Bali Travel Guide: Seminyak & Ubud
It’s been a minute, but I’m back with a Bali travel guide.
April and May were definitely travel-heavy months. It began with the Easter break when I was heading to the airport for the ultimate trip exploring Bali and Tokyo. I’m now back in the UK and let’s just say things could be better. Bali exceeded my expectations and it’s the first country I’ve travelled to where I’ve felt welcome no matter where I went.
My time was split between Ubud and Seminyak, both of which serve completely different vibes and I’m here to tell give you the low down on both.
The bulk of my time was spent in Ubud and it was where most activities were done. Also known as the cultural heart of Bali, it is hard to run out of things to do here. Bali is a place where one visit is not enough, this Bali travel guide covers a period over a week or so and is a great starting point. Feel free to adjust and add as you see fit. Here are a couple of places you must visit whilst in Ubud:
Culture
Ubud art market is a local market filled with an assortment of items such as art, crochet tops, bags and penis shaped bottle openers (?). I digress, it’s a wonderful way to get immersed in the culture and where I purchased my traditional Balinese hat.
Opposite the art market Ubud palace, home to Bali’s royal family. It also transforms at night for the storytelling of Ramayana through Bali’s traditional Kecak and fire dance. This was another beautiful way to experience Balinese culture. It’s also where I tasted my first Bintang.
Tegallalang Rice Terrace was amazing to witness, the design is clever and the views are crazy from the top. I enjoyed my stroll here as the day rolled to an end.
Visit
Lempuyang Temple or Heavens Gate; if you haven’t seen the mirrored images all over the gram where have you been? It is surreal being here, but it is also very interesting seeing how they create the mirror effect. This attraction is very much designed to cater to the social media heads and people are happy to queue for that perfect shot (myself included, no judgement).
Traveller tip: Arrive early, 9 am onwards to avoid wasting your day queuing up, we arrived at around 11 am and were queued for approximately 1.5 hours, which is not bad but the scorching sun did not help.
Saraswati Temple is a beautiful water palace. You can get around quite quickly and it is in very close proximity to Ubud art market and Ubud Palace.
Tirta Gangga left me breathless, I almost missed out on seeing this. However, our kind driver suggested we must go see it and I’m so glad he did. It’s about 10 minutes drive from Lempuyang Temple so you can see it in the same day. There are massive Koi fish that you can feed, stunning water fountains, floating steps you can walk across and a pool you can take a swim in. I also had the best hot dogs ever here! I’d highly recommend it.
Tirta Gangga
Tegenungan Waterfall with access to Mooi River Valley (beach club). This was a great way to relax after a very active morning, we ate and chilled (I recommend the Salmon burgers). A few steps down led to the waterfall which was amazing to see, the water was quite choppy on that day so I didn’t walk too far out but I loved my time there.
Do
I also went on my first hike up to the top of Mount Batur to watch the sunrise. I must say I have never done anything like it. The journey began at 2 am, it was pitch black and all we had was flashlights to guide us up. We were split into small groups of 8 with two guides. I struggled at times as it was a steep climb with rolling rocks, but I made it.
Taking in the beauty in the Sunrise
Bali swing is everything and more! Initially, I did not feel safe but once allow yourself to relax you cannot help but smile. I loved how supportive the swing operators are and how they fully go all out to take as many photos as you want. Get there as early as you can and beat the queues.
Luwak Coffee plantation is a great place to sample the famous Luwak coffee. Asian palm civet eats the Luwak cherries which are fermented within their stomachs and defecated. The end result is Luwak coffee. As with the Bali swing, there are numerous places you can go to try this. However, the one you want to go to is the one that overlooks the rice fields. In addition to being able to sample the Luwak Coffee for a small fee, you are able to sample 14 different coffees and teas ( I didn’t take any pictures but have videos under my Instagram highlights).
My time in Seminyak was quite short and was about good food and beach clubs:
Do
Potatohead I had heard many good things about this place and it did not disappoint, the vibe was right, the cocktails were delicious and the service was impeccable. You can spend your time here day or night!
Mrs Sippy is one of the newer beach clubs in Seminyak. It was lovely listening to music and watching the sunset here
Bom Bali Waterpark the last time I went to a waterpark was when I was 18. This is such a fun way to spend your day. What I love about Bom Bali is that queues move quickly and ride operators are always cracking jokes.
Food
Bambu restaurant
Cabina I saved my floating breakfast experience until the end of time in Bali and this place was the right place to experience it. The breakfast is so good and it does not have a big crowd which I absolutely love.
Bambu have you ever been to a floating restaurant? Water surrounds the ground floor of Bambu. Beyond its looks, it delivered in food quality too.
Sambai Shrimp another restaurant I’d highly recommend that looks as good as it tastes. It’s also next to the famous club ‘Favela’ so after a satisfying meal you can go and shake a leg.
Overall I enjoyed both Ubud and Seminyak. I cannot choose which is my favourite as I feel they both offer such different experiences and I’m so glad I was able to visit both. I’d love to know if you’ve been to Bali before. Let me know which place was your favourite in the comments. I hope this Bali travel guide is useful for your travel planning.
A breakfast fit for a Queen
As always,
Until next time
Koko
xo
