A Guide to Bali

Bali is one of my favourite places on the planet. The island and its surrounding places have a weird and wonderful mix of modern day eateries and shops alongside a beautiful culture rich with religion and traditions. The island caters for every type of traveller and I would recommend it to everyone! It’s one of the most Instagram-able places ever, but also a developing country, so the island relies completely on tourism. The people are truly some of the kindest and nicest that I’ve ever come across, and that really makes a difference when you’re travelling! They’re completely go-with-the-flow, happy, caring and they looove music. It’s great. So, what to do and where to go?

Get spiritual and find your chill in the jungles of Ubud. 

Ubus is my favourite and the list of things to see and do is endless! Start with the must-sees like the Tegallang rice terraces where you can get your ‘gram’ shot in a swing (note that the shot is not as easy as it looks lol and the swings have a harness which might ruin your ‘floaty dress’ image. Wear a kimono or shorts underneath so the men can put the harness around it). 

Cleanse your soul and bathe in the holy water of the Pura Tirta Empul Temple. This was one of my favourite things to do. What’s the point in going anywhere if you’re not going to immerse yourself fully and just stand at the side to watch?! Pay one of the local guides to talk you through the ritual and avoid praying to the death stones! 

Have a spa day with a flower bath. It was so hard to get that ‘gram’ shot again. How do IG people do it?! Me and my bestie were half in the nude and in the dark of the bath with the petals floating away from us…. lol. The spa package was perfect on the other hand.

Visit the elephants at the numerous parks and safaris that Bali has. We went to Taro which was the closest and it felt like most of the elephants were in good care. 

Visit the art market which is the best place (I think) to buy all your clothes, accessories and gifts from. It covers a huge area with small shops winding round, up, down and through endless covers. It’s a great place to haggle too!

Tegenungan Waterfall was a fun day out and I think we saw Bedugul lakes and temple in the same trip too. Climb Mount Batur and watch the sunrise… this one is still on my to-do-list, but I’ve hear great things!

Party, eat and shop in Canggu, Seminyak and Kuta

I honestly didn’t do much in these areas but eat, sleep and drink! The beaches are filled with surfers and the water isn’t safe to swim in so I’d recommend a place with a pool or visiting the beach clubs like Potato head and Mr Sippy. I’m sure there’s lots we missed but I prefer the islands and Ubud so we didn’t stick around for long.

Take the fast boat to Gili Trawangan Island

Gili T is the largest and most popular of the three Gili islands. It’s got a strip of restaurants, shops and bars with a bunch of activities and day trips to do.

Watch the sunset over at Sunset point. Head over to the other side of the island, grab some drinks (or a special shroom shake!) at happy hour and sit in a bean bag to watch one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen! Even on a rainy day, the sky was covered in pink.

­ Rent a bike! The island is the biggest of the three, but actually it’s tiny still! You can cycle around the whole island and back through within an hour. There’s only one path around and with no cars and a tonne of places to hire from, it’s the dreamiest place to cycle around.

Do a day trip. We spent the day island hopping and snorkelling which was lots of fun and at a pretty decent price! It’s great to get out on the sea and do things that you wouldn’t otherwise. It’s a great way to meet people too! We also rented out a gopro for the day which was completely worth it for the shots and underwater statues that lie below the water.

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­ Go diving! Gili T has some of the bluest waters around. On my first visit, me and my best friend completed our PADI Open Water certificate. We went with Diversia and it was so much fun! The water is pretty clear when the weather is good and you can see pretty corals, fish and even turtles!

Here is a list of the hostels and hotels I’ve stayed at:

– Nick’s Hidden Cottages, Ubud

– Bima Sakti Hostel, Canggu

– Coconut Garden Retort, Gili Trawangan

– Blue Moon Homestay, Gili Trawangan

And if you have a stopover try….

– ZEN Rooms Cipete, Jakarta

– Favehotel, Makassar and Jakarta

– And if you have time, visit the island of South Sulawesi with the magical lands of Tana Toraja…. Read more here!

 

You can use the link below to receive £10 off when booking any of these hotels and more with booking.com!

https://www.booking.com/s/vanish15

Thanks for reading guys!

Keep up with my adventures on Instagram @vanishamay and have a good day wherever you are

Vanisha

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