Last Update: May 2024
If you’re dreaming of a laidback life without a complex reach of the contemporary lifestyle then Bali is the place to be!
Bali is a famous touristy island in Indonesia enriched with Hindu culture and traditions, delectable foods, historical temples, exciting nightlife, amazing island views, laidback nature destinations, and picturesque beaches.
It’s a dream come true to finally visit one of my dream destinations, the Bali.
Bali is the 5th largest island located in the eastern part of Java.
How to go to Bali:
- You can score a seat sale from Cebu Pacific which I normally do to save money. So far, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines offer a non-stop flight to Bali (Denpasar). The travel time from Manila to Bali is approximately 4 hours.
Best time to visit Bali:
You can visit Bali all year round due to its tropical weather. The amount of rainfall is high every month of December while January and May are the hottest and sunniest month.
Reminders:
- Travel time to Bali from Manila is approximately more than 4 hours. It will be best to arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight.
- Please take note that all Covid restrictions in Bali are now lifted (As of 9th of June, 2023). For updates about Bali’s guidelines on coronavirus and travel advisories, kindly visit this LINK
Where to stay:
There are tons of accommodations that you can choose from in Bali and you can conveniently choose among them using booking platforms like Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, etc.
Throughout my vacation, I stayed at Amalfi Hotel Seminyak which is conveniently located in Seminyak, not far from significant destinations such as Seminyak Beach, Airport, and Kuta Beach.
I booked Amalfi Hotel Seminyak through Agoda. It’s a pretty cheap and spacious hotel with friendly and helpful staff. You can check this hotel using this LINK
Attractions and activities:
Balinese Massage
This is the very first activity that I did right after checking in at my hotel during my first day in Bali. An authentic Balinese massage! Yes! A massage! I am longing for an authentic massage and Bali is really well-known for their Balinese massage.
What I love about the massage is that they’re using a very good essential oil that relaxes my mind and body. The hands of my masseur are really delicate! It’s a rewarding experience to relax after a long and stressful flight so it’s a must activity when you visit Bali.
I booked this through Klook as it’s near my hotel.
They’re offering different variants such as the 60 or 90-minute massage, with green tea scrub, warm stone massage, and the exotic Bali journey.
I opted for a traditional 60-minute massage so it won’t hurt my body too much since I still have a lot of activities to do for the rest of the day.
Uluwatu Temple
Address: Pecatu, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia
Entrance Fees:
- International tourists: 50,000 IDR for adults and 20,000 IDR for children aged 6–12
- Domestic tourists: 30,000 IDR for adults and 15,000 IDR for children
- Children under 6: Free
This temple is built on the edge of a cliff that offers stunning views of the sunset of the Indian Ocean. This temple looks like a ruin covered with a lot of trees and inhabited by wild monkeys. The view of the Indian Ocean from the cliff is really a heaven’s blessing.
Beware of the wild monkeys!
Don’t wear any accessories such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, hats, caps, even flip-flops, and most importantly be careful of your gadgets such as phones and cameras.
The monkeys of Uluwatu are notoriously known for snatching, destroying, and throwing these items towards the ocean!
In my experience, I’m wearing eyeglasses since my eyesight is not good. While I was about to protect my Korean co-tourist, since a monkey was approaching towards her and about to grab her iPhone, I shielded her out of instinct, and to my surprise, the monkey snatched my eyeglasses instead of her iPhone! I got really stunned and did nothing but stare at a monkey who’s chewing my precious eyeglasses which are literally my eyesight lol.
The monkey almost destroyed my glasses by biting them off! Unfortunately, I left my contact lenses in the hotel that’s why I recommend everyone who has eye problems to invest in high-quality contact lenses while traveling out of nature.
Scam Alert: A local lady in the temple is offering treats to monkeys to retrieve back the items but in return, she would ask for payment! The cash with me is for a huge amount as I don’t have smaller bills. I offered her a very small bill which is the only smaller bill I have at that time but she didn’t accept it and gave me a nasty look! As a result, I didn’t give her anything since I was not willing to pay a huge amount of money for this and also, I saw her bag full of cash! She’s already rich for getting tips from tourists. In my theory, it might be their scam to train monkeys to do these awful things but I’ve learned that monkeys are quick learners and would snatch items and barter them in exchange for food and treats.
That’s why be extra careful and vigilant while visiting this temple! Remember that monkeys are wild animals and could carry life-threatening diseases such as rabies! They have huge scary fangs that could dangerously bite!
I didn’t get to enjoy the amazing views of the sunset because of these traumatic experiences but as a lesson, be extra careful in places with wild animals.
Uluwatu Kecak Dance
This is an ethnic dance based on the epic of Ramayana. This dance was created by a German Artist, Walter Spies, and a Balinese Dancer, Wayan Limbak around the 1930s. This dance is also known as the “Monkey Chant” dance. The word “Kecak” is based on the “Cak!” that the male dancers chant while performing. The root of this dance is the ancient Sanghyang, which is the art of warding off evil spirits through exorcism.
The male dancers mainly use their voices for chanting for a very long time that’s why I admire how they maintain their golden voices by performing every day, I wish I could have spoken to one of them to ask for their secret or routine of keeping their golden voices. It’s amazing that they’re not using any musical instruments to perform but mainly their voices and body movements to produce artful sounds. The total number of dancers is about 70ish to a hundred to deliver such superb performance.
The main characters of the play include Rama (the antagonist), Sita (Rama’s wife), Laksamana (Rama’s younger brother), Jatayu (the Garuda bird), Hanuman (the commander of monkeys) and Rahwana (the king who kidnapped Sita), the rest of the performers are chanting the word “cak, cak, cak” which serves as the background music of the play.
I recommend this to everyone who loves to watch ethnic and cultural performances. This is a surreal experience watching how the local Balinese performers unleash their creativity through artful performances with glamorous costumes and makeup. I am very ecstatic to watch them delight the crowd while we are cheering on them. I am surprised how long the performance was, I believe it was more than an hour!
This play vanishes the bad mood I had with real monkeys roaming around the temple that I discussed above. You have to be really patient on getting in line for a very long time as there are tons of tourists gathered here to watch the play but we were really lucky to get in front seats to watch the play up-close.
This is a great experience after watching the fiery sunset of Uluwatu, to get to witness the Kecak dance while the night is still young.
Seminyak Beach
Located on the western coast of Bali, Seminyak is a long-stretched white sand beach known for water sports activities such as surfing due to its huge sea waves. Seminyak has a lot to offer such as upscale restaurants and five-star hotels but it also caters to budget-friendly tourists as small entrepreneurs are scattered along the coast of the beach offering different services such as beach bars, beach cottages, henna tattoos, braids, accessories, cold drinks, sports activities and etc.
Beware of the hefty prices from the peddlers who sell items such as accessories or services like sports activities etc.
At night, you can experience low tide for a night quiet walk along the beach.
You can also drink and dine in the pubs or clubs within Seminyak’s district, it’s very lively and colorful at night!
Below are some of the places you can check out at night:
Corner House
Address: Jl. Kayu Aya No. 10 A Kerobokan Seminyak, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
We dine in the Corner House during my birthday. Corner House is a Western restaurant offering Western foods like pizza, fries, etc. We just had pizza and beers that night and listened to the live band playing inside the restaurant.
Mr. and Mrs. Dick
Address: Jl. Kayu Aya No.35a, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
After our dinner, we chose to walk around the colorful streets of Seminyak and tried this adult-themed dessert cafe that offers delicious waffles in dick and vagina shapes! It’s definitely hilarious but their waffles are good and heavy on stomach! The cafe is also aesthetic which is good for Instagrammable photos.
Kuta Beach
You won’t be able to distinguish Kuta from Seminyak as they’re literally from one long coastal white beach. However, you’ll notice that there’s an arch saying it’s the Kuta Beach which means that you’re in Kuta’s territory already.
I believe that Kuta is more crowded with tourists, bars, hotels, and other business establishments. The waves could be overwhelming even if you’re just chilling at the coastal beach while enjoying drinking coconut juice and reading a good book!
Beware of the hefty prices from the peddlers who sell items such as accessories or services like sports activities etc. A lot of them will approach and appear so friendly so stand your ground if you don’t want to buy anything!
To be honest, I am not impressed with Kuta’s nor Seminyak’s white beaches as they’re not powdery white sand as I expected. I believe that they’re overrated. I am speaking based on what I’ve experienced and witnessed. These might not resonate with everyone else but there are better beaches elsewhere with fewer tourists and not heavily commercialized.
Tirta Empul
Address: l. Raya Tegallalang No.5758, Tegallalang, Kec. Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia
Operating hours: 7am – 6pm
Entrance fee: 50000 IDR (3USD)
Parking fee: 2000 IDR
This is absolutely one of my favorite destinations and activities in Bali, Indonesia.
Tirta Empul is a Hindu temple and place of worship for the god, Indra and dedicated to water god, Wisnu. This temple is famous for the Water Ritual for cleansing. I decided to book a guide through GetYourGuide (click on the link to book the ritual) so I could be guided on how this ritual works. The price includes two guides, entrance tickets, a sarong and scarf rental, a locker, and a temple offering with incense and mineral water. There are other add-on options that you can include on your itinerary like coffee tasting, lunch, and other activities but I just opted to get the basic ones because the Water Cleansing Ritual is the highlight of this activity.
Note: Women who are in their menstruation period are not allowed on the pool
Tirta Empul took 2.5 hours to reach from Seminyak Beach. It is indeed far so plan ahead of time, the earlier the better! I booked a Grab motor ride to go to this place and it will be hard to go back as transportation is limited if you’re not part of a huge tour group or if you don’t have your own rental vehicle. On my way back, I booked a Grab car.
My guides are knowledgeable enough to explain the Hindu statues, the old trees and how the ritual works and what are they for.
The ritual activity includes a sacrifice in the form of an offering. You would need to meditate in front of the altar. The offering consists of a bundle of flowers and a stick of incense. You have to offer a prayer to the gods, the water spirits, and to your ancestors before making a wish then proceed to hand over the offering at the altar. The guide splashed me with holy water and put the flower on my ears.
After the offering, you will proceed on the queue to the central pool, the Jaba Tengah. It consists of 13 fountains where you have to put your head under the running water and say “oum” one fountain at a time. It is said that you have to skip the fountains 1, 11, and 12 but my guide instruct me not to skip anything and just offer prayers to ancestors for fountains 1, 11, and 12 as these are fountains for the dead.
I was instructed to sip and spit the water three times then sip and swallow three times as well but for safety concerns, I only sipped very little.
Head on to the next pool to re-do the process. Please take note that the floors could be very slippery so be careful!
There are little fishes in the pool that look so cute! I noticed that some locals even get water from these pools in huge water bottles for personal blessings I guess, and not for personal use like for drinking.
After completing the ritual, thank the gods, spirits, and your ancestors one last time.
Note: The best time to visit and perform the ritual is every full moon or new moon.
I feel really purified and refreshed after the activity. I wish I could do this annually as a Spiritual cleansing. I highly recommend this to those who are curious about how Hindu culture works and to those who are in spirituality.
Reminder:
- Don’t go to restricted areas as these are reserved for prayers.
- You have to bring your own swimwear and wear it before wearing the sarong.
- Please respect their customs and traditions as this place is considered a holy place.
- Don’t litter.
- Please be on your best behavior and be respectful.
Nusa Penida Island
I made a separate blog for this island, please visit this link: Nusa Penida Travel Guide
Tanah Lot Temple
Address: Beraban, Kediri, Tabanan Regency, Bali 82121, Indonesia
Entrance fees:
| International Adult tourist | Over 10 years | IDR 75,000 per person (almost 5 USD) |
| International Children tourist | 5-10 years old | IDR 40,000 per person (almost 2.50 USD) |
| Domestic Adults | Over 10 years | IDR 30,000 per person (almost 2 USD) |
| Domestic Children | 5-10 years old | IDR 20,000 per person (around 1 USD) |
Tanah Lot is very famous for its picturesque location for sunset viewing. A temple on top of the rocks, below it is a cave where you can get water blessings by offering a small amount of money. The waves were too strong when I went there that’s why I didn’t climb on the rocks as it could be very slippery.
This temple was built during the early 16th century by Dang Hyang Nirartha, the founder of the three-temple system in Bali. This temple is built to worship the God of Sea, Bhatara Segara.
There’s a small cave where a sea snake is being offered to tourists to touch for blessings.
I was very lucky to watch the cultural dance/show parade which is called “Gabogan Parade” which happens every mid-June. Aside from this, they’re also offering festive parades on the holy day of “Kuningan”, which is five days before the temple’s anniversary. The temple’s piodalan anniversary is on a Wednesday after each Kuningan, which is on Bali’s 210-day Pawukon calendar.
There are a lot of souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants along the entrance of the temple. I was able to purchase some shirts and yoga pants which are very cheap but quality fabrics! This is one of the landmarks that I enjoyed a lot!
MUST-TRIES IN BALI:
Nasi Goreng
Nasi Goreng is a fried rice with certain spices and herbs that Indonesian people add up to it to make the rice flavorful. This is indeed my favorite because I simply love fried rice and it’s very affordable!
Among the places where I tried Nasi Goreng are located in:
Gembull Nasi Goreng
Address: Jl. Raya Seminyak Gg. Ceroring No.34, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Their menu is very affordable and budget-friendly for budget travelers like me! The cost of one meal Special Nasi Goreng is only 20 IDR (2 USD).
The place is very simple yet welcoming. I am surprised by how quiet this restaurant is even if it’s within the vicinity of Seminyak’s busy district.
Mi Goreng
Mi Goreng is a fried noodle version of Nasi Goreng. Between the two, I still prefer Nasi Goreng!
Becik Seafood Grill and Bar
Address: 8557+66W, Jl. Camplung Tanduk, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
I ate here for breakfast as they’re offering a set of breakfast meals with Mi Goreng. It’s basically a restaurant with a bar. The Mi Goreng tastes good however the serving time is very long since this is part of Seminyak’s Paradiso Hotel, I think I waited for 20-30 minutes for my food, the restaurant was not even full.
Warung Global Food
Address: Jl. Raya Kerobokan No.124x, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
This Warung (a term used for local food houses in Bali) is located in a food court location in Seminyak. This food court offers a variety of local Indonesian dishes. We ate in Warung Global Food which is one of the choices in this food court. Of course, I ordered Nasi Goreng paired with a fried tilapia fried fish with an Indonesian sweet and spicy sauce.
Luwak Coffee
I absolutely don’t want animal abuse as I have heard horror stories of how civet cats are tortured to produce a biological waste being used to make coffee, that’s the Luwak Coffee. Even if I don’t like what I’ve heard, I still bought a pack of Luwak coffee in Circle K to just try it but not support it.
This coffee has an organic taste that is somewhat like chocolatey. I still prefer the actual coffee though.
Transpo apps to have while traveling to Bali:
- Gojek App
- Grab App
Gojek App and Grab App are both reliable. Grab is quite expensive compared with Gojek. Though Grab is the only service that could bring you from Seminyak to Tirta Empul and back. Overall, I use the Gojek App quite often for going around Bali as well as ordering delivery food services.
You can also go around by taxi. The “Bluebird” taxi offers honest and reliable transportation services however there are a lot of replicas around so be careful before hailing one. I never tried hailing a Bluebird taxi due to fears of being ripped off.
This is the list of attractions that I failed to visit and I’ll tell the story below the list:
- Lempuyang Temple (got scammed via Klook!)
- Tirta Gangga (got scammed via Klook!)
- Tukad Cepung Waterfall (got scammed via Klook!)
- Tegallalang Rice Terraces (got scammed via Klook!)
- Canggu (I just passed by this area)
- The Edge (I opted to have a massage during my arrival)
Bali Instagram Tour Scam Via Klook
Never ever book this tour! The tour operator will not contact you the day prior to the trip. And on the itinerary, it shows that booking starts at 8:30 am! I was surprised when the tour driver arrived in my hotel at 6:30 am. I told him that I wouldn’t take a bath as he was asking me to go down to the hotel immediately! I told him to wait in the lobby for another 5 minutes but he immediately left after hanging up on me and was told that I have to talk to his boss to request for refund and yet, he doesn’t want to give the contact details of his boss! I contacted Klook and was promised a 48-hour investigation but nothing happened! Klook and the tour operator are both scams and unwilling to help! I had to fight for my refund endlessly by disputing it through my bank and eventually contacted our local government affairs that deal with situations like these, thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)! After 2 months of going back and forth between my bank and Klook, DTI had to set up a mediation and I wasn’t able to make it to the meeting as I was at work! Klook eventually refunded my money right after they were contacted by DTI but I wished I could have attended the said mediation so I could voice out how poor their services are even if they already refunded my money back!
Klook and the tour operator both ruined my last-day plan in Bali that’s why I wasn’t able to visit the Ubud part of Bali! The customer service of Klook can’t do anything about the refund but to forever investigate the issue! This is absolutely a nightmare and gives me a bad impression of tour agencies in Bali!
Be Careful/ Things to watch out for:
Being a single traveler in a foreign city could be very risky, it takes a lot of guts and courage to travel alone especially if you’re a woman.
In my years of experience traveling alone, I never felt bad in some experiences big time! Aside from the monkey experience that I discussed during my visit to Uluwatu Temple, here’s the other experience that I won’t forget:
Money Exchange
This is done inside the airport after customs since I normally do this during my travels for safety reasons that I will have my currency exchanged within the airport. However, the first exchange center on the right side after leaving customs is the one I went to and to my surprise, they had my money exchanged for a very little value which is almost 20$ lower than the actual exchange rate! That’s very, very low! I knew that I was being tricked at that time but chose not to speak up as it’s not my country of territory and I’m traveling alone!
I suggest opting to take out cash instead from an ATM to avoid possible incidents of fraud or scams.
Travel Tips:
- Be really careful especially if you’re traveling alone! Solo travelers are vulnerable to risks such as scams etc.
- Apply an eco-friendly sunscreen as you’ll surely get exposed to the sunlight if traveling via motorcycle.
- Wear comfortable clothes like a dress, or a pair of shorts or Thai pants with a T-shirt and a pair of flip-flops.
- Don’t forget to charge your gadgets in full and bring your power bank to maximize the day with a lot of juice!
- Medicines – in case of injuries, stomach flu, diarrhea, or dizziness, first aid medicines are a must to bring.
- Apply an insect repellent if you’re visiting during the rainy season.
- Passport – keep it secure with you all the time.
- Bring a lot of cash for convenience. Though convenience stores such as Circle K accept cards as a mode of payment.
- Keep your litter and throw it properly in the designated recycling bins, BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER!
Overall, Bali is such an eccentric and must-travel destination for those who love to go to beach clubs and even for those who are into spirituality or pilgrimage journeys but it could be overwhelming with the huge number of tourists and the beaches are overrated. So plan it really well and avoid being scammed!
I would love to go back to Bali in the future for another pilgrimage travel but this time, I would love to try and rent my own scooter to go around. I also contacted some locals to possibly rent a scooter or hire a local car rental with a tour guide to avoid being scammed again through Klook like before.
Bali is a promising destination despite of good and bad experiences that I had during my trip, I certainly would love to go back!
Please don’t forget to check out my Nusa Penida Travel Guide which you can include on your visit to Bali – it’s a hidden island gem in Indian Ocean.
Do you have anything to share about Bali? Please leave a comment in our comment section below.
KATY TODAY 
Leave a comment