I stayed in Bali for 6 weeks and it could have been much longer. There are a ton of places to visit and staying at least a week in each would be recommended to get a real feel for the area. In today’s blog I will cover the areas I visited. I normally travel solo but this month I had a friend coming to visit for 10 days so the itinerary I created was to include her visit and a tasting of a bunch of different places while she was with me, rather then staying in 1 or 2 spots during those 2 weeks. The time of year (end of March thru the start of May) is the end of rainy season, it was actually probably the perfect time of year to visit, in my opinion. So lets get started.
On arrival I stayed in a hostel so close to the airport that you could walk, and I did walk (saved myself 50k Rupia. It was at Lokal Bali Hostel in Kuta, this place is pretty decent, the rates are from $13-$18 a night depending on your room type and the first time I stayed here breakfast was included, my rate was $14 a night booked directly on their web site. The hostel is set back off the street behind a small coffee shop so you really cannot hear any street noise. The rooms are clean with the largest lockers I have come across that will fit your entire suitcase or backpacks plus some. They have a pool on the small property and a small seating area outside and a large flat screen TV in the living room area. The internet was not so great and had trouble connecting for work a few times and had to go downstairs to get connected. The AC works good and the bathrooms are clean. They serve food that they prepare for you and sell beverages here and the staff was absolutely lovely. On Saturday nights the Hostel offers its guests a free dinner. You can find them at https://lokalbalihostel.com/
After the short stay in Kuta (which by the way is known for theft of phones and bag snatching, several people along my trip shared their experiences) I moved to a small village in Ubud
Kelabang Moding is a short distance from the Ubud Palace, either an 8 min drive or 1 hour walk thru the rice terraces. I found this home on AirBnB months before I arrived and booked for 2 solid weeks at the beginning of April. It is located on the property of a local family in an apartment above the garage. This was probably the best choice one could make if they want to truly learn Balinese culture and get to know the locals. After an hour or so drive (it took me 3 drivers from online apps like Gojek to finally get one that would take me that far for the quoted amount as most tried to charge me 400k or more) I paid 250k Rupia which included a tip I arrived. The apartment had a lovely terrace that overlooked the village and surroundings, a large bathroom with a floor made of river rocks and concrete squares, a lovely touch. The property did not include breakfast but the host introduced me to a lovely lady, Mody, that brought me local traditional breakfast daily for 300k a day, they where among the best meals I had in all of Bali. The village is surrounded by rice terraces and fruit trees with the water way running behind it. The people are hard working and friendly. There is no mini mart or 7-11 anywhere nearby but they do have some local Warungs to eat at. I had a perfect spot to set up my office and work outside with amazing sunsets beyond the red roofs and palm trees far off in the distance. This place ran just about $14 a night. The host family was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The host Wayan taught me about village life and took me on a walking tour of the village and surrounding area. You can find this place on AirBnB called “UNI’s Place Balinese village life” Photos below are just some of the sights, food and experiences while staying at Uni’s You can find this place on AirBnb at
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12639100?s=51
My friend arrived a few days before I departed Kelabang Moding and our first of 3 stops, each 3 nights, was Sanur. The budget went up since there are 2 of us. We stayed at a hotel called Kings House Kesari a short walk from the beach. The rate for a basic room with 2 beds was just under $25 and came with breakfast. This property is the home of the owners and they have expanded and built it into a hotel. Both the owners have experience in hospitality and own a local Warung at the beach called Surya The Grills Beachside which can also be ordered for delivery. They were incredibly helpful and informative and even gave us a ride and printed some documents I needed for immigration free of charge. There is no WIFI in the room as of yet but they did have a nice outdoor living room with strong WIFI that I was able to use as my office. They also had a large flat screen TV with some English stations which I had not watched in months. The property is located in a maze of tiny streets which appeared to be safe and had a few shops and places to eat and get massages. The walk to the beach is less than 15 minutes and is super simple. We walked around, did some shopping for my friend and watched the sunrise from the beach during our stay. There seemed to be plenty to do within a short walk including the Sanur harbor where you can take the boat to Nusa Penida and surrounding islands. The property can be found here.
http://thekingshousekesarisanur.com/
Next we went to Canggu, I originally booked in Nusa Dua but had heard from locals that it was not so good and was close to the airport and was recommended Canggu. I found us a place next to the beach called Serenity Eco Lodge. What a fantastic little area Canggu is (pronounced Changu) This is a surfer and yoga haven and everything is about the surf and yoga lifestyle. The area is also known for its street art and there is plenty of it. The property was like an eco resort. We paid less than $25 a night for a private room with bathroom and 2 beds, breakfast was included. The WIFI was not very strong in the room but in the main areas of the guesthouse it was strong enough to get my work done. The beach was lovely but the waves much rougher than in Sanur which was completely calm (east facing) For this area plenty to do walking distance including the famous Old Man’s Beach club and Gimmie Shelter punk bar. Sunsets at the beach come with bean bag loungers and plenty of people. The Eco lodge had a large pool, plenty of yoga classes and a Vegan restaurant on site. The yoga classes has plenty of options for all levels and the instructors were very helpful and friendly. Actually everyone that worked was so friendly. There is a full service spa and I got the absolute best massage I have had to date by the gal Tri, make sure to book with her!! This property has yoga retreats and yoga training programs. You can find them at
https://www.serenitybali.com/ I liked it so much here that after my friend left I came back and stayed another full week in the dorm rooms and did a yoga retreat.
We left Canggu for my friends final few nights, I chose a spot closer to the airport for her to get there easily. We stayed in Seminyak. I booked us at a place called Room Sweet Rooms, at just under $30 a night, we had booked a room with 2 beds but upon check in we had been given a room with a king bed. Breakfast is not included here. The place actually grew on me, it was a rather nice room (even with sharing the bed) and probably one of the nices showers thus far. The property was located in a good area to walk around. But my friend fell ill with the good ole Bali Belly and we didn’t do much. I actually was not a fan of Seminyak, it was definitely the shopping area with nothing but a mall and shops and very few options to eat at affordable rates. The spot was directly across from the “flea” market so there had been some local food options but for the most part this place was pretty much tourist central and the first place I saw woman and children trying to sell bracelets begging for money and I didn’t like that at all. I didn’t see a real population of locals as everywhere I looked all I saw was tourists. The property seemed to be part of another property but our room was upstairs and had a great terrace and was super private and quite. You can find them at
http://www.roomsweetroom.net/
I went back to the Serenity Eco Lodge Canggu for a week as I mentioned, I stayed in the dorm at the rate of about $11 a night with breakfast included and much better WIFI in the Yin dorm room. It was a room with no bunk beds and 5 single beds and our own bathroom. Here is some more street art.
While I was in Canggu, I had a week before I left Bali and that was enough time to go experience a different area and do something. As a certified diver I thought maybe I will dive or snorkel so I found this place called Amed. I had read there are some shipwrecks that can be snorkeled or I could dive them. I headed the 3 hours across the island (500k) to Amed, I was a bit nervous as I didn’t have a dive partner and I had chosen a property after a long process of learning what I could about Amed and reading countless reviews at the properties I found. I decided on Jukung Dive Resort based on several factors, location, reviews and price. I decided on a private room since the following week when I depart Bali I would be in hostels for a month. I paid just over $26 a night with breakfast included. The room was a nice size, had a semi outdoor bathroom and views of the pool and the ocean and was at the far end of the property so was private (room 3) I decided to spoil myself. The resort has a dive shop attached and upon arrival and after check in I spoke with the Dive Master and discussed diving. It was not a problem that I was solo and as a matter of fact the entire week I was pretty spoiled, since it is not high season the crowds had not arrived yet and I was solo diving with my dive master as my partner. We had a fantastic week and I ended up purchasing a dive package and we chose the USS Liberty, Pyramids, Wall, Japanese Wreck, Emerald and Batu Kelebit. I did 2 dives a day for all but 1 of the days. The 9 dive package is $270 and the 11 dive package is $300, this includes your gear, transportation, water/tea/coffee at the dive and a meal at the end. You literally just show up and put your gear on. I would have to say that Amed had the best diving I have done and Dive Master Nengah Putra also known as Monkey, was a blessing to have with me under the water and above the water actually. Everyone at the resort was great and I was incredibly comfortable there. I will return. You can find them at
http://www.jukungdivebali.com/ They are opening a 2nd resort in Nusa Penida this summer so I will go back to dive there with Sabine, the resort manager and Dive Master.
For 6 weeks in Bali here is the financial breakdown The total spent was $1950 USD. Accommodations aka rent I spent $863.14, Food was $228.37, Transportation $191.47, SIM card $17.59, Activities (diving and yoga retreat etc) $464.51, “Other” total is $104.49 and includes Sightseeing, Laundry, Fees to stay the 6 weeks thru immigration, Gifts for the kids, mini mart runs for water and tea, entertainment etc. To put that in perspective I spent $1820 for 1 month (4 weeks) rent back home and this total of $1950 was for 6 weeks and included everything I needed.
Love watching sunset every night !