The Indonesian island re-opened for tourism in March this year and for many travellers, it’s been a long time between Bintangs. From arrival tips to the best areas to stay, eat and drink, here’s your new A to Z of holidaying in Bali.
Arriving into the main city which is half an hour’s drive from the airport, we reached Seminyak. Seminyak is Bali’s most fashionable beach, home to the island’s luxurious resorts and host to a number of fine restaurants and boutiques. Fashion stores and top dining spots with international chefs cooking up world-class cuisine and some of the most sought after bars, nightclubs and beach clubs.
A walk on the Seminyak beach is a rather great way to start the day and get your dose of vitamin sea before you head out for excursions. With a long list of things to do, we started our day with a shopping trip in Seminyak which has a wide variety of brands and fashion boutiques to choose from. while at it, a refreshing cup of freshly brewed coffee at the buzzing Revolver Cafe can come in handy. The street also has some great dining options, Mykonos – a greek restaurant, The corner Cafe – a daily deli are the ones we picked and ended up having a delectable meal at both. For travel convenience, Bali has its own Uber like app called Bali Cab. We viewed the much hyped Bali sunset from the infinity pool of Desa Potato Head, one of the best beach clubs of Bali which has a great vibe and even better food and cocktails.
For dinner we headed to the Seminyak beach for the Balinese sea food experience at La Plancha, which turned out to be nothing extraordinary. Day two started with a long drive to the Bali Safari and Marine Park, it was nothing like we have ever witnessed before. The experience left us mesmerized and literally gave us a nostalgic tour of ‘The Jungle Book’. Bali Safari, the African Safari Adventure in Bali, is home to over a thousand amazing animals – Bali Safari Park is your destination for an adventurous, fun outing with the animals.
The park gives you a chance to get up close and personal, get clicked and feed some of the most rare animals in the world, they have more than 120 species, including rare & endangered species like Lions, Tigers, Hippos, Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebras, Komodo Dragon, Orangutan all roaming in their natural surroundings while we were enclosed in a bus which took a ride through the enclosures.
A beautiful day deserved an even better finale and for that we set sight on the most talked about night club La Favella. From the architecture to the street art. From the lighting to the music, the concept of La Favela has always been to bring to Bali the very first underground party scene. No techno, no house music. Just music that everyone loves and can dance to.
Ubud was the next on our list rightly so, Ubud has long been the centre of Bali’s artisanal traditions and spiritual life. We started our trip at Cretya Ubud, it is the home to the world’s most expensive coffee produce. The resort has a beautiful pool and cafe overlooking the valley, the much sought after ‘Bali.
Swing’ among other attractions. Next up was a once in a lifetime experience of having lunch with a view of Mount Batur, Mount Batur is an active volcano located at the center of two concentric calderas north west of Mount Agung on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The south east side of the larger 10×13 km caldera contains a caldera lake. On the way back we stopped by at the Ubud Palace and Saraswati temple, both of which are beautiful examples of the Balinese architecture.
The evening called for a chilled Bintang post a long day and we knew just the spot for that in ubud, we headed to Omma. Omma, is a day club overlooking the majestic Tegenungan Waterfall. You just can’t get enough of the scenic views that this beautiful club has to offer. If you like water sports, Tanjung Benoa Club on Nusa Dua beach is just the place for you. They have an expansive variety of watersports, scuba diving, fly fish, fly boarding, parasailing to name a few. The big Saturday night was about nightclub hopping, we started the night with the newest nightclub addition to Bali.
Mirror lounge and club offer the world of European Gothic period with its impressive architecture, which is the only great thing about it. The next stop was ShiShi, we were blown away by the experience. The lavish interior, somewhere between Tokyo Elite and Enter the Dragon. Style seems to have found a new home in Bali. Three floors, blending food into party. A journey through fine dining, cocktails and an evening of music and dance. Do you want the techno beats of the house room or the party vibe of R&B on the rooftop? Those of discerning tastes will want to visit Bali’s most illustrious venue.
Sunday called for an authentic balinese massage to get going followed by a lazy brunch. The evening called for another beach club experience, this time we decided to try ‘Ku De Ta’. Nestled on Seminyak’s sandy shores, this idyllic beachfront space was created for sun-drenched days and unforgettable island nights. This is a Bali icon, where moments are shared over exceptional food, drinks, and soulful soundtracks from dawn till dusk.
The party continued at one of the most happening spots of Bali, Motel Mexicola. Music, lots of great tacos, burritos and Mexican cuisine are on offer as well as a huge selection of beers, wines and of course a range of tequila that would give anyone the hangover of a lifetime. Our one last trip was to the the Bali “gates of heaven” an iconic tourist hot spot located in East Bali. Famous for its “reflection”,and it’s view of Mount Agung, Any trip to Bali is incomplete without shopping for numerous dream catchers, handicrafts and a bag full of memories.
