In November 2017 Teunis and I went to Bali for our honeymoon. When we started researching where we wanted to go we didn´t really have a clue what would be a good fit for us, so we just went to a travel agency with an open mind and ready for all the suggestions. We looked at several different places to go to: Mauritius, Mexico, Dominican Republic and then lastly Bali.
We really liked the concept of Bali as it was THE place to be adventurous and active but at the same time there it was also a place to just relax and do nothing. When we were being indecisive about where we wanted to go the travel agent asked us: do you ever want kids? We looked at each other thinking it was a bit of an odd question for a travel agent to ask but we both firmly nodded yes. “Well”, she said “then I would highly suggest you to do this trip now when you are free to go wherever you want to go. You can always go to some luxurious resort in Mexico or the Dominic Republic, but Bali is just not that kind of island”. So, we thought about it and came to the conclusion that she was right. This was a ‘now or never’ kinda trip and we wanted to be adventurous while we still could.
So, there we went. On November 15th 2017 we got on our first flight to Dubai, which would eventually bring us to Denpasar, Bali. Our starting base was Schiphol airport in Amsterdam and from there your first flight to Dubai will take around 6 hrs. Then at Dubai you will have a quick layover and our second flight took us 9 hrs. So, want to go to Bali? Prepare for a long ass flight time! Be prepared by bringing snacks, wear comfortable clothing, have a toothbrush and some toothpaste with you and make sure you stock up on the entertainment department. Orrrr just take a sleeping pill and make life a lot easier haha.
So, from here on I will be throwing some tips around and add some pictures to make sure you know how freaking beautiful Bali is. Let’s go!
Move to at least three different places while you’re there
There is SO much to see on / around Bali. I am really not the kind of person that likes to pack up their bags after being somewhere for two days but it would honestly be such a waste if you would just stay in one place. We went there for 14 days which is kind of the minimum if you ask me. We started of with two nights in Ubud, which is in the middle of the island right at the rice fields which was a perfect base to explore but also rest from the long flights. Then we had four nights on a different island called Gili Trawangan which was just pure magic. Lastly we has six days in Sanur which was also a really nice base to explore the island. These three different places gave us a lot of opportunity to really get the most out of our trip.
Hydrate, hydrate and oh yeah, HYDRATE
Please keep on drinking (water preferably) all. Day. Long. On our second day we did some physically draining activity during a cycling tour, but at the end of our tour I literally fainted because I didn’t hydrate enough and my body was still adjusting to the hot and humid environment. Not really ideal if you ask me so let this be a lesson for you should you ever decide to go there.
Find yourself a ´personal´ driver
Bali is flooded by men wanting to take you to your next destination. The best thing is to find your ´own´ taxi driver that you can trust and come back to every time you want to go somewhere. I know I was REALLY glad we booked someone in advance to pick us up from the airport. Otherwise I´d probably have lost my mind. There were literally men trying to take my suitcase from me to take it to their cap (my naïve little ass thought they were trying to steal my suitcase, imagine the look of confusion on my face here please). They are just very eager to make some money that day so just know that is definitely easier to book something in advance.
Do a cycling tour
This was such a fun activity to do (when you aren’t fainting) and I have the feeling we saw soooo much of the island through this tour. It is quite easy as well as you start at the top of a volcano, which sounds very adventurous but believe me, you don´t even notice it. From the starting point you just cycle your way down and come across all these adorable villages, incredible rice fields and beautiful temples. We had a private guide with us who told us all about the places we came across. A must when you ask me!
Book a couple of nights for ´relaxation-only’
Our travel agent advised this to us and it was the best decision ever. After our two nights in Ubud we had four night on this magical island called Gili Trawangan. It was really the most beautiful place on earth and I almost cried of happiness when we arrived there by boat. All we did there was relaxing, tanning, reading, walk around the island and enjoying the good food. It was an oasis of relaxation in between all the business of Bali.
Enjoy the good food
There are SO many good restaurants in Bali and it is honestly SO cheap. Please go out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks all together and enjoy the many different restaurants of Bali that are so freaking good and cheap at the same time. We were literally blown away by the price we had to pay for some of the meals we had. There was this one amazing restaurant in Sanur were we could both eat a dinner dish and both have two drinks and we would pay €13,- (!!!).
Get massages
No better place to get massages then Bali boys and girls. They are on every street of the corner but most of the time also in your hotel and you can get a massage of one hour for €6,-. Again this is really cheap as they work their magic hands on you for an hour. We always gave more as back at home for a massage of one hour that isn’t even as good as this one I would pay € 65 . Also, by paying more than charge you for can really make someone’s day and again, they can really use the money most of the time!
That concludes this post on my travel tips for Bali. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and it made you enthusiastic for this beautiful island. If you are going and have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or message me / e-mail me.
Love,
Marina
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