Dear fellow Local Guides,
I just got back from Bali (Indonesia) and it was amazing.
So I wanted to share with you my favorite places and give you some tips if you plan on going there.
If you have questions, I will be glad to answer.
I hope you'll enjoy it and feel free to add your favorite places and tips to this discussion 😉.
Let's connect !
Valerie
1. Cities / places
- Gili Air : this island is by far my favorite place. Actually it's not part of Bali, but part of Lombok. There's no car/motocycle there, so the taxi is a horse carriage. It's a nice place to relax, watch sunrise/sunset, discover the island on a bike, have a drink by the beach, do snorkeling, do scuba diving...
- Canggu : you'll find a lot of activities there. And my favorite part is that there are lots of good restaurants/bars in this area. It's a nice neighborhood.
- Uluwatu : some of the most beautiful beaches are there (Suluban beach, Green Bowl beach, Nunggalan beach...). And you'll find lots of beach clubs, bar and restaurants as well.
- Ubud : I love the atmosphere of this city. The best part is the Art market where you can find almost everything (souvenirs, bags, dresses, wooden articles...).
2. Restaurants / bars
- Moana Fish eatery (in Canggu) : delicious seafood dishes
- Bro Resto (in Canggu) : nice french and chinese cuisine
- Bukit Café (in Uluwatu) : they have the best milkshakes
- Single Fin (in Uluwatu) : one of the best place to have a drink while watching sunset
- Scallywags (in Gili Air & Gili Trawangan) : nice barbecue offer
- Sunrise Resort restaurant (in Gili Air) : they have delicious pastries
- Copper Kitchen & bar (in Ubud) : nice rooftop restaurant
- Mad Pops Vegan ice Cream (in Seminyak) : for a sorbet or ice cream
- Brown Bean's (in Gili Trawangan) : nice barbecue offer, and their white snapper is delicious
3. Beaches
- Gili Air beach : the beach and view are beautiful. It will be easy to find a spot to lay on a deck chair or to swing on a swing. The beach is nice in front of Ombak Paradise hotel but there's coral in the water, so wear water shoes to get in
- Suluban beach : I recommend you to go there when the tide is low. There's lots of stairs to get to this beach but it's worth the view. On the way to the beach, there are bars, boutiques and people to give you a massage. Above the beach, you'll find the Single Fin where you can enjoy the sunset with drinks and/or food
- Petitenget beach : walking on this beach is beautiful but be careful to jellyfishes if you'll want to take a swim
- Green Bowl beach : I recommend you to go there when the tide is low. Here again, there are lots of stairs to get to the beach (around 330 steps) but it's worth it
4. Shopping places
- Ubud Traditional Art market : you'll find souvenirs, clothing, bags, wooden products...
- Sukawati Art market : cheaper than Ubud's Art market
- Kuta Art market : one of the biggest market in Bali
- Seminyak Square : in this place and around it, you'll find clothing shops
- In the streets of Canggu : great clothing shops
- Love Anchor : it's way smaller than Kuta's market but it has its charm
5. Recommendations / Tips
First of all, I highly recommend you to get a scooter to go around Bali. Traffic is crazy there so it will be easier for you. The roads are most of the time small, with only 1 lane per direction so I don't recommend to take a car unless you are a very good driver.
If you are not used to drive scooters, you can take a cab/moto taxi. There's a great app which will help you order your transportation at a fair price, it's called Grab.
Before choosing your Airbnb or hotel, if you don't plan on getting a scooter/car, I highly recommend you to check on Google Maps Street View if the road next to it has a sidewalk or not. Because when you will want to stroll around the neighborhood, it will be quiet dangerous to walk on the 1-lane road.
To go to Gili Air / Gili Trawangan / Gili Meno / Lombok, the price of the speed boat is lower if you leave from Amed.
During high season (June/July/August), please make sure to book your speed boat ticket in advance, because it can be tough to find available seats at that time.
Most companies include the round-trip shuttle to/from Padangbai harbor. It takes between 1.5hr and 2hr to go to Gili Islands/Lombok from Padangbai. Tickets fare is around 500.000 rupiah.
If you plan on going to Gili Trawangan or Meno from Gili Air, take your boat ticket at Karya Bahari ticket office which is in the pier's entrance. The ticket is at 85.000 rupiah while it's around 150.000 rupiah at other dealer's office. There's 1 fast boat per hour.
On most Bali's shores, there's coral/rocks in the water so I recommend you to get proper shoes to go in.
There's WiFi almost everywhere in Bali, so there's no need to get a local SIM card to stay connected 😉.
2022
