryside. The sacred monkey forest can be fun but beware, many people find the place down right scary, with enquisitive/ angry monkeys frequently sitting on peoples heads and taking their food. We also tried coffee Luwak, which is basically the coffee beans that have been right through a civet's digestive system, cleaned and then ground into coffee? Personally, I am not sure it justify's the $10 price tag, which as you know in Bali can go a long way! There are amazing resorts in the surrounding hills where I am sure you can have a wonderfully relaxing Bali experience. So where are the quiet villages in idyllic hillside locations to discover? I believe there are many, if you go looking, but first take a look at Sidemen...
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We have chosen Sanur three times now as our stay near the airport and enjoy the feel of this beach. It is much more relaxed than it's west coast competitors (Kuta,Legian etc), with good restaurants on the beach and Sanur also happens to be the departure point to the islands off the coast of Bali and Lombok. Sanur has some great shopping, and no shortage of places to get a good massage. We have travelled to and from the islands with Scoot twice, and once with Blue Water Express. There are plenty of great accomodation options in Sanur to suit your style and budget. We have stayed at the Gazebo hotel (affordable, simple rooms, a little run down but in authentic balinese style and with beach access), the Swiss Belresort (moderately priced, amazing pool and buffet, no beach access) and Besakih Beach Resort (moderately priced, authentic bali-style resort, rooms a little dated but perfectly clean. Gorgeous beachfront pools, but an average breakfast buffet).
Disclaimer: Apologies if I offend you or your favourite places in this post. If you want bars, shopping, nightlife and to be surrounded by Australians, Kuta may well be the place for you... but it is not my idea of paradise! Try to avoid Tuban, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. I have previously stayed in all these places, which are filled with enticing resorts at cheap prices. But, as a result are filled to capacity and travelling through these spots is generally traffic madness. If you need to spend a night or 2 near Denpasar airport for flight connections, consider Sanur, Jimbaran, and Bingin, but otherwise head away from the crazy as soon as you can and either head for the hills or the islands. Even Ubud has changed so much from the artsy village I first visited in 1996 and is overrun now with western vegan cafe's, European shops and far too many people! Yes, it takes a little more time and money to travel an hour or two further, but you will not regret it when you sit on your quiet beach or walk through the paddyfields with not a tourist in sight and get to experience real Indonesia. So although Kuta is quite possibly my least favourite place in Bali, here is some information if your heart is set on going.... It is great for shopping and you can find some amazing resorts at bargain prices! It's not just the kids that will love Bali Bom water park! The sunsets are super lush, I'll have to admit. We had accommodation at the Hard Rock Hotel included in our flight price a few years ago and decided to go and 'experience' it for the last few days in Bali. The pools were outstanding and the kids were in total heaven. It was close to many cafe's and the beach in front of the resort was ok, albeit covered in tourists and hawkers. JULY 2022 UPDATE: Well, I never... Kuta is so quiet at the moment. Enjoy it while it lasts! We stayed the last couple of nights in Tuban, South Kuta a short 15 minutes walk from Ngurah Rai Airport. Our accommodation (Rama Beach Villa's) was very pleasant but there were so few tourists around that it saddened me. Many of the shops were bordered up and there was only one shopping mall open. We could walk around the streets for 20 minutes without seeing another tourist. On a brighter note, sunsets at the beach were full of local families enjoying their evenings together. We were only approached by one women wanting us to buy jewellery, which we gladly did as we were trying to invest back into the local economy and felt incredibly sorry for the poor families trying to scrape by over the last few years. Bali and Lombok can be incredible places to explore and with a little planning and research it's possible to avoid all the tourist traps and find your own piece of paradise. If you need to spend a night or two near Denpasar airport for flight connections, consider staying in Sanur, Jimbaran, or Bingin. Otherwise head away from the crazy as soon as you can and either head for the hills or out to the islands. Yes, it takes a little more time and money to travel an hour or two further, but it is totally worth it. Whether you sit on your quiet beach or walk through the rice terraces with not a tourist in sight, you can experience real Indonesia. Avoid Tuban, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. These places are filled with enticing resorts at cheap prices, but as a result are filled to capacity and travelling through these spots is generally madness. Nusa Dua is a beautiful beach lined with expensive resorts and not a lot else. Although totally great for a few days of R and R, Nusa Dua is not a very authentically Balinese experience. 1. Beaches and Rice TerracesSanur, Nusa Lembongan and Sidemen. Stay your first or last night on Sanur beach depending on your flight times. Sanur is the departure point for the fast boats to Nusa Lembongan and the Gili's. (*UPDATE JULY 2022: most boats are now leaving from Padang Bai). It is just 30 minutes to Nusa Lembongan from Sanur beach. 4 nights at Mushroom beach to relax, then transfer back to Sanur and on to Sidemen for 2 nights (90 minutes drive). Sidemen offers a peaceful balinese village with exquisite rice terraces to hike to your hearts content. From Sidemen you can visit Pura Besikeh the mother temple or Tirta Gangga water palace. 2. Rice Terraces, Black sands and seafoodSidemen, Amed and Jimbaran Start by exploring Sidemen's rice terraces for 3 nights. Travel one hour to Amed via Tirta Gangga and pura lempuyang. Chill out in Amed for 3 nights for cafe's and diving, then head back to Jimbaran to get closer to the airport and feast at the seafood restaurants for your last night. |
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